Happy New Year everyone. It’s the early evening of January 1st 2005 and I’m already reflecting of events of this year. This morning I woke up early to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade. I wanted to make sure to see the very beginning since my very own Disneyland was doing the pre-show and had the first float in the parade.
I’ve been excited for this little event for some time. A few months ago while walking to my office I had an impromptu conversation with one of the instrumental parties in putting it together. I saw concept art and got a little run-down of what they had planned. Since then I’ve just been so excited. It sounded like Disneyland Entertainment was finally getting back into the hands of people who know how to cater to a theme park audience. No more of this artsy-fartsy crap that has been going on stages in the parks. No more high-concept mush. It seems were finally back to good old american song and dance fun. And it honestly was fun, I was smiling the entire time. I’m a very critical audience of Disney entertainment, and this really made me happy.
Here is how it went (I’m going from memory here so it may not be exact):
The broadcast started with a new TV spot launching the “Happiest Homecoming on Earth” (click here to see it). it’s a cute spot with a great message that really shines through. My only gripe here is that the Disney characters are all done in CG (computer graphics) and they look quite bad. They just don’t look like the characters I grew up to know and love. The only way I can really explain it is Mickey looks like somebody playing the part of Mickey… not the REAL Mickey Mouse. the same goes for everyone in the spot. Cinderella looks like Princess Fiona from Shreck in a different dress, and everyone else just doesn’t look right. I really think this TV spot would have been a lot more effective with traditional animation… If the characters looked like themselves.
Then the live portion began with Mickey Mouse and the Rose Court Queen welcoming everyone from the site of the Rose Parade. Just behind them was a row of fanfare trumpeters (a la Candlelight). As they played their lines opened up to reveal a chorus line of singers and dancers in turn revealing about a million Disney characters all coming through a center archway in Disneyland’s Rose Parade float entry. It was a fantastic float depicting Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland. Absolutely beautiful. And I know I’m a total geek but I get a little teary-eyed when I see all the characters just happy and dancing all together like that. It’s the same reaction I have to the the Mark Twain scene in Fantasmic!.
The music was a very similar arrangement of “Welcome To Our Family” as was used on the 50th launch show (I’m not sure if I ever blogged about that) It’s a piece of music from Brother Bear re-worked for a show-choirish thing.
Anyway.. it went on to be an all singing all dancing musical spectacular, and it was all kinds of fun. When the show was over all the characters hopped on the float and began the parade. Very cool… and Very Disney. I was happy.
Here’s a few links that might be of interest (these are large movie files):