How Do they Honeydew That?

When I first saw the Turtle Talk with Crush attraction at Epcot (it's also at Disney's California Adventure), I was dumbfounded. A computer-animated Crush, the surfer-dude character from Finding Nemo, was onscreen at the front of a theater, carrying on conversations and cracking improvised jokes with audience members. Disney Imagineers, the magic mavens who create the attractions, developed a breakthrough technology that allows the show's operators to animate Crush on the fly and engage in some astonishing (and funny) real-time interaction with the audience. It appears that the Imagineers have broken through again. Instead of animated characters, they recently introduced three-dimensional animatronic Muppets that are engaging dumbfounded guests at Disney's California Adventure. Called the Muppet Mobile Lab, wacky scientist Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his meeping assistant Beaker roam the streets in a modified Segway scooter. According to the Los Angeles Times, the vehicle is equipped with microphones, cameras, and other equipment so that the people voicing the characters can see and hear guests. Using wireless technology, the behind-the-scenes puppeteers can be miles away from the action. The effect is said to be stunning, and the Muppet Mobile Lab is getting rave reviews. Turtle Talk with Crush and the Muppet-mobile are part of Disney's "Living Character" program. The Imagineers are attempting to bring down the walls between characters and guests and take interactivity to the next level.

In other Disney parks news:

• The Disney Cruise Line is developing two additional ships that will set sail in 2011 and 2012.
• Set for release in 2009, the Walt Disney Company started production on The Frog Princess, an animated musical that will be set in New Orleans and feature a black princess. Characters from the film will appear in the Disney theme parks, and the heroine will be added to Disney's line of fabled princesses. I have nothing against computer-generated animation, but I'm thrilled to hear that the film will mark a return to traditional hand-drawn animation.
• A Four Seasons Hotel is coming to Walt Disney World. The Florida resort announced that over the next eight years, expansion plans include the luxury hotel, another 18-hole championship golf course, single- and multifamily vacation homes, and a 450-acre retail, dining, and hotel development.

• What's New at Walt Disney World this Season? The lowdown on the Year of a Million Dreams at the Florida resort.
• What's New at Disneyland this Season? The lowdown on the Year of a Million Dreams at the California resort.