Where's the love for Tales with Belle?

Bowen Family

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
It struck me on our recent trip to WDW that Enchanted Tales with Belle is an experience no one seems to really talk about – good or bad. I never see it on any Best or Worst, Must-do, Top 10, etc. lists.

Which is funny, because I've always found it a really unique and entertaining experience. Consider it offers an immersive environment and queue, decent animatronics and effects, child and adult participation, and a brief princess meet & greet with photo!

So why is it that people consider Peter Pan a 'headliner' (IMO a tired old ride), but Tales just seems a sort of set piece in New Fantasyland?
 
Pan is classic. It's DH's favorite, and I know it's just the nostalgia factor that makes it so.

We've only done Belle one time, shortly after it opened. My two sons, who were really little then, were the Beast and Maurice. It was magical!
 
Maybe part of it is location-I think a lot of Guests don't even notice it "tucked" back away from the walkway.:)
 
To me it was one of the most unique Disney attractions I had been in a while. Immersive -- a special meet and greet, very intimate and great for kids. Way better than a dark ride or a giant show.

They should have more of these type of attractions for kids.
 


My family loves it and it’s definitely a must see each trip for us. Its unlike anything else. Imagineers did a great job with that one I think.
 
You have a really valid point. It may be one of the most underrated experiences in the land....

We usually don't go for M&G's, due to time constraints and my "insider" knowledge of the "friends with x".....but this one is so well done! If all M&G's were done this way we would do more of them.
 
Peter Pan is a "tired" ride in that it's old and outdated...with horrible acoustics. But the nostalgia is what keeps its' popularity high. Storytime lacks that nostalgia. I agree it's well thought out and well done, but I think the fact that it's not a "ride", not quite a "meet and greet" and not quite a "show" leaves it somewhere in the middle. We like it, but haven't done it in a while because none of my kids are into Belle all that much and they don't find the attraction exciting.
 


We loved Tales with Belle when we did it. My 5 year old was in a roaring phase, so of course he roared extra loud when "auditioning" for the Beast role. He also roared so loudly at Belle, that the cast member almost fell over. It was great fun and a great memory. But as I have two boys, they haven't wanted to go back.
 
Your point is valid for sure. Having been to WDW countless times, this is one attraction that is never on my radar. In fact, it's one of the few things we have never actually done....and I'm not really sure why. I guess having 2 boys I wasn't sure it's something they'd enjoy? Not sure...but I think I'll add it to my plans for the next trip as it seems to get a lot of love here.
 
I remember when this first opened, it was SOOOOOO hyped up. I literally rushed my family’s PPO breakfast at CP and dragged them over there and then didn’t get picked for anything and we were all very bored and sort of let down. I think my kids were too old at that point to appreciate it, I guess. If you have kids younger than 7 it’s maybe worth doing. Otherwise, it’s just meh, IMO.
 
My niece (7) and nephew (5) love acting out Beauty and the Beast, my niece always wants to be the Beast, so I know they're going to love this show. I just don't want to hype up the fact ahead of time that kids are chosen for parts in case they don't get picked and are really disappointed. Getting to meet Belle in her yellow dress is also a highlight.
 
I liked it, I would have loved it more if my daughter was a part of it but she wasn't chosen because she was playing shy at the time and didn't want to put herself out there.... I think had she been up there I would rank it higher on my list. I don't have it on my list for this trip, it will be a spur of the moment thing if we hit it and the line isn't too bad.
 
We are two adults with no kids, so had never done this attraction until our trip earlier this month. We decided one of our goals was to try and do every ride and show in the MK in a single day, so this meant doing a couple of things we had never done before, including Enchanted Tales with Belle. We both though the Lumiere animatronic was very cool, and overall, it was a great attraction for families with kids. We enjoyed it, but without kids, it's not something that would be high on our must-do list.
 
I also don't have kids and I often travel with other wo kids or with grown kids (no grandkids) and for us its just "meh" even though it is very well done.
 
ETWB was amazing the first time I did it back in 2012 but for me it was more of a one time only kind of thing.
I don't care to participate myself and I don't have kids that I would want to take pics of participating so I just not a must do attraction for me. Its also a very time consuming attraction in the park with the most attractions.
I love BOG though and find that a must do every trip.
I also do love BATB live on stage and that is an absolute must every trip and has been since 1991.

BTW I would not at all consider PP to be a "headliner" but rather the most classic dark ride that is oh so original Disney.
I think it tends to get long lines because many people that are going to WDW for the first time have it on their must do list. Plus the interactive line tends to make people linger making it longer and the limited amount of ride vehicles and capacity in the ride vehicles makes it not as efficient.
 
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We like it and have been a few times. My daughter has been Phillipe, Mrs. Potts, and Chip (in her younger years). We still go by to watch every once in a while (not every trip). It is much more rushed now than it was the first few years it was there. We still love to see the little ones 'perform' and it is a nice attraction, but outgrown very quickly. Where even solo adults will ride Peter Pan or the Carousel, they typically will not go to ETWB unless a little one is with them.
 
I remember when this first opened, it was SOOOOOO hyped up. I literally rushed my family’s PPO breakfast at CP and dragged them over there and then didn’t get picked for anything and we were all very bored and sort of let down. I think my kids were too old at that point to appreciate it, I guess. If you have kids younger than 7 it’s maybe worth doing. Otherwise, it’s just meh, IMO.

It was your own choice to rush through breakfast and drag your family over there.
You allowed the hype to dictate what you did.
We went on it during the soft opening in November 2012. It was myself, my older sister, my niece who was soon to be 14, my friend, and my parents in their 60's.
We all enjoyed it. My dad was even chosen as a knight.
It certainly can be enjoyed by all ages.
With that said it was a one and probably done for us but that's not because we did not enjoy it or were let down or disappointed in it but rather more of a only one time was needed type of experience.
 
The mirror effect is very cool and the Lumiere animatronic is excellent, but outside of that I have no interest in watching other people's kids act in a school play. If it's raining, it's a great place to hold up.
 
I love this attraction. My kids are grown, but I really enjoy watching other's kids participate. The house, library, and magic entrance between the two are, well, enchanting! for me at least. I try to go every trip but it depends on who I am with. I do love Beauty and the Beast anything, so I'm biased in that sense.

I went to meet Anna and Elsa at Epcot recently. I didn't really care to meet them or get photos - I mainly wanted to see the set since the line was short. It ended up being fun - we had a nice chat with "Anna" and got some funny pictures too. I'm glad I tried it!
 
This is on some lists as a good one to use a FP on. Is that still true? I think it sounds great, but I'm struggling on whether to use a FP on it or just wing it.
 

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