Since Mickey’s house and Judge’s Tent closed down with all of Mickey’s Toontown Fair, Mickey has needed a new place to meet guests. That place will soon be the “backstage rehearsal-room” of the Town Square Theater. And to help ease the long wait times Disney’s “boss” usually garners, an interactive queue and Fastpass will be available.
When meet-and-greets with Mickey Mouse move into a permanent new location in Magic Kingdom’s Town Square later this spring, guests will be able obtain a Fastpass ticket specifying a one-hour window when they can return to meet Mickey – without waiting in the standby queue. It will mark the first time the complimentary, computerized service has been available for a character meet-and-greet at any Disney theme park.
The new meet-and-greet location, Town Square Theater, will be located inside the current Exposition Hall area just inside the park entrance. Imagineers already are working to completely transform the space for the new experience.
“This isn’t just remodeling Expo Hall; it is completely re-imagining this entire venue as a beautiful Victorian-era theater and the new home for Mickey Mouse,” Jon Georges, WDI Director, senior show producer, said.
“Mickey and Main Street, U.S.A. are great examples of pure Americana that complement each other very well,” Concept Designer Jason Grandt said. “We drew a lot of inspiration from classic Mickey animated shorts such as The Nifty Nineties and Mickey’s Grand Opera. Many of the scenes in these shorts look like they take place right on Main Street.”
The outside of Exposition Hall will be decorated with a marquee that glistens with gold-leaf trim and sparkles with lights. Inside, there’s a mosaic floor, curtains with gold rope tie-backs and brass chandeliers. Imagineers are creating new elements and surprises for guests, including an interactive queue and highly themed retail shops.
The queue takes guests “backstage,” where Mickey is waiting to greet them in a rehearsal-room environment amid posters, steamer trunks and stage props.
In addition, during the Fantasyland construction, royalty will be visiting as the Disney Princesses will be in Town Square Theater to meet guests.
Currently, guests can visit with Mickey Mouse in Tomorrowland, in a location to the right of Space Mountain. Meet-and-greet experiences with the Disney Princesses are currently at Adventureland Verandah.
Here’s a look at Mickey and Minnie’s old meeting location in Toontown:
I just went to visit Mickey & Minnie at the Town Square Theater, and as soon as I left the room, I was in a hallway with many doors to my right and left. Coming from my left was an ecstatic family – and I pointed to the door they came out of and asked “Did you just get to meet Mickey in there?” and the mother beamed and said, “Yes!”. So that means that at any given time, EVERY room in the hallway has a Mickey & Minnie dressed up taking pictures! I wonder how many Mickeys there are at any one time – looked like at least 5 meet & greet rooms, but I didn’t really take as close of a look as I’d like to have.