Character comtradictions

[FairydustyPrincesses]

Disney goes to great lengths to preserve the illusion that the characters are in fact real. My question is why then do they have characters roaming about in former states - beast is beastly ; rapunzel has long golden locks... Sometimes Ariel has a tail other times legs...

Is there any explanation for this? Just confuses me since they aren't allowed to even infer that those people are actors or that there is more than one belle or Mickey roaming about.

*contradictions. Sigh can't change the subject in app version

 

[AmanduhAnn]

My daughter was 5 when she got to meet Rapunzel and and she asked her how she got her hair back. LMBO Rapunzel said it was Disney Magic and my daughter bought it...

 

[deakam]

We had a 5 year old ask Captain Jack Sparrow why he did not look like he did in the movie. Without a beat skipped the answer was---The guy in the movie is an actor named Johnny Depp---I don't have time to be off making movies...I have pirating to be doing.

We also had a 9 year old ask why Pluto had a zipper down his back---she was told that if she did not believe she could not come back....end of conversation...she never said a word to the younger kids. I think that most kids are so overwhelmed with the magic that they do not notice the little things we adults catch.

Then again we did have a 3 year old through Jasmine a good one. At dinner Jasmine stopped at the table and says to Gracie. "hello and what is your name" Gracie says "It's me Gracie, I saw you lasterday. remember? You liked my Cinderella dress" Jasmine did not even flinch---she said "of course I knew it was you, I just didn't think you would remember me. I am sure have met other Princesses."

 

[FairydustyPrincesses]

Oh mine have asked all the questions I posted lol. They do notice - even the flighty four year old who lives in her own world. I guess that world is Fantasyland and makes her an expert on these things so she notices.

My answer about rapunzels hai went something like "maybe it grows back because she's in fantasyland and there's magic, maybe it just grew out bc it's hair after all and it may not be magic and she dyed it blonde, mmm extensions? Idk ?! Why are you asking me I'm not an expert on magic glowing hair!"

Dd 9 saw poohs zipper last year ;( she had said she didn't believe the animal characters were real anymore (@8) and I argued. And she said like pooh mom. I said he's very real. Mom he's a giant yellow bear.
So he's from cartoon world
He talks mom a giant yellow talking bear .
So cartoon land

Mom he has a zipper.

*panicked* hush what are you talking about there are no zippers he doesn't een wear pants.

On his neck mom I saw when he was walking away.

Me: crushed :;(

Also the beast question - I said maybe he was mean to another enchantress- hey look guys climbing on chairs (distraction with Epcot entertainment)

It just makes me laugh how if you talk to a cast member - even post trip ( had to talk to entertainment manager about something) they will speak as if it is the actual character to the point where you even speak in riddles trying to keep up the illusion as well yet these are glaring mistakes.

Oh and all the dead villains!!! How do we explain that?

The Johnny depp answer was great by that jack!

 

[JessiMommy]

We had a 5 year old ask Captain Jack Sparrow why he did not look like he did in the movie. Without a beat skipped the answer was---The guy in the movie is an actor named Johnny Depp---I don't have time to be off making movies...I have pirating to be doing.

This is AWESOME!!! LOL!

I saw you lasterday. remember? "

Lasterday!!!!!

 

[jhaig]

I always thought having Gaston around was weird - didn't he die?

 

[LauraLap]

I always thought having Gaston around was weird - didn't he die?

There's no proof....maybe he broke his leg and made a full recovery

 

[BAMLuvMickey]

My oldest knows what they really "are". I love that even at ten he still likes doing the meet and greets and he never pointed out that he too has seen Pooh's zipper to his little brother or any other kid. he just plays along with it...

but it is funny how kids realize things like that. the only time i saw a zipper was when my son pointed it out on Pooh. but then again, im usually oblivious to things around me in general....

 

[Amyhoff]

Okay, so I guess I'm the meanest mommy in the land, but I have told my four year old that all the characters are not real. Only when she asks, but I just can't bear to fib to her.

I told her that we are at Disney, it is a wonderful place of fantasy and story telling. That the people there are real people that dress up like the characters in the movies and that we never mention that they are not real. We go along with the story because it is so much FUN!

I don't think there is anything wrong with telling your kids whatever works for you, but I just wanted to throw it out there that you can still enjoy the parks and tell them how things actually work and why.

 

[Magic3forme]

last weekend we "met" Donald at our table at Chef Mickey and he was taller than our daughter (5'3) the second time he visited with us, he ironically shrunk by a few inches.

No one noticed but our daughter..and after wards she told us. We had a good laugh after we looked at the pictures.

 

[AmanduhAnn]

last weekend we "met" Donald at our table at Chef Mickey and he was taller than our daughter (5'3) the second time he visited with us, he ironically shrunk by a few inches.

No one noticed but our daughter..and after wards she told us. We had a good laugh after we looked at the pictures.

That's hilarious!!!

 

[Magpie]

Okay, so I guess I'm the meanest mommy in the land, but I have told my four year old that all the characters are not real. Only when she asks, but I just can't bear to fib to her.

I told her that we are at Disney, it is a wonderful place of fantasy and story telling. That the people there are real people that dress up like the characters in the movies and that we never mention that they are not real. We go along with the story because it is so much FUN!

I don't think there is anything wrong with telling your kids whatever works for you, but I just wanted to throw it out there that you can still enjoy the parks and tell them how things actually work and why.

Maybe because my kids were 7 and 9 the first time we visited, and highly logical sorts anyway, but the whole question of "are they real" never came up. Of course they aren't, but of course we'll throw ourselves into that wonderful game of make believe anyway. I believe I'd covered all that several years earlier, explaining how Mall Santas work to the kids.

My 6 foot plus 14yo son had a birthday breakfast at the Crystal Palace last year, and LOVED meeting Pooh and Tigger and all the rest. It was a treat to see my boy throwing those long arms of his around a character, and beaming.

"Real" is irrelevant at Disney.

 

[ben1993]

Well it's obvious why they have the characters appear in their most iconic state, even if within the story they wouldn't 'be' like that anymore (Rapunzel, Beast, Ariel etc.) but I have thought about that before too.

As an adult who doesn't visit the parks with kids, I still enjoy character meets occasionally, and wouldn't even dream of mentioning a "costume" during our whole time there, it's all real!

 

[ditsypixie]

We had a 5 year old ask Captain Jack Sparrow why he did not look like he did in the movie. Without a beat skipped the answer was---The guy in the movie is an actor named Johnny Depp---I don't have time to be off making movies...I have pirating to be doing.

We also had a 9 year old ask why Pluto had a zipper down his back---she was told that if she did not believe she could not come back....end of conversation...she never said a word to the younger kids. I think that most kids are so overwhelmed with the magic that they do not notice the little things we adults catch.

Then again we did have a 3 year old through Jasmine a good one. At dinner Jasmine stopped at the table and says to Gracie. "hello and what is your name" Gracie says "It's me Gracie, I saw you lasterday. remember? You liked my Cinderella dress" Jasmine did not even flinch---she said "of course I knew it was you, I just didn't think you would remember me. I am sure have met other Princesses."

These are great...made me smile this morning!

 

[Iwant2BAprincess]

We always kinda put out the hazy line that these are the real characters helpers like all the helpers for the guy in the big red suit you see at the mall during Christmas.

 

[munchkinsmomma24]

I've wondered the same thing as the op, and I expect my kids might mention it while we are there. They have a friend who went to WDW this summer, and met Tinkerbell. My 6 year old couldn't wrap her mind around why Tinkerbell was big though My 8 year old said, "Because she's not real... She's a person in a costume." I just smiled and said that it can be fun pretending. Ironically, when I asked my girls what they would want to do if they ever went to Disney World, my 8 year old said, "Dress like a princess and meet the princesses"

 

[AmanduhAnn]

"Real" is irrelevant at Disney.

so true!!

 

[GillianP1301]

Okay, so I guess I'm the meanest mommy in the land, but I have told my four year old that all the characters are not real. Only when she asks, but I just can't bear to fib to her.

I told her that we are at Disney, it is a wonderful place of fantasy and story telling. That the people there are real people that dress up like the characters in the movies and that we never mention that they are not real. We go along with the story because it is so much FUN!

I don't think there is anything wrong with telling your kids whatever works for you, but I just wanted to throw it out there that you can still enjoy the parks and tell them how things actually work and why.

Ditto this. The first characters we met were Chip and Dale and waiting in line, my DS4 said "those are just costumes, right mom?" I chose to tell him the truth, since he obviously already knew. It didn't deter his experience at all since meeting characters turned out to be his favourite thing to do the whole trip.

You have to know your kid and at what level they are comprehending things and make your call based on that.

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

In line for the princesses we overheard a little girl, about 6, tell Sleeping Beauty that she thought she looked prettier yesterday. The princess played it off nicely, saying she needed to get more sleep... she and the prince were up late dancing at a ball.

My son asked us why Pluto has a fuzzy tongue when he was five. He was confused, as he knows tongues are wet. We told him he is a Disney dog, so he is cuddly everywhere. We got many questions about why they couldn't talk, and we just acted as confused as they were. We said, well, we would ask them, but they won't answer!

My three year old youngest DD has been to WDW but doesn't remember much. She was watching our old parade videos a few weeks ago and asked where the "real" Mickey Mouse is.... I said, that's him on that float. She said that she knew it wasn't because mice are tiny and he is giant so he must be "a guy in a Halloween costume" for the parade, but she would see the "real" tiny Mickey in his house. I made some explanations but she didn't buy into what I was selling at all. I was heartbroken. It seems we won't even get one true believers trip out of her. With my older two they were 7-8 before the true skepticism came in. Little missy is too smart for her own good!

 

[ariellover3]

I always thought having Gaston around was weird - didn't he die?

Hahaha didn't all the villains die too? Disney magic resurrected them.

It always kinda got on my nerves seeing the beast. I wanted the prince