I never made it to Walt Disney World until 1997. That means I missed a number of attractions that had closed by then. One such attraction I really regret not seeing is the “Mickey Mouse Revue” in the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland. Now, thanks to The Pickle Barrel, I have a much better idea of what I missed.
What I didn’t know is that you could draw a direct line from Walt Disney’s earliest attempts at themed entertainment (The Dancing Man) to this show.
Upon the first successful tests at WED, Walt immediately thought the Audio Animatronics technology would be a perfect progression in the evolution of bringing his film cartoons to life. His concept was to reinvent the age-old presentation of a character puppet show. In keeping with the joyful thoughts of his little wooden head, these puppets would have no strings!
Sadly, audio-animatronic technology appears to have plateaued at Disney. That’s one part of Walt’s dream I wish they would revive. For more on the Mickey Mouse Revue, including an attraction script, check out Walt Dated World, a collection of expired attractions from Disney’s Orlando project.