L.O.L. Surprise!, the highly popular brand from toy and entertainment company MGA Entertainment (MGA), premiered the brand-new L.O.L. Surprise! The Skate Dance Movie on October 3 on YouTube Kids, launching globally in English, French, Spanish and other languages on L.O.L. Surprise! localized channels. The premiere coincides with International Day of the Girl on Oct 11.
Synopsis: Ambitious tween Ali Dance has a lead role in Skate Fest, and gets the lead in the ballet, too. But when it turns out they’re happening the same day, she still commits to both! When it all becomes too much pressure, her friends help Ali find a new groove all her own.
The movie incorporates themes of friendship, acceptance, passion and trying your best.
The pressure to achieve placed on young kids is increasingly challenging to their mental health. According to a recent poll by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 89% of parents today say kids’ mental health is more important than academic achievement. The movies producers wanted to explore the question of, ‘What if we found a way to remove that external pressure and focus on celebrating what’s inside?’
“In The Skate Dance Movie, Ali Dance learns to have fun again, blend the two things she loves, rather than trying to be perfect,” says Anne Parducci, Chief Content Officer at MGA Entertainment. “L.O.L. Surprise! is a refreshing counterbalance to the competitive ‘grit’ that many young achievers are faced with. The brand helps foster an internal dialogue that builds positive affirmations, sense of acceptance, and joy in trying new things — all through the power of play and kids’ entertainment.”
“L.O.L. Surprise! has taught me to try new things and to focus on having fun rather than being the best,” said Avery King, who voices the lead role of Ali Dance in the movie. “Just like Ali, I’ve felt overcommitted and stressed when doing too many things at once. Ali showed me that I can take a deep breath and focus on having fun while supporting my friends. Now I just need to get the pink hair! With L.O.L. Surprise, trying my best has never felt so good!”
The movie’s YouTube launch is also a strategic choice to reach Gen Alpha. According to Pew Research Center, 81% of all parents with children age 11 or younger say their child watches videos on YouTube, with 34% indicating that they do so regularly. The streaming service is also completely free, unlike other services with a paywall, making the content more accessible to more families globally. L.O.L. Surprise! has over 2.3 million subscribers on YouTube in the U.S. (not including additional localized channels), growing since its start in 2016, and continues to bring new content and formats to fans with L.O.L. Surprise!: The Skate Dance Movie.
The Skate Dance Movie features four songs: “Somewhere In Between” (a new version), “We’re Not Perfect,” “Do What You Love” and “Meet My Family.” The soundtrack album is now available on music streaming platforms. The movie is available on the L.O.L. Surprise! YouTube channel, and can be found in German, French, Latin American Spanish, Castilian Spanish, Greek and Turkish, with additional languages such as Polish, Dutch, Czech and Italian coming soon after.
In addition to King, the voice cast features TikTok star Frankie McNellis (known for the Netflix feature adaptation of Broadway’s 13: The Musical), playing Emma Emo; Nyara Afshar (Pokémon: Path to the Peak) as Aya Cherry; Jessica Mikayla (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) as Hoops Cutie; Everly Hobert (Pokémon: Path to the Peak) as Center Stage and Ayla Rae Neal as Queen Bee.
Throughout 2024, L.O.L. Surprise! is encouraging kids to ditch the “perfect” and discover “What’s Inside” with the movie’s release as well as new accessories and dolls to aid in self-discovery, self-expression and playfulness. New this holiday season includes the Tweens Costume Surprise fashion dolls, which includes:
- Blind Packaging: This is the first time the brand offers fully blind packaging for a fashion doll versus the smaller Tots in L.O.L. Surprise! (Although the little ears on each package do denote which character is inside, so parents can easily choose their kids’ wishlist dolls.)
- Characters and Accessories Seen in L.O.L. Surprise!: The Skate Dance Movie: The collection includes four fan-favorite Tween characters, also featured in the movie, including an adorable inflatable pet costume, trendy new fashions, and more.
- Interactive Unboxing: An outrageously fun, experiential reveal includes multiple layers of surprise. Once you tear the perforated edge at the bottom of the packaging, simply lift the lid off the box and begin to see a large paper bag automatically inflate. Rip open the bag and discover which cute pet costume is inside. Next, find which beautiful Tween is hidden inside the costume itself by opening the Velcro in the back.
L.O.L. Surprise! dolls are available now at Walmart, Target, Amazon, The MGA Shop and major retailers globally.
