Mickey TALKS!!

[Robo]

THIS INFO (http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney-news/theme-parks/mickey-mouse-begins-chatting-guests-disneylands-toontown-literally/) is from Disneyland, but it's BIG!

Don't know if, when, or for how long, but it's a big surprise to see.

1- Could be a "one-time-only" thing.

2- Could be a "things-to-come" experiment.

3- It IS magical. (Look at the little kid's excitement!)

[Andrea73]

COOL!!!!!! :cool1:

[damone]

Wow - That's crazy.

I remember seeing the characters eyes blink during some of the stage shows in '08. Never thought I'd see the day where they'd talk.

[EddieMccoy2]

That is awesome. I really really hope this is the future.

[vway2552]

really cool! wonder how that system works..? they did a really good job with it too, im surprised.

[TravisSch]

I said this on the podcast board, but I was surprised at how quickly he could say people's names. I literally went "WOW" when he did that.

Someone just posted there recently saying its basically the same technology as Turtle Talk with Crush and Laugh Floor. I hope this technology gets implemented in all the parks and many of the characters, including the Fab 5. :)

[Robo]

really cool! wonder how that system works..? they did a really good job with it too, im surprised.

The mouth and eyes movements are not new to certain characters in selected shows.

They've been using those for many of the characters in the MK Castle Forecourt Show for a couple of years.
(Also, Timon can blink and move his mouth in the Festival of the Lion King at DAK.)
But, those shows are "lip-synced" to a prerecorded audio track.

What is NEW and DIFFERENT about the clips to which I linked is that Mickey is interacting directly with guests, one-on-one, saying their names, etc. in real-time, in "his own voice."

My speculation is that this is a short-term test with a very special CM who can perfectly match Mickey's well-known voice.

Time will tell.

[bradk]

the eyes and mouth don't appear to be operated the same as the stage show though. my guess is Mickey has a mic built-in (maybe they call him MICkey) and a speaker and a voice-alike (although this one does appear like he could very well be Brett Iwan, for the sake of this 'test', but I hate to be so presumptuous)

I never really doubted this much, although it would be more difficult to pull off outdoors with more ambient noise and wind and all, but I was sure all the servos would generate a lot more noise themselves. It seems all those toys that move still make a lot of noise, but I guess this 'toy' is a tad more expensive.

Now the skeptical me initially thought the names were all pre-recorded (like a 'He Knows my name' toy) and a CM was just piecing stuff together like Mr. Potato Head and Roz (at DCA), but he's obviously responding too well to his environment and doesn't appear too restricted in phrases, so I think a live CM really is in order. Not an impossible task either.

[dischic89]

Wow....I'm slightly in shock. But it's pretty cool!

[thunderbug548]

How cool is that?! It just adds that extra magic to the whole experience.

[Eljay]

:worship:Imagineers, they are geniuses! ::yes::
Thanks, Robo. :)

[Dizfan4life]

How Cool! My kids would sure be tongue tied seeing a talking Mickey L)!

[Robo]

this one does appear like he could very well be Brett Iwan, for the sake of this 'test', but I hate to be so presumptuous...

It sure sounds perfectly like the "official voice."

Mr. Iwan doesn't have much "job security" if it is just another CM. ;)

[magicaldisney]

That is incredible. I was going to ask "how do you think they match Mickey's voice?" Robo, you think the CM in the costume is just someone who can match the voice? You're probably right, but I was hoping that whoever was talking had something that made their voice sound like that. I have no idea what the device would be, but if it is just someone whose voice sounds like Mickey, that makes this a very limited act. I would love to see this with all the Fab 5.

[TravisSch]

That is incredible. I was going to ask "how do you think they match Mickey's voice?" Robo, you think the CM in the costume is just someone who can match the voice? You're probably right, but I was hoping that whoever was talking had something that made their voice sound like that. I have no idea what the device would be, but if it is just someone whose voice sounds like Mickey, that makes this a very limited act. I would love to see this with all the Fab 5.

I think they might be using the technology from Turtle Talk with Crush and Laugh Floor. Whatever it is, it is great and I hope Disney keeps doing it. :)

[Robo]

:worship:Imagineers, they are geniuses! ::yes::
Thanks, Robo. :)

They are the best anywhere!

(And, I'll accept and pass-on the thanks to bradk for filing the original report. :thumbsup2 )

[MOUSELOVER171]

Simply amazing! I would expect nothing less from Disney. WoW!

[Jim6122]

That is incredible! The mouth and eye movements were perfect. :wizard::thumbsup2

[Robo]

As I watched it again, it's looking more like it was a very special one-time event
for either contest winners or a "Make a Wish" trip, or similar.

It may simply be something that would be used very few times in the year when the situation warranted.

We'll all be keeping our EARS open for more news on this, for sure. ;)

[2 Little Mermaids]

We went to the Playhouse Disney Live tour, and I excepted the characters to hop around to the music. To my surprise Mickey and the gang's eyes blinked and mouth moved to the recording. I wondered that day why the characters in the park don't do that. Very cool. Disney has to keep reinventing to keep people going.

[Doc CW]

Wow thats some impressive technology, with some magic thrown in there I'm sure :thumbsup2.

[Suellen]

My girls would really love this! Hope they bring it to the world!!

[PoohsFan1]

That is incredible. I was going to ask "how do you think they match Mickey's voice?" Robo, you think the CM in the costume is just someone who can match the voice? You're probably right, but I was hoping that whoever was talking had something that made their voice sound like that. I have no idea what the device would be, but if it is just someone whose voice sounds like Mickey, that makes this a very limited act. I would love to see this with all the Fab 5.

I was thinking the same thing....like inside Mickey there is a voice changer that lets whatever voice sound like Mickey's....but who knows, I guess no one will ever know. I am just in awe and excited and hope that this will come to the WDW area as well. I also hope many more characters, besides Mickey, will be able to talk. How cool would it be for those characters at the character meals could finally talk to the guests rather than just blowing kisses, shaking heads, or doing motions to communicate. Disney Imagineers ARE really geniuses (per what one PP said) :goodvibes

[bradk]

We went to the Playhouse Disney Live tour, and I excepted the characters to hop around to the music. To my surprise Mickey and the gang's eyes blinked and mouth moved to the recording. I wondered that day why the characters in the park don't do that. Very cool. Disney has to keep reinventing to keep people going.

they do in Dream Along with Mickey, Festival of the Lion King and the MVMCP castle show.

but to pull it off in a close environment such as a meet & greet area takes a lot more technology and the interactivity takes it over the top. you don't really have those needs in a staged show.

I dunno about a wish trip. the older one appears to have something, but it looked more like a mild form of down syndrome to me (i know i'm asking for it big time here). and it can't be a one off because that's a whole lot of tech for one occasion (in which wish trips generally have to cope with non-talking Mickeys like the rest of us), but I'm not sure it's going to be a regular thing anytime soon either.

I think it's more of a proof of concept. When the articulated heads started appearing in the park, I think we all agreed they'd be awesome at meet & greets, but didn't seem like they could be realistically pulled off and this just really proves many of us wrong and that it can be done and Mickey is just the tip of the iceberg.

So in the short term, he probably won't be around much, but this is definitely leading into bigger and better opportunities. This might trump the new fabled Tinker Bell meet & greets too.

[aceys_h0ney]

That is awesome! I also hope they bring it to the World in coming years. My family would get a big kick out of that!

[nancyoliver23]

That’s so lovely! Wonder how they’ve managed it. My grandchildren are going to love it.

[Missus Toad]

My kids if Mickey said their names = :eek::eek:

[Disneyfn420]

This is so amazing. I've watched it about 5 times already. I hope they can bring it to the parks at some point. Imagine what the lines for meet and greets will be like then..not to mention each meeting will take longer as it won't just be a picture it will have interaction....but it'd be worth the wait!

[Must C Mickey]

WOW sooo amazing! I've already fwd'd the article to a dozen people!!!

[roomthreeseventeen]

That's brilliant. Very sweet videos.

[PiperPizzaz]

Yes, obviously I agree it is some kind of test. Don't expect to see it very soon. However, that said they are getting ready to do this. Meet & greet locations. I doubt this would be dining but, you never know.
I have no clue how it is done and I don't want to know. :goodvibes I just can't wait to talk to Chip and Dale!!! :woohoo:

[Coach81]

:eek:

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Amazing! :cool1: Thanks Robo and bradk for posting the videos - Stitch Kingdom rocks with all the Disney info! :goodvibes

[mickeysgirl17]

That's so awesome! I hope they keep this up and can do it with all the costumed characters in WDW too! Thanks Robo for showing us.

[Planogirl]

Remember the voice changers they sold in the toy stores? I'm thinking that you could sound like Darth Vader and a few other characters. I wonder if this is the same system amped up to sound natural? Impressive whatever it is.

[WeLoveLilo05]

My jaw just dropped lol....
I wonder how DD would react to Mickey talking to her lol. :lmao:
I remember when we went to Donald's safari breakfast Mickey actually blushed (face lit up red) when DD kissed him, but i never saw that again.

[chartle]

My thought on how it works is that there is an "off stage" CM doing the voice, either someone who can do Mickey or using some sort of voice changer.

Of course the CM in the suit could also be the voice actor, but that would require someone that not only "fit the suit" , under 5'2"(?) and able to act the part, but also do the voice.

The reason I say its most likely off Stage is that it would be difficult to mask the CM's real voice from inside the head.

ETA: If the voice is off stage though, there has to be a lot of coordination between the two CMs.

As for it being like Turtle Talk yes they would use the same type of "waldo" for the head movements http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_manipulator, but at TT they only need maybe 5 or 6 voice actors to do the part and its a pretty easy "surfer dude" voice.

Mickey is a whole other matter, they would need maybe a dozen or more to do the part, seeing that there are multiple "Mickeys" at toon town.

And I wouldn't hold my breath for all the characters to be like this. There are way to many of them to apply this kind of tech.

[hkeller27]

SO. COOL.

As a parent, that brought a tear to my eye, what a magical experience for those children!!!

[mariepapa]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!! My daughter would freak to see Minnie do this. She loooooooooooves Minnie (and Mickey too).

Those Imagineers deserve every penny they get paid!

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Rumors and News board. :)

[dolfinjuls]

That is amazing! How cool would that be to have interactive meet & greets like that with all of the characters!

[SnowWhite33]

WOW!

Just WOW!

I have tears in my eyes-of course I cry at most any thing Disney Magic can create :rotfl:.

My son is now 15, so this isn't going to amaze him like it would have when he was 6. Back then the child would have been on cloud 9 if Mickey could have talked to him and said his name.

Heck to have Mickey,Minnie or Goofy speak to me NOW would just put me over the moon.

I'd love to get to see this soon :goodvibes

[squirrel]

Wow, this sure changes the experience.

I hope they eventually have all the characters with this technology.

[saradela]

WOW!!!!!!
:woohoo:

[Agent P]

I think the tech is amazing but I would miss the silent mickey. Something about the way the CM's are able to communicate without words brings a different type of magic to the experience.

[WDW_lover_in_SC]

I think they might be using the technology from Turtle Talk with Crush and Laugh Floor. Whatever it is, it is great and I hope Disney keeps doing it. :)

This what the first thing that came in my mind too as I was watching it. But this is just plain amazing! Disney needs this for all characters I bet it would help out attendance so much to know you could interact with Mickey and friends. It would make them seem even more real than they already are!

[camnhan]

I don't care how they do it....I would give my right arm for Mickey to interact with my youngest!!! Of course someone would have to take lots of pics and video it for me because I would be crying so hard I would not be able to see anything!!

[Mollyremy]

Absolutely Fabulous!!!! I sure hope this is something we will see in all of the parks soon! Thanks Robo for posting!

[mrsbert]

I don't care how they do it....I would give my right arm for Mickey to interact with my youngest!!! Of course someone would have to take lots of pics and video it for me because I would be crying so hard I would not be able to see anything!!


The first thing I did was tear up watching this. It's truly magical to watch the children's reactions. Go Go Imagineers.:worship:

[knieriem]

Maybe the person speaks into a mic in the costume and it runs through a program that turns it into the Mickey voice...there's definitely the technology out there to do that and it would be easier than finding people that can talk like mickey or the other fab 5.

[bjakmom]

LOVE IT!!:thumbsup2 This is what I love the most about Disney - there is always something new to look forward to - as much as I love meeting with silent Mickey every trip - this would be soooo much more fun.:woohoo:

[kwitcherkicken99]

That's amazing!

[WDW_lover_in_SC]

Maybe the person speaks into a mic in the costume and it runs through a program that turns it into the Mickey voice...there's definitely the technology out there to do that and it would be easier than finding people that can talk like mickey or the other fab 5.

I don't think it's the person in the suit moving the mouth and stuff. I think it's a trick on sights. It appears to be Mickey talking but in actuality it's computers/speakers that are used in the Monster Inc thing the impression that they're talking and whatever works the mouth is synced up to that technology to make it appear that Mickey is talking.

[MariDisney]

I literally got chills. I hope this becomes a permanent feature.

[Melpuff]

What was this fabled tinkerbell meet and greet a PP mentioned?

[bdoyledimou]

Microprocessors and Audio Digital Synthesis Programming have improved to the point where they can operate in real time.

All they would need to do is tune the manipulator to the "friends" natural voice and phase/pitch/modulate until it matches Mickey. Then he can say anything and it will be natural.

[tinkgurl]

Oh my gosh, that was amazing! I just watched the video in awe.

[Cat0727]

That is so crazy impressive!!!! :thumbsup2

My jaw was on the floor the whole time i was watching the video :eek:

[disEAR]

loving it

[DVCconvert]

I've confirmed with the YouTube user that posted those videos that it was, indeed, a test being run by Disney.

Here's what he has told me so far:

"We went in as regular guests, however, we did have to sign something before entering the room. They said it was being video taped by Disney for internal research (or something like that). ......

This is all accurate.:)

[Disneyfn420]

I think the tech is amazing but I would miss the silent mickey. Something about the way the CM's are able to communicate without words brings a different type of magic to the experience.

I kind of was thinking this way too. I hope they can do a balance of both somehow. Don't want to lose the magic of interacting without speaking.

[skiingfast]

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/05/mickey-mouse-testing-one-two-three-testing/

This is strait from disney. Though not in detail is does refer to as testing. This Video though shows a much more genuine converstation. Look at how long it takes to reply to "how old are you?"

[MUDisneyCouple]

Forget the Beta testing, bring them to "the World" pronto! Our DD would love to hear the gang talk. They should get those meet and greets up and then release some of the old classic cartoons on DVD and Blue Ray, it would open up a whole new generation to the classics we all fell in love with.

[chartle]

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/05/mickey-mouse-testing-one-two-three-testing/

This is strait from disney. Though not in detail is does refer to as testing. This Video though shows a much more genuine converstation. Look at how long it takes to reply to "how old are you?"

I'm not seeing the problem that you are. :confused3

When Mickey asks the first kid how old he was, the kid starts to hug him. After the hug it took a sec or two for Mickey to figure out what the kid was either saying or gesturing.

[WDW_lover_in_SC]

Forget the Beta testing, bring them to "the World" pronto! Our DD would love to hear the gang talk. They should get those meet and greets up and then release some of the old classic cartoons on DVD and Blue Ray, it would open up a whole new generation to the classics we all fell in love with.

I agree and I feel like this will be released sooner rather than later. It's too good of a thing for Disney to toy around with. I wish my grandma was here to see this video or interact with Mickey she would be living a dream for sure!

It's amazing how Disney always moves forward.:thumbsup2

[skiingfast]

I'm not seeing the problem that you are. :confused3

When Mickey asks the first kid how old he was, the kid starts to hug him. After the hug it took a sec or two for Mickey to figure out what the kid was either saying or gesturing.

I'm not saying it's a problem. But think of it this way In crush he has very basic dialogue. He says the color of a shirt and the gender. and then answers a questions with really simple replies.

Here Mickey is able to talk then stop while he gets hugged. If you were to meet somone you love, you too would pause speaking while you hug. This is why I see it as more naturual.

[skiingfast]

Forget the Beta testing, bring them to "the World" pronto! Our DD would love to hear the gang talk.

There is a similar thread on the DLR boards. One poster mentioned that it would be akward for this to be only some places. For example if you see Mickey talking on a float that one thing. But if he is talking at Chef Mickeys and then you see him in WDW shouldn't he be doing it there too? Or if Mickey is doing it shouldn't Minnie be doing it too?

I wouldn't disagree, it would be great if everyone talked. But it is probably a long way off. Where this greeting takes place there is only 2 or 3 family's there at once. It's also very calm and quiet. I'm sure this is why they are doing the testing there. That and WDI is just up the road.

[chartle]

I'm not saying it's a problem. But think of it this way In crush he has very basic dialogue. He says the color of a shirt and the gender. and then answers a questions with really simple replies.

Here Mickey is able to talk then stop while he gets hugged. If you were to meet somone you love, you too would pause speaking while you hug. This is why I see it as more naturual.

When I first read your post I thought you saw something that made it look un natural.

Also isn't TT live, I thought that that there was a CM that did the voice. Its a pretty generic surfer dude voice that any good voice actor should be able to pull off.

I though I saw it on one of those behind the magic shows.

I understand that Mr Potato head is pre recirded and that a CM can control it.

[skiingfast]

When I first read your post I thought you saw something that made it look un natural.

Also isn't TT live, I thought that that there was a CM that did the voice. Its a pretty generic surfer dude voice that any good voice actor should be able to pull off.

I though I saw it on one of those behind the magic shows.

I understand that Mr Potato head is pre recirded and that a CM can control it.

I don't know about crush, but the replies IMO are being typed by somone and then spoken by a computer, or chosen from preselected answers. From what I saw the questions from the kids don't vary too much. But there was one, I don't know what it was anymore, and crush didn't directly answer it, which makes me think it was too difficult to type real quick and couldn't be pulled from a premade list.

But Mr. Potato Head and Roz, who is in DCA, are fairly plain, they don't converse. Mr Potato Head just says "hey you in the red shirt" you look up and say hi, he says "Which came first the chicken or the egg?" and then whichever you say he has a wise crack comback that you are wrong.

Mickey may be a blend of the two. It's hard to say with such limited info about that experience.

[bradk]

crush is an actual voice speaking in real time through a microphone. just like stitch and (perhaps) jack sparrow on the Disney Dream. thus there is no limited vocabulary but MK in particular has a bit of a script. Only Dory is pre-recorded. the fact that he calls kids out based on the color of their 'shell' and gender is two fold: one, he can identify kids easily that way (what else would you choose?) and two, it shows that he can see color well through the tank. when interacting with kids, he absolutely addresses them by some variation on their name.

and yes, there was a leaked video showing the controls and the operator of the show, but it's a very tough find.

the patent that you can find online easily enough explains how Mickey is done. but there's no real delay anywhere. Mickey can speak in full real-time although he may have to still process what he hears sometimes despite his large ears and i'm sure he has to keep his brain in gear before he puts his mouth in motion. there is probably a lot of opportunity for Mickey to say things he necessarily shouldn't, so he might be extra cautious.

Roz and Mr. Potato Head are pieced together using existing phrases by a CM who can see their environment. Mickey is nothing like that, however. Mickey is actually free-form talking

[skiingfast]

the patent that you can find online easily enough explains how Mickey is done. but there's no real delay anywhere. Mickey can speak in full real-time although he may have to still process what he hears sometimes despite his large ears and i'm sure he has to keep his brain in gear before he puts his mouth in motion. there is probably a lot of opportunity for Mickey to say things he necessarily shouldn't, so he might be extra cautious.



Would you please provide a link to the patent? I would like to read it.

[anthony2k7]

iv not seen anyone mention it, but it seems to me this is probably more of an evolution of the tech used with Push rather than any of the other characters.

[bradk]

no, nothing like PUSH.

a lot of people are finding the patent just by googling for something like 'talking mickey patent' for example

[jelloarms]

Wow, that is SUPER cool!

I wonder though, is the Mickey voice that of the late Wayne Allwine or is it the new guy? I don't even know who the new guy is but if this is the new guy, he is very convincing!

[bradk]

Bret Iwan. it sounds an awful lot like him.

[Golf4food]

I seriously doubt they would go to all that trouble just to have one suit that fits one person only who can accurately immitate Mickey's voice. Not very cost effective. Much more likely to be a voice modification interface that will allow nearly any CM to sound like Mickey while in the costume.

[skiingfast]

no, nothing like PUSH.

a lot of people are finding the patent just by googling for something like 'talking mickey patent' for example

I would say that in sense it is correct that it is an evolution of push. However this new technology was not developed by Disney, and I don't know if Push's was or not.

DISCLAIMER: I have read the patent and and going to explain exactly how this works.

Inside the costume are 4 main parts. A microphone a mask, a speaker and a translater. The microphone is right under the mask, the mask keeps the CM's voice from being heard. By investagating the voice of Mickey as done by Walt Disney a translater was developed. The translater changes the voice to the character's voice. This Charactor's voice goes out a speaker.

If you would like to see the patent this link goes to a pdf form supplied by stitch kingdom. If you don't have a background in Calculus and some Electrical Engineering it won't make any more sense than my explanation.

http://www.stitchkingdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/sk_talking_mickey_patent.pdf

DISCLAIMER FINISHED:

I would say that it works like PUSH and possibly the same at TT but possibly in a more refined and particular manner.

It doesn't require anybody to talk like a character. Watch below you'll get the idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITT6bYYGVfM


It is pretty awesome, but it may be a long time before we see widespread use or the technology migrated into other characters.

[Sk8Leigh]

Wow, that looks a lot more versatile than I would have thought! If they don't actually have someone who can do the voice of the character, and if they can make "modulators" for other characters, then they really could put it all over eventually!

[chartle]

So is the guy that does Mickey's voice now out of a job?:confused3

[skiingfast]

So is the guy that does Mickey's voice now out of a job?:confused3

That question was raised in the stitchkingdom article. This technology could put every impressionist out of a job. Of course auto tone hasn't put people who can actually sing or play instruments out of buisiness. But it could.

[*DisDude]

My jaw just dropped lol....
I wonder how DD would react to Mickey talking to her lol. :lmao:
I remember when we went to Donald's safari breakfast Mickey actually blushed (face lit up red) when DD kissed him, but i never saw that again.

Forced me to join!

Reminds me of one of my first trips when I was 9. Had a character lunch at the Garden Grill. Before we left we bumped into Minnie. Now I have no idea exactly what it was, and this was the only time I experienced something like that, Minnie "kissed" me on the cheek and it felt like a vacuum was turned on. Still makes me say "whaaaaa?" looking back on it. :confused3

:)

Wow, this sure changes the experience.

I hope they eventually have all the characters with this technology.

Agreed.

[bradk]

i don't honestly think it's fair to compare this technology to autotune, although both make modifications to vocalizations, the Disney technology literally allows the device to be trained on an individual's voice and then to let any other individual sound *exactly* like that first individual on the fly. no pre-recordings, no splicings, just absolute free-form talking.

that said, I believe there is a bit of a disconnect with the technology. it has a little bit of a cold feeling to it. especially if you look at the Disney Parks video and Mickey talks about how he can hardly wait, it just sounds odd. Could be the way the line was actually said, but there was just something unnatural about it.

Also, I believe the Mickey you hear is Bret Iwan, not Walt Disney, not Wayne Allwine. Bret's voice has already been demonstrated in the latest Feld entertainment shows and a couple of other places, I've also heard him on the All Star Dance Mickey. It's pretty darn close.

And yes, this puts a whole lot of voice actors' jobs at risk. Although the patent had the intent to preserve the integrity of someone's lifelong work (for example, Jimmy Macdonald could be 'providing' Mickey's voice today or Jim Henson could still be 'voicing' Kermit the Frog or Mel Blanc could be 'doing' Bugs Bunny), it has some diabolical, unintentional purposes as well. Imagine being able to use Owen Wilson's voice in the Cars TOONs. I imagine there's some legal issues that will arise as well, but it won't be too far of a stretch when you can just pay off Tom Hanks one time to train the device for a lot of money and then hire actors to use that same voice for countless films, promos and attractions.

So that's why I think there may be some hesitation to use a technology they've had for quite some time, independent of the costumes. I'm wondering if it was used at all for the Mobile Muppet Labs and wonder why it's not used for Turtle Talk, Stitch Encounter or the new Jack Sparrow experience on the Disney Dream.

[skiingfast]

that said, I believe there is a bit of a disconnect with the technology. it has a little bit of a cold feeling to it. especially if you look at the Disney Parks video and Mickey talks about how he can hardly wait, it just sounds odd. Could be the way the line was actually said, but there was just something unnatural about it.



The one thing I noticed is that when Mickey poses for picture and says cheese it came out strange(I'm not sure which of the three videos this was in). I suspect it is because the CM said this with a unusual cadence.

[acwsmom]

Wow! That's amazing! Actually made me tear up a little and my kids' jaws dropped when they saw it. I really hope they start to use technology in the parks soon! It would make the whole experience so much more personal and magical!

[DisneyDude_82]

I CALLED IT!! I was talking to a friend or something about this a while back, I was just randomly talking about how it would be interesting to see Disney to something with talking characters! If I remember right they said most likely wouldn't happen but I was right!

I noticed the mouths and eyes moving during the stage show in MK in WDW when we were there in Feb. I thought it was really cool...never thought they would get to adapting it to the meet and greets themselves and I'm not sure if was new but I think I noticed it with Timon in the Festival of the Lion king as well.

This would be AWESOME, when and if they get this going in WDW and DL. The only draw back I could see is, lines being longer of a wait, just cause now you can talk to them.

[Family Fun Mom]

I'll bet the people at Disney are as excited about this as we are. Imagine seeing your idea brought to life that way. I was skeptical about Mickey talking until I saw the video. That was amazing! Way cool. I would love to see it become a regular part of the park experience.

[DVCBELLE]

I know I am probably in the minority here but I just don't see this being a good thing. Mainly b/c I think that the technology to implement this would mean that they will have to have meet and greets in locations where the technology is readily available. I don't see this happening in restaurants or the impromptu run ins we have had with Mickey in the parks. As a result - I think they would have to limit character interactions and meeting them could be even more difficult.

I don't see how you can explain that in some places Mickey will talk to you and in other places he doesn't. Or why does Mickey talk to you but Buzz Lightyear doesn't. It certainly will lead to having to explain the concept of costumes at an earlier age.

My kids realized the difference as soon as Mickey started moving his mouth in the shows and decided he must be the real Mickey while everyone else is in a costume. I think until they can implement this with characters across the board and in any situation it is unlikely Disney will implement talking Meet and greets as it will shatter some of the illusion of Disney Magic.

[princess-lola]

I watched the two videos that are on Youtube of the talking Mickey Mouse and all I can say was I was completley spellbound by him!!!:love::wizard: