A groundbreaking partnership between tech giant Royal Philips and The Walt Disney Company is transforming the way children experience MRI scans across 87 countries, with local clinicians right here in Yorkshire already reporting phenomenal results.
The exclusive collaboration integrates beloved Disney stories and animated characters directly into the Philips Ambient Experience for MRI platform. Instead of staring at a cold, clinical machine, young patients undergoing scans can now choose to be completely immersed in the worlds of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Marvel superheroes, Star Wars, or Disney Princesses. The child-friendly audio-visual intervention uses custom lighting, sound, and video to dramatically shift attention away from the intimidating medical setting.
For hospitals, the impact of this high-tech escapism is proving to be a game-changer. Standard MRI scans require children to lie completely motionless for up to 40 minutes inside a loud, unfamiliar machine – a daunting task that causes anxiety in 66% of paediatric patients. Traditionally, this anxiety leads to aborted scans, frequent pauses, or the need to put children under general anaesthetic, which drastically slows down hospital workflows.
However, early data from a European multi-centre study revealed that the Disney-themed intervention slashed post-scan stress levels in children aged 6 to 10 by 43%, while pauses during scans dropped by a massive 63%.
Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax is one of the world’s early adopters of the new Disney themes, and the local frontline staff are already witnessing a massive shift in their paediatric radiology departments.
Clinicians at Calderdale Royal Hospital report strong results, with one radiologist noting:
“We have huge success with this and our general anaesthetic rate has come right down.”
Atul Gupta, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Philips, explained the drive behind the technology:
“By bringing Disney stories into the MRI environment, we are helping create a setting where children can feel more at ease and remain still during scans. Reducing stress can improve the experience for young patients and their families, while helping care teams deliver efficient, high-quality imaging so they can care for more children each day.”
Lisa Haines, Senior Vice President at The Walt Disney Company, added:
“At Disney, we believe stories have the power to bring comfort and emotional connection to children and families. We’re proud to collaborate with Philips to extend that impact into MRI rooms in a meaningful way—using our beloved stories and characters to help provide moments of escape, normalcy, and reassurance during what can be an intimidating experience for kids in hospitals.”
