Disney’s live characters are a big draw. They bring their popular films and cartoons to life. Children can hug Mickey, swap stories with Belle, show their latest thing-a-ma-bob to Ariel, and compare biceps with Gaston. While adults know that these characters are a carefully maintained illusion, to younger guests, they’re all too real. Disney goes to great lengths to maintain that sense of realism, even when dealing with an oversized mouse. Here are just a few of the ways that the company keeps the magic alive.
1. Using the right terminology
Though Cast Members are well aware of the realities behind Disney characters, they still won’t speak about them as anything other than real. Cast Members who have a character role won’t say that they “are” Cinderella. Instead, they simply mention that they’re “friends with” Cinderella. This kind of talk even holds in the break room where Cast Members are well out of sight and hearing of guests. It’s simply second nature to uphold this part of Disney culture and treat characters like individual and entirely separate beings.
2. Casting carefully
There are two types of Disney characters – face and fur. Fur characters are those that appear in a head-to-toe costume. There are height and build restrictions for these characters, since performers must fit into the same costumes, but details like complexion, facial features, and even sex don’t matter when you’re in fur.
Face characters, on the other hand, are those that have a visible face. Princes and princesses are face characters, as are some villains like Maleficent and Cruella DeVille. Face characters must have the right face shape and features. In some instances, their physique is more heavily critiqued. Jasmine needs a toned mid-section and Tarzan requires an athletic and muscular build.
The one thing that doesn’t matter is hair and eye color. Nearly all characters wear a carefully styled wig, and colored contacts can fix eyes. In fact, it’s not unusual for one performer to be “friends with” several characters that wouldn’t seem to bear much resemblance, like Mary Poppins and Snow White.
3. Perfecting the signature
Mickey Mouse giving an autograph
Image: Jeff Christiansen, Flickr (license)
Collecting autographs is a major part of the character experience. Since the official Disney line is that there’s only one of any character, these autographs must be identical. It wouldn’t do for Pluto in the Magic Kingdom to have a different autograph than the Pluto appearing in Epcot. Trainees must practice the signature again and again to get it perfect so there’s no distinction between performers.
4. Maintaining the storyline
Every character has a clearly defined personality. Performers are given a detailed profile for their character so they know exactly how to act, whether that means adopting a sunny disposition or a menacing façade. Characters also have signature gestures and body movements. They’re trained to move, stand, and pose in very particular ways. Those that can talk must learn to mimic the character’s voice and intonation.
Characters also maintain a particular storyline. Princes and princesses obviously have an air of romance between them. Members of the Disney gang (Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy) are all good friends. Face characters can speak and respond to guests’ questions, so they have to maintain their character at all times. They exist in a magical fairytale world, so they’re not acquainted with our modern devices and trends. Think of the film Enchanted and you’ll have an idea of how these characters must perceive the things around them.
5. Scheduling so they don’t overlap
Disney schedules its characters very carefully to make sure that they never overlap. You won’t see Mickey handing out autographs in one building while he’s also in a parade elsewhere. Ask any Cast Member and you’ll hear time and time again that there’s only one Mickey. That Mickey may have the magic to get from one place to another very quickly, but he can never be in multiple places at once. Even if you couldn’t reasonably get from one character spot to another fast enough to catch the doubles, Disney does take into account the fact that another member of your party could be elsewhere, so they make sure their characters truly are in just one place at a time.
6. Giving Mickey the power of speech
One of the latest innovations in character technology is a new line of fur characters that can move their mouths, blink, and otherwise appear completely lifelike. You’ll see them regularly in stage shows, where everyone in “The Gang” can now mouth along to their lines and blink realistically. You may also find these characters debuting in meet and greets, though less predictably.
If you do get to meet the talking Mickey, you’ll find that he responds to what you say and do. Though his lines are clearly pre-recorded, they’re appropriate to what’s going on around him. This is accomplished through a complex combination of technology. One Cast Member reported that a camera in the meet and greet area allows Mickey’s voice operator to see and hear what’s going on, so someone in a control tower is essentially picking and choosing the mouse’s phrases. Meanwhile, the performer controls facial movements using discreet controls hidden in the gloves.
Though the technology will undoubtedly undergo many advancements and changes, this is just the latest tactic that Disney is using to keep its characters as lively and realistic as possible.
Whether you’re an avid collector of character autographs, or you shy away from getting close and personal with the living version of your favorite cartoons, there’s no denying that Disney puts an impressive amount of work into keeping their character experiences as real as possible.
