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The Narrators of Walt Disney World Attractions

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Each attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort has its own unique plot and theming that brings an adventure and story to life through details, immersive sets, and characters. Some attractions even feature their own narrators who help to guide Guests through the experience, providing insightful and important information along the way.

Narrators on attractions in Walt Disney World have their own personalities and add just as much to attractions as other characters and thrills do. From taglines and humor to information and history, these narrators are unforgettable voices that Guests have come to know and love over the years. Let’s check out some memorable narrators from popular attractions at the Walt Disney World Resort!

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Dame Judi Dench – Spaceship Earth

One of the most recognizable voices in the world belongs to Dame Judi Dench, a British actress who has a well-established career that has spanned decades. In addition to her acting roles, she has also provided her voice talents as current narrator of Spaceship Earth in EPCOT’s World Celebration neighborhood and adds a level of informative authority to the experience.

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Dench is with Guests throughout the entirety of Spaceship Earth’s experience and serves as a source of information, sharing with Guests the various historical scenes that they move through and how they all contributed important achievements and innovations in the history of communication. In addition to being informative, Dench also provides a sense of humor with memorable lines including her reminder to “thank the Phoenicians” and iconic sign off of “here’s to the next 30,000 years on Spaceship Earth…”

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Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover

One of the most popular attractions in the Magic Kingdom is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover in the heart of Tomorrowland which whisks Guests around the area offering them a beautiful tour of the sights from the highway in the sky. Many Guests consider the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover a must do on every visit to the Magic Kingdom as it provides a relaxing way to kick back for a few minutes, enjoy the breeze, and soak in the beautiful sights.

The entire experience is narrated by Mike Brassell who shares with Guests the various things to do in Tomorrowland and the surrounding areas. He points out attractions such as Space Mountain, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and even helps to explain the history behind the Progress City model that Guests whiz past. Guests might not know Brassell’s name, but his voice is instantly recognizable to many thanks to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover!

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Living with the Land

Mike Brassell is certainly a familiar voice to many Guests from the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, but many might not realize that he can also be heard on another attraction in EPCOT’s World Nature neighborhood. Brassell is also the main narrator for Living with the Land which can be found inside of The Land Pavilion and showcases the beauty, diversity, and ever changing future of the land.

Living with the Land is a slow moving boat ride that is narrated by Brassell who shares how different environments prove how the land can survive in various ways. He then informs Guests about the future of agriculture by calmly sharing the new technologies and growing techniques that can be found on display in the greenhouses throughout the attraction. Brassell’s voice is soothing and many Guests love to listen to him time and time again on Living with the Land, especially when he utters the iconic “only then will we truly be living with the land.”

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Ghost Host – Haunted Mansion

A voice that nearly every Guest can recognize is that of the disembodied Ghost Host from the Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square. Guests enter into the stately Dutch gothic manor home and soon realize that there are nine hundred and ninety nine happy haunts that reside there, including their eerie narrator.

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Voiced by actor Paul Frees, the Ghost Host first reveals himself to Guests as they enter into the foyer, and soon they see his hanging corpse up in the rafters of the stretching room. He then continues to be an ominous, yet informative, presence throughout the Haunted Mansion, explaining to Guests just what they are seeing and experiencing right through to the hitchhiking ghosts following them home.

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Dr. Seeker – Dinosaur

A more comical narrator can be found on Dinosaur in the Dinoland area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Guests expect to enter into the Dino Institute and enjoy a scenic trip back in time to see magnificent dinosaurs, yet soon find themselves on a daring rescue mission that takes them dangerously close to the massive asteroid impact.

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This is due to Dr. Seeker who overrides all of the safety protocols and sends Guests back to a perilous moment in time to retrieve a specific Iguanodon and bring him back to present day. While Dr. Seeker provides narration and support through the speakers of the Time Rover, he’s not very helpful with guiding Guests (“Left! Right!”) or motivational moments (“They’re not going to make it!”). Despite all of this, Dr. Seeker provides some humorous moments and a critical part of both the narration and the story of Dinosaur itself.

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Benjamin Franklin & Mark Twain – The American Adventure

EPCOT’s America Pavilion is the host country of World Showcase and also home to The American Adventure, a grand and dramatic stage show that utilizes audio-animatronics, music, and history to share the story of the American people. The story begins with pilgrims traveling to the new world and brings Guests right up to modern times, highlighting many of the most pivotal and influencing moments in American history.

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The entire experience touches on hundreds of years of history, but is made manageable thanks to the narration of Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain who provide a guidance and anchor throughout the experience. The two American historical figures were chosen to represent the 1800s and 1900s, and their embodiment of the spirit of the American people can be seen in dramatic fashion as they shake hands and gaze out at a new sunrise from the torch of the Statue of Liberty at the very end of the show.

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Impressions de France

Across EPCOT’s World Showcase in the France Pavilion is the beautiful film Impressions de France which is shown in a small theater that evokes the charm and architecture of France in the Palais du Cinema. The theater uses three large screens to take Guests on a scenic tour of France, showcasing its beauty, culture, and people along the way.

Narrated by Claude Gobet, Impressions of France features the perfect combination of stunning camera work, classical music by French composers including Debussy and Saint-Saens, and informative and relatable narration by Gobet. His soothing voice provides a guide to the visual experience, and he features just enough dialogue to keep Guests aware of what they are looking at while also fading into the background to let them enjoy the visual and musical beauty being shared.

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Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360

Another film shown in EPCOT’s World Showcase also features a memorable narration from a duo who take a much more comical approach to their information sharing. Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360 brings Guests on an epic journey across the many different provinces of Canada, showcasing its natural beauty, history, culture, and unique people.

Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360 is narrated by Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy, legendary Canadian actors who have had very prominent careers but are most recently known for their roles on Schitt’s Creek. O’Hara and Levy share lots of amazing information about Canada while interjecting their unique style of humor to provide some laughs along the way. It creates a memorable and interesting way to learn about Canada that many Guests love to return to view time and time again.

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Reflections of China

The final film shown each day in EPCOT’s World Showcase is Reflections of China in the China Pavilion. Also shown using Circle-Vision 360 technology, the visual trip through the many different regions of China is narrated by an actor portraying Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai.

The beautiful Reflections of China film brings Guests to the futuristic cities of China, through stunning natural beauty locations like the Sea of Clouds, and so much more and along the way Li Bai shares how the beauty of China has inspired him and other artists for centuries. His dramatic sharing of the history and beauty of China ends with a mystical disappearance into nature, making Li Bai the perfect narrator for this unforgettable journey.

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About Caitlin Kane

Caitlin Kane has been visiting Walt Disney World since she was a child and has developed a deep love and appreciation of the Disney Parks with a particular interest in the small details and history that can be found all around. Visiting every chance she gets, Caitlin loves to enjoy the ambiance of the Disney Parks and try something new every time. She can often be found eating and drinking her way through the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, riding the Haunted Mansion, sipping on a Lapu Lapu, pretending Illuminations: Reflections of Earth was still in existence, and enjoying seeing the magic through the eyes of her children. When not in WDW, Caitlin can be found at home in New York dreaming of a ride on Living with the Land and counting down the days until her next trip.