Whenever a Walt Disney World theme park closes an attraction permanently, it means Disney (DIS) fans have to say goodbye to part of the park that will be gone forever. This happens to create mixed emotions about the news, some fans are sad and even angry to see parts of the park go away, like Splash Mountain. Many felt it was iconic and should be kept, while others felt that the theme was outdated and not appropriate for today’s world. Nonetheless, even iconic parts of the park are not safe from being rethemed or torn down for something new.
Disney Closes Beloved Attraction
Magic Kingdom guests knew it would be coming soon, but now it’s really coming, as permits were filed to start work on changing the Fairytale Garden meet and greet at the park. The meet and greet is currently where guests can see and get pictures taken with Merida from Disney's animated film "Brave," which opened in theaters in 2012 and brought in roughly $540 million. The movie's story is one of empowerment for young women to choose their own path and a far different storyline than princesses needing to be rescued.
Merida will be replaced with Mirabel for "Encanto," but for several weeks, guests can still meet up with Merida through August, according to Blog Mickey. While "Encanto" didn’t do as well at the box office as Brave with over $256 million worldwide, Box Office Mojo reports, its Latinx family values depicted in the film create a new space for guests to see and feel a more inclusive meet and greet.
The meet and greet area will have to be closed and rethemed, but when it reopens, it is expected to be quite popular, as the movie is still pretty recent with so many popular songs. Encanto debuted in 2021, just as people were finally getting out of their homes after the covid pandemic. The film's Madrigal family resonated in the film where the family all lived under one roof 24/7, albeit a magical roof.
Top of the Charts
Why is the Magic Kingdom changing the meet and greet from one empowering female character to a whole family of characters? Well, the music of the hit Encanto hit the top of the charts. The number one song, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” wasn’t just a hit with one character singing it. It was the musical choreography of Madrigal family that brings so many voices and characters to life.
The song itself was the first musical number that hit the top spot since “A Whole New World” from Aladdin in 1992, according to Screenrant. The song is the first to ever top the UK Singles Chart and credits seven different artists. It is also the longest running song at the top of the charts ever for Disney.
YouTube has videos of the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” in more than 20 languages, giving it a more diverse audience that includes kids as well as adult listeners. Reaching a broader fan base means it's time for construction to bring more experiences and attractions at the Magic Kingdom to embrace the song, the movie, the characters and say goodbye to yet another attraction.
Music speaks beyond language barriers and the movie speaks to the family dynamic and the Latin culture which are things that Disney is working to grow. The details around the Encanto Meet and Greet art concepts are still under wraps, however.
