Mickey TALKS!!

[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.

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.

 

[skiingfast]

I'm not seeing the problem that you are.

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?

 

[skiingfast]

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

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.