Walt Disney World Characters Archives - Living a Disney LifeLiving a Disney Life

Have you ever ridden Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? How many times have you heard the prospector’s voice say, “Howdy, folks! Please keep your hands, arms, and legs inside the train, and remain seated at all times. (Laugh) Now then, hang onto them hats and glasses, ’cause this here’s the wildest ride in the wilderness!” ? If you’re like me, Big Thunder Mountain just wouldn’t be complete without that announcement!

The prospector is none other than Dallas McKennon! Who, you ask? Well, if you don’t know about the late Dallas McKennon, let me tell you all about him! Dallas McKennon’s contributions to Disney go way beyond the voice of BTMRR’s prospector. During his 50-year career, Dallas McKennon’s face and voice appear in so many places! Some are going to surprise you.

Born Dallas Raymond McKennon in Oregon in 1919, Dal McKennon made numerous memorable contributions to both movies and cartoons, for Walt Disney and other companies. Remember the Owl in Sleeping Beauty? Dallas McKennon! He provided the voices for no less that FIVE characters in Marry Poppins: Fox, Hunting Horse, Penguin 1, Carousel Guard, and Reporter #1. Have you ever visited the American Adventure in Epcot? Guess who provided the voice for Ben Franklin? You betcha! – it was Dallas McKennon. He also voiced four roles in Lady and the Tramp (Pedro, Toughy, Hyena, and Professor) and characters in several other Disney movies and attractions – including Zeke in the Country Bear Jamboree. Sounds and voices in The Haunted Mansion, It’s a Small World, and even barking dogs in 101 Dalmatians were all part of Dallas McKennon’s work.

Providing the voices of a huge number of characters in the Saturday morning cartoons I grew up with, Dallas McKennon has been a constant presence in my life. Until I started blogging about Disney, I never even realized it. He played 81 characters in Woody Woodpecker cartoons alone. If you’ve ever watched any Archie cartoons, Dallas McKennon was the voice of Archie Andrews. He also voiced the likes of both Gumby and Pokey, Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger and all three of the Rice Krispies characters Snap, Crackle, and Pop!

In live action movies, Dallas McKennon played innkeeper Cincinnatus along side Fess Parker in the Daniel Boone TV series. He also appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds and with Elvis Presley in Clambake!

Gone, since July 14, 2009 (just five days shy of his 90th birthday), Dallas McKennon is still contributing to the happy Disney memories of millions of children today. Next time you’re on vacation and you hear Ben Franklin or the Big Thunder Mountain prospector, please tip your Earhat to the man behind some of our favorite Disney moments.

If you’re taking little ones to Walt Disney World, you will, of course, want to take them to see their favorite characters. The Fab Five, Princesses, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet too! Character autographs, character meals, character meet and greets – opportunities abound.

Again – I want to point out (I’m not trying to make you sad, I promise) – your kiddos won’t stay little forever. The importance of character interaction will wane a bit as you find yourself with tweens, teens and young adults. This may surprise you, but meeting characters becomes a whole lot more interesting when your children get a little older!

Enter the more “sophisticated” characters. Characters that can be intimidating or downright terrifying to small children are absolutely wonderful for interacting with older kids and adults. Examples include the likes of Captain Hook, Jafar, and – to me, truly the very best characters for older children, Lady Tremaine and the Step Sisters.

We first ran into Lady Tremaine and the Steps unexpectedly near Cinderella’s Wishing Well in the Magic Kingdom – we laughed hysterically at their antics. Lady Tremaine is dead serious in her unflappable adoration of her beloved offspring. Anastasia and Drizella are pretty amazing in the level of selfishness and conceit they display! At that time, Megan and Joseph could appreciate the humor, but weren’t quite ready to be a part of the “show”.

We next ran into Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella during our magical VIP parade seating. Joseph was old enough to really interact with the Steps and knew just what to do. He showed them some attention and, as expected, that was all it took before one of the girls, Drizella, screamed, “MOTHER! I want this ONE!”

Later that night during the Main Street Electrical Parade, Joseph saw Drizella and Anastasia again on a parade float and blew a kiss – Drizella immediately focused all her attention on Joseph as the float went by. As it moved along the route, Joseph stood with one arm longingly (and dramatically!) outstretched towards his now favorite character as she reached towards him with equally passionate dismay. C’mon – that’s hilarious! Priceless Disney magic….character interaction for big kids is every bit as fantastic as it was with little ones.

On our upcoming Walt Disney World vacation, I’ve booked a character meal at 1900 Park Fare (buffet at the Grand Floridian). Oh, seeing Cinderella and The Prince will be nice, but I can’t WAIT to see Lady Tremaine and the Step Sisters again.