Chat with Everyone’s Favorite Sea Turtle at Turtle Talk with Crush

If you've never had a chance to strike up a conversation with a 150-year old sea turtle, then you need to take the kids and visit Turtle Talk with Crush inside The Seas with Nemo and Friends pavilion at Epcot.

Turtle Talk With Crush Is at The Seas with Nemo and Friends

This popular attraction has been part of the pavilion since 2004 and centers around Crush, the surfer dude sea turtle from Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo. The technology behind the attraction is so incredible that will leave even the most jaded audience member truly believing that Crush IS REAL and that they really did talk to a sea turtle. (We call that pure Disney magic).

When you visit Turtle Talk with Crush, you're seated in a theater-type room and the little tykes are encouraged to sit on the carpet in front - so that Crush can see them - while the parents are seated on benches behind the kids.

Theater Seating with Floor Space In Front and Benches in Back

After a brief introduction by the emcee, Crush appears on the "window to the pacific" screen and approaches his magical underwater mic - also called a hydrophone. With the help of the moderator, Crush interacts with the little dudes and dudettes, asking questions and answering the kids' questions.

And when we say Crush interacts with the kids, we mean he really interacts. He chooses kids and adults from the audience - example: The little dudette in the pink shirt and blonde hair - and learns their names, where they live, and then lets the kids ask him anything they want.

On one visit a few years ago, Crush asked my kids where they lived and when the kids looked to me and my husband we became part of the conversation. When we told Crush that we lived in Ohio he wondered how far of a swim that would be for him.

Crush Appears In A "Window To The Pacific" Screen

Now you might be wondering how exactly an animated sea turtle from Australia is able to interact with a live audience. Well, without spoiling too much of the magic, let's just say that Crush might be an avatar version of a puppet who is operated backstage and his mouth might move in lip-synched time with the actor voicing him behind the scenes. And it might be done so quickly that it looks like real time synchronization.

Or, Crush might be a real sea turtle talking to us from the Great Big Blue. You decide.

Either way, Turtle Talk with Crush is a great interactive attraction for kid and adults. Even if you aren't chosen to talk with Crush it's fun to watch the kids (and grownups) interact with awe and amazement.

And since each show is live, every time you see Turtle Talk with Crush you're going to see a different version. Nothing is truly scripted since Crush is talking to new kids every time. But, if an audience member asks about Dory, she might appear with Crush and try to talk with the whales.

Meet Crush "Live"

Turtle Talk with Crush takes place every day inside The Seas with Nemo and Friends (the theater is to the left of where you exit The Seas with Nemo and Friends attraction). If you arrive between shows, you'll be corralled into a holding area until the doors open. Each performance is about 15 minutes long. For exact show times be sure to check the Times Guide.

Thanks so much to contributor Traci C. for this great guest post, and to photographer Loren Javier and Josh Hallett for the fantastic images through Creative Commons. Do you love Turtle Talk with Crush? Leave us a comment and let us know about your sea turtle conversations!