Alibaba Partners with Disney to Distribute Movies

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding has reached a partnership with the Walt Disney DIS +2.68% Company to distribute its movies and other entertainment offerings in China through a device called DisneyLife.

The multi-year agreement comes as Disney is preparing to open its first theme park in mainland China in Spring 2016, after a decade of preparation that has met a number of setbacks. The China theme park is a joint venture between state-owned Shanghai Shendi Group and Disney.

The Mickey Mouse-themed device, priced at $125, will offer consumers travel services and information on Disney theme parks and resorts, alongside streaming films including Frozen, Cinderella and Monsters University.

“Disney and Alibaba share an ambition to exceed our audience’s expectations. DisneyLife directly connects us to China’s digital population and provides millions of kids and families the ability to explore and engage with Disney,” Luke Kang, managing director of the Walt Disney Company in the Greater China region, said in a statement.

Partnering with Disney also adds to Alibaba’s growing entertainment and media businesses, as it competes with Tencent Holdings and Baidu Inc. to attract viewers.

The company has worked with Disney before. It in May started to distribute merchandise related to Disney film Avengers: Age of Ultron on its Tmall shopping platform.