During the Disney Parks presentation at SXSW, Chairman Josh D’Amaro brought out the tiny Tinker Bell that Walt Disney Imagineering was playtesting back in 2021, suggesting it may still debut at the parks someday.
Disney describes the Tinker Bell technology as a “blue-sky concept that lets fans have a real-time conversation with pixie-sized Tinker Bell. Using special technology, Tinker Bell can interact with you like never before.”
The tiny Tinker Bell meet and greet was playtested during the “A Touch of Disney” event at Disney California Adventure before the Disneyland Resort theme parks fully reopened in 2021.
During the playtest, a life-size tiny Tinker Bell seemed to appear in her lantern and then fly around the room. She landed in a device of her own invention that allowed her voice to be amplified so the guests could hear her. She was fully interactive and addressed the children by name. Many projections were utilized, including “writing” in a book and butterflies flying around the room.
Jenn Tanaka posted her family’s experience on Instagram at the time. Her family was invited to participate after a chance encounter with a cast member. Her children were “starstruck” and enjoyed the experience.
After the playtest, there were no further announcements or public testing of the tiny Tinker Bell. Her regular Pixie Hollow meet-and-greet returned to Disneyland in 2022. But Disney bringing up the technology at SXSW means it may still be in development and could be used in parks later on.
Disney also shared a look at a small dynamic robot that could potentially bring Judy Hopps to life and the giant Hulk character, which will be appearing at Avengers Campus in Paris soon.
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