Video: Disney Core Memory Made ‘Hide and Seek’ with Pluto in Epcot. The magic of Disney can be anything from a Cast Member being extra nice, to seeing an engagement in front of Cinderella Castle. It could be the times you remember with a loved one who shared the passion for Disney, or remembering the first time you stepped in the front gate. For these kids, this will be something their parents and they will hopefully always remember. Playing Hide and Seek with Pluto.
We swore when World Celebration walls came down, that we would be spending a lot of extra time sitting in all the new garden areas. Which we do. One of the cool things you get to see besides Spaceship Earth, and all the wonderful lighting is Daisy Duck and Pluto meeting and greeting guests.
Daisy meets on the Moana side of the World Celebration closer to the Walt the Dreamer Statue. While Pluto is meeting and greeting closer to the Creation Shop towards the top of the World Celebration.
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When the characters are coming and going from their spots, magic can happen. Over the past few weeks we have witnessed Pluto taking kids on a parade around the whole new central area, and yesterday we got to see Pluto and his ‘friends of Pluto’ stop next to the new CommuniCore Plaza construction fences. His ‘friends’ and Pluto were being followed by 2 small kids and they noticed the little ones.
At this point Pluto covers his eyes and mimics counting. The next thing you see is a whole bunch of kids kinda gather around our big yellow friend, and the ‘friends of Pluto’ tell all the children to hide. If they hide in the garden area, Pluto will find them all.
For the next few minutes, the whole world stood still for us. We were fascinated by watching as Mickey Mouse’s dog Pluto used his nose and sniffed out hidden children all around the center of the World Celebration. Pluto found a grand total of 13 kids. Spending over 15 minutes playing and laughing and posing for pictures when he was done.
Afterward, Pluto went back to his normal meet and great character spot and met with a ton of adults who all looked annoyed that Pluto was taking so long. Which brought the whole scene back to reality.
This really made us stop and think about what we just saw. Here it is, older Disney Adults trying to get their images with Pluto, but the Disney character is spending time with children having the greatest time. They took their time to give these kids a core memory.
These kids do not care about how much a ticket to Epcot costs. They do not care about a presidential hopeful dropping out of a race. Missing a dining reservation did not matter. What mattered was “I am in Disney, playing Hide and Seek with Pluto”. This is what matters to kids! Kids want to run and play, meet other children, and see their favorite characters they have grown up watching on TV. Here these characters are in real life and larger than life.
So, you want to know where to meet Pluto in Disney World?
Character Dining
’Ohana Best Friends Breakfast at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
The Garden Grill Restaurant at EPCOT (This is my personal favorite place to meet him because the characters usually make several rounds during the meal.)
Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Possible Meet-and-Greet Opportunities
Magic Kingdom Park: During Holiday Parties he can be found in his Halloween Costume or his Festive Dress during Christmas.
EPCOT: World Celebration Garden Area across from Creation Shop side entrance.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: In the Animation Courtyard near Disney Junior—Live On Stage
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park: In DinoLand U.S.A. as a part of Donald’s Dino-Bash
Pluto can be seen on Stage at the Magic Kingdom and during Holiday parades. He is also found on the Animal Kingdom Floatilla at certain times.
AN EXTRA GEM: In the My Disney Experience App, you always have the characters’ whereabouts at your fingertips. Using the app’s interactive map (click the map icon at the bottom of the screen), you can click the dropdown’s “Characters” filter. There, you’ll see who will be where and at what time. It’s a pretty nifty feature!
