Rumor Pixar's Coco coming to the Mexico Pavilion

Bender123

Well-Known Member
Or is that an attempt to make guests think it’s an attraction?

Since when were the characters this much of a draw? Im constantly amazed at when I was a kid, you would see the characters around and there wasn't a need for a line/attraction o go with it. I thought I was dreaming it, but watching old videos, seeing pictures, etc...Im amazed that there will just be a character walking around and not getting mobbed, confirming my memory.

Was the "attractionification" of characters something Disney wanted, or is it a response to guest demand? I just find standing in line for 120 minutes to see a person in a costume to be so strange.
 

smile

Well-Known Member
Since when were the characters this much of a draw? Im constantly amazed at when I was a kid, you would see the characters around and there wasn't a need for a line/attraction o go with it. I thought I was dreaming it, but watching old videos, seeing pictures, etc...Im amazed that there will just be a character walking around and not getting mobbed, confirming my memory.

Was the "attractionification" of characters something Disney wanted, or is it a response to guest demand? I just find standing in line for 120 minutes to see a person in a costume to be so strange.

kinda looks like you answered a question...
and then asked it
:p
 

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
I am sure Disney wanted it...they have been promoting it for years...Why build a 20 million dollar attraction when you can put a college kid in a costume and generate a 120 minute wait? Unfortunately as long as the public keeps lining up for this ridiculousness, Disney is going to continue to use meet and greets to replace actual attractions...
 

Rodan75

Well-Known Member
Since when were the characters this much of a draw? Im constantly amazed at when I was a kid, you would see the characters around and there wasn't a need for a line/attraction o go with it. I thought I was dreaming it, but watching old videos, seeing pictures, etc...Im amazed that there will just be a character walking around and not getting mobbed, confirming my memory.

Was the "attractionification" of characters something Disney wanted, or is it a response to guest demand? I just find standing in line for 120 minutes to see a person in a costume to be so strange.

Seeing it on the cruise ships, where these characters do essentially get mobbed with a lot fewer folks around and look at non-Disney fan conventions where meet & greets are the bread and butter. For a subset of fans, these meet & greets are the primary attraction, but I'm with you, I don't necessarily get it.

So I think guests made it an attraction and Disney had to add more structure around it. As an added bonus, these meet and greets get the additional monetization with professional photographers.
 

Bender123

Well-Known Member
I am sure Disney wanted it...they have been promoting it for years...Why build a 20 million dollar attraction when you can put a college kid in a costume and generate a 120 minute wait? Unfortunately as long as the public keeps lining up for this ridiculousness, Disney is going to continue to use meet and greets to replace actual attractions...

In the old days, they could just spend the cost of the college kid and didn't need the building...
 

Bender123

Well-Known Member
Seeing it on the cruise ships, where these characters do essentially get mobbed with a lot fewer folks around and look at non-Disney fan conventions where meet & greets are the bread and butter. For a subset of fans, these meet & greets are the primary attraction, but I'm with you, I don't necessarily get it.

So I think guests made it an attraction and Disney had to add more structure around it. As an added bonus, these meet and greets get the additional monetization with professional photographers.

I usually see the big ones at a character meal and the only character I go out of my way for is Tinkerbell, because I am a guy and have you seen WDW's Tinkerbells? If the wait is more than 15 minutes, forget about it...Its normally a really short wait around mid afternoon.

My kids could care less about the characters.
 

brb1006

Well-Known Member
Since when were the characters this much of a draw? Im constantly amazed at when I was a kid, you would see the characters around and there wasn't a need for a line/attraction o go with it. I thought I was dreaming it, but watching old videos, seeing pictures, etc...Im amazed that there will just be a character walking around and not getting mobbed, confirming my memory.

Was the "attractionification" of characters something Disney wanted, or is it a response to guest demand? I just find standing in line for 120 minutes to see a person in a costume to be so strange.
These days the only time you would see a wandering characters would be at Disneyland (Mostly in Fantasyland or Main Street) and Tokyo Disney Resort.

Here's old footage of Mickey near the Main entrance from the 1970's.
 

Bender123

Well-Known Member
These days the only time you would see a wandering characters would be at Disneyland (Mostly in Fantasyland or Main Street) and Tokyo Disney Resort.

Here's old footage of Mickey near the Main entrance from the 1970's.


You still get some lesser known characters out and about...In the last year, Ive seen the Country Bears quite a bit in fronteirland, but at what point did the average park guests become so savage that it was decided that access to characters needs to be metered? Its so strange, as I cant seem to pinpoint where this started. It just went from "look...Its Donald Duck...that's neat" to "We need a fastpass or two hours in line".

Its like it happened overnight.
 

brb1006

Well-Known Member
You still get some lesser known characters out and about...In the last year, Ive seen the Country Bears quite a bit in fronteirland, but at what point did the average park guests become so savage that it was decided that access to characters needs to be metered? Its so strange, as I cant seem to pinpoint where this started. It just went from "look...Its Donald Duck...that's neat" to "We need a fastpass or two hours in line".

Its like it happened overnight.
I think guest behavior of them mobbing character must have started sometime in the mid 2000's. Because from the 1970's till the the mid to late 1990's. Characters used to spend more time and be more interactive with guests.
 

Epcot '92

Member
I think guest behavior of them mobbing character must have started sometime in the mid 2000's. Because from the 1970's till the the mid to late 1990's. Characters used to spend more time and be more interactive with guests.

The stories I've heard of Brazillian tour groups carrying Goofy away were most likely hyperbolic, but I think the tour groups were a driving force with how the characters are. It has gotten better recently though, but I only meet characters rarely (mostly at special events)
 

ppete1975

Well-Known Member
Ive always assumed it came from complaints... my little princess didn't see mickey.. in your commercials characters are everywhere!!!
Ill be honest I was sad when I went to the parks... circa 1983 the only ones I remember seeing is chip and dale (there was a line to them) goofy and brer bear (although that might have been another Disney trip), no mickey no Donald no pluto.. I mean you might see them in a parade but I looked everywhere and I think we went back to the hotel before the night parade at mk. I remember the epcot night show and I want to say a water show.
 

Tony the Tigger

Well-Known Member
Since when were the characters this much of a draw? Im constantly amazed at when I was a kid, you would see the characters around and there wasn't a need for a line/attraction o go with it. I thought I was dreaming it, but watching old videos, seeing pictures, etc...Im amazed that there will just be a character walking around and not getting mobbed, confirming my memory.

Was the "attractionification" of characters something Disney wanted, or is it a response to guest demand? I just find standing in line for 120 minutes to see a person in a costume to be so strange.

My point of view, could totally be wrong, is there was a period where you didn't see many characters. I’m guessing people complained or answered surveys about not seeing enough. So they started announcing what time certain characters would be where.
 

Bender123

Well-Known Member
Ive always assumed it came from complaints... my little princess didn't see mickey.. in your commercials characters are everywhere!!!
Ill be honest I was sad when I went to the parks... circa 1983 the only ones I remember seeing is chip and dale (there was a line to them) goofy and brer bear (although that might have been another Disney trip), no mickey no Donald no pluto.. I mean you might see them in a parade but I looked everywhere and I think we went back to the hotel before the night parade at mk. I remember the epcot night show and I want to say a water show.

Thanks KatieBug. Glad to see you are still out there... :p

I remember them being there, just that people didn't seem to care as much. It was more "Neat! Its a character!" than "WE MUST SEEK OUT CHARACTERS!!!"

If I lived down there and had annual passes, I likely wouldn't mind the line, but when I am there once a year or every other year, The last place I want to sit is in a line to get two minutes with a character...
 

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
They kind of (sadly) are. Enchanted Tales with Belle?
Or is that an attempt to make guests think it’s an attraction?

ETwB is not a M&G, it's a show. An interactive show. As much as Turtle Talk with Crush is one. If you're not one of the few participating in the show, you don't even get your M&G with Belle. Shows are attractions.
 

mikejs78

Premium Member
Okay.

And the downward spiral continues.
I agree with @MisterPenguin here. It's a show. Ariel's Grotto, Princess Fairytale Hall, Pete's Silly Sideshow, and Town Square Theater are M&Gs. Enchanted Tales with Belle is not. Now, whether or not it's a good show is a separate discussion, but it's definitely a show.

That being said, there are way too many M&Gs passed off as attractions in MK. The only one that really should be one (especially now that talking Mickey is gone, is Ariel, because, well, she can't walk. The rest should just wander around the park.
 

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
Okay.

And the downward spiral continues.

Save the drama. I've done M&Gs, I've done shows. You can't convince me this is a M&G. I never got picked for a part and, accordingly, I had zero opportunity to meet and greet Belle. So, for me, it was absolutely not a M&G.

You don't like it. I get it. But dinging it for being something it's not isn't a valid criticism since the assessment of what it is is not based in reality. If you think it's not a worthwhile show... fine, that's fair.

Now, the blame here likely rests with WDW for advertising it as a M&G, rather than the show which it is.
 

Ripken10

Well-Known Member
Save the drama. I've done M&Gs, I've done shows. You can't convince me this is a M&G. I never got picked for a part and, accordingly, I had zero opportunity to meet and greet Belle. So, for me, it was absolutely not a M&G.

You don't like it. I get it. But dinging it for being something it's not isn't a valid criticism since the assessment of what it is is not based in reality. If you think it's not a worthwhile show... fine, that's fair.

Now, the blame here likely rests with WDW for advertising it as a M&G, rather than the show which it is.
This would be a great discussion...in an appropriate thread.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom