A Quick Pang of Nostalgia for Disney’s Old ’90s Movie Marketing

As a Millennial, a number of my childhood summers featured Disney stopping at a local mall with interactive activities, small stage shows, animator demonstrations, and more. It was a big, brief extravaganza, worth making a trip for, even if you weren’t already planning to go to that mall.

To their credit, Walt Disney Studios Canada does still do real world marketing. Last year’s Fan Expo Canada featured an elaborate walkthrough for Alien: Earth and Percy Jackson And The Olympians, and the year before it was Agatha All Along. Both were locked away in a convention, though. They surely welcomed tens of thousands a day, but it was just one more thing in the midst of a circus, as opposed to being the central attraction like these mall tours.

Mall appearances have generally been essentially elaborate selfie spots, or a single game. So kudos to the studio for really amping things up recently for Hoppers, with an entire walkthrough.

Anyway, I’m just envious today of the Philippines. Along with having a real-world Disney Store chain and continuous pop-ups, their largest mall launched an attraction for the weeks leading up to the release of Toy Story 5, with photo-ops, activities for kids, and retail.

Disney has a great partner with SM Group, honestly. They’re a conglomerate, but one that really seems to not sit on their riches but truly attempt bigger and better things routinely.

In a world increasingly trapped at screens, people are starting to return to craving real-world experiences. This scratches that itch.