Credit: D23New guidelines hint that Disneyland might be able to bring back face characters upon the reopening of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, the theme parks of the Disneyland Resort.
Here is how Disney can possibly have characters perform at the reopened parks within the guidelines, and why it makes a difference for your visit to Disneyland.
The Disneyland Resort is home to world-class entertainment. Many fans are looking forward to seeing some of that entertainment when they can return to the parks after they reopen on April 30.
We have seen a glimpse of how Disneyland will successfully implement safe character interactions during the A Touch of Disney event, the limited-time event running at Disney California Adventure through April 19. Many characters such a Mickey Mouse, Max, Goofy, and Joy waved at Guests from a safe distance.
We anticipate that a similar style of character interaction will continue when both parks reopen on April 30. Guidelines from the California Department of Public Health and OSHA have laid out how theme park performers (such as face characters like the Disney Princesses) can also come back to the parks in a safe way.
As reopening guidelines for theme parks in the state of California continue to be updated, here is what the regulations are with regard to performers at theme parks:
Performers and workers in the performance sector who cannot feasibly perform or work with a face covering are not required to wear a face covering during the time period in which such tasks are actually being performed on the condition that (1) the unmasked performer or worker is at least six feet away from all other persons, or (2) all unmasked performers or workers and any workers who come into contact with those people are routinely tested at least twice weekly for COVID 19 (PCR or antigen are permissible diagnosis tests for routine testing of performers or workers).
These guidelines remind us of how Disney is currently doing face character interactions at Walt Disney World. Since the Walt Disney World theme parks reopened in July 2020, they have held special character cavalcades, which are a bit like mini parades. During these cavalcades, we see the face characters, such as Disney Princesses, without masks, and they are socially distanced from not only the Guests but other characters as well.
Take for example Merida riding her horse, Angus, through Magic Kingdom, without a mask but socially distant and waving to Guests! This is an incredible interaction and something that could be easily and safely replicated at Disneyland when the park reopens by following the guidelines set out by local officials and the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Much like Disney World, we suspect that Disneyland could use its parade floats, perhaps the ones from the Magic Happens parade to host characters for daily cavalcades in the park.
We have also seen the Disney Princesses and other face characters, like Anna and Elsa, Alice, Mary Poppins, and Gaston, make distanced appearances at the Disney World theme parks. These characters wave to Guests from at least a six-foot distance, and because they are not near other maskless performers, they are not wearing masks. Maybe we will see the Disney Princesses and other characters greet Disneyland Guests from atop the Main Street train station or from other distanced areas in the parks. Or perhaps we could see the Avengers on the rooftops of Avengers Campus when the land opens later on.
Here is what Disneyland Resort has said regarding character appearances at the parks, and we saw similar language written on the Disney World website before Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios reopened:
While character meet-and-greets will be temporarily unavailable, Characters will be in our parks in new ways to entertain and delight our Guests.
Note that Disney has not released specific details regarding which characters will be present at the California theme parks on April 30 and beyond. It would be great for Guests to see characters return to the Disneyland Resort in a big way when both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure reopen.
We have seen Knotts Berry Farm, another large California theme park already implementing these guidelines with their maskless performers — so while Disney has not confirmed they will do this for Disneyland, it is not hard to believe it will happen.
While we are still waiting for more confirmation from Disneyland on what characters will be making appearances once the parks reopen, it is good to know the possibilities. Characters are a big part of the Disney Parks experience and fans are sure to have missed their favorites this past year during Disneyland’s closure.
Not to mention the more characters Disney brings back, the more Cast Members can come back to work, and that is arguably the best part of these new guidelines.
What character do you hope to see the most when Disneyland reopens? Let us know in the comments.
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