Man Arrested for Allegedly Groping a Face Character in WDW

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BigThunderMatt

Well-Known Member
Which then prompts the second question: Should Disney do a background check on their guests before allowing them to visit the parks?
- It would be expensive to background check everyone, but once you are clear you are clear.

At least for annual passholders and water park tickets the system Disney uses cross references the national sex offender registry and flags potential matches. I've seen many an awkward encounter where security escorted said sex offender into a backstage area for questioning while the rest of the family (usually wife AND kids) waits outside with no explanation as to what's going on. It was never a false positive. The guest was escorted out and trespassed. That would be a REALLY awkward car ride home.
 

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
When we pass the lines for photos and I see people without kids, my first thoughts are weirdo, creep, and strange. I bet the CMs find most of the adults to be weird and creepy too.

Wow. That’s a crazy level of judgment right there. I didn’t realize that if I stood in line to meet Mary Poppins I would be labeled as such by someone who knows absolutely nothing about me.
 

KrazyKat

Well-Known Member
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TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
the big question will be... based on photos and evidence... can he claim he didn’t realize where his hand actually was.

Putting your arm around a character at a meet and greet would not be considered battery (I have photos from D23 of various Disney celebrities putting there hand on my shoulder....).

I’m NOT saying he’s innocent.... but I’m wondering what really happened here.
 
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Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
What's really disturbing about this is that she couldn't get up to move away from him because she was probably in the mermaid costume. I'm guessing that's why he felt as though he could "get away" with this. Nasty.

In this M&G spot, when you get your picture with Ariel she's basically stuck to a chair with only the PhotoPass photographer and maybe a handler to help her. Fairytale Hall has characters/photographers/helpers share a room. I think the Frozen one at Epcot is like this too? At character meals there's people everywhere and it's a much more public space.

The Grotto as close as you can get to a "private" audience with Ariel (with less covering her top) and unfortunately this man saw that as an opportunity to physically abuse someone. :(
 

Minthorne

Well-Known Member
Wow. That’s a crazy level of judgment right there. I didn’t realize that if I stood in line to meet Mary Poppins I would be labeled as such by someone who knows absolutely nothing about me.

Agreed. Makes you wonder what kind of thoughts are going through some peoples heads. The person that spends all day imagining how others can be creeps or weirdos because they are getting a photo with a character in the theme park scares me more than the people getting photos. They sure spend a lot of time thinking about that stuff...it is almost creepy and weird.

DISCLAIMER: In case anyone wonders: in my avatar picture with Mickey I was only grabbing my wallet - I always expect him to take it.
 

Minthorne

Well-Known Member
Did you give Mickey consent to touch your shoulder?

Nope, but there are 2 different sets of rules here. Character can touch you all over apparently!

True Story: At Tusker House in 2016 when Donald was doing the photo shoots before you were seated he kept pinching my bum while they were taking photos to make me react. To allay any fears of me being a solo character photo seeker, I was there with three girls ages 6-11 and their parents. To be fair, my only concern was that it might be a girl in the costume, which would have been very disappointing. I was hoping I had made a cast connection ;)
 

CJR

Well-Known Member
Pretty sure human face characters cost a lot less than animatronics.

You're going by today's dollars though. Technology costs go down over time, while constantly improving, so when the time is right, it will come fast.

Disney is already putting money into this and has already tested out animatronic M&G's in the parks with Lucky the Dinosaur and Muppets. Those stopped for a reason, but they haven't abandoned the idea. Technology has already improved from those too. Trust me, Disney's investing in this, they've made it pretty clear.

Not to derail the thread, because this isn't about the future of M&G's, although if incidents like this keep on happening, Disney might find reason to further prioritize it.
 
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