Disney Junior Cinema Club 2026
Rehearsal direction for Bex & Joe ahead of four days of filming at Disneyland Paris, for an interactive cinema experience where nobody stays in their seat.
Cinema usually asks you to sit still.
Disney Junior Cinema Club 2026 very definitely does not.
Launching for a limited cinema run in October 2026, the experience invites preschoolers and their grown-ups to get out of their seats, sing, dance, play along and become part of what’s happening on screen.
At the centre of it are new presenters Bex & Joe, heading off on their ultimate playdate across Disneyland Paris. Over four days of filming, they meet characters including Anna & Elsa and Captain America, alongside plenty of other familiar faces, while guiding audiences through a mix of stories, games, songs and interactive moments.
The experience also brings together some favourite Disney Junior worlds, including Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+, Minnie's Bow-Toons: Pet Hotel, Marvel's Iron Man and His Awesome Friends, Sofia the First: Royal Magic and Toy Story Toons.
Elliot Hawker joined the project as Rehearsal Director, working with Bex & Joe in London before filming began.
Behind the curtain
Presenting something designed for very young audiences has its own rhythm.
The energy needs to be clear without becoming overwhelming. Instructions need to land quickly. Dance moments need to feel easy enough for children to follow, while games and audience prompts need enough space for everyone watching to understand what they’re being invited to do.
Our rehearsals with Bex & Joe focused on finding that balance before they stepped in front of the cameras at Disneyland Paris.
We worked through the presenter links, movement, audience interaction and the way they passed the energy between one another, making sure the structure felt natural rather than rehearsed.
That became especially important because this isn’t passive cinema. Children are encouraged to get up, dance, sing along, shout answers and join Bex & Joe throughout the experience.
So although the finished film should feel spontaneous and playful, there is a lot of careful rehearsal underneath it. Every invitation to join in needs to be clear. Every handover needs to make sense. The presenters need to know when to push the energy forward and when to give the audience a second to catch up.
By the time Bex & Joe arrived at Disneyland Paris for four days of filming, the aim was for all of that preparation to disappear into the performance.
For the children watching, it should simply feel like they’ve been invited along on the ultimate Disney Junior playdate.
And, crucially, nobody is expected to stay in their seat.
