Walt Disney World’s Extreme Makeover: Character Edition

Mr. Smee, we thought we knew you. There was no doubt that once the Pirates League moved into town and started offering pirate makeovers that major changes would be afoot. Consider the following photo that compares Mr. Smee’s old look to his new look. Seams a bit different, don’t it? And who knew Mr. Smee lacked a belly button? He must have lost it in a battle with Peter Pan. He now also sports a more texture/plasticized set of eyebrows, a completely different mouth and all over has a more cartoony look, particularly with his eyes (and I think he might have had a nose job too). I might be going overboard when I suggest I think he even shrank a bit considering the height of his eyes compared with Hook’s nose (even more dramatic when it appears that Hook is even leaning forward in the old look photo while he’s standing upright in the new look photo).

Also going on around the World of characters, Snow White recently returned to the Germany Pavilion in Epcot with her very own wishing well. Also new is a sign outside the meet & greet area announcing it is a meet & greet spot, the first of its kind in the World Showcase if I’m not mistaken. The sign doesn’t mention Snow specifically however and it also appears that Dopey no longer takes a break from working in the mines to say hello with her either. We understand that Snow got a free vacation to Walt Disney World as they worked on her area.

And while it’s not news per se, let’s quickly check out the recent addition to the animation building in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the meet & greet area for the characters from Disney/Pixar’s UP: Russell, Dug and Carl. Said to be the most advanced meet & greet set to date, the set also features Kevin who pops up  on either side and a real garden hose to help hold the house down (special thanks to Scott of the Disney, Indiana podcast for that tip).