Turtle Talk with Crush is a Family ride based on the ever-popular film franchise Finding Nemo. You sit down in a small theater and have a chat with Crush, the cool dude surfing Sea Turtle, and discuss all things ocean with obvious cameos from the franchise.
Family rides can often be a little unimaginative, younger minds require less advanced stimulation to reach enjoyment leaving parents bored and older kids and those without to head off in search of more exciting pursuits. In our Turtle Talk with Crush review, we take a look at this family ride and see if this is one to endure for the sake of your little ones or one of those rare moments where family fun really is for everyone?
- Location – Disney California Adventure – Hollywood Land
- Type – Interactive Digital Live Show
- Duration – 10-15 Mins
- Height Restriction – None
- Average Queue time – 30 mins (Next Show)
- Fastpass – No
- Single Rider – No
- Additional Info – Genuinely funny family fun for all!
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Thrill Rating
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Fun
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Smoothness And Comfort
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Uniqueness and Theming
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Value For Time
What is Turtle Talk With Crush?
Turtle Talk with Crush is a Finding Dory-based attraction found at most Disney Parks around the world. The premise is very simple, You sit in a small theatre called the tank, and Crush the giant Sea Turtle from the movie rocks up and has a chat with you.
The screen is nothing special and the auditorium is small and bland with no real special effects and on the face of it, the attraction is very poor. The magic happens as Crush is played by a live actor whose movements, voices, and facial expressions are digitized in real-time making Crush come alive and interact with the audience, answering questions and picking out audience members in the same way any live host would…But this live host is a digitized Turtle! It is quite amazing.
Queue And Theme
There is no real queue at Turtle Talk instead there are scheduled shows every half hour. If you arrive just as the show is finishing (on the hour and a half past) then you are unlikely (but possibly when quiet) to get into the next show but will hopefully be front of the line for the one after in 30 mins. If you are having to wait for more than 35 mins (more than 2 shows) we suggest heading off elsewhere and coming back later. However, most of the time 30 mins is the most you will wait.
The show building at Disney California Adventure is pretty bland. It has some nice undersea theming but it’s a far cry from the awesome aquarium exhibit of its sister ride “The Seas with Nemo & Friends” at Epcot. Florida. Honestly, it’s not a bad waiting area but the Florida version, with its live exhibits, is SO much better. Still, as it is show-based you will not be there too long.
Attraction Experience
Once the doors open you file into the auditorium and gather around the “Window to the Pacific” this is a digital screen showing an underwater scene resembling a glass window looking out into the pacific ocean. Not the pacific a few miles to your west but the one a few thousand miles to the west on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
The reef scene will show fish bobbing around in the background and for the entire show acts as a seamless window with no chopping and changing as different characters make their entrances or exits.
The cast member will seat the audience with kids invited to sit on the floor up front, for maximum interaction. Quickly run through the rules with the help of the Moonfish and then await the arrival of our star host Crush!
A hidden cast member plays the role of crush and they can see and hear the crowd and as such can interact with the audience in a totally authentic way, the real-time digitization of the actor is nothing short of amazing. Behind-the-scenes puppetry, facial recognition, and on-the-fly computer rendering allow the actor to really bring Crush to life in absolute real time! The script is only loosely adhered to, in order to keep things moving, and the whole show depends on repeated interaction with the audience. It really does play out like Crush is a real entity and is interacting with the crowd. For adults it is stunning, Kids probably just think Crush is real and is actually in the “tank”
Crush will interact with the crowd picking out people and asking questions and allowing them to ask questions back. The Actors are really talented and the banter that flows is always seriously funny. There are several set pieces and cameos to expect such as Dory, Destiny, and others. Nemo will not make an appearance, if you want to see Nemo you will have to head to the Submarine Voyage over in Disneyland.
Tip – To trigger the special ending where Dory and Destiny attempt to speak whale, someone needs to ask where Dory is?
Overall
Overall we adore Turtle Talk. The simple premise is raised up to the level of “how the hell do they do that!”. The humor is genuinely funny and works on all levels and kids and adults alike, will all leave the theater completely entertained.
The downside can be the amount of time needed to catch a show, it can easily take 45-50 mins out of your day if you arrive just as a show ends but don’t get in until the next show. But at least you are sat down for the show.
If you have kids, especially ones who like Nemo and Dory then the show is a MUST-see. For those without kids, it’s still right up there. Take some time out of your day and catch one of Disneyland’s cleverest attractions
Have Yor Say
What did you think of turtle Talk? Was it as good as expected or was your experience less incredible than ours? Did you get to talk to crush? Did anything out of the ordinary occur? How did your kids find the show? Did they see through the illusion? Whatever you have to say fire away in the comments below and if you have any questions at all just drop us a comment.