When You Wish Upon a Star: Disney Theme Park to Stage Own American Idol

The Walt Disney Company has been making dreams come true at its US theme parks for almost half a century. Now it has started shattering them.

The American Idol Experience, based on the world's most successful television talent show, is poised to open at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, and if the glitzy launch is anything to go by, the derision will be no less mortifying.

A wannabe superstar called Joel from Wisconsin gave a distinctly off-key rendition of a song called Iris and was duly dispatched from the stage with an insult from an acerbic British judge named Simon. But this was not Simon Cowell, but Simon Needham, a bit-part actor from Thornbury, Gloucestershire, filling the role. "There were two prominent reasons why that didn't work for me. These," he told Joel, tugging at his ears. They say the truth hurts.

The attraction's format resembles the TV show in almost every respect. Hopefuls have to impress a casting director to get a slot on one of several heats during the day, and then the audience in the 1,000-seat auditorium uses keypads in their armrests to decide who to put through to that evening's finale.

Each day's overall winner, if they are American, gets an automatic pass to an audition for the next TV series. Any overseas winner must settle for the prestige alone.

The event uses some of the most advanced technology in a Disney attraction. More than 76 miles of cable power 113 video screens, including a giant LED wall, and 105 speakers in a 25,000-sq ft arena. Its designer, Andy Walmsley, a native of Blackpool now resident in the US, was also responsible for the sets used on the TV version, and the quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? His career in show business was probably unsurprising, given that his father was a stand-up comedian and his mother a circus fire-eater.

"The thing with American Idol is that it resembles a cockfight," said Bob Thompson, professor of television and popular culture at New York's Syracuse University.

"People really do enjoy seeing one of these cocky kids getting up there thinking the world owes him a living as a rock star and getting shredded by the judges. That's fun to watch."

Adam Daniels, 19, on holiday from Manchester, failed to be chosen from the heats after a particularly wobbly version of Marvin Gaye's Ain't No Mountain High Enough. "Nobody had to tell me how rubbish I was, I already knew," he said.

The attraction might be billed as an all-American experience, but another Briton lies behind it all. The show's founder is impresario Simon Fuller, the former manager of the Spice Girls whose company 19 Entertainment is among the richest and most successful music management operations of all time.

The show survived two seasons on Britain's screens as Pop Idol before crossing the Atlantic to become one of the most successful shows in American television history and producing chart-toppers including Kelly Clarkson and country music star Carrie Underwood.

Famously, the public cast more votes to decide the 2004 series finale than in that year's presidential election and each episode averages more than 30 million viewers.

"It's not only deep in heart of the US, but lies in many hearts across all national lines," Prof Thompson said of a franchise that has expanded to more than 100 countries worldwide.

"It's one of the only shows on the air that is not only appropriate for the entire family, but one that the entire family is likely to want to watch. There's always a weepy story, the girl from the broken family, the blind kid.

"That's what makes the attraction so perfect for a Disney theme park. You plonk it in Orlando with all these minivans full of kids it's a natural success, for the next few years at least."

Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney World Resorts and Parks, said the show was the perfect choice as its next big venture. "American Idol is a true pop culture phenomenon," he said. "Our parks are all about interaction and immersion, and with this our guests can immerse themselves in the glamorous world of instant stardom."

Many of the show's stars that attended the launch were asked for tips for anyone about to enter the audition booth. The best answer came from Chris Sligh, a fan favorite from the 2007 series.

"My best advice?" he said. "Don't suck."