Credit: Park SaversSeeing various colorful characters scattered throughout the Disney Parks is not just typical, it’s expected. Visiting the Magic Kingdom and not getting a hug from Mickey is almost insulting, but not all of Disney’s characters are that approachable. In fact, Disney has truly dropped the ball on their character designs on occasion. It’s not often, but when Disney misses the mark, they really miss the mark.
A tremendous look at the two new flying characters at Disneyland thanks to the Instagram Account: magic.through.a.lens pic.twitter.com/wXir3vRIGg
— Disney Dan (@DisneyDan) January 30, 2023
It was recently shared that Disneyland has introduced a flying version of Pinocchio’s Blue Fairy, seen in the tweet above, and the results are incredibly terrifying for something created by Disney Imagineering. Many Guests and hardcore fans are wondering what on earth made them choose to turn this magical being into a masked-character with a face fit for a Strangers sequel, but longtime Disney buffs will already know that this isn’t the first time the company has done this. Unfortunately, it looks like it won’t be the last.
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Disney Dan goes into much greater detail on the history of Disney’s creepy costume choices, but we’ve noticed a rather disturbing pattern for dollish masks on characters that should have been face-only performers. The Blue Fairy was only one in a legacy of freaky faces to grace the Disney Parks. From Disneyland to Walt Disney World, and even the international Parks, Disney seems to have an unfortunate knack for unsettling encounters.
She’s not bad, she’s just drawn that way. While not the first example of Disney’s creepy character missteps, Jessica Rabbit is definitely a role that should have been a face character, although it would be impossible to fill out Jessica’s proportions. That being said, there’s still something incredibly unsettling about seeing one of cinema’s biggest bombshells rendered into a rubber face mask. Kinda hard to tell what Roger sees in her from this depiction.
While Bo has certainly come a long way in terms of her Meet and Greet design, Disney still has her depicted as a plastic-faced mannequin. “Uncanny” is certainly one description for this character, but there’s still something so dead and lifeless about her stare. Even with Buzz and Woody’s toy status, their features are at least exaggerated enough to still maintain that Pixar charm. Bo just looks out of place and empty.
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While Disney Park Guests are used to a lovable face character version of Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, Guests in Tokyo Disneyland weren’t so lucky. This version of the character might marginally resemble something closer to the animated version, but it also looks like a cursed garden gnome. Thankfully, the Park more than makes up for in its attractions and other features. But it wouldn’t be the first time one of the international Parks has done something eerie.
Do you think Disney needs to rethink some designs? Tell us in the comments below!