Disney is facing a mountain of backlash for orchestrating what it called “the surprise of a lifetime” for a supposed group of everyday Star Wars fans.
Last week, ahead of the May 22 premiere of its new Star Wars installment, The Mandalorian and Grogu, the studio set up a special moment in which the film’s lead, Pedro Pascal, dressed head-to-toe in his Mandalorian armor, revealed his identity to a gathering of Disneyland guests as they were about to board the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride.
In the viral Instagram clip, the group is led to the ride’s entrance, where Pascal is standing disguised in costume. After a brief introduction, Pascal removes his helmet, sending the fans into hysterics.
While Disney never explicitly claimed the guests were randomly selected tourists, the post is still facing criticism from internet sleuths, who have pointed out that the participants were actually Star Wars influencers, fan creators and bloggers.
“This is cool…but really wish these type of ‘stunts’ weren’t always staged & with influencers…how about true random fans,” one person commented on Instagram.
A second agreed: “Instead of influencers, why not park visitors and families who have paid a fortune to be there.”
“I like how they’re pretending those are just normal park guests,” a third added, while a fourth labeled it “fake. How disappointing.”
“This was extremely fake. They did this for a bunch of influencers not normal park guests,” another said, adding that when Johnny Depp famously dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow to surprise Pirates of the Caribbean fans at Disneyland in 2017, he did so for “normal guests through the entire day.”
The Independent has contacted Disney for comment.
The Mandalorian and Grogu marks Pascal’s big-screen debut in the Star Wars universe. He first starred as the titular bounty hunter in a 2019 episode of the live-action series, The Mandalorian.
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Directed by John Favreau, the new movie follows Pascal’s legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his young apprentice Grogu, as they fight to help the fledgling New Republic protect everything the Rebellion fought for.
In an early review of the movie, The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey lambasted it as “the dullest and most inconsequential Star Wars ever made.”
“Stick a fork in Star Wars. It’s done,” she declared in a two-star review, arguing that “with The Mandalorian and Grogu, Star Wars has lost all sense of wonder.”
The Mandalorian and Grogu premieres in theaters Friday.