Disney and McDonalds are planning to put a little magic back in your Happy Meal! Thats right! McDonald’s USA and the Walt Disney Co announced on Tuesday their first Happy Meal partnership in more than a decade.
The new multi-year, non-exclusive agreement will begin in June with promotions, including Disney movie-themed Happy Meal toys, for “Incredibles 2,” followed in the autumn by “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2.”
Though the companies did not announce how long the partnership will last, but they did say it is a multi-year deal. The last time the two companies teamed up—it was a ten year deal—spanning from 1996 to 2006.
The companies had to part ways for a while as Disney began self-regulating itself with voluntary guidelines that prohibited licensing Disney characters for foods that fail to meet minimum nutrition requirements.
Since that time McDonald’s has taken steps to make their food healthier as well as Happy Meals more nutritious and less fattening. some changes have included adding fruit side options, smaller french fry portions and encouraging consumers to order water rather than soda.
McDonald’s also plans to meet Disney’s nutrition guidelines, promising Happy Meals will meet the Disney standards by June 2018. McDonald’s has already recently announced it would make changes to ensure all Happy Meals by 2022 would have at most 600 calories with 10 percent of those calories coming from saturated fat and 10 percent from added sugar. Sodium also would be reduced.
A McDonald’s spokeswoman said the new pact does not include any agreement on restaurants in parks but added: “We will continue to explore ways to bring this alliance to life.”