Character Meet and Greets Are Getting a Revolutionary Update at Disney

Clarabelle might have crushed some dance moves at Disneyland’s first Pride Nite, but it’s a wonder she didn’t crush anything else. “Fur characters,” or Disney Park characters with costumes encompassing their entire body and head, don’t have the easiest job at Disney.

Aside from the obvious heat engulfing Cast Members in the muggy Orlando temperatures and summer temperatures in Anaheim, the lovable costumes make it difficult to see where they’re going.

In true Disney fashion, Guests would never be let in on the logistic struggles during a warm hug from a beloved character like Winnie the Pooh or a high five from an iconic character like Mickey Mouse. Still, all of them deserve applause for enduring the clunkiness of their costumes.

While “face characters” like Ariel and the Disney princesses don’t have visibility issues, the fur characters have been navigating Disney Parks without peripheral vision since the 1960s. But according to a report by Orlando Inno, Disney is finally doing something about it.

An All-New Vision for Meet and Greets

It’s no secret that the out-of-proportion fur character’s eyes don’t align with the humans’ eyes behind them. To improve the Disney character meet-and-greet experience, Disney filed a patent to give Cast Members a new set of eyes.

Titled “Optical Viewfinder for Costume Heads,” the patent deploys a lens-based system lining the head of the fur character suit. The lens-based system is designed to align the vision of a prominent character’s head with the eye line of the Cast Member inside of it, typically near the character’s head’s mouth.

Despite considering a video camera system to resolve the fur character visibility issue, Disney’s opting for the lens-based system, which is slated to be cheaper and more reliable. Not only will the costume upgrades support safety for the Cast Members with improved visibility, but the system also improve the personalization of Disney fans’ favorite Park moments.

Without a Mickey mouth obstructing a Cast Member’s view, they can achieve accurate eye contact with Guests, changing how both Cast Members and Guests interact during meet and greets. Considering the magic of meeting Disney characters from fans’ favorite animated films is a certified Park highlight, things are looking up for the highly-anticipated Disney experiences.

At the time of writing, Disney has yet to release further updates on the new technology landing in the heads of fur characters, but Disney Fanatic will continue to release updates.