Fans Call Out Disney After “Faked” Pedro Pascal Encounter With Fans Goes Viral to Promote ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’
Disney’s latest “Star Wars” promotional stunt is getting mixed reactions online after fans realized a viral Pedro Pascal surprise at Disneyland was not exactly what it first appeared to be.
Over the weekend, Disney shared a video showing Pascal dressed as Din Djarin from “The Mandalorian” surprising a group of guests at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland. In the clip, Pascal removes his helmet just before guests board the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run attraction, leading to loud cheers and emotional reactions from the crowd.
Disney posted the video on Instagram with the caption, “Pedro Pascal creates the surprise of a lifetime at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at @disneyland.” The moment quickly spread across social media, with many people believing the actor had randomly appeared in front of ordinary park visitors.
Fans later discovered that the group was actually made up of “Star Wars” bloggers, influencers, fan creators, and cosplay personalities who had been invited by Disney and Lucasfilm for the event. Once that information started circulating online, some viewers accused the studio of presenting the moment in a misleading way.
Several fan accounts criticized the campaign after the truth came out. One fan site wrote, “The backlash surrounding the Pedro Pascal Disneyland stunt taps directly into a growing problem for Disney: Audiences no longer trust the company’s marketing.”
Even though the video sparked backlash, Disney never directly claimed the guests were random tourists. Many of the creators involved later shared their own posts about the experience and openly thanked Lucasfilm for inviting them.
One “Star Wars” cosplayer wrote online, “I was a crying fool after shaking [Pascal’s] hand and screaming along with everyone in that room last night and I’m okay with that.” The creator also added, “The team @starwars @lucasfilm worked tirelessly on planning out this epic experience for us.”
Another digital creator thanked the studio as well, writing, “Biggest thank you to the team @starwars for making this happen.”
The invited group consisted of real “Star Wars” fans, even if many of them had online followings. A source close to the situation reportedly said the guests were originally told they were coming to preview updates connected to the Smugglers Run attraction and did not expect Pascal to appear.
The source also claimed the reactions seen in the clip were genuine. After the event, Pedro Pascal reportedly joined Sigourney Weaver, Jon Favreau, and Lucasfilm creative chief Dave Filoni to watch the “Shadows of Memory” projection show with regular Disneyland visitors nearby.
The controversy comes just days before the release of “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which is the first new “Star Wars” movie in seven years. Early fan reactions to the movie have already started appearing online, with some viewers praising it as a fun return to big-screen “Star Wars.”
One early viewer described the film as “a grin-inducing crowd-pleaser that puts Star Wars back on theatrical track.”
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