First look: Mickey's Soundsational Parade
A drum line. An alligator with a trumpet. A monkey with cymbals. A prince with a gong. A certain Mouse with a drum set. Put them together, and you have the potential for a cacophony of sound that sends parents scurrying for their noise-canceling headphones. Fortunately, Mickey's Soundsational Parade neatly weaves all of these musical elements into a charming production that is—even if not the next Lion King Celebration or Mulan parade—far more engaging and entertaining than the late and unlamented Celebrate: A Street Parade.
Mickey's Soundsational Parade begins with a drum line recruited from Georgia and Florida. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Disneyland held a “soft opening” preview of the new daytime parade on Thursday, and the sidewalks were crowded with visitors eager for their first look at the new floats and costumes. Steve Davison, Vice President, Parades & Spectaculars for Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment, said, “It's kinda fun to see the energy explode back in Disneyland, since we haven't had a parade since Christmas.”
In a Disney first, Mickey Mouse actually plays the drums live during the parade. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
A six-person drum line leads the way, followed by the first float, which features Mickey Mouse actually playing an acoustic drum set. John Addis, Senior Show Direction, Disney Entertainment Productions, said the members of the drum line were recruited from Georgia and Florida, and some appeared in the movie Drumline.
Goofy follows the lead float and adds his own rhythm to the parade. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Goofy follows on a satellite unit, pushed by Chip and Dale, and has his own oversize drum and cymbals to play. Davison said, “This is the fastest tempo we've ever done in a parade. Initially everyone said, 'You can't do a parade that fast,' and I said, 'Why not? Let's try it!'”
The Genie and a troupe of cymbal dancers introduce the Aladdin unit. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Abu appears as a cymbal monkey at the end of the Aladdin section. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix
The next unit is led by the Genie from Aladdin, followed by a troupe of cymbal dancers. Addis described the musical tone of this unit as “Bollywood meets Arabian nights.” Aladdin glides down the street atop an oversize drum and strikes a gong in time to the music, but don't overlook the satellite unit that marks the end of this section. Abu, Aladdin's mischievous companion, is featured as a mechanical, cymbal-playing monkey.
Dancers in colorful costumes introduce the Little Mermaid unit. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Art directors Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily designed the parade floats to resemble a pop-up book. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Ariel rides atop the next float, which really showcases the “pop-up book” look designed by parade art directors Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily. Davison said, “Kevin and Jody hid a lot of stuff in the floats. If you look beyond what you are supposed to look at, you'll see a lot of different textures and layers to it.”
A crab spins and swims after the Little Mermaid float. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Davison wouldn't give away any specifics, but hinted, “There's a lot of stuff in the drums, if you sit on different sides there's different graphics.” Ariel is followed by a castanet-waving crab, reminiscent of the twirling, spinning snails and turtles of the Main Street Electrical Parade.
The Three Caballeros return to Disneyland in Mickey's Soundsational Parade. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
New Jose and Panchito costumes were created for Disneyland's new parade. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
John Addis is especially proud of the next unit. “I fought and fought to bring the The Three Caballeros back,” he said. Indeed, the birds are back; with Jose and Panchito leading the way, and Donald swinging at a piñata atop his float. Davison said, “We actually had to go back and re-create the Jose and Panchito costumes because they don't exist anymore. So we wanted to bring it back in the park and have people ask, 'What is that?'” Addis added, “I'm kinda hoping everyone is going to go out and get Netflix and see The Three Caballeros again.”
Rapunzel's tower dominates the view on Main Street, U.S.A. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Five Disney princesses ride on the “heroines” float in Mickey's Soundsational Parade. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Most viewers will likely term the next unit the “Princess float,” but Addis refers to the ladies as heroines. “If you look at it, each one of those ladies is a heroine in her film,” he said. Led by a procession of “court dancers,” the exceptionally tall float depicts Rapunzel's tower from Tangled, and features Snow White, Aurora, Rapunzel, Belle, and Cinderella.
Terk and King Louie join Simba in the jungle unit. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Simba, standing atop a stylized Pride Rock drum, makes yet another Disney parade appearance in the next unit. The jungle unit is led by King Louie, and features music from The Lion King, Tarzan, and The Jungle Book. Regarding the music selections, Davison said, “We started with the best Disney songs on earth. You want to pick stuff that everyone knows. You instantly know the song, you instantly know what movie it's from. You can sing along if you want.”
The Princess and the Frog unit features Tiana and Louis. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Kidney and Daily incorporated musical instruments in the design of the paddleboat, including using clarinets as smokestacks. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Tiana and her New Orleans crew from The Princess and the Frog float down Main Street on a Mississippi riverboat in the next unit, surrounded by Mardi Gras dancers. The float also features Louis, the trumpet-playing alligator. Kidney and Daily incorporated musical instruments in the design of the paddleboat, including using clarinets as smokestacks.
Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and a pirate crew make an appearance in Mickey's Soundsational Parade. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Tinker Bell is the star of the next unit, using her magic wand to “play” an array of mushrooms. Mr. Smee, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and a band of pirates lead the procession.
Chimney sweeps step in time down Disneyland's Main Street. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Explaining the inspiration for the next float, Addis said, “People come up to me all the time and say, 'Why aren't Bert and Mary in a parade?' With a parade called Soundsational, I wanted to make sure that music was in the parade.” Fans of Mary Poppins will be delighted with this unit, which begins with a procession of dancing chimney sweeps, and continues with Mary and Bert riding on carousel horses. Davison adds, “Mary Poppins is just a classic, there's no better music. The Sherman Brothers are geniuses and to put that back in the parade, or even just back into Disneyland in a huge way, I think pays them a great honor.”
Mary Poppins rides a carousel horse in Mickey's Soundsational Parade. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Mary Poppins and Bert lead the Jolly Holiday unit in Disneyland's new parade. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The Mary Poppins theme continues onto the parade's final float, an oversized unit “driven” by the huntsman from the Jolly Holiday scene. Penguins ride a moving carousel at the front of the float, and more chimney sweeps ride on the back of the unit, crafted to look like the rooftops of London. Members of the Disneyland band ride along, providing the closing musical themes of the parade.
The huntsman steers a whimsical carousel down Main Street. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
In describing the parade's musical direction, Addis said, “Steve Davison wanted each of the units to have their own individual sound and tonal quality, and I think we accomplished that. You've got Mickey and the drums, Aladdin with the with the cymbals. With the Three Caballeros, I wanted that south-of-the-border, South American flavor.” After watching the parade's first performance for park visitors, Addis said, “The guest reaction was incredible. When the drum line started coming down the street I was hearing cheers, and people were clapping. It's very rewarding for me.”
Mickey's Soundsational Parade ends with the rooftops of London, and the Disneyland band. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Mickey's Soundsational Parade kicks off Disneyland's Soundsational Summer marketing campaign, along with The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure and Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, both scheduled to open Friday, June 3.
