As someone who spends many evenings in Epcot, especially during seasons when there are concerts held in the America Gardens Theater, I was used to Mary Thompson Hunt as the “Voice of Epcot”. I know Mary from her years performing at Comedy Warehouse, and I always enjoyed hearing her voice in Epcot. It might sound strange, but hearing a friend’s voice just made being there all the more special. I didn’t realize that perfect strangers felt the same way about her voice. Quite a while ago Disney made a change, and now some man is doing the voice work to announce concerts, Illuminations, etc.

I’ve come to learn that many repeat visitors to WDW have seen her at Comedy Warehouse and expressed that they were not happy to hear the change during their most recent Epcot visit. One person even asked if she’d done something to get fired! At least 1 person was upset that she was replaced by a man – they were thrilled to finally have a female voice being used and were disappointed when that changed. I know years ago they only allowed male voices to make announcements from the cockpit on planes….evidently we needed a male voice to feel safe. Maybe Disney thinks we will feel at risk of being mugged or being hit by a terrorist attack if a female voice is announcing that in 10 minutes David Cassidy will be performing???


I guess there are some things that just shouldn’t be messed with. One would be the monorail announcer guy – substituting anybody else would just seem wrong somehow. Another is losing Mary’s voice in Epcot. I have no idea why they changed, or what the HECK they were thinking, but I checked around to see who I might write to at Disney to express my displeasure.
If anyone would like to join me, I imagine snail mail would be most effective. If you’ve ever enjoyed Mary’s work at Comedy Warehouse, perhaps we can help make a difference in getting her back at Epcot doing the voice work.

Here are the addresses I was able to find.
Mr. Robert Iger
Chief Executive Officer
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873

Meg Crofton
President
The Walt Disney World Resort
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Al Weiss
President
Worldwide Operations
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Melissa Valiquette
General Manager Entertainment Operations
Epcot, Downtown Disney Disney's Wide World of Sports, & Disney's BoardWalk Resort
P.O. Box 10000 Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Walt Disney World Guest Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040

wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

Letters to the Editor
The Orlando Sentinel***
633 North Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801-1349
Fax: 407-420-5286

Sue, thanks for posting this (and long time/no see!). It seems like WDW in general is going through a period of reduction in "specialness", what with so much entertainment going away and now this. The addresses you posted can also be used to communicate with WDW executives about closing Pleasure Island, Epcot entertainment, Animal Kingdom shows or anything else.

Although I have no information on this situation, it seems as if you may be jumping the gun. Have you talked to your friend? Perhaps she quit, or moved. There's no reason to think that there's something insidious about the change in voice. Some people might have a hard time not hearing Jack Wagner's voice (the guy on the monorail doing the door spiel) as much as before. But there's a perfectly good reason for this - he died a few years back.

If Mary is the voice I'm thinking of, I do enjoy her voice very much. Low, kinda raspy, very articulate. I'd love it if she were still around, but there may be many reasons for her absence.

Although I have no information on this situation, it seems as if you may be jumping the gun. Have you talked to your friend? Perhaps she quit, or moved.

No jumping the gun here. If she had quit or moved I never would have posted. If she was still with Disney but just didn't want to do this any more, I wouldn't have posted. She & I have talked, and emailed as recently as this weekend, and I know she'd love to be back as the voice and she has gotten alot of guest comments wanting her back.

Understood. I guess I've been listening to the folks who are already hating the new iasw having never seen it even once. Keep us posted as to her status.

iasw = It's a Small World?? They're doing something new there?? LOL - I'd think people would be cheering over that :D

I know Mary is still working for Disney, just in a different venue now that the PI clubs have closed. I should clarify that I'm assuming she'd love to still do the voice work...I haven't asked her. I just recall that any comments she's made over the years about doing that work were always very positive.

I'm usually in favor of at least trying the things Disney changes. Some have been utter flops - like the first redo of the ride at the Imagination pavilion. Others have been improvements - like the fun ending at Spaceship Earth. The only change I absolutely refuse to try to like is the closing of Comedy Warehouse, though. :confused:

I love her voice. As soon as I started reading this thread, her voice was in my head, "10 minutes until Illuminations: Reflections of Earth....."

She has a lovely, penetrating and soothing voice. I hope they bring her voice back.

I have to say that I was in Epcot a few weeks ago with my in-laws and a first timer. They heard the announcements but they could have cared less who was doing them. The in-laws have been before and they didn't notice a difference.

I think this a case where the veterans notice a change where 99% of the visitors aren't going to really care (sorry, but they don't). Maybe they've been before and heard the announcements and didn't even remember them. Or, they are first timers and don't know where was anyone else ever doing the announcements.

I'm not defending what Disney did or have any explanation for it. I support you writing to them. At least to find out a reason for the switch.

I know Mary is still working for Disney, just in a different venue now that the PI clubs have closed. I should clarify that I'm assuming she'd love to still do the voice work...I haven't asked her. I just recall that any comments she's made over the years about doing that work were always very positive.
Based on the emails that I was trading with her, I'm pretty sure that Mary would still love to do the voice work.

By the way, Sue, it figures that we still keep missing each other. I was across the street at the Adventurers Club while you were at the Warehouse the last night of PI.

I think this a case where the veterans notice a change where 99% of the visitors aren't going to really care .

I'm sure you're correct about this. But I think this thread is more about a friend of Sue's getting bumped, and not really the kind of thing that normally goes on in newsgroups - "They've changed the brand of ketchup that they've had for years at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe, and the new brand stinks and IT'S ALL BECAUSE WDW IS CHEAP!!!", etc.

I'm less than a week away from hearing the new voice, & I can't wait to compare!