For those of you not familiar with the Disney Channel original series, Kim Possible is "your basic average girl" according to her theme song. She is, however, also the daughter of a rocket scientist and a brain surgeon, and a crime fighter. With the help of her good friend Ron Stoppable, his pet Rufus, the naked mole rat, and 10-year-old supergenius Wade, Kim saves the world and still manages to be captain of the high school´s cheerleading squad. Wade provides Kim with the latest in super-gadgets, and stays in contact with her through her Kimmunicator device. For the complete sitch, check out her website at http://psc.disney.go.com/disneychannel/kimpossible/

Back to Epcot! At the appointed time, DD and I climbed the steps of the Canada pavilion to the green umbrella on the upper level. The Cast Member stationed there ushered us into the former shop that had been located there. You could still see the chandeliers and decor of this once lovely shop, along with some Kim Possible themed displays and a check-in desk.

At this point we had to agree to the terms of the game, which basically were that we give back the Kimmunicator they were lending us before 6 p.m. in one piece, or they would charge my credit card $299.00. There was no fee to play the game, but they did take down my credit card information just in case. After a quick lesson on how to use the Kimmunicator, we watched a video briefing and were sent out on our first mission.

The story we are told is that Kim Possible´s nemesis, the evil Dr. Drakken, has decided to retire from trying to take over the world, but not before he sells off all his take-over-the-world plans and schemes to lesser criminals around the globe. This has resulted in an overload of take-over-the-world attempts and Team Possible needs new recruits to help save the day. We´re those new recruits, and with our own Kimmunicators we can follow Wade´s instructions and help Kim and Ron out of a jam or two.

The Kimmunicator is a Motorola i870 videophone with a GPS attached. The phones are set up with speakerphone on to make it easier for your whole party to participate. We were told how to call for help and how to re
quest a reset if the game froze, but we didn´t need to use either of those.
The first instruction we receive is to go talk to a toy soldier in the United Kingdom. Okay.... we head over to the toy shop and find in one window a toy soldier. Who comes to life as we approach. And talks to us. By agent name. Made a comment about our hats and how we looked like clueless tourists and what a good cover that was. DD is now about to freak out! This is one well animated toy soldier, and an incredible way to get the game started. Only thing was we were so surprised by the contact we could barely pay attention to the instructions he was giving us! Good thing he quizzed DD on what he had said before sending us on our way. After we walked away from the window, he stood still looking like just another store display while other non-players came up to see. Really, really cool!

The rest of the mission involved looking for clues in the various shops of the U.K. pavilion, all of which were very nicely integrated into the decor and displays, so that a non-player would not have any idea they were there. The Kimmunicator was used to activate some of these clues, other times we had to enter in what we had just found on it. Cast Members were also involved, as at one point we had to go to the tea shop and tell the person behind the counter that "Danger is my cup of tea" to receive another piece of the puzzle. They seemed to be having as much fun with it as we were!

I can´t say enough about how well the game had been integrated into the U.K. pavilion, without intruding upon it at all. The only way someone would know some of the special effects were there is if they were standing right by someone playing the game. We were never in the same spot for more than a couple of minutes, and not once did we call enough attention to ourselves that another guest asked what we were doing.

After following all the instructions, we helped save Kim and Ron from the clutches of villain Duff Killigan (although all we got to see was some lightning effects behind a blanked-out window). Then we were sent to France to discover what evil scheme the diabolical Señor Signor Senior and his son Señor Signor Junior were hatching now.

In the France pavilion, again we followed a series of instructions, activated some special effects, and pretty much zigged and zagged across the entire pavilion several times. This time the effects were not quite as impressive as they were in the U.K., with the exception of the antique looking camera on the promenade. Say Fromage! A live picture of us was sent to the camera phone while we were standing there! Most of the instructions were easy to follow, although we did spend an extra few minutes searching for just the right location on one clue. Again we rescue Kim and Ron and foil the bad guys´ plan, and get our destination for the final mission: The Imagination Pavilion.

For the finale, we´re told that Dr. Drakken´s retirement was really a rouse to divert Team Possible from his greatest world-domination plan ever. We are instructed to infiltrate his secret headquarters (upstairs in the Imagination pyramid!), which is disguised as a doctor´s waiting room. Here we signed a paper saying that we have returned our Kimmunicator, although we are told to hold onto it for a little longer. From here we are ushered into Drakken´s secret lair (despite all the signs telling you it isn´t) and I won´t spoil it for you, but the ending is interactive and fun!

At the conclusion we asked to complete a survey about our experience, which was on a computer and took about 10 minutes to complete. One survey question asked which park did we think this game would be most appropriate for - so I guess they had some of the same concerns some Disney fans had about its playing in Epcot. DD was given a special Team Possible pin (okay, I gave them a puppy-dog pout and got one too). Maybe the only disappointment was not getting to "meet" Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. Their face characters appear in Disney-MGM Studios for meet-&-greets, but alas here they only appeared in animated form.

All in all, we had a great time! The game was a lot of fun, the missions not too difficult, although if you are a first-time or infrequent visitor to Epcot it might take a lot longer to complete than the hour and a half it took us. I also think that being fans of the show helped, too. DD´s assessment was that it was a lot of fun, but some of the effects "freaked her out a bit" (especially that talking toy soldier).

Wonder if I can get a Kimmunicator of my own for Christmas......

photos by Pat Whitson can be found in her DisneyWorldTrivia.com Photo Album
They are, in order
1) Check in at Canada.
2) CM Melissa checks us in.
3) CM Angela explains the Kimmunicator.
4) The Briefing Area.
5) The Kimmunicator.
6) The Toy Soldier we had to talk to.
7) This display in the Sportsman Shop was altered for the game, but you wouldn´t know it unless you were playing.
8) Is that a clue on the butterfly of blue?
9) Camera at France.
10) Say Fromage! That´s me on the Kimmunicator´s screen!
11) Something smells like a clue here!
12) A clue, right on the tip of its tongue.
13) If this is the doctor in the house, I think I´d want to switch insurance plans.
14) Final mission check-in.
15) Waiting room upstairs in the Imagination Pavilion.