News / Entertainment

You’ve adored the film, fallen in love with Giselle, bought the DVD and played it ’til your neighbours wish you’d be thrown into a well. But did you also read the rumours?

Wishes, the Summer fireworks show at Disneyland Park for the past three years, has had its day. The projection, laser and firework “story in the sky” will not be returning for the 2008 season. Instead, as the whispers have been suggesting for many weeks, an even more Enchanted theme is to take its place.

Finally, we have confirmation! From two sources, no less. First, an official French press release about the Summer season:

“Chaque aprés-midi, alors que les rèves d’imagination, de joie, d’amitié, etc. sont mis en scène dans la Parade des Rèves Disney, le rève d’amour s’exprime, à la nuit tombée dans le parc Disneyland, par le tout dernier spectacle pyrotechnique, Les Feux Enchantés. Cette véritable ode aux grandes histoires d’amour fera vibrer les visiteurs au rythme de la musique du film Il était une fois.”

This excerpt suggests an “ode to great love stories”, “set to the music of Enchanted“.

Secondly and more publicly, an email advertisement sent out to everyone on Disneyland Resort Paris’ UK mailing list has confirmed the show direct to guests:

That’s how we know.

The Enchanted Fireworks — or ‘Les Feux Enchantées’ — will be presented every night over Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant in Disneyland Park, from 5th July to 31st August 2008.

What should we expect?

Big, explosive shells are again out of the question — the huge cost for the resort and noise pollution for local towns is too prohibitive for an event running almost an entire two months. The clever laser and projection effects of Wishes are also not confirmed to be a part of the show. Given the spectacular projection show created just for one night with the opening of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, however, it wouldn’t be too naive to expect those wizards to work at least a little of their magic here.

The music has long been rumoured to be the ‘Enchanted Suite’ from the official soundtrack album. The opening and finale of this track are certainly perfect for fireworks, but a long stretch in the middle — where slower songs such as ‘So Close’ are featured — would likely not lend itself very well at all.

The length of the entire track, at just 4 minutes 35 seconds, is also far shorter than the 9 minutes of Wishes. Should we assume the ‘Enchanted Suite’ will be the basis of the show, but with additions from other parts of the soundtrack?

It is expected the show will be similar and style and size to the popular Tinkerbell’s Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks (1998-2004), which featured the jolly, bouncy songs of Disney’s Peter Pan set to simple, colourful and lively fireworks. This show lasted 6 minutes 50 seconds. In contrast, the slower, story-driven Wishes, though never unpopular with guests, as some fans might suggest, did often fail to make such an instant connection to the audience.

With those brilliant Oscar-nominated songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz such as ‘That’s How You Know‘ and ‘Happy Working Song’ to build upon, The Enchanted Fireworks will likely be more of a “Tink’s” than a “Wishes”, and rather enchanting too.

We’ll know for sure on 5th July.

It was only on 2nd April this year that DLRP Today broke the news that a Disney official had finally confirmed Florida’s retired Disney Stars & Motor Cars Parade was due to make the long journey across the Atlantic to Walt Disney Studios Park here in Paris. But, just a few weeks later, the cars had already arrived in the backstage parade warehouse at Disneyland Resort Paris, as shown in these pictures below, from an unknown source.

All parts of these pictures except the cars have been blurred out.

So, what can we see? Did all of the cars make it safely across the pond? Ever since the parade was even rumoured to be coming to Paris, nay-sayers have discussed at length the improbability of Disneyland Resort Paris featuring a parade with such “far-out” characters as Playhouse Disney, Power Rangers, Star Wars and The Muppets.

The first picture, above, shows the following cars, left-to-right front-to-back: Toy Story, Snow White, Disney Villains, Playhouse Disney, Aladdin, The Muppets (hot air balloon removed for transportation), The Little Mermaid.

The second picture, below, shows the following additional cars, left-to-right: Mary Poppins, Lilo & Stitch, Monsters Inc, Mulan.

As you may have already noticed, the futuristic cream-coloured Star Wars car is notably absent, as is the outlandish lightning-themed Power Rangers car. Neither were truthfully expected to appear in Paris, considering both the different audience and character licensing contracts here. The only other missing car is the Fab 4’s old-timer, used as the parade’s finale, which is still expected to show up.

The Muppets and Playhouse Disney are surprisingly present… but will they make it to the parade? Rumours have now shifted to which cars could be stripped down and rebuilt for different characters before the parade premieres. Our sources suggest the strongest contenders at the moment are, surprise surprise: The Muppets and Playhouse Disney — but also the Disney Villains car.

Missing: Star Wars

Disney’s Once Upon a Dream Parade introduced a float dedicated to the Villains last year, so a double-up does seem unlikely. Will the Stars & Motor Cars Parade be a saintly event from start to finish, then? You must be joking! That same ‘Dreams of Power’ float is missing one of Paris’ favourite villains that, from what we’re hearing, sounds like a very likely new star for the parade: a vicious female with a taste for… fur.

Another character apparently popular with the parade directors to be featured in the Paris edition is Captain Jack Sparrow, which would make this his first ever Disney parade appearance.

Look between the cars, however, and things get even more interesting. As recently announced by insider “zanderstarz” on magicforum, new characters, dance units and “skill units” will fill out the entire parade. When it finally premieres in Paris, expect to see new features such as stilts and sky runners alongside additional characters like The Incredibles, Ratatouille and perhaps the retired Finding Nemo pedal-along from Disney Cinema Parade.

Our sources add that alongside many new costumes and props, older items from the likes of Disney Cinema Parade and the Kids Carnivals could be recycled.

It’s all in the show: Original Florida units, can Paris do better?

Finally… how will it be performed? This question appeared out of nowhere after several insiders suggested the parade could even be split into three or four “character events”, rolling out into the park several times a day like a more frequent edition of the classic Good Morning Walt Disney Studios concept. This leads into the suggestion from our source that the name could even be changed to ‘Disney’s Stars ‘n’ Cars Event’, and would fit in with several other concepts being discussed for 2009’s Mickey Mouse-themed year of celebrations.

And, whilst the rumours that Playhouse Disney: Live on Stage could premiere as early as Christmas now appear to have spread also to the Stars & Motor Cars, which wait patiently in the “green room” backstage, other insiders indicate rehearsals will only start in December, with the premiere scheduled for late March 2009.

Phew. Maybe we should have expected all this. When there are big American stars (not to mention their motor cars) involved, nothing is ever simple…

— PhotosMagiques.com has photos of the original parade and all its cars and stars here.

In the evolution of the Disney theme park, this could be as big as Fastpass. You’re used to checking the latest wait times on the park information board before heading off to your first destination, but imagine being able to see them, live, across the park — on your mobile phone.

Now, at Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, you can. Grabbing the latest show times for CinéMagique whilst enjoying a bite to eat inside Disney Studio 1 might not be exactly revolutionary — what’s wrong with picking up a Programme leaflet, afterall — but it’s with the live, constantly updated attraction wait times where this system is truly exciting.

Stand by Crush’s Coaster in Toon Studio and you can see the exact wait time of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith right across the park. Near The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, you could suddenly spot the queue time for Crush’s Coaster drop to 30 minutes and be able to make a quick dash for a quicker entry to the park favourite.

Whereas the times on the central tips board would previously be out of reach to anyone stood more than 10ft away, and generally only used to plan your first attraction of the day, Disneyland Resort Paris has experimented with Bluetooth technology to give a park the biggest shake-up since Fastpass ticketing, distributing guests to the attractions with smaller queues throughout the day.

Advertisement sent via Walt Disney Studios Park’s Bluetooth.

How does it work?

Most modern mobile phones come equipped with Bluetooth as standard, a short-range wireless feature that lets you exchange photos, messages and more between two handsets. You might use it for a wireless headset or linking to your car stereo, for example.day.

Turn Bluetooth on in your phone’s settings, and when walking into one of these “Bluetooth hotspots”, you’ll get a request to receive data. Accept, and the latest show times, wait times and more will be sent to your phone in the form of small images (see above). These cycle through the latest park information, which is updated in synchronisation with the main park information board, constantly updated with the latest times.

Where does it work?

At present, the system is not available in every corner of the park. The Bluetooth standard only allows for a short-range frequency and so transmitters must be installed across the park to create the “hotspots”, much like the Wi-Fi internet you might use at cafés or in your own home. So far, the service will activate at Disney Studio 1, the Information Board, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Crush’s Coaster.

The park’s Entertainment Programme has advertised the feature since the end of May and the old information board (now placed at the end of Hollywood Boulevard) explains the system (see below). It is not known, however, whether this trial period could result in more transmitters being installed in the long term. Certainly, an additional hotspot in Backlot or the park’s restaurants would be very useful.

What is expected, though, is that should the Walt Disney Studios Park trial be proven worthwhile and well-received (forgive the pun), the system will — in time — debut at Disneyland Park. Which, given that this park contains considerably more real “rides” than its cousin, could be where the new Disney theme park age really dawns.

The stepping stone to this ambitious project was the introduction of a new information board at Walt Disney Studios Park late last year, fully integrated into the new Hollywood Boulevard. Like the board at Disneyland Park which was refurbished back in 2006, this uses bright LCD screens behind the board to display the times, which the computer collects automatically from the electronic turnstiles at each of the park’s attractions.

Bluetooth zones explained.

Disneyland Park was the first Disney theme park in the world to introduce this system, and remained the only park with such a “Tips Board” until Walt Disney Studios Park followed suit as the second. At the Studios, the concept was taken even further with small screens displaying clips from CinéMagique, Animagique and Moteurs… Action! on a loop, to entice guests to these shows.

So, next time you visit the Studios, you don’t need big eyes — or ears — to keep track of the latest wait times. Just a little mobile phone magic.

The Bluetooth Disney park revolution has begun!

[Images: DLRP Today; Joel’s Photo Hunt; Melroy, Disney Gazette]

As Candleabration clocked up its 365th performance and continued into its second year as part of ‘The Celebration Continues… Big Time!’, the fifteen candles spread across Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant continued to have their flickering, orange LED lights hampered by the setting sun.

The show is usually scheduled as the final piece of entertainment of the day, often exactly at the park’s closing time, but, for much of the year, this closing time just isn’t late enough to let the fifteen birthday candles glow. And so, as Mickey Mouse points up into the sky and toward the Castle, intending to send his magical energies to light up the candles, it appears as if he is merely making wild hand and arm gestures to the “Flying” soundtrack — a slightly uninspiring finale for any guests who don’t realise the problem.

However, since at least April this year, the illumination moment has been improved significantly thanks to a long line of streamers which burst into the sky from every side of the circular Central Plaza Stage. Now, every time Mickey points across to the castle, his hand gestures are joined by a golden streamer erupting from one side of the stage.

In Video

The streamers are rather a fitting addition considering the “presents” theme of ‘The Celebration Continues’, and a welcome addition for the many parents and children who didn’t quite grab one of the Disney’s Once Upon a Dream Parade streamers quickly enough…

Summer and Christmas have so far been the only times when darkness could be guaranteed for the ceremony, due to the late opening hours and early nightfall respectively. The 15th Anniversary launch night on 31st March 2007 also saw a special edition of the show presented under darkness.

This year’s Spring/Summer season officially begins on 5th April, when the parks suddenly come to life with many additional entertainments that run until the end of August. Set to return already are favourites The Tarzan Encounter, High School Musical On Tour (from 12th April) and Good Morning Walt Disney Studios, with Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Too on select dates and during the main Summer season. Add to that the recently-confirmed High School Musical 2 show, a brand new production featuring the songs of the second hit movie.

But that’s not all… Preparations have been underway for some time on a couple more brand new “spectacles”, specific to their locations and set to feature some rare stars from the Disney archives.

The first is currently known as Good Morning Mary Poppins and will be a brand new morning show for Main Street, U.S.A., taking place several times early each day on the Town Square gazebo.

Information from member zanderstarz on magicforum reveals that the small show will feature Mary and Bert alongside three penguin waiters and three dancing couples, for a total cast of 11. Music and recorded singing is apparently taken entirely from existing sources, notably the soon-to-end Disney Cinema Parade.

This could be considered a replacement for last year’s morning event, Alpha Bet You Are, and will be the first daily morning entertainment on Main Street, U.S.A. for quite some time, coming many years after the Good Morning Main Street character happening was retired. It is due to begin from Saturday, 5th April.

The second new event also looks set to return daily entertainment to an underused area of the park — the Castle Courtyard, behind Sleeping Beauty Castle, occasionally home to The Sword in the Stone Ceremony. Provisionally titled The Aurora and Prince Phillip Happening, this mini-show will star the royal couple themselves in a regal ceremony that will likely be rudely interrupted by Maleficent, making it sound somewhat similar to the Halloween event which took place here during the festival’s brief introduction to Fantasyland in 2004.

Source zanderstarz also suggests that royal guard-like figures and fairytale maidens may also make an appearance in the happening, which is currently expected to begin on Wednesday, 26th April.

Finally, a controversial Walt Disney Studios Park memory from last Summer is also due to return…

‘Toon Train…Lights! Camera! Musique!‘, the musical show which featured Chip, Dale and their female friend Clarice alongside a live band, left many fans cold during the Summer of 2007, but the trailer sets it was based upon — originally used for the Starring Cruella De Vil show — are likely to return to the park again soon in another new guise.

However, current plans state their use will definitely be more alike that of the Christmas event ‘Toons en Scene pour les Fetes‘ — as in simply to bring characters into the park and to act as meet ‘n’ greet photolocations. Characters touted so far are Lilo and Stitch, Chip ‘n’ Dale and Abby the Duck with Chicken Little, but this could certainly change.

Add to this promising mix of new and old the 15th Anniversary favourites Disney Characters’ Express, Candleabration and Disney’s Once Upon a Dream Parade, and you’ve got the makings of a busy Spring season of entertainment in Disneyland Resort Paris!

— See magical Disneyland Resort Paris entertainment in motion at DLRP Magic! Video >>

However, the park was distinctly quieter than the same day in 2007, which fell on a Saturday, when record crowds filled the pathways to bursting point and packed into Le Théâtre du Château to see the Irish dancing, musical groups and Disney characters dressed in Celtic greens. On a Monday in low season, the day was a quieter yet still unique occasion to experience at Disneyland.

Once again, it was Le Théâtre du Château which hosted the dance troupes, bands and face painting events throughout the day, swapping its recent St. David’s Day makeover for a return of the green and yellow Irish decorations.

The dance troupes and entertainers themselves were also familiar — many, such as The Lee-Byrne Academy Dancers returning to the resort for the third time. They entertained park guests four times throughout the day with traditional dance, joined halfway through the show by Chip ‘n’ Dale in similar costume.

In the morning and later into the evening, the Gatwick Caledonian Pipe Band provided live music on the stage (see first picture).

All of the performers from both the dance troupe and pipe band, as well as a marching band from Northern Ireland, also took part in the special St Patrick’s Day pre-parade, dancing, drumming and piping their way along the parade route, followed by the stars of the show: Mickey and Minnie in bright green “leprechaun” costumes, riding on the redecorated Main Street fire truck

The pair could be met by guests at their usual locations on Town Square and at Casey’s Corner throughout the morning.

To round out the day of celebrations, which also included Celtic music in Disney Village and into the night at Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon, the St Patrick’s Day Fireworks exploded into the sky above Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant. The fireworks were largely the same in formation as 2007, with the music remaining identical to the previous two years.

Video by arno-hh on Dailymotion:

[Credits: Programme from Scrooge on DMI forum; Photos by Willi77 on DisneyGazette forum]

Whilst the show’s two US homes — Disney’s California Adventure and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — were content to simply replace their original ‘High School Musical: Pep Rally’ street productions with the brand new ‘High School Musical 2: School’s Out’ last Summer, featuring mostly songs from the Disney Channel sequel, it appears Walt Disney Studios Park will be doing things a little differently.

High School Musical 2: School’s Out, the DCA and DHS version

Replacing High School Musical On Tour with a show dedicated almost entirely to songs from the second TV movie would certainly upset fans of the original film’s soundtrack. So, the current plan is for a very clever compromise — the original High School Musical On Tour will return for two performances, each with two show stops, in the morning and early afternoon of each day.

Then, in the afternoon, it’s “the start of the something new”, as High School Musical 2 rolls into town with a brand new show based on that at Disney’s California Adventure! This show features a Summer theme, a redecorated version of the rolling stage and a few of the stars arriving by golf cart, as the ‘HSM’ stars find themselves “Summer vacation” jobs. Songs featured in the US versions are ‘What Time is it?’, ‘Work this Out’, ‘You are the Music in me’, ‘I Don’t Dance’ and ‘All for One’, along with an encore of the first film’s ‘We’re all in this Together’.

Brochure promotions for the show(s)

Current promotions for “The Celebration Continues“ year so far have only stated that a “High School Musical Show” will be playing. This news confirms for the first time that not only will Paris receive the High School Musical 2 sequal, but fans of the films will actually be able to discover two different ‘HSM’ productions in the same day.

It is not currently known how or if the decoration of the stage would differ between each show, since the High School Musical 2: School’s Out shows in the US, pictured above (top), feature a twist on the original design.

Rehearsals using this planned schedule are due to begin soon, with High School Musical‘s rolling stage returning to the streets of Walt Disney Studios Park from 5th April, with just one performance (with two stops) of each show daily, until five performances per day begin from 12th April — two of the original, three of the sequal. The shows are then scheduled to run right through to 31st August 2008.

Since the opening year of 1992, Disneyland Resort Paris has celebrated Christmas with bigger and better events each and every year. For the 15th Anniversary, we were promised an “exceptionnoël” season, and, with a Father Christmas Village and Enchanted Candleabration to discover amongst countless old favourites, this is truly the biggest and most spectacular Christmas season the resort has ever seen.

Click below to play the video — and chante, c’est noël!

The video is exclusive to this page and cannot be seen on our usual Dailymotion account, so please do spread around this link to share the sights of the most magical Disney Christmas on Earth!

You can find full guides, histories, photo galleries, fun facts and useful tips for Disney’s Christmas Season 2007/08 in the extensive DLRP Magic! Guidebook chapter for the season.

— Video footage and music © Disney/Euro Disney Associés S.C.A.