Mickey Mouse TALKS!

[MickeysBestPal]

I have to ask, do you have intimate, working knowledge of this? Because, when we were living in CA, and they were doing the trial for this at Disneyland, one of my friends got to meet talking Mickey with her kids. Their interaction was VERY personalized. Mickey commented on one of the boy's shirts specifically, and joked around with him about it. He also asked a question about the boy's favorite ride and responded uniquely when the boy told him it was CA Screamin'. I've seen the video of this interaction and it was neither pre screened or 'generic'.

While I can't speak for the "version" of talking Micky at WDW, I am going to assume it's the same technology.

There is also evidence of this spontaneous nature of Mickey's responses all over YouTube. Just search "Talking Mickey" and you will see what I'm saying. Seems to me that Mickey can say whatever he wants, and it comes out sounding like Mickey.

You're watching the wrong YouTube videos.
Those clips that show "free interaction" are not the technology of the "Conversation Mickey" that is being used with guests on a more regular basis.

Those with "free interaction" (as in personal comments about individual guests and answers to kids specific questions) are very, very special sessions which feature the actual "Voice of Mickey" doing the live speaking in real-time, on-location. for the costumed character. Very expensive and brief sessions.

The current Mickey interacting with guests cannot make specific comments other than those which are pre-recorded and stored for random access by the character operator.

[MickeysBestPal]

Mogie, the technology is actually rather simple. Have you ever seen one of those things that can turn your voice into a "robot" or make your breathing sound like Darth Vader? These little gimmicky toys have been in existence for years, and you see them a lot at specialty toy stores and places like that.

I assume Disney MAJORLY "plussed" that technology, patented their version, and had it installed INSIDE the costumes, so that anyone's voice can be transformed to "magically" come out sounding like Mickey Mouse.

There are no outside forces at work, like at Turtle Talk.

The current "Conversation Mickey" voice is not using "voice-changer" technology.

[BrerGnat]

Those with "free interaction" (as in personal comments about individual guests and answers to kids specific questions) are very, very special sessions which feature the actual "Voice of Mickey" doing the live speaking in real-time, on-location. for the costumed character. Very expensive and brief sessions.

Really? What's the point of that?

Why would they debut "talking Mickey" at Disneyland as the new, improved living character initiative meet and greet experience, let a bunch of people video tape it and put it up all over the internet, and then NOT have "talking Mickey" at WDW be the same experience?

When they were testing this out at Disneyland, it went on for several days. I can't believe that Bret Iwan was sitting in a back room with a two way mirror and was ad-libbing all those meet and greets.

I mean, it's possible, and I am not doubting you, but it seems like a kinda backwards thing to do. They could never pull that off long term, so why introduce him that way if it wasn't going to be done that way in all the parks?

And, if they have voice transformer technology, why not just use it?

[Patricia]

The current "Conversation Mickey" voice is not using "voice-changer" technology.

So, what is the point of having a Mickey testing that won't be used on a regular basis? I don't get that.

I also saw the videos of Mickey using limited speech as well. Not nearly as interesting.

[Patricia]

Rats! 4 kids, slow server and an iPhone. Natalie beat me with the "what's the point?"

[BrerGnat]

Rats! 4 kids, slow server and an iPhone. Natalie beat me with the "what's the point?"

Great minds think alike.

[McLiberal8]

I think the Mickey at the Town Square Theater will be eventually replaced with this talking Mickey. If you have been there/look through pictures, within the room you meet Mickey, there is a 'vanity' with a mirror, which I can only assume is a 2 way mirror. Here is a picture of it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cketzleromaha/6307032155/

The most recent videos from WDW have had the Mickey interacting on a word-to-word level with the guests. Other videos I have seen from beta testing have had just pre programmed Mickey 'phrases'.

I am so psyched! My kids will never believe I lived in a time where Mickey didn't talk to you when you were at the parks!

[MickeysBestPal]

And, if they have voice transformer technology, why not just use it?

It doesn't work well enough to make the voice natural.

It's not a matter of changing the "pitch" and/or the "tone" (timbre) -which is what "voice changing" does-
the entire delivery would have to "be" Mickey's voice.

There is no such technology available.

[MickeysBestPal]

So, what is the point of having a Mickey testing that won't be used on a regular basis? I don't get that.

I also saw the videos of Mickey using limited speech as well. Not nearly as interesting.

Expect that to be all that's available at the parks on a "regular" basis.

To see what I'm talking about go to YouTube and search for

Talking Mickey Mouse at the 2011 Disney D23 Expo

This is the most recent public interaction with "Conversation Mickey"
and, sadly, it's none too good.

[BrerGnat]

There is no such technology available.

Yes there is. Maybe Disney doesn't have it yet, but it does exist. It's software based, at least the one I know of. You speak into a microphone connected to your computer and the software can change your voice to sound like anything you want. This could absolutely be used at WDW. There are such things as wireless microphones that could, theoretically, be hooked up to a computer that would change the voice, and the sound would come out from speakers. I'm sure, with all the technology knowledge at WDI, they could make this happen rather easily.

[MickeysBestPal]

Really? What's the point of that?

Why would they debut "talking Mickey" at Disneyland as the new, improved living character initiative meet and greet experience, let a bunch of people video tape it and put it up all over the internet, and then NOT have "talking Mickey" at WDW be the same experience?

That's easy.

Early on, (well over a year ago) they began testing a "concept"-

A- To see guests reactions to a talking Mickey (without having to build a prototype with a recorded voice.)

B- To build excitement in the general public about "talking Mickey coming."

C- To make their competitors quake in their boots as to what
kind of cutting edge concepts are coming to the Disney parks.
(Disney does that kind of thing pretty frequently.)

[McLiberal8]

This is the most recent public interaction with "Conversation Mickey" and it's none too good.

No, it isn't. The official Disney Parks blog posted a video on Halloween of magician Mickey at Town Square Theater talking. And it is REALLY good!

[MickeysBestPal]

No, it isn't. The official Disney Parks blog posted a video on Halloween of magician Mickey at Town Square Theater talking. And it is REALLY good!

That was a video shot by Disney to promote "Conversation Mickey."

It was set up under studio conditions with Brett Iwan on location providing the voice.

That is not what guests can experience on a daily basis.

[Melanie]

That is not what guests can experience on a daily basis.

Why post the video then and create unreal expectations?

[MickeysBestPal]

Why post the video then and create unreal expectations?

I thought is was a bad idea, myself.

But, that's the kind of hype that companies are stooping to.

In the past, Disney used to "under-promise, then over-deliver," but as of late, they have been offering up the kind of "false representation" that Universal Studios has been showing regarding Wizarding World of Harry Potter. (Kids freely riding on broomsticks through the city.

Just look at how Disney promotes "Soarin'" in video ads.

They show a family on a single hang-glider platform, flying freely through the clouds.
That's not what Soarin' actually is, but that's how it's promoted.

[MickeysBestPal]

Yes there is. Maybe Disney doesn't have it yet, but it does exist. It's software based, at least the one I know of. You speak into a microphone connected to your computer and the software can change your voice to sound like anything you want.

No, I'm sorry, but it can't.

It can change the way your voice sounds, but it cannot change one voice
"into" another specific voice.

For instance, it could not make Pee Wee Herman's voice turn into James Earl Jones' voice.
Nor could it make James Earl Jones' voice turn into Pee Wee Herman's voice.

But, it could make JEJ's voice high and squeeky and PWH's voice low and grumbly.

That change, however, does not allow one kind of voice to fully "turn into" another famous, well-known speaking voice.

[Mufasa]

No, I'm sorry, but it can't.

It can change the way your voice sounds, but it cannot change one voice
"into" another specific voice.

You might just be interested in reading up on US Patent 5,327,521

And for those who want a glimpse at some of the technology behind some of the various approaches being evaluated and/or play-tested in the parks, check out the human-computer interaction research group project pages at Disney Research's site below: (take note of the language-based character interaction, tongue input device which has a video demo and wearable sound project descriptions for some example projects that are applicable)

http://www.disneyresearch.com/resear...nteraction.htm

[MickeysBestPal]

You might just be interested in reading up on US Patent 5,327,521

And for those who want a glimpse at some of the technology behind some of the various approaches being evaluated and/or play-tested in the parks, check out the human-computer interaction research group project pages at Disney Research's site below: (take note of the language-based character interaction, tongue input device which has a video demo and wearable sound project descriptions for some example projects that are applicable)

http://www.disneyresearch.com/resear...nteraction.htm

This has nothing to do with turning a non-Mickey Mouse voice into "the" Mickey Mouse voice.

[MickeysBestPal]

Why post the video then and create unreal expectations?

Also (since I just saw a commercial on TV) they promote visiting Disney parks by showing Mickey Mouse strolling hand-in-hand, through the park, with kids, as though that's how guests interact with Mickey at the park.

[Mufasa]

This has nothing to do with turning a non-Mickey Mouse voice into "the" Mickey Mouse voice.

Uh, did you actually take time to look up and read the patent?

A high quality voice transformation system and method operates during a training mode to store voice signal characteristics representing target and source voices. Thereafter, during a real time transformation mode, a signal representing source speech is segmented into overlapping segments, analyzed to separate the excitation spectrum from the tone quality spectrum. A stored target tone quality spectrum is substituted for the source spectrum and then convolved with the actual source speech excitation spectrum to produce a transformed speech signal having the word and excitation content of the source, but the acoustical characteristics of a target speaker. The system may be used to enable a talking, costumed character, or in other applications where a source speaker wishes to imitate the voice characteristics of a different, target speaker.