Lotso? What are they thinking?

[GottaGetToDisney!]

We miss Bo too! I can understand why they did it... can you really expect Andy to have held on to a Bo Peep doll all these years...

I'll have to watch Toy Story again, but if I remember correctly Bo Peep actually belonged to Andy's little sister. Wasn't her crib in his room? For some reason I keep seeing her in that crib holding the Bo Peep doll.

So, maybe it was little sis' decision to throw Bo in the yard sale. She did seem pretty heartless just tossing Barbie into the donation box.

Gotta Get To Disney!

 

[Redcon1]

I agree completely!
Brilliant Character on Pixars part...but poor choice for a Meet and Greet. We will skip that line!

I think part of the issue with Lotso is how he was shown as cute and cuddly to begin with, then his real personality came out later. Most of the other Disney villians were portrayed as evil from the start, so you just accepted that and went along for the fun ride with them.

I believe it would've been better to have Lotso appear after the movie opened and acted as his actual villian self, similar to the way Cruella or Maleficient act now, villiany yet still approchable. At least, I think most kids would've understood his behavior then.

 

[goofy4tink]

When I first saw pictures of Lotso and read that he would be featured at WDW, I was super-excited! What 16-year-old wouldn't want a picture with a pink strawberry-scented bear!

After seeing Toy Story 3, I wasn't too thrilled with him anymore. He looked less like a cute stuffed animal and more like a terrorist leader riding away on the back of a jeep with his armed guards.

That was pretty much my 16 y/o dd's reaction. Now....after seeing the movie?? Not so much. But, when we were in Target yesterday, she begged for the Buttercup figure. And she's dying to find Mr.Pricklepants someplace...loves him to pieces.
I suppose if Lotso had been 'reformed' before the end of the movie, his upbeat behaviour in meet and greets would be okay. But, he was't. If he stayed in character, the same as Cruella does, then fine..I'm good to go.

Thank heavens my dd is getting past the age where she wants to stop at every character meet and greet.....she is very picky now. One with Mickey each trip and then it's pretty much only characters she hasn't seen before. Who knows if she'll want to stop and say hi to Lotso next month.

 

[d1gitman]

I think part of the issue with Lotso is how he was shown as cute and cuddly to begin with, then his real personality came out later. Most of the other Disney villians were portrayed as evil from the start, so you just accepted that and went along for the fun ride with them.

I believe it would've been better to have Lotso appear after the movie opened and acted as his actual villian self, similar to the way Cruella or Maleficient act now, villiany yet still approchable. At least, I think most kids would've understood his behavior then.

i think Lotso is perfect as is in the movie. we live Lotso everyday, why not let children learn early that characters like this do exist in real life. unfortunately, there are too many adults that still don't get it.

 

['ohanaof5]

If it makes you feel better you can think of him as Daisy's Lotso instead of the evil Lotso.

My twisted brain goes a step farther. There are lots of "characters" that many people love to meet. When I think about meeting a movie star it's not b/c of the "character" they portraid but b/c of who THEY are. So if you just think of Lotso as being in "character" in the movie but that's not who HE really is...in "real" life he is a nice, pink, strawberry smelling, cudly bear, I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE!!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I find it kind of amusing that he's a strawberry scented cuddly bear who's EVIL!! But I admit, I can have a twisted sense of humor sometimes.

Wonder if the Lotso you meet in DHS is strawberry scented.

Me too, and no he dosen't smell like strawberries.

I love meeting the Villians so I'm happy they chose Lotso for the meetable charecter and glad that they did not choose Big Baby.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Could you, may be, see Lotso as a life lesson? Perhaps when you meet hateful, mean people, they were once warm, cuddly people, but then had a very painful experience that hurt them really bad and so they became hateful and mean. Could Pixar maybe been trying to teach tolerance and understanding with Lotso?

 

[Merryweather27]

I would have loved to get Ken and Barbies autographs.
I don't care for Lotso either, It's like Disney is saying that
what he did in the movie is OK. I don't want to glorify that
uncaring behavier. There are plenty of people who like that
behavier, just look at how people treat each other today,
with a "Me 1st attitute".
I won't be getting his Autograph.

LOL...Ken's autograph would be awesome...remember that letter they got from Sunnyside at the end?

 

[Nettaboo]

Yes. There should be a law against preventing toys from escaping from evil daycares! Who's with me! We all need to write a letter to our local congressman and get this expedited asap! It's like Barbie said: Authority should derive from the consent of the governed not from the threat of force!

Also, so it's okay to kidnap children and tie them to a mast on a pirate ship? Or to steal a 16 year old girl's voice? Or to steal Dalmatian puppies to make a fur coat? Or to cast a spell on a girl when she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel? Or try and stop your step daughter from meeting the man of her dreams? I wouldn't think so and yet...we still get our pictures taken with these guys. Interesting...

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!

Lotso was playing a ROLE in a movie, and he's a great actor because he has lots of you thinking he's like that in real life. He's probably a really great guy in person!

This is *exactly* what Lotso "mimed" and the CM relayed to me when we were in line last week. I have the Lotso from Target that talks and he is freaky deaky, and scares my brother to death. When I told Lotso I wanted to have a picture looking scared of him he was all for that! The pictures are hilarious - in one I look like I'm running away from him and he's chasing me.

Haven't seen the movie yet, but the meet & greet was great and the CM's and Lotso really got into the whole experience.

I would love to see that pic!! PLEASE I bet it is FUNNY!!

Could you, may be, see Lotso as a life lesson? Perhaps when you meet hateful, mean people, they were once warm, cuddly people, but then had a very painful experience that hurt them really bad and so they became hateful and mean. Could Pixar maybe been trying to teach tolerance and understanding with Lotso?

I agree!! MOST people who are like that, had something bad happen to them in life- not that it is ok to be mean but at least you understand why he is like that!I have had my heart broken before and if I had not had a loving family and friends there for me.. I would probably have a black heart....

LOL...Ken's autograph would be awesome...remember that letter they got from Sunnyside at the end?

OMG!! This made me giggle

 

[smidgy]

. I felt sorry for him for a while, but then I was happy to see him end up on Sid's garbage truck! !

OMG! we didn't know that was Sid! It makes sense, but how did you know that?

as far as Lotso having reasons to turn evil, then Woody risking his life for Lotso, and Lotso still being mean:

you can use it as a life lesson. some people choose not to be redeemed, even after being shown real love.


now the monkey and the creppy baby!!!:

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

That was SID??? I missed that completely - darn it now I can't wait to see the movie again!

 

[smidgy]

That was SID??? I missed that completely - darn it now I can't wait to see the movie again!

Like I said!!! (the way he was banging on all the garbage cans, it makes sense. and putting the toys on the grill. but.. how did we miss that???
guess I didn't peruse the credits good enough, I was looking for the voice of Lotso (ned Beatty), and trying to watch the outtakes, all while trying to wipe all the tears off my face!. (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)

 

[VikingInMouseEars]

I get a lot of Disney related news in various emails and just today one of the newsletters (sorry don't remember which one) mentioned that there are rumors (yeah I know LOL) that Disney may be stopping the Lotso charactor meets. Apparently there are a large number of kids getting in line just to kick or punch him. No idea at all if its true but you just have to feel sorry for the poor CM in that costume.

 

[d1gitman]

...Disney may be stopping the Lotso charactor meets. Apparently there are a large number of kids getting in line just to kick or punch him. No idea at all if its true but you just have to feel sorry for the poor CM in that costume.

 

[DisneyMama27]

i think the genius of the Toy Story trilogy lies within the characters. First, we all can relate to some, most or all of the toys from our childhood. Right there they have most of us hook line and sinker. But for me, the real hook is that the individual characters all remind me of someone i've met or known in life. The latest addition with Lotso is no exception, he reminds me of someone, shall we say is very prominent in ALL of our lives at the present moment.

To me, the TS trilogy is one of the most perfect, if not perfect series of all time. The story lines are rock solid, the characters are timeless and the casting is phenomenal.

Couldn't agree more!! That said, my kids will probably skip Lotso. I was hoping for Bonnie's room too, with Mr. Pricklepants and Buttercup and Dolly. They were such cute characters, and just as huggable as Lotso (I am sure they could make Prickles soft and cuddly!).

Love the idea for Barbie and Ken, though - they cracked me up!

 

[KathyK]

I get a lot of Disney related news in various emails and just today one of the newsletters (sorry don't remember which one) mentioned that there are rumors (yeah I know LOL) that Disney may be stopping the Lotso charactor meets. Apparently there are a large number of kids getting in line just to kick or punch him. No idea at all if its true but you just have to feel sorry for the poor CM in that costume.

Oh no! My DD will be devastated. She has been saying that she can't wait for her Lotso plush to meet the real Lotso.

 

[amzking]

as far as Lotso having reasons to turn evil, then Woody risking his life for Lotso, and Lotso still being mean:

you can use it as a life lesson. some people choose not to be redeemed, even after being shown real love.

So true, also no matter what your past is some things are clearly right and wrong and your past should not be an excuse. We sure don't like it when criminals use their childhood issues as an excuse, right?

I am not a fan of villian M&Gs much anyway. Seems to me its like joking about and glossing over truly evil behavior.

I was wondering about the poor CM in the Lotso suit too, with all the threads about kids kicking him!

 

[Jessica14]

A pp wrote this...
"Also, so it's okay to kidnap children and tie them to a mast on a pirate ship? Or to steal a 16 year old girl's voice? Or to steal Dalmatian puppies to make a fur coat? Or to cast a spell on a girl when she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel? Or try and stop your step daughter from meeting the man of her dreams? I wouldn't think so and yet...we still get our pictures taken with these guys. Interesting..."

And that's just it. Most of th etchings other villains do derive from a world of fairy tales. Lotso evil seems a little too "human". My dd3 loves ts1 and ts2 but ts3 scared her. It seemed dark to me and dh too.

It seems like they wrote more for the generation that watched the first one as children (early 20s). I am a firm believer that cartoons can be written for children and adults without alienating one side or the other. IMHO I think it was a bit dark.

I so agree with you! I really enjoyed this movie, but it has a whole other tone than the first two. My DD7 certainly didn't like it as much as the first two which she just saw last month. There was a certain creepy factor in it (Big Baby). SPOILER- I love that Ken redeems himself, but that whole garbage dump scene? I found it intense in a good way for me, but my kids, not so much. They keep talking about that they were going to burn Woody and his friends. They are all very human and are our friends at this point. I advised a friend that she probably wouldn't want to take her 5 and 3 year old to it, knowing that both her kids are very sensitive. As far as Lotso goes, we will not be meeting him. I don't really think my kids are into the other villians either for that matter. I agree it was an odd choice, but to each his own. If some want to meet him, that's OK.
Jessica

 

[goofy4tink]

i think Lotso is perfect as is in the movie. we live Lotso everyday, why not let children learn early that characters like this do exist in real life. unfortunately, there are too many adults that still don't get it.

Oh, I 'get it'. My issue is that the Lotso in the parks is not the Lotso we saw in the movie. Sure, he was 'nice' Lotso for about 6 mins...but the vast majority of the movie he was 'not so nice' Lotso. That should be the Lotso they have in the parks. But, that's just me.

 

[AndreaDM]

We just met Lotso on Monday and I have to say, he IS a good person in real life! DD said she did smell strawberries but I didn't notice it. He is HUGE!