In 2009, Disney set out on a venture that would push the boundaries of the theme park experience forever—an attraction where guests weren’t just entertained as spectators but where they could step up and become that entertainment.
The American Idol Experience took park-goers to territory never before explored by putting the power into guest’s hands. Audience members were given full autonomy both to vote for winners throughout the day and to decide what lucky young person might win a coveted “Golden Ticket” to potentially become the next American Idol. After a highly successful run of six years, the attraction closed in 2014, but its mark on Disney history cannot be understated. I had the pleasure of taking part in the show twice as a finale contestant, and I can easily say it was my favorite experience in 30 years of Disney travel.
However, it does beg the question: How did Disney’s take on the American Idol Experience compare to the real thing?
I worked as a production crew member on the American Idol national auditions for two seasons, and I want to offer an insider perspective on how Disney’s American Idol Experience didn’t just capture the magic of America’s favorite talent show—it exceeded it.
1. The auditions
Image: Leigh Caldwell, Flickr (licen
se)
The American Idol Experience hinged entirely on the participation of guest contestants—a risky venture that paid off in spades. The audition process to find those contestants was a testament to Disney’s attention to detail not only in replicating the American Idol adventure but improving upon it.
In Disney’s version, Guests 14 years or older could register to audition each day. At your allotted time, you’d proceed to the American Idol Experience studio to be briefed via a pre-audition video. You sang an acapella song of choice for a very nice casting director, and if you made the cut, you were given a pin-on number and directed inside to the next stage of the audition. If you didn’t pass, you still got a sweet “I auditioned for the American Idol Experience” button to show off your chutzpah.
This, by itself, was a far more pleasant experience than attending a real American Idol audition. The process for hopeful Idols wasn’t so simple as standing in a line then serenading Simon Cowell. It was an extremely arduous affair involving days of pre-registration, significant queues with tens of thousands of other hopefuls (and some outright crazy people), and waits as long as nine hours in a hot stadium to finally sing for one of several dozen casting judges in a line of pop-up tents. You could have a voice like Celine Dion and be given a thumbs-down for anything from appearance, to squeaking a note, to just not “fitting the profile”. In most cases, you would never learn the reason.
Image: Fultron89, Wikimedia Commons (license)
If you were given that remarkable news that you passed stage one, you wouldn’t be headed to Hollywood but to hours of briefings, signing documents, and even psychological testing. As for auditioning for the celebrity judges? It never happened that same day. Contestants would be given a date several weeks away to sing for the show’s executive producers. If participants passed that, then on another completely separate day, the best of the best and worst of the worst would audition for the celebrity judges.
In the Disney version, the process sped by in a whirlwind of excitement, trepidation, and adrenaline. After receiving your number, you were immediately ushered into the studio’s beautiful Red Room (an interior designer’s love letter to Coca Cola) and given a song list and MP3 player. You chose two songs to perform for a producer in a studio reminiscient of the audition room from the show.
In a uniquely smooth move on Disney’s part, guests received their results from a pre-recorded video of Ryan Seacrest—either that your journey had ended or, with classic Idol fanfare, that you were heading to the stage. With blaring music and applause, you were rewarded with a bag of swag and a spot in the day’s preliminary shows. If you were extra lucky, the production team spirited you away to film fun TV spots that highlighted contestant personalities.
Image: David Vega
However, injecting Disney magic into the auditions wasn’t the only area where Disney went above and beyond in recreating the American Idol Experience.
2. No limits
Image: Leigh Caldwell, Flickr (license)
The penultimate goal of Fox’s American Idol (besides making unfathomable amounts of money) was to launch the career of undiscovered young singers. Contestants had to be between the ages of 15 and 28 and also had to be legal US residents. On an unspoken level, there were dozens of other requirements. I’ve known a number of exceptional singers who were rejected from Idol-like shows for reasons ranging from weight to their voice sounding too similar to a popular artist. Reality TV is the business of taking kernels of reality and spinning it into well-controlled drama, and this can limit the talent pool severely.
While Disney maintained reasonable standards for American Idol Experience contestants, the range of guests who could participate was extremely wide. Besides requiring guests to be older than 14, the age limit was lifted. I saw at least two middle aged dads croon their hearts out to adoring audiences. If a guest outside the standard age won the day’s Golden Ticket, they would have the ultimate Christmas present: a front-of-line-pass for any loved one who fit the show’s audition criteria.
Image: Beth, Flickr (license)
The lifting of limits and reality TV stigma gave Disney’s American Idol Experience a sense of freedom and charm lacking on the actual show. While some guests and Florida residents might have taken time to primp their appearance for their Idol Experience day, often the best performers were normal people who came to the park in their beach shorts and Mickey shirts. I even saw contestants who chose to Disneybound that day. The talent pool was utterly unpredictable, and this meant that every American Idol Experience show had an element of untamed reality without the machinations of producers or studio executives.
3. Magic vs. Reality
I want to emphasize that I’m in no way downplaying the life-changing experience a young person would have participating in the real American Idol. The thrill of performing for millions, watching your dreams fulfilled at the cheers of a nation, and the excitement of being immersed at the focal point of Hollywood cannot be understated.
However, reality TV is not always a pretty business. American Idol contestants faced more than their fair share of controversy—a poorly chosen remark wouldn’t just cost a person the competition. It could quickly turn them into the most hated person in America. Even at national auditions and Hollywood week, if you threw a fit, burst into tears, were a huge weirdo or truly a terrible singer (or person), that moment of weakness might become an element in the show. While I never worked the actual American Idol performances, television production across the board is a fast-paced business that takes a huge amount of work with very little glamor. It can be cold and clinical at the best of times and utterly nasty at the worst.
Image: Josh Hallett, Flickr (license)
Disney’s American Idol Experience managed to capture the magic of auditioning and performing on the American Idol stage while eliminating the ugly factor. If you failed your audition and had an emotional breakdown, no one was going to exploit that. From the minute you made the cut, the experience was Disney magic all the way. You were given a “Vote for Me” lanyard to announce your participation to fellow guests, a full hair and make-up session, and even vocal lessons from a legitimate performance coach all in one stunningly designed room after another. I remember conversing with the make-up artist on just how much more pleasant the whole experience was than the real thing. Even the dreaded “Simon 2.0” judge, who held little back on his icy commentary, was more funny than soul-crushing in his remarks.
While I’ve focused largely on the singers’ perspective, the audience experience also was lightened up. Without the odd element of vilifying storylines and drama between celebrity judges, park-goers could just enjoy themselves. Most shows carried a segment where a heartwarming story about a contestant might be showcased, and there’s nothing like the inspiration that comes with realizing that timid young person on the stage can belt “Let It Go” like Idina Menzel. You got caught up in the pageantry, cheered on your favorites, booed the jerk judge, and felt genuine emotional weight when your chosen contestant won or failed. Was the process perfect? Just like in the real American Idol, no, but it was not any less exhilarating.
4. The Experience of a Lifetime
Image: Jett Farrell-Vega
There’s no doubt that becoming a top ten contestant on American Idol would be the thrill ride of a lifetime. For the rest of us, The American Idol Experience gave participants a day they’d never forget.
I was blessed to win my preliminary competition both times I participated, and while the excitement of victory was certainly a rush, nothing prepared me for the VIP treatment that followed. I’ve already mentioned the fun TV spots, hair and make-up, vocal coaching, and cozy digs inside the studio. However, carrying that “Vote for Me” lanyard and finale swag had an unforeseen effect.
You became a character in the tapestry of Disney magic.
Image: Jett Farrell-Vega
Kids straight up asked me for autographs and pictures after the show. Guests throughout the day congratulated me and cheered me on for the finale. Random strangers struck up conversations. I think Disney even threw in some Fastpasses. Even among fellow contestants in the finale, a real sense of camaraderie formed. I’m still Facebook friends with a few of them. I consistently got voted out in spot four in the final show, but you found yourself truly championing your fellow hopefuls the whole way. It fogged the line between entertainment and reality, resulting in an organically breathtaking experience no upcharge experience could match.
All things must pass, and it is understandable that with the conclusion of the American Idol series, Disney’s American Idol Experience had run its course. Still, for those of us who loved it—and especially those who experienced the real thing in comparison—there’s no doubt that The American Idol Experience was one of Disney’s finest entertainment achievements.
