Walt Disney Studios' latest blockbuster, Oz the Great and Powerful, hits the big screen on Friday. To promote the film, the studio launched a marketing tour in February that centered on a rather unusual transportation vehicle: a hot-air balloon. Dubbed the "Journey to Oz Balloon Tour," the quirky stunt played off the wizard's iconic prop.
Sponsored by HSN and IMAX Corporation, the tour made stops in Hollywood and Ahaheim, California, and Daytona Beach, Florida, where it took small groups of journalists on airborne tours. At the final stop in New York's Central Park yesterday, the marketing stunt saw an unfortunate hitch: Blustering winds caused the balloon to rip and land in a fountain. No word yet on whether the Wicked Witch was involved.
