Photos/Videos: Merida Character Begins Testing at Epcot in Walt Disney World
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Princess Merida, the heroine of Disney/Pixar’s Brave, made a surprise appearance in Future World at Epcot yesterday. Although she will officially begin meeting guests in a play and greet environment at the Magic Kingdom starting later this month, she is apparently making random appearances as she gets acclimated to the harsh Orlando weather.
A batch of photos have appeared on Flickr from abelle2, although it appears more photos can be seen currently on this tumblr post (via @DisneyProjects).
In addition, a couple of videos have surfaced on YouTube. The first, while the first to be spotted — and thus more popular — is a bit short and seems more focused on the person shooting the video rather than Merida herself, while the second features Merida speaking at more length, but with substantial ambient noise.
Although Walt Disney World has indicated Merida will officially begin greeting guests in Mid-May and there are rumors that her start date will be May 15, sources have indicated to us that while it’s possible she may start that week, a date closer towards the end of the month is more likely at this time. She will also be appearing to meet and greet with guests in Disneyland.
Categories: Epcot, Movies, Pixar, Walt Disney World Tags: Brave, Character, Meet & Greet, Merida
Photos: Jake from ‘Neverland Pirates’ to Meet and Greet at Disney Parks
It’s been a long time coming, but Jake from ‘Jake and the Neverland Pirates,’ the top rated animated program in the Disney Junior programming block on Disney Channel, will finally be landing at the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts beginning this month.
We first met Jake back in March during a private event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios which is where he will begin meeting guests on Monday, November 13. He will be found at the meet and greet area outside the Disney Junior stage show. While Handy Manny will continue to also meet and greet fans at the location, Annie, June, Leo and and Quincy from ‘Little Einsteins’ will no longer be there.
However, Jake will also be joining the ‘Play ‘n Dine’ character meal at Hollywood and Vine, where June will remain, along with Special Agent Oso and Handy Manny.
Beginning a week later, on November 20, Jake will be on hand to meet and greet fans at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort.
We also hear he’ll be setting sail aboard the Disney Fantasy when it launches in March, 2012.
Photos: Inside Town Square Theater Meet & Greet with Mickey Mouse (Minor Spoilers)
Although it’s slated to open officially to the adoring public on Friday, April 1, the new meet and greet location for Mickey Mouse and the Disney Princesses experienced a soft opening today and a few lucky guests at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom had the opportunity to experience a little one on one time with Mickey, Minnie and the Disney Princesses in their new digs.
Fortunately for us, Josh Siegel (@Crushinat0r) was on hand to capture some of the newly installed magic (literally speaking) and share it with us.
A new grand foyer, featuring a spectacular Town Square floor mosaic leads the path to both the entry queues for Mickey Mouse and the Disney Princesses. Along the queues, hi-resolution LCDs easily pass off as Houdini-era posters on the Mickey Mouse side that occasionally show off a bit of animation a la the Enchanted Art developed for the Disney Dream, and offer up trivia questions on the Disney Princess side.
In this other enchanted poster, Mickey performs a very old and clever trick that’s guaranteed to make any card chosen by guests waiting in the queue to vanish before their very eyes. How does he do it? A magician never reveals his tricks! Although quite admittedly, sometimes Stitch Kingdom does.
As we first touched upon the other day when we first revealed photos of the new Mickey meet & greet room, the room is just full of inside Disney references and sight gags just waiting to explore. We found about 15 or so just by pouring through the photos (admittedly some aren’t readily visible in these images), but rather than simply point them out, here’s some clues to some of our favorites:
- Despite it not existing for decades to come, 1901 was a pivotal year in the history of the Walt Disney Company
- Mickey’s trunks are covered in port-of-call stickers that not only represent Disney Parks and Resorts around the world, but even some sub-sections of them.
- Speaking of his trunks, consider who manufactures them and you might have a pretty groan-inspiring Jungle Cruise joke.
- The animatronic rabbit that sometimes gets mad and likes to disappear from time to time is sitting atop a hatbox made by 10 Shillings and Sixpence Ltd (or 10/6 as we like to abbreviate it on occasion).
- The notes posted on the billboard reference a couple of Disney animated classics: one a feature-length animated film, the other a popular Mickey Mouse short. There’s also a note from a famous magician who’s a member of the Disney family, but he’s more like a cousin, one could say.
- The Sorcerer’s Hat sure looks like a miniature version of the Disney’s Hollywood Studios icon, but that crystal ball manufactured by Leota Crystals resembles more of a smooth golf ball, whether it’s silver or glowing purple.
- There’s all sorts of magician’s preferred animals represented, including birds… including a parrot (at least the head).
- Fantasia is heavily represented in the room
- And, of course, there’s at least one classic Hidden Mickey somewhere in the Mouse’s box of tricks.
All photos and video © Josh Siegel. Presented here with permission.
Categories: Magic Kingdom, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Characters, Meet & Greet, Mickey Mouse, Town Square Theatre, TST
First Look Inside Mickey’s New Meet & Greet, Tiki Room Restored, Fairies’ Final Destination
Scheduled to open beginning April 1, we have your first look inside the room for the FASTPASS-enabled Magician Mickey Mouse meet and greet at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Tucked away inside Exposition Hall, Magician Mickey invites fans to meet him ‘backstage’ where he’ll have a few tricks of his own including interactive posters, more than likely in the same vein as the enchanted art found aboard the Disney Dream.
Provided by a friend of Stitch Kingdom, the photos show some of the heavy detail that has gone into the space which includes representation of the parks (the books are stacked to form the shape of Cinderella Castle, the Sorcerer’s Hat, Madame Leota’s crystal ball, etc., as well as port of call stickers from Hong Kong and Tokyo on Mickey’s trunk).
The new space in Exposition Hall will also be co-inhabited by the Disney Princesses who are currently meeting inside the Adventureland Veranda until the new space opens later this week. We are also told that following the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, Tinker Bell and her fairy friends will be flying back to the Magic Kingdom and also be offering meet & greets in the new space. Initial plans called for Tink to be at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but we hear John Lasseter was adamant about Tink remaining inside the Magic Kingdom, so there she will return. Tink was even scheduled to appear at Disney’s Hollywood Studios between the closure of Mickey’s Toontown Fair and the start of the Flower and Garden Festival, but she was immediately moved to Epcot early, skipping the Studios altogether.
Lastly, and music to your ears, we are certain, we have been sitting on reports that when it re-opens, the Enchanted Tiki Room will no longer be under new management and will instead be returned to its original glory. Perhaps even more gratifying to many, sources have told us that Iago will find himself relocated to an Audio Animatronics graveyard located at Disney’s Animal Kingdom where he will become fodder for Imagineers looking to hone their skills. The attraction currently has no known re-opening date, although it’s assumed to be July 1, 2011 at this time as the official site has it listed as closed through June 30.
UPDATE #1 – 3/29/11 – In regards to the fairies return to Magic Kingdom, it may have been stated in haste that they will join the others in Exposition Hall. Although it was reported to us that they will be returning to the Magic Kingdom, the details were a bit hazy. The likely new (and also likely temporary) home (which comes with some accredited validation) of Pixie Hollow is the Adventureland Veranda whose interior has remained dormant for the better part of several years save for hosting the Disney Princesses following the closure of Mickey’s Toontown Country Fair. This also places the fairies within spitting distance of their sworn nemeses: pirates.
Categories: Magic Kingdom, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Characters, Enchanted Tiki Room, Meet & Greet, Mickey Mouse, Pixie Hollow, Tink, Tinker Bell, Tinkerbell
Walt Disney World Announces Casting for Phineas and Ferb’s Cletus Filmore
The Walt Disney World Resort has issued a casting call for the role of Cletus Filmore, the director who will play against Phineas and Ferb in their ‘meet and play‘ experience which is set to begin in May at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The role description is as follows:
Cletus Filmore: Male, 20s-30s, improv actor. He is a “famous” movie director who wants to make the biggest film epic to come out of the Tri-State area. He has all the great qualities a director should have…high energy, confidence, charm, passion, and is very funny. He also has a great knowledge of movie terms to help get the shots he wants. His ability to keep the shoot fun and energetic helps get the audience to give him the performances he needs to complete is masterpiece.
No specific date for when the meet and greet experience begins has been provided as of yet.
Categories: Disney's Hollywood Studios, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Meet & Greet, PAF, Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb ‘Meet & Play’ Coming to Walt Disney World in May
Walt Disney World has confirmed plans to introduce meet & greet characters Phineas and Ferb, from the popular Disney XD animated series, to Disney’s Hollywood Studios beginning on to be determined date in May.
Answering the age-old question as to what they’re going to do today, Phineas and Ferb will appropriately be producing a movie all about their crazy adventures. With the help of guests and movie director Cletus Filmore, they will re-create some of their favorite memories — if they’re not busy ‘taking five’ to meet and greet with guests that is.
The Phineas and Ferb meet & play will take place near the exit of Muppet*Vision 3-D, which is approximately where Luigi’s Garage featuring the Disney/Pixar Cars Lightning McQueen and Mater meet & greet is conducted.
Categories: Disney's Hollywood Studios, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Characters, Meet & Greet, PAF, Phineas and Ferb
First Look: Rapunzel and Flynn Rider Meet & Greet Characters at Walt Disney World
Although their permanent ‘play and greet’ environment isn’t yet completed at Magic Kingdom’s Fairytale Garden, as we previously reported, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from Disney’s Tangled began making appearances today at Epcot.
Although we initially reported that they would be appearing at the International Gateway, we learned the hard way that the location may vary and in fact found the couple outside of the World Showplace, situated between the Canada and UK Pavilions. This is one of three locations used in Epcot to test out new characters and their friends, the others being the International Gateway and the area to the left of the American Adventure.
It was a good experience meeting the pair and — when it opens — the play and meet should prove to be a very entertaining experience. Noting my camera, Rapunzel commented that I must be a great artist and hang my paintings up everywhere. Noting the use of technology, Flynn suggested that I have a little man inside the device that does all the dirty work for me.
Depending on who you ask, the new meet and greet area should be operational as of either October 22 or 25. Until then, you can spot Tangled‘s Rapunzel and Flynn Rider at random intervals at any of the locations mentioned in Epcot’s World Showcase.
All photos © Stitch Kingdom. All Rights Reserved. Please be kind enough to attribute the article and site when posting the photos elsewhere.
Categories: Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Characters, Flynn Rider, Meet & Greet, Rapunzel, Tangled
WDW Character Update: Tangled Meet & Greet Will Begin October 15 at Epcot
We reported earlier that the in-park appearance of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from Disney’s Tangled, initially scheduled to begin on October 15 at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom had been postponed until October 25.
Yesterday, however, Cast Member-run WDW Character Hunt stated that the pair would in fact be making appearances starting on October 15, only at Epcot’s International Gateway instead at non-published, ‘random’ times. The duo will only be making appearances and will not be participating in any of the interactive elements expected to occur when the makeover-in-progress at Magic Kingdom’s Fairytale Garden is complete.
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Characters, Meet & Greet, Rapunzel, Tangled
WDW Character Update: ‘Tangled’ Meet and Greet Postponed
The so-called ‘Play and Greet’ featuring Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from Disney’s Tangled at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is now being reported to be postponed from its original start date of October 15 until October 25.
This was confirmed by cast member extraordinaire and consistently accurate source Paul Chadkin via twitter.
Update 10/12/10 – Rapunzel and Flynn Rider will begin meeting and greeting guests (without ‘play’ elements) on October 15 as originally scheduled, but at the International Gateway in Epcot
Categories: Magic Kingdom, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Characters, Flynn Rider, Meet & Greet, Rapunzel
New Character Meet & Greet Experience to be Unearthed at Tokyo Disneyland Resort in 2011
OLC, the parent company of the Tokyo Disneyland Resort, has announced that a new meet and greet experience will be coming to Tokyo DisneySea as part of its ‘Be Magical!’ 10th anniversary. Located next to the Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull in the Lost River Delta, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Goofy will be greeting guests and taking commemorative photos.
The Disney characters, who are researching and studying the ruins of an ancient civilization as well as the jungle plants and insects, will each be waiting in one of three differently themed structures to greet the guests. At the entrance, guests choose which Disney character they want to meet and follow the trail that leads to the character. Along the way, they can rotate the sections of stone column to jumble or match the character’s head, body and feet. Or they can look at insect specimens through a magnifying glass. These and other activities will be available to help make guests feel like explorers themselves.
The new ‘Mickey & Friends’ Greet Trails’ experience is expected to open on April 23, 2011.
Earlier this year, the Tokyo DisneySea introduced its second character meet and greet experience, the ¡Saludos Amigos! Greeting Dock. OLC has said that once the new trails in the Lost River Delta have opened, Mickey Mouse will be replaced by Donald Duck at the ¡Saludos Amigos! Greeting Dock.
The Tokyo Disneyland Resort also recently reported its second highest attendance level ever in the first-half of the fiscal year. Between April 1 and September 30, 2010, the resort received 12,954,000 guests, a 5.3% increase over last first-half 2009.
Categories: Theme Parks, Tokyo Disneyland Tags: Characters, Goofy, Meet & Greet, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, TDL
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