Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor is an attraction located within the Magic Kingdom, a theme park at Walt Disney World Resort. Based on the 2001 Oscar winning Pixar movie Monsters, Inc., the attraction opened on April 2, 2007 within the park's Tomorrowland section, where it replaced the Circle-Vision attraction The Timekeeper.
The main theater is equipped with 400 seats and utilizes digital puppetry technology similar to Epcot's voice-directed Turtle Talk with Crush. Live actors perform voices behind a large digital screen, while computer-rendered monsters appear with the actors' voices.
In 2019, the attraction received seasonal overlays for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.
On March 12, 2020, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak's impact on Florida. However, following Walt Disney World Resort's reopening, the show reopened on August 8, 2021 in time for Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary celebration; its soft opening date was on August 5, 2021, 3 days before its reopening.
On October 27, 2020, Disney announced that many of the shows and live entertainment would be laid off, such as Citizens of Hollywood at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor at Magic Kingdom, due to a dispute between the Actors' Equity Association and Walt Disney World.[1][2]
In 2021, following Walt Disney World's reopening, Magic Kingdom announced that the Halloween overlay of Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor would return in a new Halloween event, Disney After Hours: BOO Bash, and that the holiday overlay would return in the new holiday event, Disney Very Merriest After Hours, as part of Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary celebration.
Plot synopsis[]
Signs in the queue area of Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
This attraction is set after the events of the Disney/Pixar animated films Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University. Monstropolis is running on safe, clean "laugh power," but even now it still needs more laughs to provide for the needs of the monster world. To that end, Mike Wazowski suggests opening up Monstropolis' first comedy club.
Humans will temporarily enter the monster world via a door the monsters have placed in Tomorrowland. During their visit, guests will be entertained by Monsters, Inc.'s top comedians, where their laughs will be collected and converted to electricity.[3]
Characters[]
The Laugh Floor only features two characters from the original movie, Mike Wazowski and Roz. Here, Mike is the "monster of ceremonies" and introduces the show's comedians. The most common characters are:
- Buddy Boil (sometimes Beznos, or "no nose" Boil from Russia or Betty Boil), a purple monster with long eye stalks atop his head, whose sketches include a mind-reading act and a "comedy-in-a-box" do-it-yourself kit
- A yellow, two-headed monster whose name changes based on who is performing the characters' heads at the time (common names are "Sam and Ella" or "Mac and Jeeves"). The duo will feature a "geography quiz," where the monsters demonstrate their knowledge (or lack thereof) of human world geography, and a fast-paced re-telling of the Monsters, Inc. story, using guests as stand-ins for the major characters.
- Marty Wazowski, a smaller, orange version of Mike, and Mike's nephew. This character will often interact with younger guests in the audience.
Running gags[]
The show's unscripted nature is designed to make each performance unique. However, there are some common jokes that appear more frequently than others.
- As the guests are seated, the theatre's cameras will locate guests and provide humorous captions, early Saturday Night Live style, such as "will treat everyone to churros" or "has no idea where s/he is" or "doesn't know they're on the screen" or "always hides a third eye."
- The show will always focus its attention on a single guest, known as "that guy," throughout the performance. Usually, the use is as part of a punchline of a joke; for example, a monster might say, "I know how I'm going to dress up for Halloween ... I'm going as 'that guy." This guest will receive an "I Was 'That Guy'" sticker at the end of the show.
- Every time a monster says, “Hello, humans!”, the audience is asked to scream and wave their hands in the air.
Disney Imagineers have stated that as the show continues to evolve, more acts and jokes will be added and others will be retired based on guest reactions and feedback.
Interactivity[]
One of the Laugh Floor's key components is the level of interactivity with the guests. Prior to the performance, guests are invited to use their cellular telephones to send text messages with jokes that could be used during the show. The message begins with a short code-word, followed by the guest's first name and their hometown, then their submitted joke. Generally, three to four jokes will be used during the final portion of the show (featuring Marty Wazowski).
In the theatre, movable cameras are used by performers backstage to locate guests with whom they would like to interact. A Disney cast member in the theatre will then take a microphone to the selected guest so that the guest can talk to the performers.
Name change[]
The working name of the show during production was the 'Laugh Floor Comedy Club'; prior to soft openings, it was renamed 'Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club'.[4] Promotional materials and a logo were also created using this name. On March 19, the official name of the attraction was changed from this to the current name.
Awards[]
In 2008, the attraction was honored with a nomination for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project by the Visual Effects Society. The producers and artists singled out for the nomination included Roger Gould, Liz Gazzano, Joe Garlington and Daniele Colajacomo.[5]
Trivia[]
- After the release of Monsters, Inc.'s prequel Monsters University, characters from the prequel make cameos in the pre-show.
- In the fall of 2018, the entry structure left over from The Timekeeper was removed to ease guest flow through Tomorrowland and was replaced with a simpler sign in the style of attraction signs in Tomorrowland from 1971.
- Sulley does not appear in any moment of the show. It is not explained why.
Gallery[]
See also[]
- Stitch Encounter
- Turtle Talk with Crush
References[]
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