The team behind Disney Jr. Live’s debut international tour have discussed the magic and mechanics of staging children’s first concert experience.

The multi-billion dollar business of touring theatre, shows and exhibitions is going from strength to strength, with the second edition of Touring Entertainment LIVE set for Wednesday 26 February as part of the International Live Music Conference (ILMC) in London.

Disney has put its unique stamp on the family entertainment format with Disney Jr. Live On Tour: Let’s Play! On the heels of a successful run in North America, the immersive concert experience opens in the UK with a “limited engagement” at London’s Royal Festival Hall on 15-16 March 2025, before being rolled out across Asia and the Middle East.

The tour unites production company Terrapin Station Entertainment with Sony Music stablemates Senbla (UK) and Barcelona’s Proactiv, which will handle UK and international promoting duties, respectively.

“This is a perfect example of how several divisions within Sony can all partner to create an unforgettable experience,” Terrapin’s Jonathan Shank tells IQ. “The show has been performed over 400 times in the US in the last handful of years and sold over 700,000 tickets. It has been one of the most successful preschool touring properties over the last decade here in North America.”

“Disney advocated for this tour to go global and has been such a supportive partner”

Disney Jr, Live On Tour features an interactive musical performance that includes singing, dancing, 3D special effects and acrobatics. Tickets start at £19.50 (€23.50).

“It was a long time goal for us to bring this show and all these iconic characters – Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Spidey – to London,” says Shank. “Ollie [Rosenblatt, Senbla CEO] and I have been talking about the idea of bringing this production to the UK since about 2018. Ollie is beyond the perfect partner to help bring this show to the UK, and is perfectly suited to make this into global production, which is what we intend to do.

“Disney advocated for this tour to go global and has been such a supportive partner, so it’s been a big team effort and it’s off to an absolutely incredible start. I feel like that the UK audience is really embracing Disney Jr.”

Shank, who won a Grammy in 2009 for his role in creating the Global Drum Project album, is credited as a pioneer in bringing intellectual property to the live stage, with past productions such as Disney Junior Dance Party On Tour, Peppa Pig Live! and The Fresh Beat Band Live generating more than US$80 million at the box office.

“The work that Jonathan has done in the US is exemplary,” enthuses Rosenblatt, who was elevated to SVP Masterworks Live at Sony Music earlier this year. “You can tell by the number of shows they’ve done, how long it’s been going and the number of tickets sold that it’s a high quality product – and we like dealing with high quality shows and experiences.”

The show features hits from several popular Disney Jr. series, including songs written by Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump

Senbla has become renowned for its work within the films in concert format – most recently with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, with Avatar the Last Airbender also set to tour in early 2025.

“We have a long history with Disney – we already work with them across multiple film titles – so it made sense for us to try and bring this to the UK as well,” says Rosenblatt. “There has been an enormous growth in the Disney Jr. brand in the UK, mainly through Disney+, which has really helped expand the offering into the UK market because, historically, it was a very US-centric property. Timing is everything with these things and you can’t manufacture that; you have to wait for the right time.”

He adds: “The show deserves to go global. It’s done incredible business, and that is testament to the hard work that Jonathan and Terrapin have done over many years with Disney to grow and develop this brand. So for us to be able to bring it into the UK is a great privilege, and the early signs are that the audiences are delighted it’s here as well.”

The show features hits from several popular Disney Jr. series, including songs written by Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump.

“A lot of the songs featured in the Spidey segments were written by Patrick, which brings a bit of that vibe and energy into the show,” explains Shank. “It’s a very high energy, highly choreographed, acrobatic, high performance skill-type show. It’s just a lot of fun.”

“The beauty of this kind of show is that the characters are evergreen”

A core goal for the tour’s organisers is to give young audiences their first taste of music and theatre.

“It’s magic for the kids to see the character they love up on stage and in some cases, get to meet them, and it’s special for us to be able to bring that opportunity to families,” notes Rosenblatt. “Quality always prevails – if you bring a great show to an audience, there’s no reason why they’re not going to come back – and the beauty of this kind of show is that the characters are evergreen. If you’re enjoying it at the age of seven and eight, you might have moved onto something else by the time you’re nine and 10, but there’ll be another seven and eight-year-old enjoying the characters.”

Furthermore, Rosenblatt sees limitless potential for similar productions in the future.

“The expansion in IP gives a great opportunity to bring things to the stage that people know and love,” he finishes. “A big part of the growth is in being able to find a solution to translating what people see and engage with on screen, onto the stage. But it takes experts and high quality producers like Jonathan to understand the vision and understand what that takes.”

The Touring Entertainment Report (TER) 2024, a resource that puts the global business of touring theatre, shows and exhibitions in focus, is out now.

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Sony Music Masterworks, a division of Sony Music Entertainment (SME), has announced it has acquired a majority stake in Barcelona-based Proactiv Entertainment.

Proactiv, which has sold two million tickets over the last five years, works with talent and brands to stage concerts and festivals, touring and immersive experiences. Founded in 1987 by event production guru Horacio Renna, the firm’s live music shows and events have included performances in Spain by Andrea Bocelli, Malu, Juan Luis Guerra, Dani Martin, Juanes and Maluma.

Current MD Nicolas Renna will continue to lead the company’s day-to-day operations, working closely with Masterworks president Mark Cavell, as well as Sony Music Spain & Portugal President Jose-Maria Barbat on behalf of SME’s Latin Iberia region, to grow the business through an expanded range of events, venues and experiences.

“I feel very proud to continue my father’s legacy, as well as the work I began at Proactiv Entertainment almost 20 years ago, with a partner like Sony Music Entertainment,” says Nicolas Renna. “We share vision and values, and we are firmly committed to creating a global leader in production and promotion of live experiences. With the support of Mark Cavell and the rest of the team across SME’s global network, we will access new territories, grow our portfolio of properties and generate emotions to new audiences.”

“Today starts a new era of success, made even greater by a partner with such great history and world-class capabilities”

Proactiv has also delivered shows based on international IP such as Disney on Ice, Disney Live!, The Lion King, WWE Live, Hamilton, the Harlem Globetrotters, Monster Jam, Harry Potter In Concert, Star Wars In Concert, Walking with Dinosaurs, Marvel Universe Live and Peppa Pigs. It is also the producer behind the touring experiences of Meet Vincent Van Gogh, FC Barcelona Exhibition, and Secret Garden.

“We have built our company to be one of the leaders in our sector and a standard-bearer through our values, professionalism, and hard work,” adds Horacio Renna. “Today starts a new era of success, made even greater by a partner with such great history and world-class capabilities.”

The relationship is the latest in a series of strategic partnerships and agreements advancing Sony Music Masterwork’s growth as a multi-faceted worldwide entertainment business. Investments by Sony Music Masterworks include Backyard Cinema; Holland-based GEA Live; Dubai-based concert promotion, talent management, events and production company MAC Global; Raymond Gubbay Ltd and UK concert promotion and production company Senbla.

“We are thrilled to partner with Nico and Horacio Renna to take Proactiv Entertainment’s business to the next level and help more leading artists and brands connect with fans through high-quality productions globally,” says Sony Music Masterworks president Mark Cavell. “They have a strong vision and key creative relationships around the world. Taken together with Sony Music’s expertise, resources, and broad portfolio of live entertainment properties, we look forward to creating even more innovative live experiences for audiences everywhere.”

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