Sunday Brunch
A
Sunday Brunch with Character
April 17, 2011
A few weeks ago when we made Tonga Toast, I
mentioned my experience with a Disney Character
Meal with
Minnie Mouse and friends at the
Polynesian in 1993. Sadly, that was the last
time I ever dined with the Disney characters,
but hopefully it is not the last time ever. My
family has fortunately had the chance to have
two character meals during my childhood. I felt
the need to comment on our very first one, as to
my knowledge, it seems to be the most unique and
enjoyable character meal Disney has ever had.
True, Disney offers some unique experiences such
as dining with
Mary Poppins in a Victorian Era
restaurant in a Victorian Era hotel, or feasting
on a garden fresh meal with farmer themed
Disney friends in a
revolving restaurant. Though, the
trouble with most of today's Disney Character
Meals is that they all follow a similar formula:
a uniquely themed environment with an
appropriately themed meal, with appropriately
themed characters coming around the tables for
meet and greets.
I am by no means writing off the Disney
character meals-they're terrific experiences
that those fortunate enough to attend will
really enjoy. My very first character meal had
a lot to offer and it's sad that Disney no
longer does.
'So WHAT IS IT?' you ask. Back in 1991, when I
was a little boy of 4 years, my family and I
were lucky enough to enjoy a Disney character
meal at the now 'legendary' Odyssey Restaurant
in Epcot. Disney fans all know this building as
the random, tan building that's never open (sans
the bathrooms) at the end of Future World next
to Mexico in the World Showcase.
The Odyssey was a counter-service restaurant
that opened when Epcot opened in 1982, offering
typical American
quick service food. After a good start
with the opening of Epcot, the Odyssey soon
began to lose business to other Future World
counter service eateries, and finally
closed its doors to the public in 1994. Whether
the restaurant will reopen in the near future is
unknown, though today, the old building contains
a
Cast Member break room and cafeteria
while its main space is rented out for private
parties and used for special events (e.g.
Epcot's Food and Wine Festival).
My first character meal experience at the
Odyssey was certainly a magical moment during my
first trip to Walt Disney World. Much of this
trip is a faint memory, though our home videos
certainly help me to remember. At the Odyssey,
I do remember the elation and excitement I felt
when the characters came to meet us, though the
greatest part about this meeting was the lead-up
to it. The Odyssey's dining room was set up
with a central stage that rose out of the floor,
very futuristic. It featured live bands, but
also a lively, musical character
song and dance show featuring Epcot's
Future World versions of Mickey and the gang
(though Donald is noticeably absent for some
reason). Get ready, though these pictures are
from 1991, they have a distinct 1980s feel'
Goofy, Chip, Minnie, Mickey, Dale, and Pluto
dancing along to a lively 'Clap Your Hands' song
and dance in their 'Astronaut Meets
Rainbow Brite' Future World outfits.
The dancing characters didn't limit themselves
to the stage, as they stepped down with balloons
into the dining room and continued entertaining
right by the families as they ate, creating a
fun little
dinner theater experience. I don't know
if my parents knew how this restaurant worked,
but somehow, they managed to snag a table right
by the center aisle where the characters
danced. My brother, sister, and I were elated
because we could almost touch Mickey and
friends. In fact, we were so excited by their
closeness, we actually got out of our seats,
which was not the best idea, and tried to dance
with the characters.
Here is my sister, clapping her hands as Mickey
dances his way back to the stage.
In the home video, you can faintly hear among
the music my dad shouting to my mom in Tagalog
to get us out of the way. The music was too
loud for Mom to hear him, and it all happened so
fast. There was a part in the choreography
where Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, and
Pluto danced their way back to the stage,
but Goofy was distracted and got left behind.
When Goofy notices he got left behind, he runs
to join his friends. Unfortunately, I was so
excited to be among the Disney characters, I
stepped a little more into the aisle to watch
them as they danced back on stage, not realizing
I'm in Goofy's flight path. I'm pretty sure he
ran around me, but the balloons he was dragging
behind him hit me in the face. In my elation of
dancing with Disney characters, I was blissfully
unaware of the danger I put myself in. An
important looking man with a necktie proceeded
to come down to our table and nicely told us to
stay in our seats until the characters were
finished the show. An announcement with the
same warning also played on the sound system
after the show finale. It was probably
something alarming for a parent to witness, but
I'm glad my dad videotaped it as it is hilarious
to watch after 20 years.
The party just began with the singing and
dancing. After they were done their show, the
characters came back down into the audience.
This was our first character meal, so I'm glad
Mom was ready with her camera and Dad recorded
the whole interaction on tape. They managed to
capture all the excitement and awe in our faces
as our favorite Disney friends came by to say
hello. As they say, a picture's worth a
thousand words, so here's 4,000!
Dale signs an autograph as Grandpa reaches to
try on his hat. Meanwhile, Minnie gives my
sister a hug.
Due to his large schnozz, Pluto needs to sign up
high. We didn't have an
autograph book, so my mom grabbed the
only thing in her bag: the envelope her paycheck
came in! I do remember seeing his signature,
though I couldn't read it, I did recognize the
bone he drew next to the address window on the
envelope.
Ecstatic to be in the presence of Minnie Mouse!
When Mickey came by, he had to turn us around
because we were too excited to look at the
camera.
Character meals at Disney can get pretty
expensive for a large family (especially if not
on the
Disney Dining Plan) since they are
limited to the
table service restaurants and buffets.
Nowadays, you would never see characters at a
counter-service restaurant, so the Odyssey was
definitely a great way for a character meal
experience with less of the expensive price
tag. Also, to my knowledge, there are no meals
where the characters perform and entertain on
stage before coming to meet you. It's a great
lead-up to meeting the characters, and by
itself, a nice bonus to a standard
counter-service meal. The whole dining
experience was a great way to get the kids and
families excited about being at EPCOT where
classic Disney characters were virtually
nonexistent (even though it was planned to be
that way).
With such a fantastic and unique dinner
theater-like experience, why did the restaurant
close? Maybe my incident with Goofy was one of
many, so they decided to cease the performance
portion. But then why stop the character
meals? Perhaps providing characters and
entertainment with a counter-service restaurant
was not worth the costs. There are certainly
some logical reasons as to why Disney shut down
the Odyssey Restaurant, but also some of it
remains a mystery. For more on the history of
the Odyssey Restaurant, check back next week as
we dine 'in the future' by looking at the past.
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