'American Idol' attraction coming to Hollywood Studios

High-res concept art (click to enlarge):

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts will create an “American Idol” attraction that will bring the television and pop culture phenomenon to life at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, it was jointly announced today by Jay Rasulo, chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts; Simon Fuller, CEO of 19 Entertainment; and Keith Hindle, executive vice president of FremantleMedia Licensing.

The attraction, slated to debut in late 2008, will be located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park and will follow the model of the high-energy show. Disney guests will be able to experience the challenge of auditioning, the rush of performing on stage in competition, or the thrill of judging the performances in a live interactive entertainment setting with all the glitz and glamour of the distinctive “American Idol” set.

That experience will include an audition process, open to all who register, where guests perform “live” in front of a Disney’s Hollywood Studios producer to be cast in a theme park show. After backstage preparation – working with a vocal coach, hair and make-up – it’s lights up and showtime in front of a “live” audience and a panel of judges.

Guest performers with the highest votes will compete in an end-of-day Grand Finale show at Walt Disney World, and the winner of the Grand Finale show will receive a guaranteed reservation for a future regional stadium audition — to ensure no waiting in long lines. But when it comes down to the television show auditions, everyone is treated equal.

“Millions of people have imagined themselves standing on the ‘American Idol’ stage,” said Rasulo. “We’re excited that we will be bringing this dream to life every day at Walt Disney World.”Added Fuller, “One of the most remarkable elements about ‘American Idol’ is that for a brief moment each week, we can provide TV viewers the opportunity to imagine life as America’s next superstar. Disney’s new attraction perfectly captures what we at ‘American Idol’ feel is the heart and soul of this brand, real people getting a shot to make their dream a reality.”

“This partnership,” noted Hindle, “brings the number one show on television, watched in over 100 countries, to the number one theme park destination in the world. It’s a perfect combination and opportunity to offer everyone a taste of the ‘American Idol’ experience.”

Attractions Note: The most interesting part about this announcement is the bolded part above.  Notice that “live” is in quotation marks.  Perhaps your audition might be in front of a virtual character, not unlike Crush at Turtle Talk or the monsters at the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor? It’s hard to say. There will most definitely be real people involved every step of the way, but I’m willing to bet that technology will be involved at some point during the process.

Here’s a short YouTube video Disney put up today.