Tourism Toronto goes geek: now targeting Scott Pilgrim fans
So there’s this film called Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (based on the Toronto comic book series) and it’s got everyone excited because it’s actually set in Toronto—as in, the city is playing itself on-screen for a change, as opposed to standing in for Chicago or New York. Settings include Sneaky Dee’s, Casa Loma, Sonic Boom, Lee’s Palace and TTC buses (see an interactive map of all the places mentioned in the comic here). Aside from residents getting giddy about the city getting international play, the local government is hoping this will bring in some major tourist dollars just like how that movie about sparkling vampires made Forks, Washington into the Twilight zone.
Enter Toronto Loves Scott Pilgrim, a site launched in partnership with government tourism agencies and Universal Pictures. TLSP features a podcast of the film’s stars—Michael Cera, Alison Pill, Jason Schwartzman—along with the comic’s author, Bryan Lee O’Malley, talking about how much they all love the city. Footage of Caribana, the Science Centre, Harbourfront and skating at Nathan Phillips Square are also spliced in—it’s to promote tourism, after all. “Toronto is like the New York of Toronto,” says Cera in the video. Probably, but while New York draws Carrie Bradshaw wannabes, we’ll be getting lovable comic book geeks.
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