Celebrate! A Street Party (3/2009 - November 2010)

This new parade, well its not a parade, rolled out into Disneyland in late March 2009. Here are my initial thoughts from my first viewing on 4/3/09:

The new Celebrate! A Street Party (are Disney names getting more and more awkward to say and describe to people or is it just me).

• This new event rolls out onto the parade route two times a day for a total of 6 performances (3 each time out). There is one along Main Street, one in the Central Plaza/Hub, and one out in the Small World Mall area. Each stop lasts approximately 15 minutes.
• Note the show did not go around Town Square, it came out of the parade gate and made a right onto Main Street, verses the traditional left and circling of Town Square. This seemed odd to me and I am curious if this is permanent, something to do with the logistics/traffic flow, or if it has to do with the upcoming continuation of the paving project on Main Street? Seems to me you would want to stop in Town Square since it can accommodate quite a few more guests.
• As you saw in the pictorial update the Street Party features a handful of units and quite a few Disney Characters and dancers. It follows the mold of the Block Party Bash in terms of having various segments put together with crowd interaction, live MCs on the floats, and characters. I thought the CMs in the parade appeared to be working really hard to keep the energy level up and engage the crowd.
• Overall I am not a huge fan of the new parade (I am going to call it a parade since nothing else seems to work just right). It felt like a knock off of the Block Party Bash, and just seemed out of place to me. Not sure if it was the music, the theme, or what but it just did not work for me. And seeing Alice in Wonderland or Marry Poppins dancing and singing to I Love Rock N Roll just does not work in my mind and add in that it is happening on Main Street.. Also I just do not care for the Celebrate You theme either... I think it is a very selfish theme on the surface.... just think.... Celebrate You! I understand that they mean the year is for your celebrations but it just bothers me that the catch phase is Celebrate You (I have overheard several kids saying Celebrate Me which is a perfectly logical extension). Maybe it will grow on me... time will tell. I do think with the lighting effects it is too bad the Street Party does not roll out after dark. That could really add an extra dimension to it and may make it a better experience. But then again maybe this is just me. It seems like many of the children and others in the audience near me enjoyed the show, but I did not hear many comments one way or the other. The crowd seemed quiet afterwards.

Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams (5/5/2005 - 11/2008)

This new parade debuted on 5/5/05 as the Happiest Celebration on Earth kicked off. A quote from my first thoughts from 5/13/05 - "The Walt Disney Parade of Dreams was good. I think the show stops are a bit long and really lead to a long wait for the parade to arrive since we were near the end. The detail on the floats harkened back to the Disneyland of old. The music loops but each unit has a distinct soundtrack of its own too. So its not as repetitive as the past couple of parades."

Hint: If you want to avoid some of the crowd pull up a spot in the Small World Mall to view the parade. But for the best showing view the 2nd parade of the day from Main Street. The setting sun, lights, and Main Street all lead to a great experience, but crowded.

To read the press release that describes it click here

Snow White - an enchanting new musical (2004 - 2007)

My thoughts from the my first viewing of the show on 2/27/04:

• We managed to get into the 2nd Snow White show of the day. We arrived approx. an hour before show time and found ourselves in the extended queue that led up to Toontown. They said everyone in front of the last lightpost up in Toontown would get in. So we got in with room to spare and had an OK seat.
• First off like any new show at Disneyland there will be some growing pains and a learning curve. The first issue we encountered was a the traffic snarl in the area. Between the last show getting out and us waiting to get in add in a Train offloading at the depot and it was near gridlock for quite a while.
• Also we were really surprised by the lack of CMs. They all seemed to congregate in between the two parts of the queue but they did not really make the rounds that much.
• A real surprise by Disney standards we were let into the show about the time the show was supposed to begin.. so we started off over ten minutes late, remember the days things started on time.
• The show itself was OK. I thought the sets were nicely done and the actors did a great job. I do have some concerns with the show. First off is I think the theater is not set up for this type of show. Broadway type shows seem to work better in a controled environment and this semi-outdoor stage just did not do it justice.
• My second concern is there seemed to be a big build up then all of a sudden Snow White is in her sleep the prince arrives and the show is over. When you watch the film the scene of Snow White on the bed in her deep sleep with the dwarfs around is an emotional part of the film. In this production I didn't get that at all. It just sort of happened and was over.
• One other note: In the middle of our show it stopped. No one seemed concerned (tech booth, actors, CMs).. almost seemed like they just had to reboot the show computer or something.

Calling All Space Scouts... A Buzz Lightyear Adventure (2001 - 2004)

This character show really disappointed me. It seems like they tried to do too much in this little show and it really just did not work for me. There were quite a few kids in the audience and most seemed happy/occupied by the show, so it hit that target. The problem is usually Disney shows in the parks appeal to both kids and adults, and this show misses that mark. I think I understand that the show was supposed to be basically an episode of the cartoon show on TV, but it just did not seem to work right on stage. Also I was very annoyed by the Buzz Lightyear voice. You think for the parks they could have gotten Tim Alan to do it for them, its only a couple lines and would have added to the show.

The two parts of the show I enjoyed the most were the little green alien guys. They were funny, a little over used, but still funny. The other part I really enjoyed was looking around the set. They have several "classic" tomorrowland attractions on it as props. Such as the old Rocket Jets or the house of the future. Stop by and check it out.

Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks (Retired 1999)
The original Disneyland fireworks show kept the same name for several years with minor changes to the show over the years.

Main Street Electrical Parade (Hopefully returning....but at DCA for now)
This is by far the most popular Disney parade to date. When the parade was "retired" from Disneyland it created record crowds for the park the entire farewell season. It is hard to explain why this parade consisting of floats covered with Christmas lights with a strange musical soundtrack is so great.... but after experiencing it you will know. Its one of those "Disney moments" to be on Main Street when the lights go down and the computerized voice cues up "Disneyland proudly presents....." Right now this parade is over at Disney California Adventure.

Animazement (1996 - 2001)
This is the current character/musical show being performed on the Fantasyland Theater stage. Its an ok show. Young kids love seeing their favorite Disney characters and hearing their songs. I do not think it is as good as other shows that have been on the stage (aka One Man's Dream & Beauty and the Beast), but its worth going to see if you have children with you.

Mickey's Detective School (2002 - 2003)
This is a character school where you help Mickey and the gang solf the mystery of where Pluto has disappeared to. Its an ok little show, young kids really seem to love it. Its much better than the Buzz Lightyear show, but still not as good as some of the shows in the past.

The Trashcan Trio (Main Street, Tomorrowland)
This is a percussion group dressed as custodial workers. They roam around the park and take "breaks" to perform. I do not know what it is, but people are drawn to the rythm of guys beating on trashcans and water bottles. They can usually be found somewhere between the main Tomorrowland walkway and end of Main Street. If you hear some loud banging follow the sound and it will probably be them.

Steel Drum Band (Adventureland)
This band performs throughout the day from a stage on the second level of the Jungle Cruise Queue. Check your Disneyland guidebook for show times, or ask a CM. They are really good and its fun to just sit on the steps across from them and relax for a bit. Its been quite a few years since I last saw them though... possibly not since the late 90s?

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