Walt Disney World ® enlisted the help of its guests earlier this month to assist in warding off evil villains from taking over the park. It was all a part of the park’s newest interactive adventure, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom ®, which will officially begin early this year.

Guests who are interested in helping eliminate the scoundrels from the Orlando theme park are asked to meet inside the main Street U.S.A. Fire Station, which has been turned into a “Sorcerer’s Training” for the new game. Once inside, guests are given a Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom ® map, a key card and five (out of 70), randomly selected spell cards, all of which are vital to helping fight evil in the park. Once guests have everything they need to uncover the evildoers, they are introduced to the host of the attraction, Merlin (from The Sword and the Stone), through one of the attraction’s magical portals.  He fills the participants in on the problems he’s facing and how they can help.

The magical portal in which guests first see Merlin is just one of 20 scattered across Main Street USA, Adventureland, Liberty Square, Frontierland and Fantasyland. Remember that map? Don’t loose it because it indicates where each portal exists, and yes, you will need to know where the portals are located if you want to be a successful sorcerer.

Once you know which land you are supposed to be in, you’ll need to look for a keyhole. Upon finding the keyhole guests should hold their key card up to it to “open the portal.” But beware, these portals aren’t meant to be seen with the average eye. Before it’s open, the magical portal may look just like a wall, or a poster, or it may even be part of a larger window display.

After unlocking the portal, Merlin introduces guests to their main objective defeating a particular villain and sidekick, opponents vary by land and quest – before telling them what portal to visit next as part of the challenge. 

At the portals, guests are challenged by these villains and attempt to defeat them by casting their spell cards – presenting a card to the portal’s cameras. Cards depict the powers of various Disney ® and Disney-Pixar characters.After casting a series of spells that hopefully defeat the Disney ® villain, guests are able to continue onto the next challenge until they have defeated all villains.  And because you might revisit the same lands during your journey, the narratives never repeat themselves.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom ® is included in regular theme park admission. Stay tuned for more details, including opening dates for this newest interactive attraction.