Characters at Hong Kong Disneyland

Walt Disney was once asked to define the goals of his company as concisely as possible. "Our business," Disney replied, "is making people, especially children, happy."

When guests at Hong Kong Disneyland have face-to-face encounters with the real three-dimensional Disney characters, they discover the magic that helps create this happiness.

Disney was a master storyteller, and his earliest success came from the short cartoons which told the stories and established the characters of fun-loving Minnie Mouse, irascible Donald Duck, the loyal dog Pluto and awkward, good-hearted Goofy. The first and greatest of these, of course, was Mickey Mouse, the energetic, cheerful little fellow who has become the personification of everything "Disney" and the welcoming host at the Disney theme parks.

Mickey Mouse and the other Disney characters appear throughout the day in Hong Kong Disneyland shows and parades. But when the shows are over and the characters come out to greet their fans, those up-close meetings -- to hug, shake hands, take pictures -- create a special "Disney feeling" that children and adults can get only at a Disney theme park. Disney entertainment is rich with emotion. When you meet the characters, fantasy and reality combine to touch your heart.

Although Disney characters like Mickey Mouse had their beginnings in America, they are known and loved throughout the world. Now they live in Hong Kong Disneyland. Here they play host to park guests every day.

Some of the characters have been known for centuries in fairy tales and legends told to countless generations of children. These include Snow White, Cinderella, Mulan and Beauty and the Beast. Others are from classic tales of more recent vintage: Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland. Still others were created in the Disney Studios -- not only Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck but all of their friends and neighbors: Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, etc. People around the globe have grown to know and love these characters.

Walt Disney once observed, "Until a character becomes a personality it cannot be believed. Without personality, the character may do funny or interesting things, but unless people are able to identify themselves with a character, its actions will seem unreal. And without personality, a story cannot ring true to the audience." Personality was a key to the success of the characters in Disney cartoons, and their personalities are so well drawn that often just mentioning their name will tell the audience if something good, bad, funny or mischievous is about to happen.

Since the first Disney theme park, Disneyland, opened in 1955, meeting the characters has become a major attraction for Disney theme park visitors. Now Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and all their friends have come to live in Hong Kong Disneyland, bringing with them that special magic that creates happiness for guests of all ages.