Tip Tuesday: Experience Kim Possible while you still can...

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Welcome to another Tip Tuesday.

Well the image above really says it it all.  Disney officially announced today that Team Possible is retiring later this summer.  So if you want to take a last adventure with Kim, Ron and Wade to defeat Dr. Drakken and his henchmen (and henchwomen), you'd better get to Epcot soon!

Below is an article I wrote for Celebrations Magazine about the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure that never was published.  It gives a good review of the experience without giving away too much.

Enjoy!

A pack of dangerous villains is set on causing chaos and mayhem across the world, or at least Epcot’s World Showcase. The only one to prevent international disaster is … YOU – you and Team Possible. So, what’s the “sitch?”

Welcome to the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, which opened in early 2009 at seven pavilions along Epcot’s World Showcase (United Kingdom, France, Japan, China, Norway, Mexico and Germany). This is a highly interactive attraction in which guests interact with subtly disguised characters and even live cast members situated throughout each pavilion.

"Disney’s Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is an exciting new experience that offers fun and excitement for the entire family," said Jim MacPhee, Epcot vice president in a news release. "We are constantly exploring new ways to provide immersive experiences to Epcot guests, and this new offering will add to our dynamic portfolio."

“Today’s emerging generation expects more immersive, personal and interactive experiences in every facet of their lives, including their entertainment choices,” added Bruce Vaughn, chief creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering. “As leaders in family entertainment, Disney theme parks push the envelope by combining state-of-the-art technology with creative storytelling to enhance the overall Disney vacation experience.”

Based on Kim Possible, the popular (now former) Disney Channel cartoon series, guests begin by approaching a special kiosk located at each participating country pavilion and selecting a time period in which they will play the adventure in that particular pavilion, much like the FastPass system. Each of the seven pavilion adventures is independent of each other, so guests can play the different adventures in any order. Guests, however, may only play one adventure at a time. Each adventure consists of several “missions” and is played at a guest’s own pace, though most adventures should take about 30-45 minutes.

At the beginning of the adventure, guests are given a “Kimmunicator,” which is essentially a specially programmed cell phone. The Kimmunicators are tagged with what appears to be a security device, most likely to discourage more “nefarious” individuals from walking off with the device.

The story begins with Wade, the techno-guru from the Kim Possible show, giving guests a quick tutorial of how to use the Kimmunicator and then the real adventure begins. While I won’t go into specifics about what takes place in each adventure so as not to ruin the story for anyone who may play Kim Possible, I will describe in broad terms what kinds of missions guests will encounter.

Throughout your adventure, you will have to figure out different clues and solve different puzzles while exploring one of Epcot’s pavilions, and interacting with several different characters very cleverly disguised to blend into the surroundings. Be sure to look up and around – you never know just what you might see! A particular window outside a shop or a certain item may pop open to trigger the next part of your mission. These elements are so cleverly disguised that guests not involved in the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure would never know it was there. That’s another benefit of this attraction – it doesn’t look like an attraction at all for those who aren’t taking part. For guests just enjoying each pavilion’s sights and sounds, they will likely never know that there is a secret group of people working to save the world. That’s part of the charm of the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure; it truly feels like you are a secret agent.

The technology really helps bring this fantastic experience to life. Through the Kimmunicator, guests not only interact with characters from the Kim Possible show, such as Kim, Ron Stoppable, Wade and a host of villains, but also with live cast members. During one mission guests may have to “speak” with a particular cast member in a particular place. I can only imagine how much fun the cast members have “being in” on the secret. In another mission, guests may have to solve a puzzle in one part of the pavilion, obtain a physical object and take that object to another part of the pavilion to continue the adventure.

In the final mission guests are sent to a particular place where they will secretly turn in their Kimmunicators, ending the adventure. Once a guest completes one adventure, he or she can go to a different pavilion and sign up to play a new adventure. Disney’s Imagineers have done an outstanding job of secretly adding a whole new world into each of the seven pavilions in World Showcase. The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is a great avenue for guests to explore a particular pavilion and discover details they had never noticed before. The various missions force guests to slow down, look around and take in everything. Little details can become key moments.

The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is perfect for kids as well as adults. Adults will enjoy some of the humor embedded in the different cut scenes while kids enjoy working out the different clues. You might even have to play “secret agent” as you interact with a cast member!

Here are a few tips for anyone thinking about playing The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure:

Set aside plenty of time. While you probably could rush through each mission and complete the entire pavilion adventure in only around 15-20 minutes, you would miss much of what makes it so much fun – interacting with the animatronics and cast members. Allow at least 30-45 minutes so you enjoy your time as a member of Team Possible.

Avoid spoilers. While it might be fun to get a few cheat hints to help complete a video game, solving the clues and exploring the pavilions is the best part of the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. It is much more fun if you don’t know what’s coming next.

Each interaction offers the opportunity to “do it again.” Sometimes you are given a lot of information during a particular interaction and you might miss something. At the end of the interaction, your Kimmunicator will give you the chance to “do it again.” Go ahead and see what happens. Some of the things the Imagineers have created are worth seeing two and even three times.

At the end of your first adventure, you might be given the opportunity to participate in additional adventures in other pavilions. If you’ve got the time, go ahead and save the world – again!

Don’t try to experience all seven Kim Possible adventures in one day. Spread them out over the course of your trip, and even save a few for the next trip.

Even if you’re experienced an adventure in a certain pavilion, go ahead and try again. Imagineers have added new missions so you just might have a new experience!

The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure should be on every Epcot fan’s “must do” list. While many of Disney’s new attractions are basically new things to ride with very little interactivity (with exception to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Toy Story Mania), the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is loaded with different interactive experiences. Each pavilion has its own story, a story you unfold as you go, and that’s what Disney is all about – telling a great story.