TORONTO – May 18, 2022 – Global entertainment and media agency, Spafax, announced today that Air Canada customers will be the first in-flight audiences globally to have the opportunity to watch Turning Red onboard the airline’s in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems. This exclusive in-flight window is a final element in the airline’s celebration of the release of Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red, an animated film set in Toronto and directed by Academy Award® winner and Canadian Domee Shi.

In anticipation of the film’s exclusive in-flight debut in June, Spafax also coordinated the delivery of several Turning Red content touchpoints experienced across the Air Canada customer journey. Throughout the months of February and March, on aircraft destined for Toronto, customers experienced an animated landscape of the city on seatback screens as they boarded, as well as themed screensavers that promoted director Domee Shi’s favourite places in Toronto via Air Canada’s seatback city guide. In addition, the March issue of Air Canada enRoute magazine featured a custom-illustrated cover of Toronto with Meilin Lee, the film’s main character, in her panda form, and an in-depth interview with Domee Shi. Once seated and connected to Air Canada’s in-flight Wi-Fi, passengers can access a feature interview with director Domee Shi via the enRoute website.

Alexander Glavonich, Managing Director at Spafax Canada said:

“As Air Canada’s in-flight entertainment and media partner, we wanted to maximise this unique partnership with Disney and Pixar. We worked with Air Canada to celebrate Turning Red by ensuring the airline’s in-flight audiences will be the first to watch the film onboard as a way of extending the world of the film and, as Domee Shi describes it, ‘as a love letter to Toronto and everything Canadian.’

Anton Vidgen, Senior Director, Experience Design at Air Canada

“As the country’s flag carrier, Air Canada has been proud to highlight this universal story set in our diverse country. Throughout their journey, Air Canada customers have been able to engage with the world of Turning Red, including a Turning Red-themed livery on a Canadian-built Airbus A220. These elements, capped off with our customers’ exclusive opportunity to view Turning Red in-flight during the month of June, are all part of Air Canada’s efforts to bring the best of Canada to the world.”

Turning Red is now streaming on Disney+ and will be available onboard Air Canada flights starting June 2022.

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” introduces Meilin Lee, a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming, is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS), she “poofs” into a giant red panda!  Streaming exclusively on Disney+ beginning March 11, 2022, Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” is directed by Academy Award® winner Domee Shi (Pixar short “Bao”) and produced by Lindsey Collins (“Finding Dory”). 

 

ABOUT SPAFAX GROUP

Spafax is a travel media network with one purpose: to entertain, inform and inspire travellers everywhere. Spafax delivers content technology and media assets at scale for the world’s leading airlines and curates a vast catalogue of global Movies, TV, Audio and Games across every major entertainment market. Current clients include Air Canada, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, the Lufthansa Group, Mercedes-Benz, Singapore Airlines and many others. Spafax provides brands with unique access to a global network of a billion passengers, across hundreds of touchpoints. The group is headquartered in London with over a dozen offices around the world. Spafax is a WPP company.

 

CONTACT:    Jessica Sammut, Director of Corporate Communications & Events

                   [email protected]