Meet Lotso

At The Magic of Disney Animation, once Guests have seen just how Disney's characters and films are created, they have the chance to step into the spotlight with some of the newest animated stars. This summer, you can meet Lotso from Toy Story 3. He appears on the set of Sunnyside Daycare with some of the other toys from the film: Rex, Sparks, Stretch and a handful of LGMs and Green Army Men. Notice the blocks, spelling out TS3 for Toy Story 3. Even the floor is comprised of the sort of rubber mats you might find on the floor of a play area in a daycare center.

Unlike previous character greetings in this location, your visit to Sunnyside starts back in the queue area. The entire set has been dressed as a room from the daycare center, complete with fun posters, child hand prints on the walls (made by the kids of Entertainment production team members), and "windows" looking out on the parking lot and playground.

One of the boards in the room features class pictures of the Sunnyside kids. They're computer-generated images, based on kids of some of the folks who work at Pixar. Look closely to appreciate some of the finer details: kids with their eyes closed or not looking at the camera, the little girl who is completely distracted by something on the ground, the boy with the skull T-shirt who doesn't look happy to be there. Great stuff... and very true to life.

There are other boards in the space, too, displaying some the artwork created by the children. It's obvious that the toys are their favorite subject. There's real affection here for the likes of "new toys" Buzz, Woody, Slinky, Potato Head and Hamm, along with Sunnyside regulars Dolly, Trixie, Buttercup and Mr. Pricklepants.

But the Lots-O-Huggin' Bear is the toy we're here to play with today. Step around the corner from the Sunnyside set, and you'll find yourself shrunk to toy size for a big bear hug from Lotso himself.