Agent P's World Showcase Adventure now in guest testing

Earlier today, I had the opportunity to test out the new Agent P's World Showcase Adventure at Epcot.  I personally tested the Norway and China adventures (I could also have tested Mexico and Germany).  Each adventure was reminiscent of the original Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, even using some of the same props, though these props were re-themed.  Disney has added some new elements as well, so don't think this is just a re-hash of Kim Possible WSA. 

What I did like was how much more "fun" these new adventures are.  Kim Possible WSA focused much more on the "super spy" aspect of the adventure while Agent P WSA has many more gags and jokes, especially involving Candace, Fineas and Ferb.  Interestingly, Agent P didn't play much of a role in either adventure. 

Whilke I won't go into specifics about each adventure, I will say this is a great improvement to the entire concept of an interactive scavenger-hunt style game in World Showcase.  One thing I did notice is that the new FONE's are much louder than the original Kimmunicators.  There were times where we had to partially cover the speaker in the back to cut down the volume, especially when we were in interior spaces.

All in all, Agent P World Showcase Adventure does a great job of fully involving the world of Fineas and Ferb.  Each mission really is like living an episode of the Fineas and Ferb TV show.

On your next trip to Epcot, be sure to help Agent P keep the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz in check.  He's always up to something nefarious.

Uh, oh -- better run, here comes Candace...

"Mom!  Fineas and Ferb are being featured in a blog post!!!"

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

© Disney.  All rights reserved

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.

Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure - in beta testing

For those of you who follow this blog, you well know that I was looking forward to playing the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure during my recent trip to Walt Disney World. Unfortunately, as those who have read my posts will know, Disney delayed the launch of the new World Showcase event until 2009. Or so I thought. Imagine my surprise, then, when I happened to stumble into some cast members wearing Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure shirts parked at the bridge between Great Britain and France. I asked if there might be any testing going on and one cast member asked me if I would like to be part of the test group.

"Are you kidding?!?!?" I said, "I would love to!"

So here's the sitch about the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. Each country will have their own separate set of missions. I happened to test out the Great Britain missions. The entire experience took about 30 minutes and was a real blast. I won't go into detail about what the missions were except to say the Imagineers hit this one out of the park, over the parking lot and into the next county. It was A LOT of fun! You have to interact with all sorts of things all across the pavilion, including cast members who were "in" on the game.


One important part to note for those not interested in this -- you don't see Kim Possible all over the place. If you don't have the "Kimmunicator," you won't even notice anything is going on unless you happen to watch someone else who is on an adventure. Each interaction is quite secluded.

The Imagineers put a lot of thought into making this a "secret" world - and you never know who or what you may interact with.

Based on this one-country test of the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, I would say Disney has another knock-out hit on their hands. One possible suggestion -- keep the number of "Kimmunicators" out in the field at one time limited so there isn't a big line of people standing to interact with the various hotspots -- that would kill the undercover nature of the adventure.

Disney announces new partnership with Verizon

From an official Walt Disney World news release:

Disney is teaming up with Verizon to offer a whole new range of mobile opportunities for Verizon subscribers at Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

Beginning next year, guests will be able to access an array of features on
their Verizon Wireless phones while at the Walt Disney World or Disneyland
Resort to help them make the most of their Disney experiences. Planned
services include an exclusive mobile application that will give guests with
Verizon Wireless service the ability to easily locate shows, restaurants and the
Disney characters anywhere inside the Parks; get real-time attraction
availability information; access mobile games; receive messages from characters
and more. Verizon Wireless is also continuing to invest in its wireless network
from coast to coast, and the relationship with Disney means the wireless users
will benefit from further enhancements to the Verizon Wireless network in the
Parks.

In addition, guests visiting Epcot in Walt Disney World Resort in early
2009 will be among the first to experience Disney’s
Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. An ultra-interactive
attraction, Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure invites guests of all ages to
team up with members of Team Possible to save the world from various comical
villains and their mad inventions. Armed with an official Verizon Wireless
“Kimmunicator,” guests will use these handheld devices to help maneuver through
the mission. The interactive wireless theme park game was inspired by
Disney Channel’s Emmy® Award-winning animated series, “Kim Possible.”

Now, here's the bad news in this news release. It looks like the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure has been delayed to early 2009. I'm especially bummed about this since I was hoping to take part in this new offering while at Epcot in a few weeks. Maybe I'll luck into a soft opening.

All-in-all, this looks to be a nice addition to the parks. It's a great feature for guests to get information about the parks, especially wait times, without having to consult a tip board or an attraction itself. I hope this works as well as advertised.

What's the Sitch?

About a month ago, Disney announced a new adventure at Epcot -- the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. This sounds pretty cool. For anyone who may have visited a MagiQuest location - I think it's something similar.

Basically, you will get what Disney is calling a "Kimmunicator" (nice play on words) which will help guests on mission to stop all of Kim's bad guys. Most countries in World Showcase are taking part in this adventure. You get clues on your Kimmunicator in order to solve the mysteries.

Short of a whole new attraction in World Showcase (something this side of Epcot still really needs), this sounds like a lot of fun. My three kids are eager to try this out. I have to admit, my wife and I are too. We really enjoy Kim Possible and the wittyness of the show.

Here's the really thoughtful bit on Disney's part: guests who don't want to play probably won't see too much of it. Based on the news release from Disney, it sounds like much of this is discreet interaction with the Kimmunicator (which led me to the MagiQuest analogy).

The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is due to start sometime later this year (it had better be before December!!!), so I'll try to have a review after our next visit.