Walt Disney World Guide to Characters: How to Find Them at Disney World

Meeting your favorite characters is just one perk of visiting Walt Disney World. You can see your favorite princess, mouse, and live action film stars from beloved movies such as Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Here are some tips on Walt Disney World character meet and greets for each park, including Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and Epcot.

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Pixar Place Character Meet and Greet at Hollywood Studios Coming Soon

A reimagined Pixar Place along with The Edna Mode Experience is returning to Disney's Hollywood Studios starting on May 14, 2023. Within this experience guests will be able to meet Edna Mode, Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, Frozone, and Sulley from “Monsters, Inc.” This meet and greet experience first opened in 2019.

NEW Character Meet and Greets Coming Soon

In honor of the 25^th Anniversary of Animal Kingdom, Moana will greet fellow voyagers on Discovery Island for the first time starting April 22.

Later this summer, guests will get the chance to hug long-time EPCOT icon Figment at the Imagination! pavilion.

And this fall, Mirabel from “Encanto” will greet guests in the Fairytale Garden at Magic Kingdom, which will be transformed with whimsical décor inspired by la Familia Madrigal.

Traditional Character Meet and Greets Return, Back to Normal

Traditional character meet and greets have been BACK at Walt Disney World for some time now which means you can now hug your favorite character and get autographs! There are no more distanced character meet and greets aside from characters just popping up randomly in the park. Like from the Main Street train station!

Magic Kingdom

Main Street, U.S.A.

• Mickey & Minnie Mouse– Town Square Theater
  • Genie+ offered. 

Fantasyland 

• Chip ‘n Dale at Storybook Circus
• Peter Pan
• Princess Fairytale Hall featuring Rapunzel, Tiana, Cinderella, and Elena of Avalor. Sometimes you can also see Snow White, Ariel and Jasmine here as well as the Princesses are rotated throughout the day. See our full guide to Disney princesses here!

Tomorrowland 

• Buzz Lightyear & Stitch- distant appearances in Tomorrowland

Adventureland

• Aladdin and Jasmine- Agrabah Bazaar in Adventureland.
• Peter Pan and Wendy– Town Square Theater on Main Street, U.S.A.- returning July 10th!
• Tinkerbelle– Town Square Theater on Main Street, U.S.A.
• Pete's Silly Sideshow-Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck and Goofy are a part of this show at Storybook Circus.
• Gaston- Gaston's Tavern in Fantasyland.
• Ariel- meet the Little Mermaid at Ariel's Grotto.
• Alice and Mad Hatter- Mad Tea Party in Fantasyland.
• Merida- Fairytale Garden in Fantasyland.
• Tigger, Pooh, Eeyore- near the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Random Character Appearances

You can also find characters spontaneously throughout the park either wandering or waving from locations connected to their stories! For instance, you might just find the County Bears waving from above the County Bear Jamboree attraction or Chip n Dale.

Guests can find Captain Jack Sparrow, in Adventureland near the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Junior pirates can also be “recruited” to begin training to sail the seven seas.

You can also spot Mary Poppins in Liberty Square along with the Fairy Godmother or the infamous ugly stepsisters (Anastasia and Drizella) near Cinderella's Castle.

Download the My Experience App to check for what characters you may encounter while in the park!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Animation Courtyard

• Disney Junior– Vampirina, Fancy Nancy, etc.
• Pluto
• Sulley- Walt Disney Presents

Commissary Lane

• Olaf- Celebrity Spotlight
  • Genie+ Offered
• Mickey & Minnie Mouse- Red Carpet Dreams

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

• Rey
• Chewbacca
• Kylo Ren
• Stormtroopers

 

• BB-8 -Star Wars Launch Bay
• Chewbacca- Star Wars Launch Bay
• Darth Vader– Star Wars Launch Bay
• Buzz Lightyear– Toy Story Land
• Woody– Toy Story Land
• Jessie- Toy Story Land
• The Incredibles– Pixar Place

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

Discovery Island

• Mickey & Minnie Mouse- Adventurers Outpost
  • Genie+ offered

Also keep your eyes peeled for Kevin from UP! who makes unscheduled appearances on Discovery Island throughout the day.

• Donald's Dino Bash- DinoLand, U.S.A.
  • Donald Duck
  • Chip ‘n’ Dale
  • Goofy
  • Daisy Duck
  • Scrooge McDuck
  • Launchpad McQuack
• Russel & Dug– near entrance for It’s Tough to be a Bug!
• Timon & Rafiki – Discovery Island
• Pocahontas– Discovery Island Trails

Epcot

World Showcase

• Donald Duck- Mexico
• Anna and Elsa- Royal Sommerhusn in Norway
• Mulan- China
• Snow White- Germany
• Jasmine- Morocco
• Belle- France
• Aurora- France
• Alice- English Gardens in United Kingdom
• Mary Poppins- English Gardens in United Kingdom

World Celebration 

• Pluto and Goofy- near EPCOT’s Main Entrance
• Joy-ImageWorks
• Vanellope von Schweetz –ImageWorks

World Nature 

• Mickey- Disney and Pixar Film Festival

Walt Disney World Character Dining in Theme Parks

One great way to spend time with characters is to opt for a Walt Disney World character dining experience! These experiences are a favorite of all ages and are definite must for your Walt Disney World vacation! Here are the Walt Disney World character dining experiences available in the theme parks:

• Cinderella's Royal Table
  • Meet Cinderella and other class princesses in Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom.
• Be Our Guest
  • Dine in the Beast's castle from Beauty and the Beast in Magic Kingdom.
• Chip ‘n ‘Dale's Harvest Feast
  • Enjoy a family feast with Chip ‘n' Dale and other favorite Disney characters at the Garden Grill in Epcot.
• Hollywood & Vine
  • Choose from a breakfast or lunch buffet to enjoy a meal with Minnie Mouse and friends in Disney's Hollywood Studios.
• Tusker House Restaurant
  • This wild buffet themed experience features Safari Donald Duck and friends in Animal Kingdom.

• The Crystal Palace
  • Visit with your favorite Winnie the Pooh characters in Magic Kingdom.
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
  • Enjoy a royal meal inside a castle with your favorite Disney princesses at the World Showcase in Epcot.

Walt Disney World Character Dining at Resort Hotels

There are plenty of Walt Disney World character dining options to take advantage of at the Walt Disney World theme park hotels! You don't have to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy these character dining experiences.

• Chef Mickey's
  • Have a blast with an all you can eat buffet with Mickey and friends at Disney's Contemporary Resort
• Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends
  • Enjoy an artistic breakfast at the Riveria Resort with an assortment of Mickey and his friends.
• Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White
  • Enjoy a fairytale inspired meal with Snow White, the seven dwarfs and the Evil Queen at the Wilderness Lodge.
• Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy and His Pals Character Dining
  • Enjoy breakfast with Goofy and his friends at the Four Season Orlando Resort.

• Cape May Cafe
  • Enjoy a cruise themed breakfast with Minnie Mouse and friends at Disney's Beach Club Resort
• ‘Ohana
  • Say aloha to Stitch and friends during a Hawaiian breakfast at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

Returning at a Later Date

• Mickey's Backyard BBQ
  • Meet Mickey, Minnie and friends at this open air BBQ spread at Magic Kingdom Resort Area
• Garden Grove
  • This New York City themed experience takes you to Central Park as a surprise duo of Disney characters pops in for a visit at Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
• 1900 Park Fare
  • Meet Disney princesses and other characters at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney's Perfectly Princess Tea
  • If you're a Princess fan, this is the meal for you! Enjoy music, tea, and dancing with the princesses at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Trattoria al Forno
  • Enjoy an unique assortment of characters such as Ariel, Prince Eric, Rapunzel, and Flynn Rider at Disney's Boardwalk

Reservations for Character Dining are recommended when planning your Walt Disney World character experience. Book in advance by calling (714) 781-3463. You can read more about Walt Disney World character dining in our guide plus see our full list of restaurant reviews!

Walt Disney World Character Tips

• Download the My Experience App- the app will help you find characters that are in the park at each given moment.
• Character Cavalcades– Keep your eyes peeled for smaller interactions with characters in the parks. We saw the Country Bears and Chip n Dale waving from above Country Bear Jamboree in Magic Kingdom. In Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge there was a constant presence of characters like Rey, Chewy, Kylo Ren, and Stormtroopers near their prospective ride vehicles. In Tomorrowland, the stage by Space Mountain had rotating characters like Stich and Buzz Lightyear. In Epcot, we saw Joy and Winnie the Pooh fishing and catching butterflies by the Living with the Land attraction.
• Autograph book- Bring an autograph book and pen (a clickable Sharpie works best for character costumes!)
• Camera ready- Be camera ready so you get the best picture.

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Character Cavalcades

Cavalcades are like a mini parade that utilize cars, parade floats, boats, horses, and more that will spontaneously appear in all four theme parks for guests to view the characters. People love these cavalcades! Since they happen randomly throughout the parks, there's no need to wait around and this way you always have characters appearing during your visit.

When a character cavalcade appears, music will start playing on the speakers to clue you in that characters are on the way. Just stand off to the side and wait for them to roll on by. They go past quickly which is great for getting that quick view of characters as you make your way to the attractions. The good news is that the My Experience App tells you which character cavalcades will appear in the park on your visit, where they will be, and gives a rough time of when to watch for them.

Here is a quick rundown of some of the character cavalcades you can expect at each park:

• Magic Kingdom
  • “Disney Adventure Friends” Cavalcade” featuring nearly 30 of Disney and Pixar characters such as Nick and Judy from “Zootopia,” Baloo and King Louie from “The Jungle Book,” José Carioca and Panchito from “The Three Caballeros,” plus Merida, Moana, The Incredibles, and more – including the Magic Kingdom debut of Miguel from “Coco” in his mariachi best.
  • Fantasyland Friends features Alice, Winnie the Pooh, Aladdin, and Mary Poppins on a large float. You will also see Gaston horseback and Tigger.
  • A Goofy Cavalcade features Goofy, Max, Clarabelle Cow, Panchito, José Carioca on a parade float with a dance crew following behind.
  • Mickey & Friends features Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Pluto on a float with a parade of dancers.
  • The Royal Princess Processional features all your favorite princesses in a large royal procession.
  • Tinkerbelle & The Lost Treasure features Tinkerbelle and a big treasure chest parade float.
  • This is where you will find the seasonal cavalcades with Disney villains for the Halloween season heading down Main Street throughout the day. During the holidays, you will see Mickey and friends in their holiday attire along with characters you usually see in the Christmas parade like the Toy Soldiers.
• Hollywood Studios
  • Mickey and Friends Motorcade features Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto and Chip ‘n’ Dale, accompanied by a bouncy musical score inspired by Disney cartoon shorts.
  • The Pixar Pals Motorcade features the Incredibles, Woody, Buzz Lightyear waving to the beat of the Green Army Drum Corps.
  • Disney Junior Stars Motorcade brings favorite TV friends Fancy Nancy, Doc McStuffins and Vampirina to Hollywood Boulevard.
• Animal Kingdom
  • Since Animal Kingdom doesn't have the same large pathways as the other theme parks they rely on using the Discovery River to show off their characters by boat.
  • Discover River character cruise features Pocahontas and Meeko or Rafiki and Timon.
  • Goof and Pals Set Sail features Goofy and characters from Dino Bash (usually Chip n Dale).
  • Mickey & Friends Flotilla features Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto.
  • Discover Island Drummers will pass by playing music.
  • Donald's Dino Boat Bash features Donald, Daisy, and Launchpad McQuack.

Tips for Seeing Character Cavalcades 

Hollywood Studios Cavalcades 

Animal Kingdom Boat Cavalcades

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