Disney in a Minute: What are Magic Shots?

Disney Magic Shots are special photos taken by Disney PhotoPass photographers at Disney parks and resorts. They add a little extra magic by including characters, animations, or other fun elements to your photos. For example, a photographer might ask you to pose as if you’re holding something in your hand, and when you see the final picture, Tinker Bell is perched on your palm!

Options vary by location and season: you might get a balloon bouquet, fireworks, or characters like Stitch or Olaf in your pictures. And during parties like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or the EPCOT festivals, photographers may have special limited-time Magic Shots. Not every photographer can take Magic Shots, though, and which shots are at which locations isn’t listed in the My Disney Experience app. The easiest way to be sure is to ask the photographer!

There are two special types of Magic Shots that add new dimensions of fun to your pictures. Disney Super Zoom Shots are a short video clip. They start as a close-up of you, zoom way out to show the park surroundings, then zoom back in. You can currently get Super Zoom shots near Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Spaceship Earth at EPCOT.

Disney Tiny World Shots use a 360-degree camera to create a “tiny planet” effect. The landscape wraps around you in a circular panorama. It makes it look like you’re standing on a little globe, with the park’s scenery curving all around! (To be honest, we’ve tried these and found them to be less than magical, but you may love them.) These shots are usually available at Pandora – The World of Avatar in Animal Kingdom, in front of Spaceship Earth, near the entrance to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and next to Cinderella Castle.

For more about PhotoPass and details on how to download the pictures from their respective apps, see Disney in a Minute: What is PhotoPass?

Disney in a Minute is a series of short posts designed to help you better understand a Disney term or planning topic. Do you have a Disney term that you think needs a bit more explanation? Let us know in the comments.