Disney Spotted Slipping CGI Extras Into New High School Movie
All that training to find hidden Mickeys on Disney Channel and in theme parks have paid off—though not to Disney’s advantage. Fans have gotten so advanced at detecting these details, that they didn’t miss when a posse of digital cameos made a brief appearance in the new teen movie, Prom Pact.
The new Disney Original flick stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who plays Mandy Yang, a high school senior overly eager about going to Harvard. She conspires with her best friend Ben (played by Milo Manheim) to get close to the popular kid (Blake Draper), whose father is an alum.
As it turns out, the cast list also has a few anonymous characters… like the four Sims-like, computer-generated extras that appear in the opening sequence.
@kelseykid_ super excited to watch Prom Pact on Disney+ and then saw this 😵💫😵💫😵💫 still gonna watch it though.
♬ Oh my god what is that - Funny memes
Eagle-eyed viewers caught a glimpse of the unusual-looking clique during a scene of a pep rally in the gym. As the camera pans over to the bleachers, we see the robotic figures clapping alongside 100% flesh-and-bone students in the audience.
this is just terrifying https://t.co/OKW0uSrpX5 pic.twitter.com/EYaU0gZi3t
— kayla (@lgbtrinas) April 2, 2023
According to a report by the Tri-City News, about 50 (human) students and their principal were hired as extras in Prom Pact, which was partially shot at their place of study at Terry Fox Secondary School in British Columbia, Canada.
It’s not unusual for CGI characters to stand in as regular people in crowd scenes, but they’re typically blurred out in post-production and don’t appear up close.
In the film’s defense, if you can overlook this blink-and-you-miss-it oversight, you might find a new comfort binge in Prom Pact. The coming-of-age movie has garnered a generous 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Variety commending that it “may not be the valedictorian of teen movies, but it’s certainly in the top 10% of its graduating class.”
Prom Pact is now showing on Disney Channel and Disney+. Watch the trailer below.
[via Daily Dot and The Independent, cover image via Disney/Kailey Schwerman]
