Disney+ has faced backlash over its 2025 holiday advertisement, titled "A Lifetime of Stories," after viewers spotted a watermelon sticker on a teenage character's laptop. The watermelon, whose sliced colors (red, green, black, and white) match those of the Palestinian flag, has long been used as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, dating back to the 1967 Six-Day War when Israel banned public displays of the flag in "occupied territories".
In the 90-second ad, which celebrates Disney's storytelling legacy through a girl's life stages (from childhood to motherhood), the sticker appears briefly (less than two seconds) next to a Mickey Mouse sticker during a scene of the teenager studying.
Critics, including UK Conservative MP Richard Holden (a supporter of Conservative Friends of Israel), accused Disney of embedding a "secret pro-Palestine message" or spreading "anti-Jewish propaganda" in family-oriented content.
