Disney-Goers Will Be Sure to Spot ‘Dalmatians’ Tie-Ins

Look for Disneyland to become Dalmatian Nation to help promote the Thanksgiving release of “101 Dalmatians.”

Pooch-themed merchandise already has invaded the park, and entertainment isn’t far behind. Dalmatian spotters should be on the lookout for a dog pound of sorts next to the Mad Hatter on Main Street where kids will be able to have their pictures taken with Pongo, Perdita and offspring.

Disneyland Resort President Paul Pressler said park officials would like to use some live dogs, but practical and political considerations may rule it out. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals already is boycotting the Walt Disney Co. over the company’s Wild Animal Kingdom, a live animal park set to open near Orlando in 1998.)

The Main Street Opera House will host a Dalmatians exhibit in its lobby. And Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln will be supplanted by a movie about the making of “101 Dalmatians” that could run for several months in the Lincoln Theater.

That has longtime fans grumbling that park officials are quietly plotting to snuff the audio-animatronic president, or leave him in permanent limbo while the Lincoln Theater hosts a succession of movie-related promotions. “Not on my watch,” says Pressler, who swears the absence of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln will be temporary.

Nothing short of a sensation when it was introduced in 1965, Walt Disney’s stirring tribute to America’s 16th president draws sparse crowds these days, but remains a sentimental favorite with many Disneyphiles. Park officials tried giving Lincoln the hook in the late 1980s but were forced to retreat amid patrons’ howls of protest.