First Look Inside The New Mickey & Friends Meet Greet in Epcot. Between being overstimulated mentally meeting the Boss, Mickey Mouse, his best girl Minnie, and his best friend Goofy to being visually impressed with the new murals, the new Mickey & Friends meet and greet is joyful, nostalgic, but not without its flaws already.
The past 2 days Walt Disney World Cast Members and their family & friends were invited out to meet Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie at the brand new CommuniCore Hall in Epcot. The building has been under construction for a few years and behind walls for even longer. But, all of that is about to change on June 10th, 2024, when the new CommuniCore Hall and Plaza are set to open. What better way to work out the kinks of Disney’s newest meet and greet than to have actual people queue up and see how it all runs?
Update: Mickey and Friends Meet and Greet has finally been added to the Walt Disney World Website:
Swing by EPCOT to get a photo, a hug—and maybe even an autograph—from Mickey Mouse and some of his best buds.
Hi Ya, Pal!
After travelling across the globe, Mickey Mouse has found the perfect spot at World Celebration to meet new friends like you. And he’s bringing some of his best friends along for the ride. Be sure to stop by for a little chat—as well as a picture-perfect photo op!
About Mickey Mouse
About Mickey Mouse Mickey just wants to make us smile. He is a talented star, gracious host and a loyal friend.
There was no filming on the way into the new Mickey & Friends meet and greet, but the new mural on the outside of the building is fantastic. Throwback to classic attractions, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Figment and so many more are all present. Along with classic attractions like Horizons, furthermore newer attractions like Moana and Guardians are represented. Check below for an idea of what the new outside mural looks like.
Here is the flaws that we mentioned in our opening, the mural is huge, which is great, but a lot of the fun in the mural is located on the bottom, which happens to be behind where people will queue up to meet Mickey & Friends, which leads us to the major flaw! The queue is located outside, and even though it has an overhang covering most of the queue, it will sit in direct sunlight most of the day.
Look at the image below. Just below the new marquee is the signage for Stand-by and Lightning Lane entrance. to the right is the corner of the building. You can just make out the Mickey and Minnie ears. That is where the new queue is located. So 2 flaws, but that is not what we should focus on because the rest of the new Mickey & Friends area is beautiful!
When the door opens to go inside, you are met with what can only be described as a flashback. Geometric Epcot shapes, remind us of Epcot of the 80’s. Spaceship Earth is symbolized everywhere. Energy Dinosaurs from the Universe of Energy greet you as you enter. Along with the old circular lighting fixtures in rainbow colors hang on the ceiling. A large painting of the old Fountain of Nations is such a wonderful callback. While moving on to the next scene and right before you enter the room to meet the characters, a call back to World of Motion is painted on the wall.
Those same visuals and artistic paintings carry you into the next room. Where, if you are an Epcot nerd like me, your eyes are split between seeing Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie lined up in a row like the old Mickey & Friends meet and greet, and the artwork and murals. On the walls, Figment is popping up from behind the Imagination! The pavilion.
Once you enter the new Mickey & Friends Meet and Greet at CommuniCore Hall you are first met by Mickey, then Goofy, followed by Minnie Mouses. Mickey and Minnie being separated by Goofy makes for some awesome interaction between the characters. Mickey was pining for Minnie, and blowing her kisses from across the room.
Once you are done meeting one character, you go directly to the next, followed by the 3rd. It all moved at our pace without being rushed through. even though the characters did an amazing job of keeping everything moving. Disney Photopass services are going to be offered, and character attendants are on hand to also help out with taking your photo on your personal device.
The new murals behind the characters look amazing. We tried to line up the backdrops into one panorama, but in person each character is separated by an arched doorway. The new backdrops again are the same artwork as the major mural outside. This time the monorail is passing by Spaceship Earth, Imagination! Pavilion, and The Land.
Overall, this is fantastical and fans new and old should enjoy it. Minus the wait in the hot summer heat, and people standing in front of the lower portion of the new mural (which shouldn’t be too bad, and the crowds won’t always be lined up to block it). This is going to a great return to classic Epcot meet and greets of the past.
Now, to see the rest of the new building on June 10th, 2024. Now we are super excited for everything to open! Even more excited to see the walls come down.
While CommuniCore Hall will be home to the iconic EPCOT festivals and other celebrations (and we’ll definitely share more on that later!), it’ll also be a perfect cool indoor space year-round for you and your family to recharge. And speaking of cool, CommuniCore Hall will be surrounded by serene views and exciting experiences. The coolest mouse around will be ready to give you a hug once new character greeting location Mickey & Friends debuts! With its beautiful mural of all things EPCOT past and present, a geometric exterior design inspired by Spaceship Earth, and of course, Mickey Mouse and his pals, you’re sure to have a smile on your face.