Over the years, many different characters have made appearances in the Disney Parks. Some have gone on to become regulars, while others have drifted off into obscurity. Today, we take a look at just a few of these characters of Disney past.
The photo above is a promotional shot from 1990, touting the newly-renamed Mickey's Starland in the Magic Kingdom. The Starland show and character greetings in the area drew heavily from the block of animated TV series known as The Disney Afternoon. From "DuckTales," Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey, Louie and Launchpad McQuack can still be seen in the occasional parade or special event. When the mood strikes, Chip and Dale even sport their "Rescue Rangers" garb at times when they pop up in Adventureland. Fellow Ranger Gadget, however, hasn't been seen in these parts for quite a while (although she does live on in name and spirit with Gadget's Go Coaster at Mickey's Toontown in Disneyland). Other character appearances at the time included stars from "Gummi Bears," "Tale Spin" and "Darkwing Duck." (photos above and below ©Disney)
Hot on the heels of the hit film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), the movie's star toon could be seen throughout the Walt Disney World Resort, most prominently at Disney's Hollywood Studios. In 1991, Roger became the face of the Florida property's 20th anniversary celebration. A large Roger Rabbit balloon float led the Surprise Celebration Parade through the Magic Kingdom, and Roger himself made surprise appearances in shows from Starland to the Diamond Horseshoe, awarding prizes to lucky Guests. Today, Roger resides exclusively in the Toontowns of Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, where he helps guide his Guests through Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.
Some characters lend themselves better than others to appearances in the parks. Take Nemo, for example. Before the heartwarming theatrical interpretation of the little clown fish debuted in Finding Nemo: The Musical at Disney's Animal Kingdom, this larger-than-life Nemo regularly swam amongst Guests outside The Living Seas pavilion at Epcot.
The Muppets have taken a similar path. For years, starting with this early-90s appearance alongside Jim Henson, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy greeted their fans in larger-than-life fashion.
Only recently have they come back down to Earth, appearing in the parks as themselves. Kermit and Piggy can now be seen leading off the "Disney's Honorary VoluntEARs Cavalcade" each day ahead of the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade at the Magic Kingdom.
Here's an idea for a blog entry:
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could do articles about walk-around character styles through the years. For example, the evolution of Winnie the Pooh starting with the version that walked around with the honey pot balanced on his head to the current incarnation.