Light Magic
Encyclopedia
Light Magic was a parade
/street show at Disneyland that ran in 1997. Originally billed as a replacement for the venerable 24-year-old Main Street Electrical Parade
, Light Magic opened to poor reviews in May 1997 and closed four months later. Though the company officially stated at the time that the show would return in the year 2000, it never did.
Despite the show's short run, infrastructure improvements made specifically for Light Magic – particularly in Fantasyland
– are still used today.
Light Magic's music was very Celtic
-influenced, and some of the songs in the show included but were not limited to:
Annual Passholders are known for being both the most ardent supporters of Disneyland, while at the same time being its harshest critics. The response to the poor performance of Light Magic's debut was very negative. In response, Disneyland stated that the Annual Passholder night was not truly a debut but was a dress-rehearsal. This did not sit well with the Annual Passholders who had paid a premium price to attend the event under the impression, based on all of the information that had been distributed, that they would be the first to see the finished product, not a test audience with which to work out the bugs. Word of mouth reports quickly spread that Light Magic was not worth seeing, even earning the nickname Light Tragic.
Disney announced that Light Magic would be on hiatus until the year 2000, but 2000 came (and went) without any indication of Light Magic returning.
Three towers constructed on Small World Mall for sound and lighting technician use in Light Magic are still standing. Two currently serve no explicit purpose, but their exterior façades are still maintained. One has been returned to service as a projection tower for Remember... Dreams Come True
.
was incorporated into the finale of Light Magic.
A partial soundtrack for the show can be found on:
The Light Magic theme song "Dream Our Dream" was later used in 2002 in a show called "Minnie's Birthday Surprise" at Videopolis theater in the Disneyland Park
in Paris.
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
/street show at Disneyland that ran in 1997. Originally billed as a replacement for the venerable 24-year-old Main Street Electrical Parade
Main Street Electrical Parade
The Main Street Electrical Parade is a regularly scheduled parade, created by Bob Jani and project director Ron Miziker, famous for its long run at Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort most summers between 1972–1974, 1977–1982, and 1985-1996...
, Light Magic opened to poor reviews in May 1997 and closed four months later. Though the company officially stated at the time that the show would return in the year 2000, it never did.
Despite the show's short run, infrastructure improvements made specifically for Light Magic – particularly in Fantasyland
Fantasyland
Fantasyland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Magic Kingdom-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world. Each Fantasyland has a castle as well as several gentle rides themed after Disney movies...
– are still used today.
Synopsis
Light Magic was a "streetacular" (a portmanteau of "street" and "spectacular"), with floats moving into two performance zones, one located at the Small World Mall, the other on Main Street. Upon reaching the performance zones, the floats would stop and the pixie characters, who were the focus of the show, would awaken to perform step-dancing routines for the audience, later being joined by Disney characters and audience members. During the performance segment, a portion of each of the floats would open to reveal a screen upon which images were projected from equipment hidden in the surrounding buildings. As part of the grand finale, the fairies would use their 'magic' to throw pixie dust, lighting up the buildings with a shower of twinkling lights provided by fiber optics embedded in the structures.Light Magic's music was very Celtic
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
-influenced, and some of the songs in the show included but were not limited to:
- "Dream Our Dream", the Light Magic Theme
- "Little April Shower" from BambiBambiBambi is a 1942 American animated film directed by David Hand , produced by Walt Disney and based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten...
- "Be Our GuestBe Our Guest"Be Our Guest" is a 1991 Academy Award-nominated song from the animated film, Beauty and the Beast. The music was written by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman. The song was sung by Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury, and other singers in the background chorus. The song was nominated for an Academy...
" from Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast (1991 film)Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third film of the Disney Renaissance period... - "Topsy Turvy" from The Hunchback of Notre DameThe Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1996 American animated drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released to theaters on June 21, 1996 by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirty-fourth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, the film is inspired by Victor Hugo's novel of...
- "Step in TimeStep in Time"Step in Time" is a song and dance number from Walt Disney's 1964 film Mary Poppins, and it is composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The choreography for this song was provided by Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood. It is sung by Bert, the chimney sweep and the other chimney sweeps on...
" from Mary PoppinsMary Poppins (film)Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by... - "When You Wish upon a StarWhen You Wish upon a Star"When You Wish upon a Star" is a song written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for Walt Disney's 1940 adaptation of Pinocchio. The original version of the song was sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jiminy Cricket, and is heard over the opening credits and again in the final scene of the...
" from PinocchioPinocchio (1940 film)Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the story The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It is the second film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, and it was made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and was released to theaters by... - "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart MakesA Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes"A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" is a song written and composed by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston for the Walt Disney film Cinderella . In the song Cinderella encourages her animal friends to never stop dreaming, and that theme continues throughout the entire story.The theme of...
" from CinderellaCinderella (1950 film)Cinderella is a 1950 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "Cendrillon" by Charles Perrault. Twelfth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film had a limited release on February 15, 1950 by RKO Radio Pictures. Directing credits go to Clyde Geronimi,... - "Part of Your WorldPart of Your World"Part of Your World" is a song written and composed by the songwriting duo of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. It was originally featured in the 1989 Disney film The Little Mermaid, and is also featured in the Broadway musical adaptation of the film...
" from The Little MermaidThe Little Mermaid (1989 film)The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the film was originally released to theaters on November 14, 1989 and is the twenty-eighth film in... - "Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast (1991 film)Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third film of the Disney Renaissance period...
- "Baroque HoedownBaroque Hoedown"Baroque Hoedown" was created by early synthesizer pioneers Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley in 1966. The composition was once described as being a "harpsichord gone country". It later became the theme song for Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade and for a time, the Electrical Water...
" from the Main Street Electrical ParadeMain Street Electrical ParadeThe Main Street Electrical Parade is a regularly scheduled parade, created by Bob Jani and project director Ron Miziker, famous for its long run at Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort most summers between 1972–1974, 1977–1982, and 1985-1996...
Annual Passholder premiere
Light Magic had a difficult role to fill as The Main Street Electrical Parade had been a favorite at Disneyland for over 20 years. Expectations and apprehensions were both high as Light Magic made its debut at a private event for Disneyland Annual Passholders. The premiere night did not go well as technical problems came up with aligning the floats with the projectors, sound equipment failures and missed cues.Annual Passholders are known for being both the most ardent supporters of Disneyland, while at the same time being its harshest critics. The response to the poor performance of Light Magic's debut was very negative. In response, Disneyland stated that the Annual Passholder night was not truly a debut but was a dress-rehearsal. This did not sit well with the Annual Passholders who had paid a premium price to attend the event under the impression, based on all of the information that had been distributed, that they would be the first to see the finished product, not a test audience with which to work out the bugs. Word of mouth reports quickly spread that Light Magic was not worth seeing, even earning the nickname Light Tragic.
General public response
Light Magic played for the remainder of the summer season in 1997 with the majority of the response from the public ranging from lackluster to complete dislike. Many fans of the Main Street Electrical Parade regarded Light Magic as an unworthy replacement.Disney announced that Light Magic would be on hiatus until the year 2000, but 2000 came (and went) without any indication of Light Magic returning.
Legacy
Despite the show's disastrous reception and short-lived run, much of the infrastructure built for Light Magic – especially in the Small World Mall area – is still used for Disneyland's parades today. These infrastructure improvements included:- Painted asphalt along the parade route was replaced with concrete to accommodate the large, heavy show platforms
- The plaza area in front of it's a small world was widened and terraced to allow more guests a better view of the parade route, similar to the way some areas of New Orleans SquareNew Orleans SquareNew Orleans Square is a themed land found exclusively at Disneyland, though a similarly themed area can be found within Tokyo Disneyland's Adventureland. Based on 19th-century New Orleans, it was the first new land to be added to Disneyland after the park's opening. The land was opened to the...
were terraced for Fantasmic!Fantasmic!Fantasmic! is a Disney nighttime show at Disneyland in the Disneyland Resort, Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World and Tokyo DisneySea in Tokyo Disney Resort. The show features fireworks, live actors, water effects, fire, music, several boats, decorated rafts and projections onto large...
. - A walkway was added parallel to the parade route between Storybook Land Canal BoatsStorybook Land Canal BoatsStorybook Land Canal Boats is an attraction located at the Disneyland and Disneyland Park theme parks. Passengers embark on a leisurely-paced outdoor boat ride through a winding canal featuring settings from Disney animated films recreated in miniature...
and It's A Small World – landscaped to block the view of the parade route from the walkway – in order to allow guests to move in and out of the It's A Small World area during parades. This was added in response to crowded conditions for guests during the final months of the Main Street Electrical Parade's run. - Lighting towers constructed for Light Magic on Small World Mall and atop the Main Street, USA buildings allowed Disneyland to run the same parade in the afternoon and in the evening, rather than running separate afternoon and evening parades as was done for several years of the Main Street Electrical Parade's run (e.g., The Lion King CelebrationThe Lion King CelebrationThe Lion King Celebration was a parade based on the animated film The Lion King. It ran at Disneyland from June 1, 1994 to June 1, 1997 and was designed as though the story of Simba, the protagonist of The Lion King, was a tale passed down in Africa for generations...
).
Three towers constructed on Small World Mall for sound and lighting technician use in Light Magic are still standing. Two currently serve no explicit purpose, but their exterior façades are still maintained. One has been returned to service as a projection tower for Remember... Dreams Come True
Remember... Dreams Come True
Remember... Dreams Come True is a fireworks display commemorating Disneyland's 50th anniversary. Described as an "E ticket in the sky," the show features fireworks, lower level pyrotechnics, isopar flame effects, projections and lasers set to the soundtracks of some of Disneyland's most famous...
.
Soundtrack
Baroque HoedownBaroque Hoedown
"Baroque Hoedown" was created by early synthesizer pioneers Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley in 1966. The composition was once described as being a "harpsichord gone country". It later became the theme song for Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade and for a time, the Electrical Water...
was incorporated into the finale of Light Magic.
A partial soundtrack for the show can be found on:
- Disneyland/Walt Disney World Music VacationDisneyland/Walt Disney World Music VacationDisneyland/Walt Disney World Music Vacation was a 2-CD set only released in Japan in 1997. Out of print.-Disc one:# "Light Magic" – 16:06#*; DREAM OUR DREAMS FANFARE / OPENING / PLAY ON#:* Dream Our Dreams Fanfare#:* Dream Our Dreams Opening Play On...
- Disneyland/Walt Disney World: The Official Album (1997 CD)Disneyland/Walt Disney World: The Official Album (1997 CD)Disneyland/Walt Disney World: The Official Album was the official album for Disneyland and Walt Disney World in 1997. Out of print.-Track listing:#"Fantasyland Castle Medley" - Fantasyland Castle – 5:48#*When You Wish Upon a Star#*Once Upon a Dream...
The Light Magic theme song "Dream Our Dream" was later used in 2002 in a show called "Minnie's Birthday Surprise" at Videopolis theater in the Disneyland Park
Disneyland Park (Paris)
Disneyland Park is a theme park at Disneyland Paris, a resort complex just outside of Paris, in the new town of Marne-la-Vallée, France. The first of two parks built at the resort, it opened as Euro Disneyland on 12 April, 1992...
in Paris.
Production
- Produced by Bruce Healey
- Engineered and Mixed by Paul Freeman
- Announcer: Randy Crenshaw
- Dream Our Dreams Opening Play On (Vocals by Ellis Hall)
- Dream Our Dreams (Vocals by Richard Page)
Show facts
- Grand opening: May 23, 1997
- Annual Passholder Premiere: May 13, 1997
- Closing date: September 8, 1997
- Show length: 20:00
- Cost: Approximately $United States dollarThe United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
20,000,000 - Fiber Optic Cable Length Used: 4500 Miles
- Strobe Lights: 1520