In the upcoming Disney•Pixar movie “Brave,” Merida is a headstrong teenager with a vibrant spirit and a softness of heart, struggling to take control of her own destiny. You’ll be able to discover Merida’s story when “Brave” opens in theaters June 22 and, beginning in mid-May, Merida will be coming to Disney Parks in an all-new character greeting experience.
At Magic Kingdom Park, Merida will appear in Fairytale Garden in a setting inspired by her Scottish Highlands home, where young guests will be invited to engage in archery lessons and other activities until it’s their turn to meet her. Joining Merida are three mischievous bear cubs, whom you’ll learn more about when you see “Brave” in theaters.
To prepare for Merida’s arrival, Rapunzel will be moving from Fairytale Garden April 15, to the Town Square Courtyard (adjacent to City Hall) where she will continue to greet her loyal fans and subjects.
When visiting Disneyland park in California this summer, Merida and the wee, playful bears will find a home away from home near “it’s a small world” in Fantasyland, where guests will also be able to participate in activities inspired by Merida’s story.
According to Creative Director Reed Jones, “These new play and greet experiences at both parks will immerse our guests in ‘Brave,’ giving them the opportunity to be a part of Merida’s Scottish clan. And we’re all excited to have the bear cubs join Merida with their silly antics, creating a whole new way to bring our beloved Disney Characters to life.”
“Regardless of where they find Merida,” said Reed, “Guests are really going to fall in love with her and the bears.”
Comments
will princess merida be there for the rest of the year or just for the month of may because i want to meet her but dont know if she going to be there in december.
Hi,
I just read the comment above, that Flynn won´t join Rapunzel at her new spot, but on the Parade. Is it a permanent parade or only a special occasion one? Can I meet Flynn at Disneyland? I´m planning my trip, and my daughter really wants to meet Flynn Rider, so we´ll head to the park we have a chance to see him.
Many thanks in advance for your help!
Oh, Rapunzel will be in Town Square! Do you happen to know if that is the same place where Winnie the Pooh and Tigger were meeting guests in a Christmas-themed space this past January?
Will Flynn Rider be joining her in her new space? I REALLY hope so!!!!
Allie,
Yes, that’s the same spot next to City Hall where we’ve featured Winnie the Pooh and other characters in the past.
Regarding Flynn Rider, he’s off on other adventures and will not be appearing at Town Square Courtyard. Flynn will, however, join Rapunzel for the daily Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade!
Hi, everyone! You may notice, we’ve updated the information in the original post in regard to Rapunzel at Magic Kingdom Park. When Fairytale Garden closes April 15, Rapunzel will be moving to Town Square Courtyard (adjacent to City Hall), where she will continue to be able to greet all her fans.
I already know she is going to be my daughters favorite princess of all time. My daughter is an archer and we have Scottish heritage. We can’t wait to meet her on our October trip to Disneyland!
Will she have a coronation at Kensington Palace? My family and I are planning a trip to London and were hoping to catch the event.
Sounds like great!I would go to it this summer!
Did you found a girl who will “be” a Meridia?
I wondering if you find yet a girl that will “be” a new princesess?
We’re going down to WDW end of April and beginning of May for my parents 25th wedding anniversary . . . im guessing there is no way we’d be able to meet Merida is there 🙁
🙁 boo. This spot is perfect for Rapunzel. I wish she could stay there. Let Merida go to Adventureland.
PS – Bring back Tiana’s Riverboat Show!
My mom’s name is “Merida”, and my pre-teen daughter’s middle name is Merida, and she looks just like this character, and her favorite animals are bears. Seriously?! Like, whoa … mind. blown. Pam, wife of Christos …
I like the idea of the M&G but loathe that spot in MK, it’s so hot waiting along the path that leads up to the castle LOL
Looks like a fun new area for meet and greet. Although our children are older, I’m sure we’ll stop by to say hi and meet Merida. With my Scottish ancestory I might even have to wear my kilt that day 🙂
Oh, I do hope Merida will still be there when I go next march…. Last year I wasn’t able to meet Flynn and Rapunzel, the line was almost an hour long…. I’m a kid at heart but let’s face it, I’m 35…. Anyways, I hope she’ll still be there and hope she’ll have that Scottish accent!!!!
Between “The Princess and the Frog”, “Tangled” and now “Brave”, it’s cool to see Disney leverage their parks to advertize their animated films. Is advertizing for live-action films done by, like, a totally different department or something?
I’m ecstatic to have a character who represents the red-headed Scottish girls! It’s been a long time coming.
I’m very excited to meet Merida on my next trip! I’ve been looking forward to “Brave” for a long time, and this character experience sounds so fun! Archery, bears, and a new princess? Awesome! I’m sad that it has to replace the Rapunzel activity in WDW, though. I LOVE Rapunzel, and I LOVED that meet-and-greet. I’ll miss it (although I’m happy to hear that we’ll still be able to meet Rapunzel elsewhere in the park). Is it possible that Flynn Rider will rejoin her at her new location? He was my favorite part of the old meet-and-greet, and I was SO sad when he was no longer available to meet! That would be AMAZING if you brought him back; PLEASE do!
You said that Rapunzel will be moving to the Adventureland Veranda in May. Isn’t that where Ariel is currently meeting guests? Where will she be moving? Or does that mean that another part of the Expansion will be open by then?
SO GUESS WHAT?!?!?!? we had just bought annual passes and were on our first trip for the year in January when we got a call from House Hunters on Vacation- we were cast for a special episode that incorporates this fabulous new Disney-Pixar movie!!!! We got to see where the team went for inspiration in Scotland- where Merida met the bear, etc!!! We were also very fortunate to tour Pixar and see the storyboards all the way to the finish… (I didn’t peek- I want to be surprised how it ends!!) AND- we got to see some sneak peak clips of the animated movie- HOW AWESOME!! Sadly- we used my hubby’s last 2 weeks of vacation to do this show for HGTV and Pixar (it airs June 15th, a week before the film is released) and spent all our extra money we had saved for the upcoming years’ trips to WDW. 🙁 I am not sure if we will even be able to get to the most magical place on earth to meet Merida in person! 🙁
Anyway- it’s an amazing story and if you’re watching the show on the 15th- you’ll see my lovely family- me, the mom (a wee bit plumper than the queen, lol; Helena, our oldest- complete with curly, red hair; Meredith, our youngest; and dad!) Love you Disney World- since our first visit in 2005, we’ve been as many times as financially possible- you rock our worlds every single time!!! xoxoxo
Rapunzel’s meet and greet location at Disneyland could not be any more perfect for her, so I hope you guys don’t move her! 🙂
I can see the area for Rapunzel right now at Disneyworld could easily be transformed into Merida’s areas based on her trailer. However, please keep in mind that the lines and demand for meeting Rapunzel are huge – we never saw a line less than 45 minutes long when we were there for 9 days this month. I’d hate to see them move her to a smaller area not “worthy” of her popularity. I hope that makes sense? Also, will Rapunzel have a place in the new Fantasyland at Disneyworld? I am thinking so, so this would only be temporary until the new Fantasyland opens?
Rapunzel and Flynn are only moving at WDW, right? Will they still have their meet-and-greet at Disneyland?
I’m looking forward to meeting Merida, though! How exciting to meet Pixar’s first princess! 🙂
That’s correct, Loren. When she’s at Disneyland, you’ll still be able to find Rapunzel in her usual spot in Fantasyland.
While the concept really looks great and I like how Disney is improving waiting areas; I do find it a bit odd that they are moving Rapunzel and Flynn out so far in advance of the film’ actual release. Seems more people would like to visit with characters they know instead of one’s they’ve only seen on trailor’s. Just my personal opinion.
Christy, Rapunzel is just moving to another part of the park. She’ll still be around to meet all of her fans.
Looking forward to meeting Merida and the three bears in September. What great news! Will I be able to get a FastPass to see her?
I would hope its a face character!!! A meet and greet like that, it would be a bummer for us to not be able to speak with her. Also will there be any news about a the old Sky Way area?? Is it to become a home for Rapunzel in the future?? Been reading about that for weeks…..
Makenzie: LIke Up and Incredibles, it’s hard to do face characters of Pixar humans (the Toys don’t count 🙂 ), so I’m guessing that’s her at the top of the page…Is it?
The CGI’s been so good, it’s hard to tell from one picture.
Will she be a face character?
“near” It’s a small world at DLR? What does that mean? Lol
As long as she doesn’t force Rapunzel and Flynnto move, it’s all good..
Although I’m reserving judgement on Merida until I see her story; it’s always nice to meet a new face character at Disneyland, and I hope this is a long-term deal. She obviously won’t be there when I go next week, but when I go at a later time, I’m VERY interested to meet her…
No worries, Rebecca! We’re creating a new area for Merida on the right side, across the parade route from “it’s a small world.”
Are Merida’s bear cubs going to be animatronic figures?
Any more details on the new Rapunzel Location at the Magic Kingdom? Will it be smaller than at its current location in Fairytale Garden?
Raphael,
The bears are bears, of course! 😉
What DAY in May will Merida start meeting fans in WDW? We are there 5/10-5/15 and I NEEEED to see her 🙂 Seriously I no doubt I will be re-doing my Favorite Princess top 3 because of her just based on the trailers etc 🙂
Autumn, a variety of factors can impact the schedule, so we usually can’t commit to a specific date. You may have a chance to see her before the end of your visit, though.
Oh man, I am so excited to see this happen! I can’t wait to see what the place looks like when she gets there!
Sounds pretty cool!
I’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out.
I’m excited, but I’ll miss chillin’ with Flynn and Rapunzel there. It’s such a pretty spot.
this looks awesome! i hope she’s still there in dec when we go!
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