Photo Gallery: Festival of Fantasy Parade Debuts in Magic Kingdom

Photo Gallery: Festival of Fantasy Parade Debuts in Magic Kingdom

The long awaited parade “Disney’s Festival of Fantasy” was viewed by over 50,000 in attendance Sunday.  The reactions of the crowd were so loud I could not hear much of the music, which was something I was really looking forward to.  I know the first song was “I know you”.  The parade is 15 minutes long and begins in Fronteirland at 3PM Daily.  Several hours earlier in the day people began to save areas on the Main Street sidewalk for viewing this parade.  The sun was hot but people were definitely focused on seeing this parade. Disney filled the last half-hour of waiting with performances by  the Smithville High School Tiger Band from Smithville, TX who had excellent sound and their lines were perfect.  They were followed by the Tigerland Band from Katy, TX who were also really good. We were also treated to a performance by the Main Street Philharmonic Band which is always enjoyable. Enjoy our photos until you can come and see this very colorful, magical, and very entertaining parade yourself.

I had the pleasure of speaking with one of the dancers and she expressed great joy in getting to perform in this very special parade.  They have been practicing on the parade route for two weeks now in the middle of the night and now have the challenge of changing over to performing for the first time during the day.  There is a great camaraderie in these performers and great pride in what they are able to do to enhance the guests’ experiences at the Magic Kingdom.  There were Imagineers along the parade route Sunday that were responsible for bringing this project to Main Street and they looked very happy with it.

The stories and characters that have made New Fantasyland come alive will be featured in this brand new parade and some Fantasyland favorites too. Expect to see 100 performers including:

• Disney Princesses Royal Court Garden float-This lead float is more than 50 feet long and will feature Anna and Elsa from “Frozen”, Cinderella and her prince, Belle with the Beast and Tiana and Naveen. Belle and the Beast are on the front, and the other couples are on parts that rotate as they move down the parade route giving each side of the route equal viewing time. In the center is Cinderella and Prince, when rotated it is her Pink dress you see along with Jack Jack and Gus Gus. At the back are Anna and Elsa with Olaf, that rotates to see Tiana and Naveen.  They ride amidst a garden theme with topiaries, birds, and of course the woodland creatures we all love in the films. There are thousands of roses on this float.  They were preceded by pairs of Swan Court dancers that are both elegant and graceful. There was a quick costume detail fix midway for one of the Swan girls.
• “Tangled” is represented by Rapunzel with her long braided hair and frying pan and Flynn Rider on a long ship along with some of the Thug “dreamers” from the movie and of course the candle lights. There are 28 separate fabrics to make the Swing Thug #1’s costume. There are 75 diamond shapes cut out separately and sewn onto cool max fabric. Will we hear Rapunzel exclaim “Best. Day. Ever!”? Maximus is even in on the swinging pendulums as he faces down Flynn Rider. Out in front are some very colorful dancers and the Mime which is an inflated suit worn by a performer who looked like he was going to float away as he danced and skipped down the street.
• “The Little Mermaid” float reminds me of her attraction in New Fantasyland. Ariel sits in an open shell throne with her mermaid tail waving and blowing kisses. She is accompanied by her friends Flounder and Sebastian on a very large music box float. There is a dancing Sea Shell Girl that has over 30 yards of fabric in her costume. Look for brightly colored Lion Fish, Coral, and Sea Horse performers.
• “Peter Pan” features the boy who never wants to grow up Peter Pan on the Jolly Roger ship accompanied by Wendy as their ship soars 28 feet above the parade route. Look for the smoking cannons. Below the ship is an anchor that holds Captain Hook and Mr. Smee can be seen behind the float just ahead of the crocodile.  Tinker Bell has a special spot on the float as well. The Lost Boys will be dancing their way into our hearts wearing costumes made with 40 custom fabrics. They dance and jump through hula hoops during their high energy performance.

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• “Brave” features Merida and her three brothers in bear form. They will be riding atop a giant bagpipe.  Expect to see a troupe of high energy Scottish dancers in bright plaids and green crushed velvet to usher in Merida. What must be the world’s largest tassels adorn the front and back of the float. The platter of doughnuts that the Merida’s little brothers craved is even present here as the little bears pop up in different pipes trying to find that platter.
• Sleeping Beauty” that includes a large 53 foot long and 26 foot high Steampunk version of Maleficent that breathes fire. Apparently Maleficent does not like to breathe fire when turning a corner.  Don’t worry; Prince Phillip will be there to fight her off.(He likes to swish his cape around!) This unit is very impressive. There is a Raven at the back whose job it is to swing her big tail around the corners.  Preceding the float are the fairy godmothers Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.  Next come the Ravens. The “Ravens” dancers’ masks were made with 3D printers! They were then painted, bronzed, lacquered, gilded, then Swarovski crystals added to achieve the final look. Can you spot the spinning wheel? Don’t miss the performers wrapped in thorns and moving on stilts.
• “Dumbo” and “Pinocchio” unit along with Disney favorites Jiminy Cricket, Snow white and the 7 Dwarfs, Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter, Daisy and Donald Duck, Pluto, characters from Fantasia.  . The pink cotton candy wig dancers have colorful balloons as part of their costumes. Balloons are a big part of this float.
• Mickey and Minnie are in new costumes and on their own Finale float, Mickey’s Airship resembling a hot air balloon and is the tallest float at 32 feet. “Cha Cha Girls” wear dresses that look like circus big tops, hair that looks like pulled taffy made of 148 yards of horsehair in different colors, such as what you may find in Big Top Treats; colorful tights, gloves, and spats are the embodiment of Storybook Circus in New Fantasyland. This finale unit is more than 90 feet long. Minnie Mouse’s dress and hat has 95 gold lame dots that had to be cut out, embossed and sewn on. Goofy in tails and clown shoes, Chip and Dale wearing capes and hats, all dance along to the fun upbeat music.

“Frozen” characters were added late in the game but the two sisters Anna and Elsa will appear on the Disney Princesses Royal Court Garden float; Princess Aurora was replaced with Anna and Elsa but we are told she will be back in the parade soon.

By Cassie

Credit: Disney Dining