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As a Halloween surprise, Walt Disney World unveiled a new trick at the Magic Kingdom: talking Mickey Mouse. Mickey normally “saves his voice” during meet-and-greets inside Town Square Theater, but during a special test period, a limited number of lucky guests are having the chance to actually converse with Mickey for the first time ever in Orlando.
Here’s the video, shared by the Disney Parks Blog:
This isn’t the first time Mickey Mouse has talked with guests, but it is the first time he’s done it inside the relatively new Town Square Theater, normally remaining silent amidst his magical surroundings.
Video: Silent film-style tour of Town Square Theater
Most recently, Mickey Mouse was talking with guests at the 2011 D23 Expo in the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts pavilion:
Mickey most famously first began talking with guests in a similar test in May 2010 at his Toontown home in Disneyland in California. He later appeared during the grand opening of World of Color at Disney California Adventure, conversing with attending celebrities and Disney CEO Bob Iger.
While the future of Mickey Mouse meet-and-greets likely points to including full conversations with the big cheese, right now Disney is only testing this type of experience on an extremely limited basis. A small handful of guests over the coming week or so will have a chance to talk with Mickey Mouse inside the Magic Kingdom’s Town Square Theater, but most guests will meet silent Mickey instead. Mickey isn’t quite ready to share his voice with everyone just yet, but it certainly continues to intrigue the world as each appearance of talking Mickey gathers headlines with fans eager to see what magic Disney’s Imagineers will ultimately unveil.
