Merida of the 2012 Pixar film “Brave” is greeting guests one last time in Fairytale Gardens at Magic Kingdom today, before the space is transformed into an “Encanto” meet and greet area for Mirabel.
Merida Meet & Greet
Merida’s meet and greet is located at Fairytale Gardens, which can be found along the walkway from Magic Kingdom’s central hub toward Fantasyland. Before the “Brave” star came here, this space hosted Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from “Tangled.”
This area is going to be transformed into a Mirabel meet and greet after today. Currently, the Merida meet and greet has already been removed from the Walt Disney World website.
Merida takes photos with guests in a courtyard adorned with several “Brave” props, including her bow, an archery target, and banners displaying the family crest.
Merida was joyous and excited to see everyone during this farewell.
You can check out a video of our last meet and greet with Merida at this location below:
Mirabel Meet and Greet
After much speculation and an original March announcement that Mirabel and Moana would be hosting new meet and greets at Walt Disney World, Disney filed a permit in June to re-theme the Fairytale Garden in Magic Kingdom for a Mirabel meet and greet. The permit contracts the Adena Corporation, a construction contractor that has previously partnered with amusement parks like SeaWorld and Six Flags, as well as worked on commercial and retail projects, schools, healthcare facilities, and housing facilities.
Mirabel from the hugely popular “Encanto” film has previously only appeared for meet and greets at Walt Disney World during runDisney races.
She has been appearing regularly in the Adventure Cavalcade at Magic Kingdom since June 2022.
In California, Mirabel has already appeared for meet and greets at the Disneyland Resort. She debuted in Paradise Gardens Park at Disney California Adventure for Viva Navidad festivities in 2021.
She later appeared at Disneyland Park, in front of a mural of her family.
Mirabel returned to Paradise Gardens Park in 2022, where her backdrop consists of a painted wall and her family’s magic candle.
We can expect Fairytale Gardens to have similar theming to Mirabel’s meet and greets at Disneyland. Disney has not yet announced a specific opening date for the Mirabel meet and greet thus far.
Mirabel’s mysterious Uncle Bruno also made his Disney Parks debut at Disney California Adventure during Oogie Boogie Bash 2022. Walt Disney World has recently posted a casting call for Bruno look-alikes, though we don’t yet know if this is for a meet and greet, cavalcade appearance, or something else.
‘Encanto’
“Encanto” tells the tale of the Madrigals, an extraordinary family who live in a charmed Casita, surrounded by the mystical land of Encanto. Each child has been blessed with a magic gift unique to them — each child except Mirabel, it seems. When the family’s home is threatened, though, Mirabel may become their only hope.
The voice cast includes Stephanie Beatriz as Mirabel; María Cecilia Botero as Mirabel’s grandmother Alma aka Abuela; John Leguizamo as Bruno; Angie Cepeda and Wilmer Valderrama as Mirabel’s parents, Julieta and Agustín; and Diane Guererro and Jessica Darrow as Mirabel’s sisters, Isabela and Luisa. Also lending their voices are Carolina Gaitán and Mauro Castillo as Mirabel’s aunt and uncle, Pepa and Félix; and Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz and Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Mirabel’s cousins Dolores, Camilo and Antonio, respectively.
This film features all-new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “Moana”). It was directed by Byron Howard (“Zootopia,” “Tangled”) and Jared Bush (co-director of “Zootopia”), co-directed by Charise Castro Smith (writer for “The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez”), and produced by Clark Spencer and Yvett Merino. Bush and Castro Smith served as screenwriters.
Will you be excited to meet familiar faces from this hit musical film at Magic Kingdom? Let us know in the comments.
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