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Credit: DisneyToday (July 8) marks the final day for a popular Walt Disney World Resort attraction before it’s replaced with an Encanto (2021) themed experience.
Things are always changing at Disney Parks. As Walt Disney said upon the opening of Disneyland in 1955, these Parks will never be completed as long as there’s imagination left in the world – and as long as Disney keeps releasing movies, there will always be imagination for new and improved attractions.
Sometimes, that means booting beloved experiences for something fresh. That’s the case in Magic Kingdom, with today marking the last day of a meet-and-greet that’s been a Park mainstay since 2012.
Merida – the iconic Scottish princess lead of Pixar’s Brave (2012) – has met Guests at Fairytale Gardens near Cinderella Castle for over a decade, minus a temporary COVID-induced break from 2020 to 2022.
However, it’s time for Merida to say goodbye. Earlier this year, Disney confirmed that the Merida Magic Kingdom meet-and-greet will be replaced with an Encanto meet-and-greet – which isn’t exactly a surprising substitution, considering the latter’s intense success compared to Brave.
While the area is currently themed like Merida’s native Dunbroch in Scotland, it’s safe to assume that it will receive a makeover to the magical Casa Madrigal – the source of the family of the same name’s magical powers in the movie – upon its closure.
For now, there’s no hard reopening date for Fairytale Gardens. However, we do know that it’ll be sometime this fall and that Guests will be able to meet Mirabel Madrigal, the second-youngest character in the Madrigal family, who kicks off the events of the film when she learns that the family is losing their magic.
Mirabel has previously appeared in a one-off meet-and-greet at EPCOT – as well as in cavalcades at Magic Kingdom – where she was extremely well-received. It’s thought that Guests will still be able to meet Merida at Liberty Square. Now we just need her float back in Magic Kingdom’s Festival of Fantasy parade. BRB, manifesting.
Will you miss Merida at Magic Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!