Walt Disney World has introduced new and returning character meet & greets all through 2023 in Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and EPCOT. This submit shares timeframes, particulars, areas, and commentary.
This follows immediately’s different information about EPCOT’s New Nighttime Spectacular & Disney100 Anniversary Celebration in Late 2023. With EPCOT wrapping up its overhaul, the park will play host to the 100 Years of Surprise Celebration and a brand new nighttime spectacular, amongst different issues, whereas even have new devoted meet & greet areas.
This additionally follows earlier adjustments and updates for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which lately launched uncommon characters plus the Mandalorian and Child Yoda. So DHS followers shouldn’t really feel neglected, as you’ve arguably already gotten a jumpstart on all of this–and the most effective characters of the bunch, besides!
When it comes to immediately’s information, Walt Disney World introduced that Moana will greet fellow voyagers on Discovery Island at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park starting April 22, 2023. That is simply in time for the park’s twenty fifth anniversary. (No phrase on how, or if, that milestone shall be celebrated past cupcakes and banners.)
There’s a greater than gentle chance that this Moana meet & greet is foreshadowing a bigger growth of Animal Kingdom. Potential redevelopment and progress alternatives have been teased on the D23 Expo, and people embody a Zootopia Metropolis and Moana Mini-Land. Our expectation is that each will occur, however the plans for Moana seem fairly concrete.
Turning to EPCOT, followers of Figment will get the prospect to hug the long-time icon on the Creativeness! pavilion starting in late Summer time 2023. As a few of these aforementioned Figment followers, we’re actually excited for this. It’s nice to see Figment returning, and I’m curious as to how this can differ from “FigZilla.” (I’m guessing that Dreamfinder will not be becoming a member of him, however I’d completely like to be improper.)
I’ll spare you my hypothesis as to what this might imply for Figment’s future prospects, whether or not that is testing the water to see how a lot demand the character nonetheless instructions (exterior merchandise), and so forth. You may see previous posts on the Figment Meet & Greet Coming to EPCOT and Figment Function Movie Being Made by Seth Rogen for my wild hypothesis and wishful considering that doubtless received’t come true.
Mickey Mouse and mates may even have a brand new house at Communicore Corridor opening later this 12 months as a part of the EPCOT transformation. It is a purpose-built location that’ll doubtless be just like the outdated one in Innoventions.
See our submit about CommuniCore Corridor and Plaza Coming to EPCOT for extra particulars about this venue as an entire. No different specifics have been shared as to the meet & greets coming to the World Celebration neighborhood of EPCOT.
At Magic Kingdom starting in Fall 2023, Mirabel from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ hit movie “Encanto” will greet friends in Fairytale Backyard surrounded by whimsical décor impressed by La Familia Madrigal. (The picture on the high of the submit is from Disneyland, however Walt Disney World shared inventory footage from that, suggesting it might look equally.)
Fairytale Backyard is the official title of the placement the place Merida from “Courageous” at present meets, so it’s say to say that location is being repurposed. No phrase on whether or not Merida shall be relocated to Princess Fairytale Corridor or elsewhere. Her meet & greet is shockingly widespread given how “Courageous” underperformed (I hope the film has discovered an viewers since its launch–I feel it’s underrated), so I’d count on to see Merida moved slightly than retired.
These new experiences observe the return of a number of Magic Kingdom character experiences together with Pete’s Foolish Sideshow, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Ariel in her underwater grotto, and the return of character eating at Cinderella’s Royal Desk.
In the case of commentary, I’ll begin with the constructive: it’s good to see Walt Disney World including extra characters across the parks. Not addressed on this announcement, however Walt Disney World additionally lately added a Princess Tiana ‘waving from the home windows’ character sighting in Liberty Sq..
This one is a bit bittersweet for me, as she seems in the identical spot close to Corridor of Presidents the place the Muppets Current … Nice Moments in American Historical past beforehand appeared. However what’s performed is completed–it’s good to see Tiana recurrently showing and offering a nod to the way forward for this space(ish) of Magic Kingdom!
I additionally respect the combo of meet & greets and distanced character sightings (or no matter they’re being referred to as now). With the brand new additions, Walt Disney World has performed a great job of balancing the 2, giving friends quite a lot of character interplay varieties–and time commitments.
The character sightings have been among the finest additions of the phased reopening, and we overtly hoped that this sort of character encounter–blended with conventional meet & greets–would grow to be a everlasting fixture of Walt Disney World.
Distanced characters are nice for livening up the park and providing leisure worth with out having to attend in a protracted and slow-moving line. I’m glad to see there be a wholesome combination of character experiences, and want Walt Disney World would do that with extra characters that draw ridiculous meet & greet waits. ( you, Jack Skellington!)
To that time, we’ll quickly (nicely, in a number of extra months!) discover out simply how widespread Encanto is amongst Walt Disney World friends. Whereas I feel they setting they selected is objectively higher, I’m actually stunned Mirabel isn’t coming to City Sq. Theater, which has extra capability. I’m sufficiently old to recollect nearly a decade in the past when Anna and Elsa first debuted in Magic Kingdom, and had common wait occasions of 2-3 hours, and hit 4-5 hours every so often.
Turning to critique, I’ll repeat what I’ve already bemoaned elsewhere (mainly rehashing a tangent from our unpopular article about Imagineering’s new robotic rabbit). Encanto got here out at Christmas 2021. It’s at present Spring 2023. This meet & greet debuts in Fall 2023. (How lengthy does it take to vary some backdrops?!)
Suffice to say, Encanto has been a smash hit for nicely over a 12 months, and it’s nonetheless not attainable to fulfill Mirabel or another character from the film in Magic Kingdom. It is a enormous misstep and, like Bruno, we don’t discuss it sufficient. It’s nice that this meet & greet is lastly occurring, but it surely coming in a number of months–slightly than a number of months in the past or in a couple of weeks–demonstrates an befuddling lack of urgency.
Turning Pink can be now simply over one 12 months outdated, and the primary character meet & greet from this movie simply debuted at Shanghai Disneyland. Whereas the Pink Panda Mei is now showing in China, she nonetheless has not proven up at Walt Disney World or Disneyland.
In case you haven’t seen Turning Pink (not that anybody cares, but it surely’s my favourite Disney or Pixar film since Coco–I prefer it much more than Encanto), there may be actually a meet and greet with Pink Panda Mei within the film. It’s such an apparent concept that it’s embarrassing it has taken Disney so lengthy to roll out the character. A Pink Panda Mei meet & greet would pay for itself within the merchandise and plush gross sales it could assist push. I’m not even kidding.
Earlier this month, the Mandalorian and Child Yoda lastly debuted in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World. This was met with plenty of reward locally, particularly because it’s nearly an open secret that bringing the duo to Florida was a herculean activity. I assume the considering is thus that constructive reinforcement is acceptable–maybe Disney will see it and be extra inclined to deliver characters to the parks ~3 years after their tales debut.
I can perceive that to an extent, and would possibly share that perspective if the circumstances have been distinctive. However for the entire discuss synergy, Disney has gotten actually dangerous about selling widespread characters from its streaming exhibits and flicks at Walt Disney World on tight turnaround occasions. They used to develop and debut complete parades quicker than they handle to stay a single character right into a cavalcade.
It’s too dangerous there isn’t a small and nimble staff devoted to those synergy efforts with the power to maneuver shortly and authority to deliver these characters to the parks in significant methods, even when meaning overruling park administration. That is much more necessary now as viewership has grow to be fragmented and IP wants somewhat extra assist to enter the cultural zeitgeist. Disney ought to place a renewed emphasis on a day-and-date mannequin, however for its exhibits/motion pictures and promotional pushes within the parks.
Finally, extra characters is nice information–even when it’s taking longer than I’d like. This has been a continued push over the past 12 months for the reason that return of conventional meet & greets, and has undoubtedly gained momentum for the reason that begin of 2023. Similar to with every little thing, a part of the obstacle has been staffing shortages, and people are lastly bettering with leisure.
My hope is that this pattern continues, and that extra meet & greets and different character sightings proceed to pop up all through the parks. It’d be good to see Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion again to regular on the character entrance (and never having to tug performers from daytime schedules) at minimal–and ideally add a couple of of the brand new characters that’ve debuted at Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line for these seasons. It’d even be nice if lacking meal companies may very well be restored at character eating experiences round Walt Disney World!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Mirabel coming to Magic Kingdom? What about Moana in Animal Kingdom? Ideas on Figment and Mickey Mouse & Associates in EPCOT? What about Disney’s sluggish rollout of character meet & greets from current Disney+ exhibits and flicks? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!