Monday, September 28, 2009

22 Days to Disney: In Character


I've already talked about how much I love tapping in to my inner child at Disney...

There are so many ways to do that, but the best... One of my favorites is to watch, interact with, and get my pictures taken with the legendary Disney characters.

I can't tell you how excited I get when I run into Captain Hook strolling through Adventureland. It's like seeing a mega celebrity. I think I can honestly say that I get more exciting shaking hands with a giant, furry Baloo than I would meeting Brad Pitt.

It's not just me, though. One of the coolest things to see is the look on a kid's face when the first see Mickey Mouse, or Donald. Or hell...even the fucking Power Rangers. Their eyes just light up, and suddenly the magic is real.

In the book "Disney War", one of the conditions the Disney company made with the author, in order for him to get the access he'd been requesting, they wanted him to spend a shift as Goofy in one of the parks. This is apparently something the company has every executive do. Even Michael Eisner and Steve Jobs did it once. The guy found the experience so integral to his book that he used it as the introduction. He talks about how much work they put in to training these people to play these characters, because Disney knows how important it is for Mickey Mouse to be the Mickey Mouse everyone wants and expects. They expect Goofy to walk like Goofy.

It's a tough job, and I'm sure posing with nerds like me isn't the highlight of their day, but I can definitely tell you that it's always a highlight of mine.

And now... The Disney Trivia Question of the Day

Question: What is the name of the singing, animated parrot over the entrance of Pirates of the Caribbean?

If you think you know, please send an e-mail to blog@beefymuchacho.com

Everyone with the correct answer will receive a point. An incorrect answer gets 1/2 a point. The person with the most points will get a Limted Edition Pin purchased during my stay.

Standings are being updated daily at http://www.beefymuchacho.com/ on the "Contests" page.

I'll repost the questions with the answers at the end of the contest.

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