Audience Participation at Walt Disney World

Opportunities for audience participation at the most magical place on earth abound. Here are a few we have captured:

The photo above is the boy after he was selected from the audience to dance and play an instrument in Festival of the Lion King at Disney's Animal Kingdom. A handful of children are selected during the finale to dance and play instruments with the dancers and characters. The music is catchy and familiar. In my opinion, this show is worth the price of the ticket for the park. We try to catch one of the early performances during the day. (If you want to see entertainment schedule for Walt Disney World, check out Steve Soares web-site here.)

This is Todd being chosen for a 2nd time as an "extra" at Indiana Jones™ Epic Stunt Spectacular!at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Todd loves being selected and has worn the same costume both times. It is fun to watch him on stage!

Daily at Disney's Hollywood Studios is the Block Party Bash, a parade like endeavor that meanders along the main thorough fair only to stop for some wild dancing, jumping, and other acrobatic feats. Children are invited to join in and dance along. The energy is amazing as is the talent.

At Disney's Magic Kingdom, audience members can be selected for Storytime with Belle, the re-telling of the Beauty and the Beast story. The boy was selected to play Gaston and had to convince Belle to marry him. He even got to "struggle" with the Beast for her hand. Storytime with Belle takes place just east of Cinderella's Castle. When not being used for Storytime with Belle, this enchanting stone grotto/garden of sorts is a character meet and greet location for the Tremaine family. . . Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drusilla. (Cinderella's wicked step-mother and step-sisters)

A favorite audience participation opportunity for the boy is being selected for Jedi Training Academy held just outside the Star Tours attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Padawans--Jedis in training--take on Darth Vader and combat the dark side. Each participant is photographed and give a certificate of participation. Again, we try to hit this one early in the day. . . typically the first show. To participate, children ages 4-12 now line up and the first twelve are selected. This is a change, as previously, children were randomly selected from the crowd prior to the show. The boy has been a Jedi in training 3 times.

All of these events take a bit of planning to hit, as they are scheduled. Check the Times Guide upon entering the parks or Steve Soares web-site for live entertainment.