Characters

Magic Moments and Missed Connections

Disney Characters Are Out and About, But the Experience Feels Different

Here's a bit of my experience with characters in May 2025. Photos/Andy Johnston

Photos of me as a kid at Walt Disney Resort in the 1970s, 1980s, and even during my teen and young adult years in the 1990s, show spontaneous pictures with Mickey Mouse, Tigger, and myriad of other characters as they walked through the parks. 

Some of the photos in my albums and parents' albums are blurry, proving that my parents barely had time to take out their cameras to capture the smiles — or shrieks as a toddler — as the characters walked up to me and my younger sister.

These photos were taken by my parents sometime in the 70s with me and my younger sister, Heather. I love those bucket hats.

Character experiences have become more structured over the years, with specific locations and posted wait times. The pandemic cut off meet-and-greets with characters for a while. As the characters slowly emerged from the passageways to their designated spots — as well as character dining at restaurants — I was happy to see that quintessential part of visiting Disney back for memory making. 

As someone who is structured, I didn't mind waiting in line by myself or with my son or friends for a postcard-like photo with Minnie Mouse at Epcot, or cooling off in the air conditioned spaces at Hollywood Studios to meet characters like BB-8 from "Star Wars" or Star-Lord from "Guardians of the Galaxy." 

Now we’re in a different era of character experiences. The meet-and-greets are available, with wait times clearly posted. You also can meet Ariel in her grotto at the Magic Kingdom, Anna and Elsa at the Royal Sommerhaus in Epcot, and plenty of others listed at their regular spots, indoors and out. During my May 2025 visit to Walt Disney World, I had a sweet hug and moment with Pooh in a quiet spot in Epcot's England area and waited about 15 minutes to see Chewbacca at the Star Wars Launch Bay in Hollywood Studios right before he retired for the evening at 6 p.m. The photo backdrops are themed and characters know the perfect poses, down to the tilt of their heads and stances. They're Instagram worthy. Disney's PhotoPass service adds other layers to the images, all ready for purchase, although cast members are still willing to snap a pic with your cell phones and cameras.

Some characters also — to my delight — are back roaming the streets of the park, and they appear to want to interact with people of all ages. Goofy, Woody and Jesse from "Toy Story," Big Al from the Country Bear Jamboree, stormtroopers and Kylo Ren are just a few of the characters we saw popping up around Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios with their cast member guards. But when kids and adults tried to walk up to the characters, the cast members diverted guests. They repeatedly told people that no lines were being formed to meet the characters and that the characters were just walking around. The characters were out and about, but seemed to be on a mission/journey/quest, like Jesse and Woody searching for Bullseye or Kylo Ren looking for intel. It's like people were suddenly thrust into a play or acting with the characters when all they wanted to do is get a photo with them and have them sign their autograph books. Big Al was trying to show off his hula hoop skills, but few people stopped to watch, although they were willing to wait in line for Trixie, now that the revamped Country Bear Jamboree is back.

More photos from my May 2025 trip. Photos/Andy Johnston

While I understand that the characters need to be safe and that crowd control can be an issue, having cast members at times even try to block kids from getting close to the characters seems un-Disney. Characters meandering the streets is part of the magic I experienced as a kid and young adult —  you have the surprise of seeing the character, the goofiness of squealing (yes, I'll admit it) or the awkwardness of trying to play it cool. But it's all part of the fantasy and suspension of reality when you're at a theme park. You don't have to be as buttoned up as you are in real life. I like being spontaneous, which is getting harder in a time of lightning lanes, dining reservations and mobile ordering for meals.

It becomes misleading when the experience with a character seems to be happening in a spontaneous way, but you're told to stay back or that they won't stop for you. At times, I felt even more silly (than I already do) when I tried to fist bump or take a photo with a character and was ignored. I wonder: Do the characters really even need us? I think I believed as a kid — and yes, I'll admit, even as an adult —  that these interactions brought joy to the characters as well. Will there come a time when I won't care to stop for the characters? Right now, in my 50s and well past the days of autograph books, I am not sure. Maybe I'll know on my next visit. Or the next visit.

Note: I used Microsoft Co-Pilot for editing assistance and headline idea generation.