Wikipedia:WikiProject Disney/CharacterArticleGuidelines

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This page contains guidelines and tips with regard to the creation and maintenance of Disney character articles.

Creating a Disney character article

Before creating a Disney character article, please be advised of the following:

1. Establish the character's notability (see WP:GNG as well) first. This means that the article should reflect the character's impact in the real world and should be backed up by secondary sources. As per Wikipedia:Notability (fiction): "Elements of a work of fiction, including individual stories, episodes, characters, settings, and other topics, are presumed to be notable if there is significant coverage of the element(s) in reliable secondary sources."
2. Remember that the tone of the article should be encyclopedic, so avoid making the article purely in-universe and do not include original research or speculations.
3. Wikipedia articles are not simply plot summaries. Do not write a lengthy summary of the story/movie/TV show that the character originated from; the main focus on the article should be on the encyclopedic information about the character (character conception/creation, real-world impact and influence, and so on).
4. "Avoid creating lists of miscellaneous facts." Do not add lists of trivia to the articles; if the information is relevant, integrate it into the appropriate paragraphs/subsections.

Disney character article outline

1. Lead: A one to four paragraph section that gives an overview of the article. (see Wikipedia:Lead section) The lead section should also somehow show the notability of the character.
2. Infobox: Please refer to the character Infobox template.
3. Character development: An account of the character's creation/development. This is one of the most important sections of a character article, along with the Reception section. This section should indicate the influences for and the processes involved in the creation of the character, as well as information about the character's design and why the character was designed that way. The character's voice actor should be included here; preferably just the English voice actor/actress since this is the English Wikipedia, unless the foreign language actor/actress are significant (back it up with sources).
4. Profile: A brief account of the character's fictional background. Remember to stay out-of-universe and avoid simply reiterating the plot of the TV series and/or movie that the character comes from (see WP:PLOT).
5. Appearances in other media: An account of the character's appearances in other media, such as video games and other movies/TV shows. Once again, remember to write this section in an out-of-universe fashion. It is not required to mention every single appearance the character has made, nor should this section be in list-form. A well-written, referenced, prose-written section is preferred; it should cover the character's appearances without going into excessive detail (See WP:TRIVIA and WP:UNDUEWEIGHT).
6. Reception: A discussion of the general public's response to the character, as well as the character's popularity and influence. This is an important part of the article, as it establishes the character's notability. Be sure that the sources cited are reliable; a fan site praising the character is not a reliable source.
7. References: Remember to cite your sources.
8. External links (please refer to WP:EL)