Disney Characters Come to Life!

It's every little kid's dream to meet the one-and-only Mickey Mouse, or perhaps their favorite Disney character... and boy do they have the opportunity at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. With character greetings, character breakfasts/dinners, and other meet-and-greet experiences around the parks, there's plenty of Mickey and friends to go around.

"But why doesn't Mickey talk, mom?" --"Because he's shy, dear."
No, Mickey Mouse and the rest of his head-costumed friends cannot verbally interact with guests. Sure, you can chit-chat with the Princes and Princesses, but not Mickey.

Until now.

A few years ago, Walt Disney World debuted "Dream Along With Mickey," a live stage show in front of Cinderella Castle. What made this show extra-magical was that the characters' eyes blinked, and their mouthes moved in sync with their dialogue! Sure, you might snag a few photos of Mickey with his eyes closed, (as I did on my last trip to WDW) but the effect is simply amazing and adds another element of magic to the experience.

After watching the show for a while, you can catch onto the trick. The performers control the movement of the eyes and mouth by moving their fingers. While watching, you'll notice that the characters' hands are always in motion, especially their fingers.

Here are a few photos from my recent trip to WDW:

And just the other day, Disneyland previewed a new talking Mickey Mouse, who interacts with guests one-on-one! His eyes blink, his mouth moves, he even calls you by name!

This new technology is obviously still being tested, and it will most likely be quite some time until it is fully implemented into the parks.

But for now, there are a few videos on YouTube for all to enjoy the magic of talking with Mickey Mouse!