Main Street Electrical Parade
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Main Street Electrical Parade | |
 |
|
| Disneyland | |
| Opening date | June 17, 1972 |
| Closing date | November 25, 1996 |
| Sponsored by | Energizer (1985), General Electric (1996) |
| Magic Kingdom | |
| Opening date | June 11, 1977 |
| Closing date | April 1, 2001 |
| Note | The parade closed September 14, 1991 and reopened May 28, 1999 |
| Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLights | |
| Tokyo Disneyland | |
| Opening date | March 9, 1985 |
| Closing date | April 1, 2001 |
| Sponsored by | Unisys |
| Disneyland Park (Paris) | |
| Opening date | April 12, 1992 |
| Closing date | March 23, 2003 |
| Sponsored by | Philips (1992 - 2002) |
| Disney's Electrical Parade | |
| Disney's California Adventure | |
| Opening date | July 3, 2001 |
| Sponsored by | Sylvania |
The Main Street Electrical Parade is a regularly-scheduled parade, created by Bob Jani, that is most famous for its long run at Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort most summers between 1972-1975, 1977-1982, and 1984-1996. It features floats and live performers covered in thousands of electronically-controlled lights and a synchronized soundtrack triggered by radio control along key areas of the parade route. The parade was also spun-off many other versions that ran or continue to run at Disney parks around the world.
Contents |
[edit] Origin
The predecessor to the Main Street Electrical Parade is the Electrical Water Pageant, a show made up of seven 25-foot (7.6 m) tall screens with electrical lights placed on them. The screens are placed on a string of seven barges which travel around the Seven Seas Lagoon just in front of the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort, beginning at 9pm at Disney's Polynesian Resort, or immediately after the fireworks if they are scheduled for 9pm. The Electrical Water Pageant still shows today. The Electrical Water Pageant has been showing since October 26, 1971, just weeks after the Walt Disney World Resort opened.
The Main Street Electrical Parade had counterparts of the same name and layout at the Magic Kingdom which ran from 1977 to 1991 when it was replaced by a similar parade called SpectroMagic. From 1999 to 2001, the original Disneyland parade also appeared at the Magic Kingdom, before returning to Disneyland for the final run. In 1992, the parade from the Magic Kingdom went to Disneyland Paris and ran from 1992 to 2003, when it was replaced by Fantillusion, a nighttime parade from Tokyo Disneyland, which had earlier replaced the Tokyo version of the Main Street Electrical Parade. Tokyo Disneyland's current Electrical Parade, Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLights was a return to the style of the original updated with new music and floats.
In 1972, when the Main Street Electrical Parade debuted, the engineers who helped create the parade also created the first show-control program in existence. This allowed the 2000-foot long parade route to contain multiple radio-activated "trigger zones". Using radio-activated triggers as each float entered a new zone, the audience would hear float-specific music through the Disneyland audio system. Each zone was between 70-100 feet long, and the zoned system meant that every person along the parade route would experience the same show, no matter where they stood along that route. [1] Until 1977, almost all of the floats were 2D and had to be pulled or pushed along the parade route. The Blue Fairy float was the only 3D float, and ran until closing. A 3D "Chinese Dragon" float was added later on.
The Main Street Electrical Parade was so popular that light bulbs certified as having been part of the show were sold to collectors. The 2001 opening of Disney's California Adventure immediately across from Disneyland proved to be the perfect venue for resurrecting the original parade, now titled simply Disney's Electrical Parade since Disney's California Adventure has no "Main Street, USA." The floats were from the original Disneyland parade (sans Pinocchio segment), which ran at the Magic Kingdom afterwards for a short two-year run, and was returned to Anaheim to help bring in crowds at the new park. The parade has been running year-round since July 2001 except on off-season evenings when the park closes at 6:00pm. The costumes and floats were used in the Walt Disney World version starting in 1999 and were shipped to the Southern California facility after the show's run ended. It finished its 9-month hiatus during the 2005 off-season at the Disneyland Resort, which allowed all of the floats to get new lights, and for the drum to say "Disney's Electrical Parade, Presented by Sylvania". The parade has run nearly every night since its opening, except for late 2001 through early 2003, when tourism was down from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
[edit] Music
The Main Street Electrical Parade's underlying theme song is entitled "Baroque Hoedown." The original version was created in 1967 by early synthesizer pioneers Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley. Originally, the parade's soundtrack had the same themes as the current recording, but was a different arrangement by Jim Christensen and Paul Beaver. In 1977, it was updated and arranged by electronic music artist Don Dorsey and Jack Wagner at Jack Wagner Studio, which is still used today.
The soundtrack to the parade has been released numerous times, here are a few releases that contain the multiple versions of the parade:
- Main Street Electrical Parade (1973 LP) (Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort)
- Main Street Electrical Parade (1977 LP) (Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World)
- The Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World (1991 CD) - medley of the parade
- Fantasmic! Good Clashes with Evil in a Nighttime Spectacular (1992 CD) (Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort) - contains Return To Oz & Disneyland's 25th Anniversary floats
- The Main Street Electrical Parade (1999 CD) (Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World)
- Les Parades En Musique (2000 CD) (Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort Paris)
- Disney's Electrical Parade (2001 CD) (Disney's California Adventure, Disneyland Resort) - character voices included
- Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights (2001 CD) (Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort) - features both Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights and Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade, as well as character voices and sound effects
- Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights Show Mix Edition (2001 CD) (Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort) - features two tracks, one with the character voices and one without
- A Musical History of Disneyland (2005) (Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort) - character voices included
Don Dorsey used the following sythesizers to create the soundtrack: Moog Model III, Mini-Moog, Steiner-Parker Synthacon, Oberheim 8-voice, Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, Fender Rhodes Piano, New England Digital Synclavier II, Bode 7702 Vocoder, Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter, Yamaha DX7 and Yamaha TX7.
Jack Wagner was the voice that was synthesized for the intro and outro to the parade, until Don Dorsey took over after Wagner passed away in 1995, as noted by Dorsey in a documentary about the parade: "From One Lightbulb To Another".
[edit] Remixes
A remix of the Electrical Parade (called the Retro Future Remix) was released on Dance Dance Revolution Disney Mix, and contains audio resamplings from the Apollo 8 reading of Genesis.
In Japan, Walt Disney Records released a CD called DJ Digs Main Street Electrical Parade which featured the theme music remixed by Japanese DJs.
In 1998, a Disney Tribute Album entitled We Love Mickey ~Happy 70th Anniversary (Walt Disney Records), featuring covers of Disney songs by Japanese artists, included a remake by The Eccentric Opera. The track uses samples from Dorsey's arrangement and Snow White. Lyrics are from from an unknown source.
[edit] Trivia
- The drive vehicles for the smaller units have four wheels and are called "whirlybugs". When they spin, the front and back wheels turn sideways while the side wheels stay straight.
- The lighted costumes that parade performers wear cost about five to six thousand dollars to make, many lights and fabrics were imported from France.
- If a parade float breaks down, a small tractor is used to pull the float to the end of the route.
- During its run at Disneyland, the parade was put on hold so two other parades could be shown. America on Parade was shown from 1975 through 1976, and Flights of Fantasy Parade was shown from 1983 through 1984.
- A new version of the Electric Parade was being worked on for debut in the year 2000, but the project was cancelled for unknown reasons.
[edit] Show facts
[edit] Disneyland Resort
[edit] Main Street Electrical Parade
- Park: Disneyland
- Original Run: June 17, 1972 - November 25, 1996
- Sponsors: Energizer - 1985 General Electric - 1996 Farewell season
[edit] Floats
- Blue Fairy
- Casey Jr. Circus Engine
- Alice in Wonderland
- Mushroom with Butterfly and Ladybug
- Snails
- Mushroom with Alice and Cheshire Cat
- Fireflys
- Mushroom with The Caterpillar and Frog (originally a butterfly)
- Turtles
- Centipede
- Cinderella
- Pumpkin Coach
- Ballroom
- Cinderella's Ball
- Clock Tower
- Dumbo's Circus
- Hippo and King Leonidas Calliope
- Four Ring Circus with Dumbo and Clown (split into two parts before 1996)
- Bear Balancing on Barrels
- Elephant Bathing
- Pinocchio
- Funhouse Face and Pleasure Island Part 1
- Pleasure Island Part 2
- Peter Pan
- Pirate Ship
- Smee's Boat
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Dwarf Mine
- Dopey's Mine Carts
- Sleeping Beauty Dragon (1972 - 1974)
- Pete's Dragon (1977 - 1996, replaced Sleeping Beauty Dragon)
- Return To Oz (1985)
- Disneyland's 25th Anniversary (1980 - 1988)
- It's a Small World (1973 - 1983)
- To Honor America
[edit] Light Magic
- Park: Disneyland
- Original Run: May 23, 1997 - September 8, 1997
[edit] Disney's Electrical Parade
- Park: Disney's California Adventure
- Original Run: July 3, 2001 - Present
- Sponsor: Sylvania (2006 - Present) [2] [3]
[edit] Floats
- Blue Fairy
- Casey Jr. Circus Engine
- Alice in Wonderland
- Mushroom with Butterfly and Ladybug
- Snails
- Mushroom with Alice and Cheshire Cat
- Fireflys
- Mushroom with The Caterpillar with Frog
- Turtles
- Centipede
- Cinderella
- Pumpkin Coach
- Ballroom
- Cinderella's Ball
- Clock Tower
- Peter Pan
- Pirate Ship
- Smee's Boat
- Dumbo's Circus
- Hippo and King Leonidas Calliope
- Four Ring Circus with Dumbo and Clown
- Bear Balancing on Barrels
- Elephant Bathing
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Dwarf Mine
- Dopey's Mine Carts
- Pete's Dragon
- To Honor America
[edit] Walt Disney World Resort
[edit] Main Street Electrical Parade
- Park: Magic Kingdom
- Original Run: June 11, 1977 - September 14, 1991
- Second Run: May 28, 1999 - April 1, 2001
[edit] Floats
- Blue Fairy
- Casey Jr. Circus Engine
- Alice in Wonderland
- Mushroom with Butterfly and Ladybug
- Snails
- Mushroom with Alice and Cheshire Cat
- Fireflys
- Mushroom with The Caterpillar with Frog
- Turtles
- Centipede
- Cinderella
- Pumpkin Coach
- Canopies
- Staircase and Prince Charming
- Clock Tower
- Peter Pan (1999 - 2001)
- Pirate Ship
- Smee's Boat
- Dumbo's Circus
- Hippo and King Leonidas Calliope
- Four Ring Circus with Dumbo and Clown (1999-2001)
- Bear Balancing on Barrels
- Elephant Bathing
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1999 - 2001)
- Dwarf Mine
- Dopey's Mine Carts
- Pete's Dragon
- It's A Small World (1977 - 1991)
- To Honor America (1979 - 2001)
[edit] SpectroMagic
- Park: Magic Kingdom
- Original Run: October 1, 1991 - May 21, 1999
- Second Run: April 2, 2001 - Present
[edit] Tokyo Disney Resort
[edit] Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade
- Park: Tokyo Disneyland
- Japanese Name (in Kanji): 東京ディズニーランド・エレクトリカルパレード
- Japanese Name (in Romaji): Tokyō Dizunīrando Erekutorikaru Parēdo
- Original Run: March 9, 1985 - June 21, 1995
[edit] Floats
- Blue Fairy
- Casey Jr. Circus Engine
- Alice in Wonderland
- Mushroom with Butterfly and Ladybug
- Snails
- Mushroom with Alice and Cheshire Cat
- Fireflys
- Mushroom with The Caterpillar and Frog
- Turtles
- Centipede
- Swan Lake
- Mother Swan
- Swan head up
- Swan head down
- Swan head up
- Cinderella
- Pumpkin Coach
- Ballroom
- Clock Tower
- Peter Pan
- Pirate Ship
- Smee's Boat
- Dumbo's Circus
- Hippo and King Leonidas Calliope
- Four Ring Circus with Dumbo and Clowns (split in two parts)
- Bear Balancing on Barrels
- Elephant Bathing
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1985-1995)
- Dwarf Mine
- Dopey's Mine Carts
- Pete's Dragon
- It's a Small World
- Farewell Float (1995)
[edit] Fantillusion
- Park: Tokyo Disneyland
- Japanese Name (in Kanji): ディズニー・ファンティリュージョン
- Japanese Name (in Romaji): Dizunī Fantiryūjon
- Original Run: July 21, 1995 - May 15, 2001
- Sponsor: Nihon Unisys, Ltd.
[edit] Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLights
- Park: Tokyo Disneyland
- Japanese Name (in Kanji): 東京ディズニーランド・エレクトリカルパレード・ドリームライツ
- Japanese Name (in Romaji): Tōkyō Dizunīrando Erekutorikaru Parēdo Dorīmuraitsu
- Original Run: June 1, 2001 - Present
- Sponsor: Nihon Unisys, Ltd.
[edit] Floats
- Opening Window
- Blue Fairy
- Knights of Light
- Mickey's Dreamlights Train
- Alice in Wonderland
- Alice and Cheshire Cat
- Lady Bag
- Inchworm
- Mr. Snail
- Ms. Snail
- Peter Pan's Pirate Ship
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Snow White
- The Seven Dwarfs
- Pete's Dragon
- Pooh and His Friends
- Toy Story
- Woody's Round-up
- Buzz Lightyear
- Beauty And The Beast
- Be Our Guest
- Beauty and the Beast
- A Bug's Life
- Bug's Life Circus Wagon
- Flik & Atta
- Swans
- Cinderella
- Fairy Godmother
- Cinderella's Coach
- Clock Tower
- At the Ball
- It's A Small World (Finale)
- Showboat
- Airship
- The Moon
- The Sun
- Sponsor's Logo
[edit] Disneyland Resort Paris
[edit] Main Street Electrical Parade
[edit] Floats
- Blue Fairy
- Casey Jr. Circus Engine
- Alice in Wonderland
- Mushroom with Butterfly and Ladybug
- Snails
- Mushroom with Alice and Cheshire Cat
- Fireflys
- Mushroom with The Caterpillar and Frog (originally a butterfly)
- Turtles
- Centipede
- Swan Lake
- Mother Swan
- Swan head up
- Swan head down
- Swan head up
- Cinderella
- Pumpkin Coach
- Ballroom
- Cinderella's Ball
- Clock Tower
- Dumbo's Circus
- Hippo and King Leonidas Calliope
- Bear Balancing on Barrels
- Elephant Bathing
- Pinocchio
- Funhouse Face and Pleasure Island Part 1
- Pleasure Island Part 2
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Dwarf Mine
- Dopey's Mine Carts
- Pete's Dragon
- It's a Small World (1992)
[edit] Fantillusion
[edit] New York City
- June 14, 1997. The one presentation of the Electrical Parade outside of the Disney parks for the opening of the New Amsterdam Theater and Hercules movie. Called one day on Broadway - "The Hercules Electrical Parade". Disney arranged for the lights to be all turned off on about 8-blocks of Broadway up to the theater. It was lead by a custom Hercules title float made for this one time only use. It was shown on national television on a one hour promotional program featuring the music and making of Hercules.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Article describing the creation of MSEP audio technology
- ^ Siemens 2005. "The Sylvania lighting division of Siemens will sponsor Disney-MGM Studio's holiday light show — "Osborne Family Spectacle of show Lights," as well as "Disney's Electrical Parade" and "Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams" at Disneyland Resort in California." http://www.sylvania.com/AboutUs/Pressxpress/Innovation/LightingNews%28US%29/USLIGHTINGNEWS0106.htm
- ^ Siemens 2006. "The Sylvania lighting division of Siemens will sponsor Disney-MGM Studio's holiday light show — "Osborne Family Spectacle of show Lights," as well as "Disney's Electrical Parade" and "Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams" at Disneyland Resort in California." http://www.sea.siemens.com/automat/GOAmerica/Archive/2006%20March.pdf
