Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/Lotion-View-1046.asp" target="_blank"><b>LP Lotion: Toy Story 3 and Lotso Come to Disney's Hollywood Studios</b></a> Video and pictures of Toy Story 3 arriving at the Animation attraction along with the film's new character Lotso both there and in Block Party Bash plus a few other changes in the park.
Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt Thanks Denise! this really looks fun! Forget Lotso, I would love to meet Barbie!
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer Yep! Haha. At least they still have the concept of a Disney Detail in that respect.
Originally Posted By FenwayGirl HH Barbie used to be in Epcot..back about 20 years or so. I have a picture of my Dad with Barbie
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Thanks Denise! this really looks fun! Forget Lotso, I would love to meet Barbie! << I would like to meet Barbie Benton!
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>> HH Barbie used to be in Epcot..back about 20 years or so. I have a picture of my Dad with Barbie<<< Proof that even then, they made odd and synergistic choices.
Originally Posted By FenwayGirl True, I never quite understood why Barbie and Ken were in Epcot that year. Something to do with a deal with Mattel
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Why so much effort to introduce this character before the Movie is released? It seems unusual and makes me wonder if Disney is trying to make us like Lotso and Lotso just does not appeal to me in the videos and pics I have seen online. Are they also selling Lotso stuffed toys in all sizes? I plan to see TS3 no matter what but don't really want another character in the park. SO I guess I am asking the lpers that have seen the parades and photo opps what is up w/Lotso?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros They usually start the meet and greets a few weeks before new movies come out. It's a little weird to go meet characters that you don't know (it happened to me last May with the Up characters), but they've been doing it for a while. Occasionally, the new characters get used in a pre-parade (in recent years, they've done it with Enchanted, Bolt, Ratatouille, and Up in DLR, not sure about WDW), so it kind of makes some sense that they would put him in with the other characters from the film that are already in a parade. It will definitely be weird for people who haven't heard much about TS3, but it seems to be standard protocol for these sorts of things.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub I only become aware of the InPark intros to Nemo, Enchanted, UP,Cars and Wall-E after the movies were released. I always felt that was one of the beginnings to the end...because it makes me think of the movies that could support an entire parade like Hunchback Mulan and Lion King...
Originally Posted By xrayvision >>Occasionally, the new characters get used in a pre-parade<< Yep. They've been doing this for a long time. I remember these pre-parade floats as far back as Oliver and Company.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm not sure if it was before the release of the film, but they also had a Fox and the Hound unit in the Electrical Parade for a year or two (same with Return to Oz). It's not too unusual for them to include something that's new in an existing parade, especially if they can make it fit. But this newish trend of having characters in the parks several weeks before their films open is a little weird. They often have the merchandise out early too, which makes me wonder how much of it they actually sell. I don't think I would buy it without having seen the film first. Now that I think about it, the Princess and the Frog shows on the riverboats in DL and MK started several weeks before the film opened. I only saw the one in DL, and it made me want to see the film more than ever, so I guess that strategy kind of makes some sense. If they build interest for an upcoming release (though I was going to see it anyway), I guess it could be a good business move. I just wonder how many people will relate a bear on the back of a truck to the new film they've never seen. If only we were back in the days of films that could have entire parades on their own. Sigh...
