Disney reveals it is testing a talking Mickey Mouse

[MmeLeota]

I'm not sure of Lucky's whereabouts at this point, but I do know where he was in September of last year... (at the D23 Expo)

[NaCler]

I'm not sure of Lucky's whereabouts at this point, but I do know where he was in September of last year... (at the D23 Expo)

Actually, MmeLeota he's right behind you, LOOK OUT!!! (Sorry, couldn't resist)

[MmeLeota]

I'm not sure of Lucky's whereabouts at this point, but I do know where he was in September of last year... (at the D23 Expo)

Actually, MmeLeota he's right behind you, LOOK OUT!!! (Sorry, couldn't resist)

Very funny...

[Jacca5660]

Did she see him? Did she have her glasses on?

[MmeLeota]

I saw him alright...I jumped out of my skin if you must know...

[Jacca5660]

I saw him alright...I jumped out of my skin if you must know...

[MmeLeota]

yeah, that's about it.... Then I yelled... "Holy crap on a stick!!!" and "FAO my Schwartz!!!!!!!"

...and that's when I hauled out my trusty cowhide instrument

[Amy]

yeah, that's about it.... Then I yelled... "Holy crap on a stick!!!" and "FAO my Schwartz!!!!!!!"

...and that's when I hauled out my trusty cowhide instrument

Now, now, you two. Len is too busy to be watching you getting ready to go...yippee!!

[Jacca5660]

yeah, that's about it.... Then I yelled... "Holy crap on a stick!!!" and "FAO my Schwartz!!!!!!!"

...and that's when I hauled out my trusty cowhide instrument

Cowhide instrument? Oh YEA!!

[inkydog]

This looks great in the video, but I could see where it would be intimidating in real life, especially for little kids. When you're little, not only are you starstruck, but these things are HUGE! The fact that they are silent and move slowly makes them more approachable for a timid little kid. Also, once a kid's seen the talking Mickey, do they get confused when other Mickeys around the parks and hotels don't talk?

[mindflipper]

I think kids nowaday are so techno-saavy (video games, smart phones, ipods, etc.) at so an early age that it wouldn't bother them. There's stuffed toys that already do the same kind of things as the talking Mickey, so I don't think they would care one way or the other...

[Mousekedude]

NaCler made a good point back on page one: what's going to happen when Mickey says something (or is thought to have said something) that a guest finds offensive/discriminatory/sexist/racist/scary/insensitive... ad nauseum..? Although I'm sure they will have very strict rules about what he can say, and how he says it, there's still a chance that something could go wrong. Yeah, you could say that about anything, but I think it's an interesting point. As with anything "new", there's always something controversial (or potentially so) about it.
Personally, I'm with those of the "mixed feelings" persuasion. I've always thought that it was ridiculous that the characters couldn't talk. They do in the cartoons and movies, so why not real life? I just always figured it was because there's no way you could find enough C.M.'s to play the parts who could actually sound like the characters. So it seems like now that the technology is there to make the character sound "real", they're looking at making it happen. But now that I actually see and hear it, it makes me feel weird on some level I can't quite figure out. Not that it's "creepy" in the sense that it's unnatural or anything, but I think it's "creepy" in the sense that we're just not used to it yet. It is a major change that turns what has always been our comfort zone totally upside down, is the way I see it. We've always been used to non-talking characters, so this is just so totally and radically different that it feels kind of shocking. That's the only thing I can come up with in mind to explain the "weirdness" I feel about it. I suspect that if it goes mainstream I'll get used to it and start to really like it after a while. Kinda like texting on cell phones. When that first started happening I thought it was totally stupid because it's slow and inefficient as opposed to just making a call. But now that I'm used to it I see its advantages, and now I do it a lot every day and don't know how I ever survived without it. Did all that make sense....?