Lightning Takes the Scenic Route

Every single time I see Lightning or Mater driving through Cars Land (chatting with passerby), I'm once again amazed by how casual, unhurried and natural it all looks. The Imagineers have, somehow, taken the movie's message (slow down, relax and look around) and brought that very atmosphere to life in their re-creation of Radiator Spings.

The simple decision to have the cars drive through the land to reach their meet and greet spot (at the Cozy Cone) turns their trek into an indispensable part of the big picture. It's so much better than having them simply burst onto the scene via a nearby gate.

Beast Says...

Organized meet n' greets have their place, but I prefer to see the characters out and about in the parks, intermingling, chatting and goofing around with the guests. In this lovely shot I took of a bunch of guest's heads a couple of years ago, Belle had begun an impromtu game of "Beast Says" with a group of children. She was so earnest and delightful that even Cinderella paused to watch the fun.

Beast played along like a big, genial goof as Belle called out things like, "Beast says, 'Cover your eyes!'" and, "Beast says, 'Stand on one foot!'"

It would have been awesome if the game had ended with "Beast says, 'GET OUTTA MY CASTLE!!!!'" -- and then have Beast chase everyone around...but that didn't happen.

Next to the Fab Five, Belle and Beast are my favorite park characters. I'm certainly glad they let Beast stay Beast, instead of Mr. Learned-His-Lesson-Prince from the end of the film. If they had went with the human dude, everyone in the parks would be saying, "There's Belle and...some guy..."

Rare Characters: Governor Ratcliffe

Governor John Ratcliffe still appears in the Walt Disney World version of Fantasmic, but out West in Disneyland, Pocahontas's arch-foe hasn't been seen in quite a while. He's not the most memorable of Disney's animated villains, but he certainly made an impression as a walk-around character.

My encounter with Ratcliffe at a 1995 Disneyland Hotel Character Breakfast was definitely not like a meet n' greet with Mickey or Goofy. When the Governor reached our table, he halted and pointed an accusing finger at my Pocahontas button (handed to every patron at the door). He unfastened it, examined it, then dropped it into my scrambled eggs. With gestures, he asked to borrow my napkin. He blew his nose in it, then rubbed it into my hair, much to the delight of every guest around us. Then he posed for a picture and shook my hand for being a good sport. As he turned toward the next table, the waiting family braced themselves, laughing nervously.

I suddenly realized how much fun playing a walk-around villain in the Disney parks must be. What other cast members get to be rude and surly -- and leave happy guests in their wake? Timing and an instinct for reading the audience are essential to pulling it off, and the cast member bringing Ratcliffe to life that day managed to turn a relatively minor Disney villain into the most popular character of the morning.