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Disney Cruise Line presented the Hospital General de Catalunya with a larger-than-life Disney character mural as part of the company’s commitment to give back to communities in ports of call around the world. The event celebrated the Disney Magic cruise ship’s return to Barcelona, where the ship will home port for a summer of cruises to the Mediterranean, while also saluting the 30th Anniversary of the Disney VoluntEARS program.
Featuring characters from The Little Mermaid, the mural was hand painted by more than 300 guests and crew members during a “PaintFest At Sea”, a Disney VoluntEARS program held in coordination with the non-profit, Foundation for Hospital Art, during the 14-night trans-Atlantic cruise from Galveston, TX to Barcelona.
“Disney Cruise Line is dedicated to making a difference and inspiring others to give back in both their own lives and across our many ports of call,” said Rena Langley, vice president of Public Affairs for Disney Cruise Line. “The creation of this mural through ‘PaintFest At Sea’ is a great example of the impact that our crew members, guests and their families can have when they come together for a great cause.”
As part of the “PaintFest At Sea,” crew members and guests volunteered, collectively giving nearly 500 hours of their time, to hand paint 72 pre-drawn and color-coded individual canvases that together comprised the full mural, which measures 9 feet high and 24 feet long (approximately 2.7 meters high and 7.2 meters long). Designed by Disney character artist Don “Ducky” Williams, the mural features characters from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, including Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian, the calypso crab. Hundreds of children annually will experience the mural as they pass through the corridor where it hangs in the Hospital General de Catalunya to receive treatment.
“This is one of the largest murals we have ever created,” said Scott Feight, executive director of the Foundation for Hospital Art. “Seeing the reaction of the children here today showcases the true power of our mission of utilizing art to uplift the spirit and support healing in hospitals around the world.”
Disney VoluntEARS along with beloved Disney characters were on-hand at the Hospital General de Catalunya to assist in presenting the mural to hospital staff and hanging the mural. VoluntEARS also visited with the children in the hospital, which is one of many community outreach projects taking place to deliver toys and smiles to deserving children in the port communities along Disney’s Mediterranean itineraries this summer.
