Disney mania

Orchard Road is not the only place where Disney takes centre stage this festive season.

Gardens by the Bay's Christmas floral display also features Disney Tsum Tsum characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Stitch and Donald Duck.

Disney Tsum Tsum, derived from the Japanese verb "tsumu", which means "to stack", is a range of toys based on Disney and Disney-Pixar characters.

A Gardens by the Bay spokesman says the attraction collaborates regularly with external partners to add a new dimension to its floral displays and to present fresh experiences to visitors.

"Animated characters are being featured this time round. We believe, given their popularity, they will appeal to visitors of all ages and delight families who want to get together to celebrate the festive season."

Disney-themed events have also taken place at other times of the year. For example, VivoCity had a mid-autumn celebration featuring Disney Tsum Tsum-themed lanterns about two months ago.

Gardens by the Bay's Christmas floral display features Disney Tsum Tsum characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Stitch and Donald Duck. ST PHOTO: BENSON ANG

In August, 90 Mickey Mouse figurines designed by celebrities such as JJ Lin and Nathan Hartono, as well as professionals in different industries, were displayed at Raffles City, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Mickey Mouse.

The Disney-themed events follow an announcement last year of a three-year collaboration between the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia (Disney) aimed at providing unique experiences themed around Disney's biggest brands and most popular characters.

STB's executive director of attractions, entertainment and tourism concept development, Ms Carrie Kwik, says Singaporeans and tourists can look forward to more Disney-themed events next year.

She says: "We are optimistic that the third year of STB's collaboration with Disney will continue to boost Singapore's appeal as a global entertainment destination and enhance our array of family-friendly offerings."

Associate Professor Ang Swee Hoon from the National University of Singapore Business School says: "For Disney, the partnership encourages Singaporean children - who might have seen the characters in retail promotions - to want to see these characters live at its theme parks.

"For STB, the three-year collaboration gives it time to implement longer-term plans with an underlying theme, which may see more synergistic outcomes rather than short one-year collaborations.

"If successful, we can expect STB to work with other partners on longer collaborations in the future."

Full-time national serviceman Muhammad Shukri, 20, who went to VivoCity's mid-autumn celebrations featuring Disney Tsum Tsum-themed lanterns with his girlfriend, says: "We took a lot of photos in the lantern tunnel - about 10 photos every two or three steps.

"There were so many characters, from Disney princesses, Mickey Mouse and his friends and others. It was very enjoyable."

Benson Ang

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on November 11, 2018, with the headline Disney mania. Subscribe