While not officially opening until Friday, April 1, the new Town Square Theater has soft opened to select guests today at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, providing a sneak peek at the lavish new home in which Mickey and Minnie Mouse are waiting to meet their fans.
(Photo from WDWMAGIC.com)
Themed as a Victorian-era theater, Town Square Theater features ornate decor throughout its large space, ready to hold hundreds of guests who will line up to meet the Mouse that started it all. Entering the area, guests currently choose between meeting Mickey Mouse (and Minnie) or the Disney Princesses, who are in Town Square Theater until their new Fantasyland area is complete in 2012.
(Photo by Josh Siegel, @Crushinat0r)
The meet-and-greet is officially called “Backstage with Mickey Mouse,” keeping with the theater theme.
(Photo by Josh Siegel, @Crushinat0r)
The standby queue will seemingly hold hundreds of waiting guests.
(Photo from WDWMAGIC.com)
Interactive posters line the walls of the Town Square Theater, similar to the enchanted art featured on the Disney Dream cruise ship.
Here are a couple quick videos of the animated posters in action:
(Photos by Josh Siegel, @Crushinat0r)
The actual meeting with Mickey Mouse takes place in his dressing room “backstage.” Throughout the meet-and-greet area, guests find a number of tributes and references to Disney properties throughout the years, from short films to theme park attractions.
(Photos by Josh Siegel, @Crushinat0r)
But ultimately, everyone entering Town Square Theater is there to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
(Photo by Josh Siegel, @Crushinat0r)
The new photo location for the pair is far more pleasing to the eye than the old Judge’s Tent in thew now-demolished Mickey’s Toontown Fair. And with Town Square Theater situated at the front of the park instead of the back (as was the case with Toontown), more guests will have a chance to meet Mickey earlier in the day.
In addition, this new meet-and-greet location boasts the first-ever use of Fastpass“>Fastpass to allow guests to reserve a time to meet characters, rather than waiting in line. The Fastpass system for the characters is the same one used for Magic Kingdom attractions, so guests will have to choose carefully which lines they want to skip.
(Photo by Josh Siegel, @Crushinat0r)
And until the New Fantasyland expansion is complete, Disney Princesses are also meeting guests in this location, separately from Mickey and Minnie.
(Photos by Josh Siegel, @Crushinat0r)
The Princesses have their own animated artwork as well featuring trivia.
(Photos and video by Josh Siegel, @Crushinat0r)
Exiting the Town Square Theater, guests find themselves in a new, highly-themed gift shop.
(Photos by Josh Siegel, @Crushinat0r)
Town Square Theater officially opens on Friday, April 1, 2011, but continues to welcome guests in a soft opening today and likely tomorrow.
Visit WDWMAGIC.com for many more high-quality photos of the new Town Square Theater meet-and-greet including the new gift shop and more interactive posters.
More photos from Town Square Theater at the Magic Kingdom:
(Gallery by Josh Siegel, @Crushinat0r)