โ€˜American Idolโ€™ Is Going to Disney World

Americal Idol in Walt Disney WorldWalt Disney Parks and Resorts will create an โ€œAmerican Idolโ€ attraction that will bring the television and pop culture phenomenon to life at the Walt Disney Worldยฎ Resort. The joint announcement was made by Jay Rasulo, chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts; Simon Fuller, CEO of 19 Entertainment; and Keith Hindle, executive vice president of FremantleMedia Licensing.

The attraction, slated to debut in late 2008, will be located at Disneyโ€™s Hollywood StudiosTM and will follow the model of the high-energy show. Disney Guests will be able to experience the challenge of auditioning, the rush of performing on stage in competition, or the thrill of judging the performances in a live interactive entertainment setting with all the glitz and glamour of the distinctive โ€œAmerican Idolโ€ set.

That experience will include an audition process, open to all who register, where Guests perform โ€œliveโ€ in front of a Disneyโ€™s Hollywood Studios producer to be cast in a theme park show.ย After backstage preparation โ€“ working with a vocal coach, hair and make-up โ€“ itโ€™s lights up and showtime in front of a โ€œliveโ€ audience and a panel of judges.

Guest performers with the highest votes will compete in an end-of-day Grand Finale show at the Walt Disney World Resort, and the winner of the Grand Finale show will receive a guaranteed reservation for a future regional stadium audition — to ensure no waiting in long lines. But when it comes down to the television show auditions, everyone is treated equal.

โ€œMillions of people have imagined themselves standing on the โ€˜American Idolโ€™ stage,โ€ said Rasulo. โ€œWeโ€™re excited that we will be bringing this dream to life every day at Walt Disney World.โ€

The coming โ€œAmerican Idolโ€ attraction joins an all-star lineup at Disneyโ€™s Hollywood Studios. Among the new adventures debuting in 2008: Block Party Bash, an interactive and moving Disneyโ€ขPixar spectacle filling the theme park streets, and Toy Story Mania!, a 3-D interactive ride-through video game starring popular Disneyโ€ขPixar โ€œToy Storyโ€ characters.