The Electrical Parade Has a Dragon That Works…

WDWNT on June 12, 2009

Summer Nightastic launches tomorrow at the Disneyland Resort, and Disney has released a press release for Fantasmic, as well as more pictures of the updated version of Disney’s Electrical Parade:

More powerful projection technology and some awe-inspiring new creatures – including 37-foot-long eels Flotsam and Jetsam – make “Fantasmic!” an exciting part of Summer Nightastic! at Disneyland. The long-running nighttime special-effects spectacular, presented on the Rivers of America in New Orleans Square and Frontierland, jumps off the screen like never before with stunning video and lighting effects that bring brilliant life to Mickey Mouse’s encounters with classic characters and menacing Disney villains.

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Some Modern Pixie Dust Brings A Classic Up To Date

WDWNT on June 11, 2009

Disney has released a short video and fact sheet about the return of Disney’s Electrical Parade tomorrow night as part of the already flailing Summer Nightastic promotion. The updates to the parade were much needed and the parade appears sparkling and new thanks to LED light technology and a recreated soundtrack:

Tinker Bell leads the procession on an all-new float and her trail of pixie dust enchants all the parade floats with new beauty along the way. The popular pixie waves from the basket of a balloon floating gracefully above a magical garden shimmering with fairy light.

In addition, enhanced versions of two classic favorites will return to the lineup after a 13-year hiatus – the shimmering diamond mine of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the Pleasure Island haunts of Pinocchio.

WHAT: The parade twinkles with approximately half a million lights.  Of those, nearly 10,000 are new “pixie dust” lights spread over the 17 floats. The new LED lights use one-quarter of the power of incandescent lights. The “Tinker Bell” float alone has more than 25,000 points of light and 75 percent are powered by an LED source.

WHEN: Nightly at 8:45 p.m., beginning Friday, June 12, and continuing through Sunday, Aug. 23, at Disney’s California Adventure.

LIGHTS ON DEMAND: A new control system makes it possible, for the first time, for each light to be programmed individually. One example is the new Tinker Bell float, which has 160 dimmers, by far the most of any parade float, to control the lighting. Programming for this parade took approximately two months.

AN EVEN BETTER HOEDOWN: The unforgettable musical theme of the “Electrical Parade,” which has inspired several generations of Disneyland Resort guests to clap along, was adapted from a synthesizer piece known as “Baroque Hoedown,” written in 1967 by Gershon Kingsley and Jean-Jaques Perrey. Disney themes are superimposed over the original piece. For Summer Nightastic!, the distinctive “electro-sytho-magnetic” “Baroque Hoedown” has new audio technology that gives it a richer, fuller sound.

FUN FACTS

  • More than 80 performers appear in each presentation of “Disney’s Electrical Parade.”
  • There are 11,000 lights on the dancers’ costumes alone. Thanks to the energy-efficient LED lights, some of the dancers’ costumes now carry only one battery pack instead of two.
  • All the floats are battery-powered. More than 500 batteries supply power for lighting, propulsion, audio and special effects.
  • Approximately five miles of wire is used throughout the floats.
  • The tallest float in the parade is the Cinderella clock tower, at 18.5 feet tall.
  • The “Fireworks Finale” float, the longest in the parade, has seven cars that span 118 feet.

HISTORY

  • Summer Nightastic! 2009 will mark the 30th summer of the “Electrical Parade” performances at Disneyland Resort.
  • The original “Main Street Electrical Parade” premiered at Disneyland on June 17, 1972.
  • The parade has been performed more than 5,000 times at Disneyland Resort.
  • It has been presented nearly every summer, with the following exceptions: a 1975-76 hiatus for the Bicentennial “America on Parade”; the 1983-84 break for “Flights of Fantasy” parade; and the “Electrical Parade” retirement from Disneyland following the summer of 1996. Renamed “Disney’s Electrical Parade,” it premiered at Disney’s California Adventure in July 2001.
  • The original “Main Street Electrical Parade” floats were “flatter” and less three-dimensional than the current floats. New floats have been added through the years and some – “it’s a small world” float, “Briny Deep” float, and special anniversary floats for Disneyland’s 25th Anniversary (1980) and Mickey Mouse’s 60th Birthday (1988) – have been retired.
  • One of the original floats, the “Title Drum Unit” near the beginning of the parade, was created using an actual bass drum, one of the world’s largest in 1972. This drum had been used in Disneyland parades in the 1960s, when Mickey Mouse used to beat it using large drumsticks.
  • Versions of the parade have been presented at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida (premiering 1977), Tokyo Disneyland (premiering 1985) and Disneyland Paris (premiering 1992).

Pictures of the Tinker Bell Float in Disney’s Electrical Parade!

WDWNT on June 11, 2009

According to the LA Times Travel Blog:

The Electrical Parade marks its return engagement at Disney’s California Adventure on Friday night with Tinker Bell taking over the lead float position from the Blue Fairy.

The new Tink float features a magic wand-wielding face-character waving from the basket of a hot-air balloon amid a sea of shimmering emerald green lights.

The Electrical Parade reboot also includes a return of the mothballed Snow White and Pinocchio floats, upgraded audio of the classic theme song and a sprinkling of “pixie dust” lighting on all the old floats.

Disney has wrapped a series of nighttime shows into a Summer Nightastic promotion that includes the Electrical Parade, a new Magical fireworks show featuring a flying Dumbo and an upgraded Fantasmic featuring Flotsam and Jetsam eels (and eventually a 40-foot-tall Maleficent dragon).

Tinker Bell and Dumbo Take to the Skies

WDWNT on June 11, 2009

ANAHEIM, Calif. (June 12, 2009) – Tinker Bell is helping Disneyland guests celebrate the nights of summer with “Magical,” the new fireworks spectacular presented by Honda. Tink’s sparkling touch will awaken favorite Disney moments and memories from movie classics such as “Pinocchio,” “Mary Poppins” and “Cinderella.” And, in a very special debut, Dumbo proves that elephants can fly as he joins Tinker Bell in a “Magical” flight over Sleeping Beauty Castle.

WHAT: “Magical” is a dazzling new fireworks spectacular in which colorful, precisely choreographed pyrotechnics burst and soar to a soundtrack of celebratory Disney songs. With a wave of her wand, an airborne Tinker Bell ignites the night with a myriad of light and sends guests on a journey of magical Disney celebrations. As beautiful beams of light dance in the sky, Dumbo the flying elephant appears for the first time in a Disneyland fireworks show, flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle.

WHEN: Nightly, beginning Friday, June 12, and continuing through Monday, Sept. 7, at Disneyland. “Magical” may be viewed from Main Street, U.S.A., the mall in front of “it’s a small world” and locations throughout the park.

A PYROTECHNIC SYMPHONY IN FIVE MOVEMENTS: “Magical” is composed of five sequences, each celebrating a different magical experience. It begins with “The Magic of Childhood,” represented by the appearance of Tinker Bell waving her wand to launch the fireworks. Next, Geppetto is heard wishing that Pinocchio could become a real boy; sparkles in the sky announce that the Blue Fairy is near to demonstrate “The Magic of a Wish.” The voice of Mary Poppins teaches “The Magic of Imagination.” Then “The Magic of a Mother’s Love” inspires little Dumbo to fly. Music from the tales of Disney princesses leads into “The Magic of Love’s First Kiss.” And the show concludes with a truly spectacular finale: “It’s Magical.”

THE “MAGICAL” VOICE: Broadway star Eden Espinosa is the soloist on the all-new soundtrack for “Magical.” Prior to a Broadway career that has included the role of Elphaba, the “Wicked Witch of the West” in “Wicked,” both on Broadway and at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, Espinosa delighted Disneyland Resort guests in stage shows and special events at the parks. She attended Canyon Hills High School in Anaheim and Fullerton College. Eden’s performance on the “Magical” soundtrack features an original “Magical” theme along with versions of such beloved melodies as “Baby Mine” from “Dumbo,” “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from “Cinderella,” “The Second Star to the Right” from “Peter Pan” and “Chim Chim Cher-ee” from “Mary Poppins.”

“MAGICAL” – FIREWORKS BY THE NUMBERS

  • The pyrotechnic devices are fully choreographed to “Magical’s” musical soundtrack, using 750 discreet digital control channels.
  • Guests see the burst of fireworks before hearing it because light travels roughly a million times faster than sound.
  • The Disney Air Launch system installed in 2004 creates less ground level smoke than the former system that used black powder.
  • Disney is recognized as the world’s largest producer of fixed-base fireworks shows, at its parks in the United States, France, Japan and China.

A SPARKLING HISTORY OF FIREWORKS AT DISNEYLAND

  • Disneyland opened to the public in July 1955. There was no fireworks show that year.
  • In 1956, after seeing fireworks tests in the Disneyland parking lot when the park was closed, Walt Disney said, “Let’s give it a try.”
  • Mickey Aronson, who worked in Disneyland Resort Entertainment for more than 50 years (originally as an outside fireworks consultant), began “shooting” Disneyland fireworks the summer of 1956. In those days, Aronson fired the show by hand, touching off the fuses with a flare.
  • Beginning in the late 1960s, Disneyland Entertainment developed a system for firing the shells electronically, synchronized to a musical soundtrack.
  • During this period, the fireworks “choreography” was storyboarded like an animated cartoon. At one time, the storyboard artist was Roy Williams, the “Big Mooseketeer” from “The Mickey Mouse Club.”
  • The current system, with its multiple fireworks launch sites, special lighting and lasers, and high-tech marriage of music and choreographed pyrotechnics, was first installed for the 2000 Bicentennial/Disneyland 45th Anniversary show, “Believe…There’s Magic in the Stars.”

More information about “Magical” and other special Summer Nightastic! shows can be found at www.disneyland.com/summer.

More Info on Pixie Hollow Enchantment and the TLT Dance Club

WDWNT on June 9, 2009

Disney has released two press releases on the two smaller items of Summer Nightastic. First up, Pixie Hollow Enchantment:

ANAHEIM, Calif. (June 12, 2009) – Summer nights at Disneyland Resort will sparkle with more pixie dust than ever this year as Tinker Bell and her fairy friends unite to create an iridescent light show in their first appearance under the stars, at Pixie Hollow Enchantment.

WHAT: Tinker Bell and her friends have been welcoming guests into their Pixie Hollow home, tucked into the glen near the entrance to Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, since fall of 2008. This summer, for the first time, nighttime visitors will find magical surprises at Pixie Hollow and see the nearby pond come to life in twinkling light shows.

WHEN: Nightly, at 15 minute intervals, beginning Friday, June 12, and continuing through Sunday, Aug. 23, at Pixie Hollow.

THE MAGIC: Pixie dust cascades across the landscape and radiates down into the pond. Even the water becomes enchanted as playful fountains spring to life, pop jets perform with whimsical precision and sparkling strobes shine throughout Pixie Hollow.

LUMINOUS COLORS: The dazzling light show features an array of luminous colors, from the deepest blues to brilliant reds to the most marvelous whites.

PIXIE MUSIC: The magical score transforms the fairy land after dark and includes all-new songs inspired by the film score from the popular movie, “Tinker Bell.”

LED LIGHTS: Sparkling, dazzling and twinkling effects are created by 1,000 LED strobe lights that use as much as 50 percent less energy than regular incandescent lights. In addition, the attraction is enhanced by colored LED fixtures both in the landscaped areas and in Pixie Dust Lake. While using less energy, the LED fixtures allow the color of the landscape and water to interact with the music.

SHOW DIRECTOR’S COMMENT: “Everyone will be swept away by the great music and shimmer of pixie dust at Pixie Hollow this summer,” said Denny Newell, show director for Pixie Hollow. “This little gem of an addition to Nightastic! combines so many of the elements that make Disneyland the place where dreams come true – great storytelling, cutting-edge technology and, of course, heart.”

And secondly, the TLT Dance Club at the Tomorrowland Terrace:

ANAHEIM, Calif. (June 12, 2009) – This summer guests at the Disneyland Resort will celebrate life’s milestones in a huge party under the stars, Summer Nightastic!, and Disneyland will rock like never before at the new, exciting TLT Dance Club in Tomorrowland.

WHAT: Tweens, teens and families will be drawn to the TLT Dance Club at Tomorrowland Terrace in Disneyland. Dazzling décor includes an illuminated DJ console, where the TLT Dance Club DJ will spin the hottest dance tunes, guaranteed to keep Tomorrowland rockin’ all night.

THE SCENE: The music is pulsing, lights are flashing and Disney performers keep the energy flowing and the moves going. Summer nights get a lot hotter as guests get their groove on at this smokin’ summer hotspot. What’s more, guests can snag giveaway items and also test their Disney knowledge in a variety of fun trivia contests.

WHEN: Nightly, beginning Friday, June 12, and continuing through Sunday, Aug. 23, at Disneyland park.

THE MUSIC: Popular Top-40 bands—including Suburban Legends, Reunion, Tomasina and The Bolts—and DJs from the hottest radio stations in LA and San Diego crank up the music and pump up the energy from a stage flanked by flaming columns. The dance floor will be as jam-packed as the schedule:

June 12 to 13 – Suburban Legends
June 15 to 18 -102.7 KIIS-FM
June 19 to 20 – Reunion
June 22 to 25 – Star 94.1 San Diego
June 26 to 27 – Tomasina
June 29 to July 2 – Latino and La Raza
July 3 to 4 – Suburban Legends
July 6 to 9 – 104.3 MYfm
July 10 to 11 – The Bolts
July 13 to 16 – POWER 106
July 17 to 18 – Tomasina
July 20 to 23 – Super Estrella
July 24 to 25 – Reunion
July 26 – Instant Replay
July 27 to 30 – 102.7 KIIS-FM
Aug. 3 to 6 – Channel 933 San Diego
Aug. 10 to 13 – 104.3 MYfm
Aug. 14 to 15 – Reunion
Aug. 17 to 20 – POWER 106
Aug. 21 to 22 – Tomasina

Performances on other dates to be determined

GET YOUR GLOW ON: Guests will light up the night and the dance floor with glow-in-the-dark necklaces and flashing bracelets available at the TLT Dance Club.

VIRTUAL SHOUT-OUTS: Teens and tweens can give virtual “shout-outs” to friends and family by texting the TLT Dance Club, and the texts will appear on giant plasma screens.

“TOP 8@8” COUNTDOWN: What’s more, club-goers can text their favorite songs to TLT Dance Club and the top tunes will be played in a totally cool countdown, “Top 8@8” countdown.

This Summer Isn’t Looking So Nightastic…

WDWNT on June 9, 2009

According to the LA Times Travel Blog:

While the OMG web rumors aren’t true, the new Maleficent dragon won’t make her scheduled debut this weekend at Disneyland in the upgraded Fantasmic show due to “technical issues.”

Disneyland officials say those “technical issues” do NOT include the latest Internet rumor du jour pinging around the Twittersphere — that the 40-foot-tall dragon’s neck snapped during testing and that the head fell off!

The show will go on sans the dragon — with the new Fantasmic making its official debut on Friday (June 12) with the new Flotsam and Jetsam eels and high-definition video projections on the mist screens.

The new dragon won’t join the show until “later this summer,” according to Disneyland officials. That likely translates to a delay of weeks rather than days for the iconic image of the Anaheim theme park’s Summer Nightastic marketing push.

Space Mountain Refurbishment Details Emerge

WDWNT on June 9, 2009

As reported by the Orlando Sentinel:

Walt Disney World is now more than a month into the seven-month rehab of Space Mountain, and details are trickling out about the changes in store for the venerable roller coaster.

The resort last week filed a construction notice thought to be tied to the Magic Kingdom’s indoor coaster; it calls for the installation of an “interactive queue” and audio-visual upgrades. The notice has touched off speculation that Space Mountain could be in line for an electronic-game-filled queue similar to the one Disney installed at Epcot’s Soarin’ in 2007.

Disney officials, who have been relatively tight-lipped about the Space Mountain changes, previously had said only that the 34-year-old attraction would get a new queue enclosure. They also have said the renovations will include new track — though the layout will remain the same — and a new ceiling.

The Reedy Creek Improvement District puts the rehab’s value at $12.3 million. The ride is scheduled to reopen Nov. 21.

While the interactive exhibits in the queue come as a bit of a surprise, it is has been rumored for sometime that the end of the queue where the attraction loads will be enclosed to make the overall on-ride experience much darker. While the Orlando Sentinel article doesn’t have many details, inside sources have suggested that there will be few other special “surprises” in the queue, ride, and even the exit portion when the attraction returns this winter. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as we get more information on the ongoing refurbishment of Space Mountain.

UPDATE: D23 just posted the following:

New track, a new ceiling and audio-visual upgrades will be in store when Space Mountain re-opens on November 21 after a planned refurbishment.

An HD Dragon, 3D Dragon, and Marriage Proposal!

WDWNT on June 9, 2009

Disney have put up a few new press videos in the past couple of days promoting Summer Nightastic which I wanted to share with everyone:

A magical moment happens on Main Street, U.S.A. when a young man proposes to his girlfriend on a Summer evening at Disneyland.

Make a 3D dragon roar to life, summon Tinker Bell, and launch fireworks — right on your screen! Its all part of the incredible lineup of entertainment during Summer Nightastic at the Disneyland Resort, June 12 August 23. Find out more at Disneyland.com/fantasmic3D.

This summer experience the night in a whole new light, at Disneyland Resort’s Summer Nightastic event. Watch in awe as Fantasmic! ignites the night with awesome new, lifelike creatures—like a 40 ft.-tall, fire-breathing dragon—and amazing HD animation that practically leaps off the giant mist screens! Get your glow-on all summer, from June 12th through August 23rd!

Mobile Room Ready Notification System Announced and Operational

WDWNT on June 8, 2009

Mobile Room Ready Notification Service allows Guests who arrive prior to their check-in time at Disney owned and operated Resort hotels to recieve either a text message or automated voice message when their room is available.

During the check-in process at a Disney Resort, Guests can provide a cell/mobile telephone number and request a return notification preference. When the Disney Resort room is ready, a text message or automated call will be sent to the Guest’s cell/mobile phone number with the room number.

Guests who participate in this new service can enjoy increased flexibility upon arrival at the Disney Resort as their cell/mobile telephone will notify them when their room is ready. Guests may then continue their current activities or proceed to their Disney Resort room.

Guest may of course choose not to participate in this service and will still be able to call the Resort’s room availability telephone number provided to them upon arrival to check the status of their Disney Resort room, or visit the Resort Front Desk at anytime.

Mobile Room Ready Notification Service is now available for Guests staying at Disney operated resort hotels at the Walt Disney World Resort, the Disneyland Resort and all Disney Vacation Club resorts.

Note: if Guests opt to use the text message notification option, standard text message rates apply. Guests should check with their cell/mobile phone carrier for details on their particular plan.