Talking Mickey Mouse?

Videos of the talking Mickey Mouse have been popping up on the Internet for some time now. Testing began at Disneyland a while back, and recently Mickey Mouse was talking at the D23 Expo this summer. 


It's clear that Imagineering is doing some great work with this technology. Mickey is doing a much better job answering Guests' questions and creating fun interactions with younger Guests, but there are still awkward moments. Mickey doesn't seem to like to answer strict 'yes' or 'no' questions. Guests often ask Mickey a question and he doesn't know how to respond. He thinks about it, and offers "Gee, I don't know" as his response. 


Having spent over four months working as a character performer, I understand how difficult it can be to answer certain Guest questions without being able to simply say 'yes' or 'no.' Guests ask some pretty outlandish questions to their favorite Disney characters! "Belle, where is the bathroom?" "Goofy, what is Cinderella doing?" "What did you have for breakfast today?" "Is it hot in there?".... (the answer to that question is always "In where???") I understand WDI is always trying to top themselves. To be the biggest and best, and offer the highest-quality entertainment "on this world or any other." But as a fan of character meet-and-greets, I don't think talking characters is a step in the right direction. 


Just thinking about the logistics of this technology gives me a headache. I can see from the many videos that the technology is improving, and these meet-and-greets with a talking Mickey can be accomplished. But when the technology becomes advanced enough and is able to be brought into the parks, will it be for Mickey only? The Fab Five only? What will younger Guests think if they can talk with Mickey but they can't talk with The Incredibles or Buzz and Woody? Guests aren't always the smartest, but they get it. They get that the Princesses and other face characters are the only characters who can interact verbally. But to offer this new technology to the Guests, I feel that WDI would need to integrate it into every character meet-and-greet for the sake of character integrity.


Character meet-and-greets work so well the way they are! A non-talking character leaves everything up to the Guest and their imagination! There's a great quote from John Hench from the book Designing Disney: "We give power to the guests' imagination, to transcend their everyday routine." Just as John Hench said, Disney Parks give power to the Guests' imaginations. Guests hear what they want to hear, in their head. They ask a character a question, and know what they want to hear back. And character performers are smart, and know how to answer those questions through their "animation." You can say a lot without speaking at all. 


During my four months as a character performer, I had a lot of truly great Guest interactions. One day working at Animal Kingdom, Goofy was a Camp Minnie-Mickey and was met by a teary-eyed mother. The mother explained to Goofy that her father had been taken to the hospital from the Park, but he was going to be okay and just needed to recover in the hospital. He wanted her and her son, his grandson, to enjoy the rest of their day in the Park instead of the hospital. But he had one request: that they go get a picture with Goofy, because Goofy is his favorite. She held back her tears, and gave Goofy a big hug, and said "Goofy, you have no idea how much I needed that hug." 


That woman opened up to Goofy because of the simple yet powerful trust that people have in Disney characters. Disney characters represent the highest, most uplifting values of the Disney Company, on their own accord. I know it sometimes sounds silly, but people really do hold Disney characters in high respect, and have very sentimental feelings connected with their favorite characters. 


That entire interaction happened without Goofy talking. Goofy was there to listen and react accordingly, but did not need to offer any words. All Goofy needed to do was be there for her and give her a hug. It was a great moment I will never forget. 


So why does Goofy, or any other character, need to talk? Guests go into a character meet-and-greet knowing what they want to say, and get their answers from the characters by interpreting their gestures and "animation." But what's so great about those gestures is that they can be interpreted however the Guests want them to be interpreted. Why take away that power from the Guests and their imaginations?


Thinking about this technology also brings up the question of international Guests, who don't speak English. They very often speak with the characters, and have seemingly understandable conversations. This happened to me on a number of occasions. While I may not have understood what the Guest was saying, Goofy understood exactly what they were saying. And the Guest understood what Goofy was saying to them through his gestures. Goofy, Sulley, Frozone and all of my other Disney "friends" had a number of conversations in Portuguese, Spanish and other languages that I myself do not speak. But my "friends" are able to converse with these Guests through their animation. And those Guests use their imaginations to hear what they want to hear. Why should they be forced to hear what the character wants to say verbally? 


Getting back to the logistics of this technology, I can only imagine that it is very expensive. And how can it be integrated into all of the character experiences offered in the Parks? Will characters only speak in certain meet-and-greet areas? So Mickey can't talk to you during breakfast or dinner, but he can speak to you in Town Square Exposition Hall? What about the rest of the characters beyond the Fab Five? 


I commend WDI for wanting to add more magic to the Guest experience. But I really think this technology is ruining the magic. The magic of character meet-and-greets is exactly that... meeting your favorite character! There's no need to "plus it." Why can't WDI leave some things alone?


And that is why I think Mickey Mouse should keep his mouth shut. 

Video Memories: Disney Character Snapshots

Video Memories: Disney Entertainment

Video Memories: Character Meet-and-Greets

A Mini "Vacation"

Last Monday and Tuesday I got to take a mini vacation from work, and entertain my theatre director from home and her mom, who were on vacation for the holidays. It was such a treat to be able to take them around the parks and show them a good time.

I was able to book them a hotel (Port Orleans French Quarter) at a 40% discount with my Disney ID. (Gotta love those Cast Member benefits!)

So I met them Monday afternoon at their hotel, and helped move them into their room. We then began our little vacation by heading over to Animal Kingdom to catch the last showing of Festival of the Lion King... they loved it! That's always a great show.

Then we headed over to Epcot to walk around World Showcase and grab a bite to eat. So I made reservations for the new Mexican restaurant in the Mexico pavilion, La Hacienda de San Angel. The restaurant was really nice, and we had a gorgeous view of the World Showcase Lagoon. The food was great too... and it was nice to eat some real food for a change!

Then we walked around through the countries and stopped in France for some dessert. I always have to stop in the little pastry shop for their chocolate mousse... delicious! Afterwards we headed back to Mexico and stopped to watch Illuminations... always a treat.

The next morning I met them at their hotel and we started our day at Hollywood Studios to see Beauty and the Beast (seeing as Tiffany directed BATB last summer, it was a must-see!) Tiffany's mom insisted we see the American Idol Experience, since it's one of her favorite shows, so that was next on our list. After that, we saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid and went to meet Sorcerer Mickey in the Animation building. We ended our time at Hollywood Studios with the Great Movie Ride. They definitely enjoyed all of the shows.

We then drove over to the Magic Kingdom, parked at the Contemporary Hotel, and took the monorail into the park (I thought it would be more fun than walking.) We headed over to Tomorrowland so I could show them where I worked, and we ended up grabbing a quick bite to eat at Cosmic Ray's. Then we did a bit of walking around just to see the sights, and watched some of the castle show, and then made our way over to meet Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. Those two are always so much fun!

After that, we did a bit of shopping on Main Street, and then decided to spend the rest of the evening in Downtown Disney. So we headed that way, and made reservations for dinner at Cap'n Jack's restaurant. We did a bit of shopping, and then went and enjoyed a nice seafood dinner. After a bit more shopping, our night was coming to an end, and I took them back to the hotel.

We had such a wonderful time! I love being a tour guide and showing people around the parks. Tiffany hadn't been to Disney World in 15 years, so it was definitely fun showing her around.

College Program Graduation!

I definitely have been neglecting my blog during the past few weeks.... so it's time to start out the new year with a new blog post! 

College Program Completion Celebrations (aka Graduation) were held at Mickey's Retreat in mid-December. There was free food, characters, a DJ, and of course all of my friends from work. Walking into the party, you were given your graduation Mickey ears, as well as your "Mouseters" degree. 

It was a wonderful afternoon, spent with good friends. We met Goofy, Pluto, Minnie and Mickey, all dressed up for the occasion. There was also a raffle, and I won a caricature drawing of myself (as a superhero!) 

The Kingdom Keepers

So it's been a while since I've blogged, so I thought I should get back on track with something new.

For the last few months, I've been listening to the audiobooks of the Kingdom Keepers book series. The books follow a group of kids who are trying to save the Magic Kingdom (and the rest of Walt Disney World) from being taken over by Disney villains who come to life after the parks close. I usually get distracted when I read a book, so I decided to subscribe to Audible on my iPhone, and I downloaded all three books in the series.

The books are really interesting and well-written. They're like the Harry Potter books (not quite as detailed and complex), but still full of story lines that keep my interest. And plus, it all takes place at Walt Disney World! It's so cool to hear phrases like Utilidor, Cast Member, Cinderella Castle, Main Street, and so on... and they even mentioned Cosmic Ray's!

I've finished the first two books, and am currently listening to the last book. The first two books were really good. Basically, the books follow a group of kids who got hired by Disney to become digital hosts at the parks, called DHI's, short for Disney Host Interactives (or Digital Holographic Images.) Park guests can rent a DHI, and the hologram will take them on a tour of the park, much like a Guest Relations Tour Guide does in real life. And when the parks close, the Disney characters and Audio-Animatronics all come to life. But the Disney villains have been attempting to take control of the parks. So it becomes the mission of the kids to save the parks from the villains, called the Overtakers.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

It's been a busy past few weeks, with Thanksgiving week giving me 50 hours of work, and picking up extra shifts this week. But I thought I'd talk a little bit more about Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!

I went once with my friend Krista's parents, and then went again to do more of the special holiday meet-and-greets. I started out my night by heading over to Toontown to visit the Disney Princesses, because the Princes would also be with them. I met Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip, Cinderella and Prince Charming, and Snow White and The Prince. I then headed over to the Judge's Tent to see Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse dressed up for the holidays.

After that, I made my way over to Adventureland to meet Lilo and Stitch. Then, walking outside, I saw some of the Country Bears walking around, so I stopped for some photos.

I then made my way into Fantasyland to meet the Seven Dwarfs, my favorites.

Then it was time to meet the characters from Winnie the Pooh. Tigger, Eeyore, Pooh and Piglet all had on winter scarves.

I made my way back to Toontown and got in line to meet the Fairies. I met Rosetta, Tinker Bel and Vidia. A wonderful character attendant also let me skip the Princess line and go straight to meet Princess Belle and the Beast, since they had taken the place of Snow White and her Prince.

Afterwards, I headed over to Tomorrowland to stop by my home, Cosmic Ray's. I caught some of the Cosmic Ray's Jingle Dance & Play dance party with Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale.

Add in free cookies and hot chocolate, it was a great night! 

List #16: Disney Character Autographs

One of my favorite things to do when I go to the parks is character meet-and-greets. There's just something special about meeting Disney characters and interacting with them. And I love getting their autographs. So I bought an autograph book, and I never visit a park without it.

It's my mission to fill up the autograph book, and so far I'm doing pretty well. Here's a list of all the autographs I've collected so far:

1. Timon
2. Baloo
3. Tarzan
4. Jane
5. Terk
6. Aladdin
7. Abu
8. Donald Duck
9. Daisy Duck
10. Mad Hatter
11. Buzz Lightyear
12. Pinocchio
13. Gepetto
14. Goofy
15. Stitch
16. Mr. Smee
17. Captain Hook
18. Pocahontas
19. Meeko
20. Mary Poppins
21. Mr. Penguin
22. Mickey Mouse
23. Mrs. Incredible
24. Mr. Incredible
25. Frozone
26. Green Army Man
27. Minnie Mouse
28. Pluto
29. Rafiki
30. Snow White
31. Mulan
32. Alice
33. Princess Jasmine
34. The Genie
35. Princess Tiana
36. Prince Naveen
37. Lotso
38. Duffy the Disney Bear
39. Belle
40. Queen of Hearts
41. Tweedledee
42. Tweedledum
43. Jafar
44. Chip
45. Dale
46. Max (Goofy's son!)
47. Winnie the Pooh
48. Eeyore
49. Tigger
50. Thumper
51. White Rabbit
52. Rapunzel
53. Flynn Rider
54. Woody
55. Jessie
56. Drizella
57. Anastasia
58. Lady Tremaine

Oktoberfest

The Disney College Program hosted an event last week -- Oktoberfest! It was over at Patterson Court apartments. So my roommates Wayne and Ricky walked over to Patterson to check it out.

It was pretty cool -- I mean, there was free food! They had some German "classics" like sausage, chicken, a cucumber salad, cabbage, rolls, and an apple pastry. For free food, it was pretty good. I can't ever turn down free food!

They also had a live German trio band playing music.

You could also get a Duffy-the-Bear cutout to color. These cutouts are going to replace the masks used for the KidCot stations at World Showcase.

The highlight of the night, for me at least, was meeting Mickey, Goofy and Daisy Duck dressed up in traditional German clothes. That was fun!

Overall it was a fun event, and I'm glad I was able to attend!

Video Memories: Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

WDW Fun Fact #1

So I thought it would be fun to explore some of the "fun facts" about Walt Disney World. There are a variety of books about Walt Disney World trivia and secrets, so I'm going to share some of the tidbits of information I found interesting.

Fun Fact #1: Mickey Mouse has more than 290 different sets of clothing. From scuba gear to tuxedos, Mickey has something suitable for any occasion. 

Here are a few photos of Mickey in a variety of his many outfits: