Character Interaction Advice?

[theworldneedscolor]

This trip, I want to try to have the best interaction with the characters. Since I'm a teenager, it's usually hello, sign the book, snap a pic, done. Are there any questions you ask characters, or things you do to get an interesting/fun result?

 

[modegard]

When we went to WDW in the spring I had made an autograph book (really a photo book) through Shutterfly that had the character's image on a page. So one page per character. I was pleasantly surprised at how many of the characters reacted to their image on their own page. Minnie Mouse was thrilled, Aladdin checked the whole book to see if any other princes had pages, and the Green Army Man danced all around and showed people passing by. Woody was quite put out that we had a page for Buzz but not him (include some generic pages just in case!). It was so much fun, I had no idea what an impact it would have when I made the book. You can find character pages on the disboards in the creative disigns thread.

Have fun!

 

[Geemo]

When we went to WDW in the spring I had made an autograph book (really a photo book) through Shutterfly that had the character's image on a page. So one page per character. I was pleasantly surprised at how many of the characters reacted to their image on their own page. Minnie Mouse was thrilled, Aladdin checked the whole book to see if any other princes had pages, and the Green Army Man danced all around and showed people passing by. Woody was quite put out that we had a page for Buzz but not him (include some generic pages just in case!). It was so much fun, I had no idea what an impact it would have when I made the book. You can find character pages on the disboards in the creative disigns thread.

Have fun!

I like your idea! I have been trying to come up with a way to collect autographs during our next visit. This would be perfect for each grandkid to make-up their own unique book of characters. Thankyou

Geemo

 

[juliebug1997]

There's a thread over on the WDW side of the DIS about this and it's great. I'll go look for it and link it!

 

[juliebug1997]

Here it is!!!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=657318&highlight=what+to+say+to+characters

 

[JacksGirlz]

I have found large pens with Disney characters on them as well as other items (flower on the end that many characters "sniffed", pumpkin on the end for Halloween). The characters that don't talk will hold the pen up and point at the decoration and the face characters will comment on it. I have found large pens at the Dollar Tree and Michaels craft stores before. The big size helps the characters with paws/gloves grip it better.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

The OP already hinted at the best way to have fun character interaction. Ask questions about their story.

I've had many fun moments with Belle simply by asking her about what story she's read recently, what her favorite story is, what kind of stories she likes, etc. And don't expect a specific response. I'm not kidding when I say that the following stories have come up in character interactions with Belle over the years: Peter Pan, Star Wars, Les Miserables, A Christmas Carol, and Sleeping Beauty.

You can also try asking about their friends and significant others. Gus and Jaq have lead to two very memorable interactions with Cinderella. I met her at Epcot and asked if she was worried about what they might do in the castle that night. She told me they were baking a cake, so she hoped the kitchen would still be standing when she returned. A few months later in Disneyland, I gave her the backstory and then asked her what happened. She proceeded to tell me that they had baked the cake out of cotton candy and made a huge mess in the kitchen that took hours to clean up, but that they were her friends and she still loved them.

Also, dress for success. If you have a shirt or something with a favorite character or characters on it, wear that shirt. I've discussed Star Wars, World of Color, Fantasmic, even where I went to college (she had a "friend" who knew my alma mater well) and all sorts of things with Sleeping Beauty.

Above all, give the characters a chance to show off their stuff. When I asked Chip and Dale when Disney was going to come to their senses and give them a movie since they were infinitely cooler than those squirrels (Alvin and the Chipmunks) who somehow got 3 movies, they proceeded to show me their movie skills. You've never seen The Matrix until you've seen it recreated by 5 foot tall chipmunks.

 

[theworldneedscolor]

Great advice, everyone! I've started a list of conversation topics Feel free to post more ideas!

 

[Disney Dreams]

I have found great character interactions come from the same place as great friend interactions.

Ask about their life.
Ask about their family/friends.
Ask about their events.

Ex: Hey Cinderella! Where's your Prince? How was the Ball? Is the Evil Stepmom of yours still bothering you?

Ex: Hi Snow White. How are the dwarfs doing?

Ex: Hi Aladdin! How does it feel to ride on a flying carpet? Do you ever get scared of heights?

And so on.

Enjoy,
Dreams

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I wonder how Jasmine would react if somebody asked her why she ditched Aladdin for Stitch and his space cruiser.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

I always get a great reaction from Captain Hook when I'm there with my daughter and tell her that the good Captian isn't evil, he's just misunderstood.

 

[ddwlms]

My daughter asked Merida where her brothers were and got a very interesting story about them hiding in the tower eating stolen goodies.

 

[bakerudall]

This trip, I want to try to have the best interaction with the characters. Since I'm a teenager, it's usually hello, sign the book, snap a pic, done. Are there any questions you ask characters, or things you do to get an interesting/fun result?

Thank you for starting this thread , and...

Here it is!!!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=657318&highlight=what+to+say+to+characters

...thank you for this link--55 pages of cool stories!

 

[CourtFool]

When we went in 2009, Captain Hook seemed particularly put out that we asked him to sign an autograph book that prominently featured Tinker Bell.

Who knew?

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

For us, we seem to have the best interactions when we decide to ditch the autograph books. In our case, it became to conforming, like a conveyor belt when meeting the characters. Frantically trying to find the right page, getting the pen ready and clicked. And on top of that, less time for conversations with the characters. Without the books, we had more time to casually have a conversation with the characters like you would with a friend you just ran into on the street.

Ask them about their day and what they did, or what they plan on doing. You can always ask about other characters that appeared in the same movie. DD once asked Drizella "Do you like Cinderella?" and her response "Well, I am suppose to like her" with a grmiace. I asked Lilo about her surfing plans for the day. Had a long conversation with Rafiki about what Simba usually likes to eat for breakfast. Asked Eeyore to show us his tail. Asked Tigger to bounce.

 

[miss.potatohead]

When we went to the Princess Fantasy Faire, first up was Ariel. She instantly recognised our accents and without skipping a beat asked if we were friends with Nemo! Cinderella then said she'd love to visit Australia and she'd have to borrow Jasmine's flying carpet. They were great fun!

 

[mydisneyfix]

At the surfs up meal Stitch noticed my DH ears were kind of funny like his. Normally my DH can be a little sensitive about his ears, but when Stitch then pulled Goofy over to show him my DH ears were just like theirs(big and goofy looking) my DH laughed. Our whole table was laughing so hard as we watched Goofy and Stitch clean my DH ears for him. BEST DL MEMORY EVER!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

For us, we seem to have the best interactions when we decide to ditch the autograph books. In our case, it became to conforming, like a conveyor belt when meeting the characters. Frantically trying to find the right page, getting the pen ready and clicked. And on top of that, less time for conversations with the characters. Without the books, we had more time to casually have a conversation with the characters like you would with a friend you just ran into on the street.

I'm glad you mentioned this. While I've never done the autograph book thing, I think that it takes away from memorable time with the characters. The way I see it, there are thousands of people who see the characters every day, and in some cases, hundreds still in line behind you waiting their turn. This may mean that each character really has a very limited amount of time to spend with each guest. If you choose to get autographs, you may be limiting your character time to a polite "how are you" and that autograph. On occasion, I've been recruited to have characters sign an autograph book for guests friends back home and when that happens, most of my character time is spent getting that autograph. I'm not saying that autographs aren't worth getting, but it's something to keep in mind.

If you go in knowing that you don't have much time before the next guest's turn, then you can be ready to go with your question immediately. And sometimes your question can extend your time with the character because they will answer your questions. It doesn't always happen this way, but when you give the characters the opportunity to be themselves by asking them questions about their story, friends, etc. then you increase your chances of having that memorable interaction.

 

[alvernon90]

Some questions to ask characters:

Who are you going to vote for?

Don't you think they should allow pool hopping?

My uncle has a [name of character you are speaking to] costume. He likes to wear it and make YouTube videos but my mom won't let me watch them. Have you seen his videos?

[For princesses only] Seriously, you're voting for Romney, aren't you? You aristocrats always stick together!

 

[StyledSugar]

We have had two memorable character interactions that truly stand out.

1. The Evil Queen -- We had stood in line for her for what seemed like forever with my daughter (7 at the time) and mom, just enjoying watching the interaction between The Evil Queen and the guests. We were laughing and really enjoying it. The Queen made a few comments to us about us laughing and such -- she was FANTASTIC!! Out of nowhere the handler (I'm assuming that's what they're called?) cut the line right off and said the queen had to go. Everyone was pretty disappointed and started walking away. We moved to the side and while we were upset that we now had to wait until she came back later, we just wanted to watch the rest of her interaction with the people left in line. When the line was almost empty we turned to walk away. The Queen shouted to us "You, just stay right there" in her most evil voice! We stopped and she stayed to sign my daughters book and take several pictures with us, all the while treating us like the "true commoners" we are. She was amazing and we will never forget that interaction. Hands down, the best character in the park.

2. Captain Hook -- It was during our Minnie and Friends Breakfast when Captain Hook came over to our table. My daughter handed him her pen which had a dangling Tinkerbell on it. He flipped it around with annoyance and pretended to throw it in a bus tray like common trash. lol He then sat at our table and tried to steal my son's breakfast. He spent quite a bit of time at our table, more than any other character on any of our three visits to the character breakfast.

So all in all, we have found our best character interactions to be when we are just enjoying ourselves, having fun with the characters and their "quirks" and just go with whatever is thrown at you. It REALLY depends on the cast member though. Some are amazing -- others, not so much.