Donald Duck's 90th Birthday Party

Experiential
Content & Campaign
Music
Media & Entertainment

How do you throw a 90th birthday for one of the greatest animated characters of all time? Disney approached MATTE for DD90, a birthday party for the spirited, beloved Donald Duck – inviting Gen Z and celebrating NYC culture.

By bringing Donald and his sensibilities to life for fans through real New York culture, inviting compelling talent into the fold and showcasing new technologies, MATTE was uniquely able to create the context in which all these elements harmonized.

Client

Disney

Year

2024

To us, Donald himself was everything Gen Z is– spirited, self-aware, competitive and playful.

Welcome to New Duck City

Disney sought a partner to help bring the spirit of Donald to life in New York City for the Gen-Z crowd to celebrate what an iconic character he has been for so many decades. There was no better place to host his birthday party, than in the heart of the city at HERO. The creative approach seamlessly weaved Donald's friends, live music, and cult favorite Disney merchandise together in order to create a experience that attendees from across the globe could take part in for one exclusive night.

Entrance Windows Treated w/ Skyline Mural on Garage Door

Interactive Moments

Driven by experiences, visitors to DD90 were treated to a blend of interactive moments and performative displays such as Duck St Records and Duck Court that immersed guests in the world of New Duck City.

Partner Spaces

Disney partners received their own activation space, inspired by classic 90’s New York motifs.

Vespa Garage—A product showcase and photo op took on the form of a Brooklyn scooter/auto-body shop
Hot Topic Boardwalk—Hot Topic’s merch stand drew inspiration from the Coney Island boardwalk
Pandora Diamond District Bar—A bar and product display inspired by the gritty glitz of NYC’s Diamond District
Canal Street Vendors—Product scaffolding display with convex mirrors encouraging guests selfies
Loungefly Park—Inspired by the spirit of New York's parks, a swing set offered opportunity for group photos
Illusion Island Arcade—90s nostalgia was at the essence of this arcade where guests played Nintendo Switch

Partners

Vespa / Hot topic / Pandora / RSVLTS / Citizen / Cakeworthy / Boxlunch / Loungefly / Illusion Island

BTS

Partner Spaces

From render to reality, Disney partners and their products were seamlessly integrated into New Duck City with a variety of displays and showcases.

Donald’s Sound System With DJ Pee .Wee

DJ Pee .Wee’s 90s, vinyl-only DJ set spawned a dance routine that brought the hype and energy to make the the occasion a truly celebratory and larger-than-life New York moment. At the event’s climax, a balloon drop was the exclamation point at the end of an occasion that was equal parts fun and functionality.

DD90 triumphed as a tribute to an icon, while being future-forward in the center of culture.

Quackin Content Capture

The magnetic energy of the evening was initially teased on social, giving followers a cryptic yet exciting clue as to the event ahead. Within 24 hours an energetic :60 second video hit feeds, giving a full scale view of the evening before. From detailed animations to considered photo treatments, Matte and Disney merged into a seamless vis ID that captured the spirit of Donald Duck's 90th celebration.

  • MATTE Partner

    Matt Rowean

    Max Pollack

  • Group Client Director

    Shreena Shah

  • Client Manager

    Kiara Fairbrother

  • Senior Experiential Designer

    Andre Brown

  • Experiential Designer

    Trinity Montgomery

    Rada Singhasaneh

  • Designer

    Nick Wilson

  • Head of Experiential

    Thad Somoza

  • Director of Experiential Production

    Leo Oliva

  • Executive Creative Director, Experiential

    Michael Yu

  • Junior Producer, Experiential

    Aim Wagemans

  • Experiential Production Coordinator

    Joey Daoud

  • Programming and Events Director

    Eugene Young

  • Associate Creative Director

    Kelsey DaHarb

    Caleb Ekeroth

  • Art Director

    Tori Arcuri

    Lewy Westhoff

  • Designer

    Ross Arcuri

  • Producer

    Steven Almonte

  • Director of Production

    Spencer Thompson

  • Editor

    Ben Swanson-Ralph

    Jared Bordeaux

  • Post-Production Coordinator

    Caro Fortuna

  • Director of Post-Production

    Michael Czeizinger

  • Managing Director, MATTE Finish

    Harrison Nalevansky

  • Client Director

    Vlad Omazic

  • Videographer

    Philey Sanneh

    Karleah Delmoral

  • Photographer

    Jess Licata

    Wes Kloefkorn

  • Animator

    Sinister Studios

  • 3D Artist

    Salvo Behar

Press

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