The first thing that comes to a person’s mind when they think of theme parks, is certainly not street entertainment. Street entertainment comes in all shapes and sizes – whether its character greeting, impromptu shows or even a talking tree – it’s often these smaller aspects that give that feeling of ‘magic’ or awe that enthusiasts thrive on.
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Lights! Camera! Action!: Hollywood Boulevard at DHS
is often the location of street entertainment. |
For instance, the two theme parks in Orlando that are based on the movies – Universal Studios and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, seem to understand the importance of the smaller details. At Universal, you will frequently see old Hollywood stars like Monroe and the I Love Lucy Cast on the streets and posing for photos. Disney’s Hollywood Studios often have impromptu shows along Hollywood Boulevard which showcases a director trying to spot ‘talent’. Often these guest interactions make for life long memories at the parks.
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| How Devine!: Performance Artist at Animal Kingdom |
Of-course there is the obvious character greeting, which some visitors make an art form! There are tonnes of websites out there that are devoted to snapping a photo with these characters. However, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a kind of ‘character greet’ that is slightly more unusual. ‘Devine’ is a performance artist who blends in to the shrubbery and trees, only to be seen when she makes a slight movement. The intricate and small details just show how much Disney values theming and guest interaction. Disney claim that Devine is used to try and encourage guests to question their opinion on nature, and make them see that ‘nature is not always what it seems’. However, personally I think Devine is a small detail of a park, that will stay engraved in people’s minds.
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How Magical: A cheeky fountain at Universal
interacts and splashes guests! |
Similarly, Universal has also adopted this approach with their talking fountain, known as ‘The Mystic Fountain’ which is located in now the much smaller island of the Lost Continent. Universal’s website includes a comment from a guest who describes the fountain as “Magical”*. ‘Magic’ is often a word used by Disney enthusiasts to describe the X-factor that Disney has over ‘amusement parks’ such as Universal – however, this clearly suggests Universal are more than capable of doing this too! In fact, this has been happening more frequently in the theming of the exterior of their attractions, such as The Simpsons ride where a telephone outside might give a guest a laugh or two! More recently, the toilets in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter reportedly have Moaning Myrtle sounds playing in the toilets – now that kind of thinking is Universal at its best!
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| I Kid You Not: A talking bin pulls in the crowd's at DisneyWorld |
Finally, Disney could be claimed to be the pioneers of such intricate street entertainment. For a long time now, one of Disney’s main stars has been “Push” – The bin! This talking bin even has its own scheduled times that it will be making ‘an appearance’. What a load of rubbish…. ;)
Whereas the Universal Express Plus, means only those who are willing to depart with even more cash (on top of the admission, parking, drinks, food, souvenirs, Shrek ears and butter beers...) and those staying on property (more $$$ for Universal!) get to use this service. So on the one hand, this is bad for us mere commoners, too poor or stubborn to splash even more cash at the park, but it is very beneficial to those who are willing, who will endure shorter ques due to the limited numbers on the passes available each day. 
