Lela and Tanner have been in the "real world" before.
The second movie ends with a huge reset button in the movie(Now named "Lela: Queen of the beach") and altering history in the "real world" to the point where even Mack and Brady don't remember each other, nor how the movie used to be. They probably have been back and forth meeting people from the real world, learning a few things of the decade they are visiting and changing their movie according, while still being very set in the 60's. The movie becomes revolutionary in some aspect or another(relations, race issues, feminism, etc.) and the real world changes as consequence Tanner disappeared before they got back to the movie
Unless there is confirmation that Tanner did successfully return with Lela at the movie world, there might be a chance that the heavy ripple effect is caused by Tanner disappearing before they got back (Tanner did start to disappear before Lela did) and only Lela was able to survive the return. When Lela got back, all of the characters returned but as only Lela came back, she became the only main character and the story was re-written to minimize the focus from Tanner. There might have been a possibility that if Tanner did return with Lela that history might've stayed but with a twist ending on the changed Wet Side Story of Lela wanting to be less dependent on Tanner. Plot possibilities if there is a third movie.
- The world needs to be reset to its original timeline.
- We meet the movie's actors in their present day state.
The movie is a loop, like in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
All of the bikers and surfers are peculiars and Big Momma is their ymbryne. They repeat the same day (well, few days) over and over, and they can't survive outside of the movie (their loop!) for long.- Chee Chee's peculiarity is her hair.
