Disneyland to play a key role in ESPN’s ‘Year of the Super Bowl’ celebration
The confetti-filled finale of the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory officially kicked off ESPN’s “Year of the Super Bowl” celebration leading up to next year’s game in Los Angeles that is expected to include a starring role for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
ESPN will be pulling out all the stops with the year-long “We’re Going” marketing campaign for the first Super Bowl broadcast on the sports television network on Feb. 14, 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
“This fan-focused initiative unites our company’s beloved brands with industry-leading storytelling and technology to showcase football’s greatest stories, heroes and moments like never before,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “Across our platforms, screens and parks, we’ll build momentum throughout the year toward Super Bowl LXI — a monumental event for sports fans everywhere and for ESPN.”
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The Disney-wide collaboration is expected to include fan experiences, interactive activations, celebratory moments and live events at Disney theme parks leading up to and during the 2026 NFL season.
“Disney is expected to unveil special programming and fan-focused experiences this summer leading into the 2026 NFL season,” Nexstar theme park reporter Scott Gustin wrote on Twitter. “Disney Parks and ABC Entertainment will also roll out Super Bowl-inspired moments with additional details to be announced in the months ahead.”
ESPN’s first cameo-filled “We’re Going” TV commercial featured 60 Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and Fox characters from franchise properties like Zootopia, Frozen, Monsters Inc., Moana, Toy Story, Peter Pan, Cars, Up, Lilo & Stitch, Beauty and the Beast, The Mandalorian, The Muppets, The Incredibles, The Simpsons, Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers.
The lineup of Marvel superheroes featured Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine and Deadpool. A host of marquee villains included Maleficent, Scar, Ursula, Captain Hook and Darth Vader. And, of course, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto will make cameo appearances in the “We’re Going” campaign.
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Disneyland is expected to play a prominent role in the “Year of the Super Bowl” celebration with the Anaheim theme park located approximately 30 miles away from SoFi Stadium.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Kenneth Walker III already made good on their post-Super Bowl promise of “We’re Going to Disneyland” with a victory parade down Main Street U.S.A. on Monday, Feb. 9.
Stars from the winning team in Super Bowl LXI are expected to repeat the feat with another celebration at Disneyland on Monday, Feb. 15, 2027 — the day after the championship game.
Disneyland visitors got a sneak peek at what the “Year of the Super Bowl” campaign could look like with ESPN broadcasting “First Take,” “SportsCenter,” “NFL Live” and “Super Bowl Live” on Monday from an analysts desk set up in Disneyland’s Town Square.