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Credit: DisneyAt Walt Disney World, there is always so much to see and do, but every Guest typically arrives with a few things on their bucket list.
At Walt Disney World Resort, Guests have access to nearly everything they need at their fingertips (literally, My Disney Experience can help you accomplish nearly anything you need). There are four incredible theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT, as well as two water parks: Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and the currently closed Disney’s Blizzard Beach, as well as Disney Springs. That is all just scratching the surface because Guests can also enjoy the 25+ resorts on property, golf, mini golf, visit ESPN Wide World of Sports, and so much more. The large theme park mogul is plotted on a size of land that is equivalent to San Francisco — which means the theme park is truly its own functioning city.
One thing that Guests enjoy doing is meeting the characters that they have watched on their TV for years in real life. Whether you want to finally hug Mickey Mouse, or wag your butt with Donald Duck, you can almost find any of the most popular characters somewhere on Disney World property, especially in shows like Fantasmic!, Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire, and the Festival of Fantasy Parade.
Some of the moment popular characters to meet are the princesses. For example, at Magic Kingdom, Princess Fairytale Hall, it is easy to see wait times of well over an hour to meet Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana, and Elena! Now, one princess will be removed forever from a Disney Park.
EPCOT has been teasing the return of Figment as a meet and greet since D23. The purple dragon is the icon of EPCOT, and is incredibly beloved by so many. Now, it seems that his return is fast approaching, but in order to bring him in, one character must go out.
Vanellope von Schweetz will has had her final day meeting at ImageWorks in EPCOT’s imagination pavilion. The Disney princess from Wreck It Ralph, and Ralph Breaks the Internet will no longer be meeting at the location. It seems she is going back to play Slaughter Race forever.
It should be noted, however, that the Figment meet and greet is likely to replace Vanellope; however, it may also be a change to prep for the Disney100 addition of the Mickey, and Minnie meet and greet. That being said, that will not occur until September 22, so cutting off this meet and greet now would be very in advance unless changes need to be heavily made to the set, which is also likely. The Disney website notes that Vanellope is no longer scheduled as of September 1, that being said, she is gone as of today.
Related: Disney Permanently Removes Cartoon ‘Little Mermaid’ From Experience
Vanellope von Schweetz is a fan-favorite and was inducted into the Disney princess family during Ralph Breaks the Internet, so it is sad to see Disney shut down her location permanently and not replace where she meets. For example, Merida from Brave has been moved from her original spot to make room for Mirabel from Encanto to begin meeting at Magic Kingdom, but she has not been removed as a whole.
More on Disney Princesses
As of late, we have seen Disney begin to increase their diversity in films, which has certainly caused some backlash.
After Disney began to push their Reimagine Tomorrow initiative, where they promised to increase diversity in their films, we saw Disney begin to change their casting, placing different ethnicities into characters that were previously created as Caucasian. The first casting choice to make headlines was when Disney announced they had finally found who would play the iconic mermaid, Ariel, for the upcoming live-action remake The Little Mermaid. The Disney Princess and mermaid, Ariel, is played by actress Halle Bailey, known for her work in ABC’s Grown-ish and as one half of the famous R&B singing duo Chloe and Halle.
But it wasn’t long before the Internet spoke about the decision on Bailey’s casting. While many fans were highly supportive, others immediately took to Twitter and other social media platforms to express their frustrations about the casting of the Disney Princess character. The hashtag #NotMyAriel immediately began to trend.
Most recently, the upcoming Snow White live-action film starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot has hit some heat. There are two main instances that caused fans to outrage with the upcoming film. Firstly, there will be no dwarfs in the film, but seven magical creatures, which deviate from the iconic story that Walt Disney himself created on screen. The second comes from an interview where Zegler and Gadot say that Snow White will not have a prince charming, and there is no one that needs to save her.
Now, it is interesting that Disney has chosen to remove a princess without any backlash, while still promoting some stories that have received it.
Stay tuned at Inside the Magic continues to report on any changes that may continue to occur with this meet and greet spot.
If you are booking a Walt Disney World vacation in the near future, visiting EPCOT is a must! Guests will be able to enjoy the World Showcase, where they can eat and drink around the world while stopping at attractions like Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. With Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind now available, Guests can ride one of the most thrilling rides at Walt Disney World while entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe via a roller coaster. Test Track also provides Guests with high-speed thrills, while rides like Soarin’ Around the World and Living with the Land share breathtaking views. For more Disney information, information on Disney Genie+, and to look at booking a vacation, the Walt Disney World website is a perfect one-stop shop for all things Mickey Mouse.