VIDEO - Talking Mickey returns to Town Square Theater as Magician Mickey

[asianway]

At D23Expo in 2011, it was both. He started out as the freeform talking Mickey, but shortly thereafter was changed to the soundboard Mickey. Unfortunately the differences are quite obvious. In freeform he would readily ask someone where they live for example and actually respond directly to what they were saying. In soundboard mode, he just has pre-recorded phrases to choose from (and I say all this lightly), just like Roz, Mr. Potato Head, Mater and Lightning. At the Expo, Soundboard was very disingenuous and the conversations were very awkward and wouldn't flow properly. They've made significant progress on this front, however.

That said, the video that Disney Parks released certainly shows him in his best light. Would be interesting to see real world videos.

Thanks Brad, you did a much better job explaining than I ever could.

 

[Clever Name]

Remember folks that this is Magician Mickey. Some of his act may involve clairvoyance. He'll not only know your name but he'll also know your birthday and your credit card number. Magician Mickey is astounding with numbers and he can do some really impressive mathematical tricks. Sim Sala Bim!

 

[The Magical Genie 123]

Will they be doing this with other characters in the future?

 

[Krcarson13]

Went to the MK tonight for my daughters bday dinner. We heard the Talking Mickey would be there so we got fast passes. After dinner we went to see Mickey, waited about 15min. My daughter had a birthday pin and Mickey had everyone sing Happy Birthday to her, it was pretty cool!

 

[TDF]

That is super cool! Went this past weekend for mine and met Mickey and Minnie in AK. Had to say it was a little awkward with Mickey just pointing at my pin. I would of loved for him to say Happy Birthday! It is the little extra magic that makes Disney cool!

 

[Magenta Panther]

http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney-talking-mickey-speech-tip-66422/
Here you go....

Amazing! We gripe a lot about TDO, but it still comes up with some incredible stuff. Great read! Thanks!

 

[Magenta Panther]

Will they be doing this with other characters in the future?

I think a Donald Duck one would be potentially hilarious, but probably impractical. Guests (and especially kids) would be saying "What?" all the time when he talked. But a talking Minnie would be wonderful.

 

[BrightImagine]

I think a Donald Duck one would be potentially hilarious, but probably impractical. Guests (and especially kids) would be saying "What?" all the time when he talked. But a talking Minnie would be wonderful.

Minnie just got her own beautiful looking new M&G at DHS, so I hope she's next!

 

[Magenta Panther]

Minnie just got her own beautiful looking new M&G at DHS, so I hope she's next!

I didn't know that! That would be a great place for her to debut as a "talkie". I think she'd be just as popular as Mickey. It seems like such a natural idea that I bet TDO's considering it...

 

[Sped2424]

Looks like this is permanent for now. The big question is whether this will be the truly interactive Mick that we've seen, or the one that makes generic statements to give the illusion of conversation. Let's hope for the former...

Generic rest assured, if not those magic tricks wouldn't have been apart of the equation.

 

[Sped2424]

By generic do you guys mean they are pre-programmed canned responses or scripted? I know at D23 last year when they introduced him they sounded canned but later an interview with the guy who does the voice proved otherwise. He said they had a "script" of things to say to prevent adlib but that it was nothing automated. Now I know that the guy who does Mickey's voice isn't going to be sitting in a booth all day so obviously it's not him but is it still voiced like Crush for example (i.e. guy doing voice but watching from a booth)?

Yes by generic we mean a voice actor isn't actually interacting with you but using pre recorded phrases to create the illusion of conversation.

 

[dreamfinder]

But I do hope it's not going to be all canned dialogue. If Disney can pay Equity for Crush, they sure as heck can do it for Mickey!

In this case, it's more than just paying equity I would imagine. Getting someone who can pull off a generic surfer dude "Whoa little guy!" Is a lot easier than finding someone who can sound like Mickey. Fairly certain the list of Disney approved voices for Mickey (only to fill in when he gets laryngitis of course) is pretty short right now. And some of the articles that have come out about the new Mickey shorts talk about how they had to get all sorts of approval for a different voice to be used.

 

[FigmentJedi]

And some of the articles that have come out about the new Mickey shorts talk about how they had to get all sorts of approval for a different voice to be used.

And let's face it, it's good that they did because while Bret can do the falsetto, he's not nearly as good at acting with it like Wayne was.

 

[dmleblanc1971]

It is generic and possibly cheesy from an adult point of view but for little kids (I have a 2 and 4 year old) I think they will LOVE it! My 4 yo is already asking why Mickey doesn't talk so I'm guessing this will be a big surprise to her.

That's awesome that you get to create those memorable moments for your children

 

[WaltsWorld]

Probably a rumor, but I've actually heard that the Beast might be articulated soon if this works out.

 

[asianway]

Probably a rumor, but I've actually heard that the Beast might be articulated soon if this works out.

Articulated is different than talking. There are already a good variety of other articulateds for shows.

I highly doubt Beast would be the next to "talk" but a redo is heavily rumored.

 

[drew81]

And let's face it, it's good that they did because while Bret can do the falsetto, he's not nearly as good at acting with it like Wayne was.

Amen

 

[TubaGeek]

That is super cool! Went this past weekend for mine and met Mickey and Minnie in AK. Had to say it was a little awkward with Mickey just pointing at my pin. I would of loved for him to say Happy Birthday! It is the little extra magic that makes Disney cool!

Have you met Donkey?

 

[MarkTwain]

Went to see talking Mickey yesterday, but we had to try and see him three times. The first time we went in was with Fastpasses, and despite warnings from cast members that even the FastPass line was going to be a 20-30 minute wait, we eventually stopped moving completely and after about an hour we gave up and left. We returned later to find a 120 minute standby wait (!!!!) Finally we went in just before the M&G closed at 11:30pm and still ended up waiting what must have been a solid 20 minutes. Apparently the secret was out.

All that said, the meet and greet was VERY impressive. Mickey was humming to himself in a mirror when we walked in and turned to greet us when he heard us. I could kind of tell his phrases were pre-recorded, but the phrases were very well-chosen and well-timed and the rest of my party didn't notice. I was speechless and just fumbling with my camera for the first part of it. I can't even remember the last time a Disney experience literally took my breath away but this was one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time.

 

[MOXOMUMD]

Minnie just got her own beautiful looking new M&G at DHS, so I hope she's next!

My daughter would be in heaven if Minnie could talk to her.