Children just love this part of the Disney Park experience! Although you can’t get them to wait 5 minutes for anything else, they’ll gleefully wait 2 hours to hug Belle or pose with Pooh. Too precious!
But even we adults have been known to covet the Character Meet-and-Greet experience. Are we really waiting in line for our children, or for ourselves? We’ll keep the answer to that question to ourselves, shall we?
So in the spirit of wishful thinking, I give you my Top Five characters that should have their own Meet-and-Greet opportunity at Walt Disney World:
5. Princess Kidagakash “Kida” Nedakh
Atlantis is one of my all-time favorite Disney animated films. But its main character, Princess Kida, just hasn’t gotten her royal due. She is a real princess, but isn’t considered one of the official Disney Princesses. What a rip! Adding her to the line-up would also extend the ethnic diversity of the face characters in the Parks.
And any of you guys who love to pose with Jasmine know why I want Kida there too! There, I said it.
4. Basil, the Great Mouse Detective
Another great, but perhaps under appreciated, Disney animated film is The Great Mouse Detective. As a lover of all-things Sherlock Holmes I’d just ‘geek out’ for the opportunity to pose with my favorite sleuth! And if Professor Ratigan should show up too, well, that would be a bonus. And adding never-before utilized characters to the Meet-and-Greet system would freshen things up a bit, don’t you think?
I’d follow them. They’d follow me. We’d be like each other’s shadow for a while.
Boom baby! This one is just a no-brainer. I mean, it’s all about the Emperor anyway, right? So why is Disney the only one who doesn’t get it? Just how natural Kuzco would be for the Mexico Pavilion in EPCOT is beyond discussion. It’s a perfect fit!
He could be obnoxious, sarcastic, and a laugh-riot! And it wouldn’t hurt if everyone were encouraged to break out into a little bit of River Dance either. Getting into the Emperor’s new groove would be too much fun!
2. Humphrey the Bear and Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore
First you pick it up (bump bump) then you put it in the bag (bump bump) then you pose with Humphrey and Woodlore (bump bump). Humphrey the bear is another under utilized character from the Disney pantheon. He has a cameo presence at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, but even there, it’s hard to find good merchandise featuring him.
Obviously, having Humphrey and Woodlore appear at DWL would be genius positioning, but it hasn’t happened yet to my knowledge. But seeing them in Disney’s Animal Kingdom would be a perfect fit as well. Just imagine Woodlore leading us all in song as Humphrey dances and encourages us to pick up the trash. I’m so there!
1. Princes
As a good looking prince-like Adonis myself, I know how much women like to pose with gorgeous men. I have to fight off hordes of females during every trip to the World. So it would really take the pressure off me if Disney would stop firing the Princes and set up a permanent Meet-and-Greet area just for them!
The latest ousting of Flynn from Fantasyland is just another example of cost cutting overriding the guest experience. After all, what
Princess doesn’t want to pose with her Prince Charming? Am I right, ladies? It would just make sense to have a Prince pose op positioned close to the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique, but then, I’m not a marketing genius. But it seems like a good idea!
Also, it’s not like they’d have to do a big casting call. Every parade features a Prince on the arm of the corresponding Princess. It
would just be a matter of having them show up for a few extra hours in the day at the Meet-and-Greet location.
So we come to the end of another Top Five list. Did I miss any of your favorite characters? If so, be sure to list them in the comments section. And who knows? Maybe Disney will consider giving them a two week contract!
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We didn’t have time to wait in line for it but I did see several villains at the meet and greets at MNSSHP last year.
What a great list and definitely characters my family would love to see out and about. For our fall trip, my daughter has spoken constantly of wanting to see Flynn Rider. Fingers crossed that by some slim chance we find him somewhere in the “world!” 🙂
What a great list and definitely characters my family would love to see out and about. For our fall trip, my daughter has spoken constantly of wanting to see Flynn Rider. Fingers crossed that by some slim chance we find him somewhere in the “world!” 🙂
Kuzco would be awesome! That is one of my favorite all time movies! He could be with Pacha so that they could interact with each other, too! Such a great post!! YOU should be working for Disney!
The Great Mouse Detective is one of my favorite movies so I’d love to see Basil. How can they get rid of Flynn? Tangled isn’t Tangled without Flynn. Are they getting rid of Beast? Flynn is as integral to the story as Beast is. When I think of Snow White, Cinderella & Sleeping Beauty, I think of the princess & not the prince. When I think of Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin & Tangled, I remember the prince as much as the princess. I think the princes should be with their princess at the meet & greet, though, not in a separate meet & greet.
I want a photo with the Cheshire Cat!
I would agree with the princes but I also think the villians too.
Along the lines of Humphrey the Bear and Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore, how about Ludwig Von Drake? He was always a favorite of mine and you never see him. The Disney Afternoon stars are starting to appear more regularly in comic books (Darkwing Duck, DuckTales, etc.) so they would also be good choices.
Along the lines of Humphrey the Bear and Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore, how about Ludwig Von Drake? He was always a favorite of mine and you never see him. The Disney Afternoon stars are starting to appear more regularly in comic books (Darkwing Duck, DuckTales, etc.) so they would also be good choices.
Villains. Any & all of them. On a rare occasion you see Hook & Smee. I want Evil Queen!!
We still need a Dalmatian or two!!! We love Pongo and all the puppies! If they can do Pluto thay can do Pongo!!!
I totally agree about the princes. We didn’t manage the long line to see Rapunzel and Flynn Rider (and now I’m sad my son won’t get the chance because he really liked him in the movie), but one of the best meet-and-greets we had this Spring with my almost 2yo daughter was with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. Even though she got a little scared (I think having not seen a prince before, it was a bit much at first), they both took so much time with her and were so friendly. Prince Naveen gave her a flower, got her to give him a hug, and did high-5s, etc. by the end. We were not rushed at all, and they gave full attention. I also think it must be nice for the meet-and-greet characters to have someone to work with sometimes. It made the interaction really nice to have Tiana with Naveen and not by herself.