Pixar movie set in Toronto will do city right and call stadium SkyDome as intended
Just a few weeks remain before the long-awaited release of Turning Red, and excitement is growing over Disney's first-ever full-length animated movie set in Toronto.
The much-hyped flick from Oscar-winning filmmaker Domee Shi (who also directed the adorable Bao short film) won't be available until its March 11 release on Disney+, but the representation of one Toronto landmark in trailers has people talking.
Turning Red's animated version of Toronto is set in the early 2000s, meaning it's a very different looking city represented than what exists today. No walls of glass condo towers. No shiny new streetcars. And most importantly, depending on who you ask, a domed ballpark known by its original name.
The new Pixar movie Turning Red is set in 2003 Toronto and it is my pleasure to announce the name SKYDOME is part of the Disney canon pic.twitter.com/UvyBOjQ05R
— ℳatt (@matttomic) February 20, 2022
Yes, Turning Red will bring back the stadium name that old-timer Toronto residents still stubbornly insist upon using.
The SkyDome lives, if only on film.
Just saw an ad for the new Pixar film Turning Red and want to cry at seeing The Sky Dome in a Pixar movie !!
— 💻✨CH Lamb✨💻 (@merrcherr) February 22, 2022
For non-Canadian friends, The Sky Dome is the original name of the Rogers Centre where the Toronto Blue Jays play, just down the street from the Leafs & Raptors! pic.twitter.com/v4wYo57tN0
Fans are overjoyed to see this attention to detail featured in a recent television ad for the movie.
The massive downtown stadium was known as the SkyDome from its 1989 opening until 2005 when the facility was purchased by Rogers Communications along with its naming rights.
Just saw an ad for #TurningRed which is a #Pixar movie based in #Toronto and the SkyDome by that name was in it!
— Wayne R (@WaynieTDot) February 20, 2022
Real ones know! Respect#DisneyPlus
Even the Toronto Blue Jays seem excited to see their home turf represented in a major motion picture.
We’re ready for our close-up 📽️ 🤩
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) February 23, 2022
See OUR home in Disney and Pixar’s new movie, #TurningRed! pic.twitter.com/H5yyQYTzHb
And there's more than just the SkyDome hyping up local film fans, with other locally recognizable brands including Daisy Mart making an appearance.
#TurningRed is the most Toronto movie I've seen in a long time. It's charming, sweet, funny, and honest. From Daisy Mart and the SkyDome, the film captures so much of the city, but it's the story and characters that stand out. I loved every minute of this effortless adventure. pic.twitter.com/3e0zNO7UuE
— W. Andrew Powell (@wanderpow) February 22, 2022
Most of the 30 stadiums in Major League Baseball have already either sold off naming rights or have been purchased and renamed by corporations.
Only Angel Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park, Kauffman Stadium, Nationals Park, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Wrigley Field, and Yankee Stadium retain their proper names, while the other 22 teams play in corporate-branded ballparks.
The SkyDome branding has been gone for 17 years now, but even just seeing a flash of it in a movie trailer is enough to trigger a flood of nostalgia in the minds of locals who grew up watching the Jays crush it in the early 90s.
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