A magical... automated... moment?
Close your eyes and imagine something like this.
You have just ventured into the frozen halls of Arendelle castle. You take a few steps forward, holding the hand of your daughter as she wipes away a tear. She is about to ask you something, but then her legs suddenly lock in place as she comes face to face with Queen Elsa. She runs to her and jumps into her arms, hugging her fiercely as that single moment is frozen in time.
A few steps away from there, a Disney Photopass Photographer is snapping pictures left and right. He is getting some really amazing photos, like Elsa kneeling down and holding your daughters hands, both of them smiling and looking at the camera, your daughter asking about life in Arendelle and even your little princess and the Queen singing Let it Go together. He waits just for the right moment and that special smile to quickly snap a picture and make sure you - as a family - will have a very special time.
Now, open your eyes and replace the real photographer with a box that automatically snaps pictures every few seconds.
Well, that’s basically what the Disney Photopass Camera Box is, and something that Disney seems to be pushing forward as of late. Some spots around Magic Kingdom in particular now have the automated process, instead of the traditional photographer which follows the moment and takes pictures for you. Let’s just say that a lot of people are not happy with that.
Human > Box
It’s easy to notice why a simple box is way worse than a human photographer.
- The box doesn’t know what is a special moment/interaction between a person and a character. It just snaps pictures away, which can make them look weird. For that small square box, it doesn’t matter if your daughter has her back turned to Elsa or if they are hugging each other, it’s programmed to take a picture regardless of poses and expressions. Of course that a human photographer knows the exact moment to capture a special interaction.
- After taking your pictures, you are supposed to scan your Magic Band on a nearby PhotoPass Kiosk so that the pictures appear in your account. The problem with that? The system is super glitchy now, and a lot of pictures won’t appear at all, which is making a lot of guests angry. Sometimes the kiosk is also not working properly, so you can’t even scan anything there. Ouch.
- It’s very common for us to lend our cellphones to a Disney Photopass Photographer so he can snap pictures with our own cameras. We can’t do this with a square box.
- People don’t like the idea of everything being automated. Sure, it saves money and time for Disney, but that also means that people are losing jobs over it. It also means that we lose on human interaction, which is so important for the Happiest Place on Earth.
So, what do I say? Bring back the Disney Photopass Photographers to every character meet & greet! These guys are great. Not only do they take amazing pictures with very high quality, but they are also pretty fun during their own interactions, helping us out with poses and making us feel more comfortable.
Have you come across any of those Disney Photopass Camera Boxes? How was your experience with it? Make sure to send us a message and share your moments there. If you need some help getting to Disney World to create those special moments, then feel free to reach out to us! Famvia is here to help you out.
