D. P. writes in with an illuminating inquiry:
I was wondering what you thought about Disneyland’s decision
to replace the Blue Fairy at the start of the Electrical Parade with a new
float that promotes Disney Fairies. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
D.P.
To be honest, I don’t
know how about I feel about this decision.
Photo by Jeff Lange
There’s no getting around the fact that the Blue Fairy float
is beautiful. More importantly, that this particular parade unit starts MSEP off
on a high note. With this character from “Pinocchio” towering over the Guests
as she rolls down DCA’s performance corridor.
But that said, it’s been years since this Disneyland Resort
favorite has been freshened up. Back in the late 1970s / early 1980s, the Main Street Electric
Parade used to get a brand-new unit every year or so to help promote the latest Walt
Disney Productions release.
Oh, sure. Most Disney theme park visitors are now used to the
concept of the pre-parade float. That unit that rolls through the
Park directly ahead of the actual parade? Which then hypes whatever film or DVD
Disney then has in the pipeline? Just in the past six months, we’ve had that “Sleeping Beauty” –themed pre-parade unit. Which then made Magic Kingdom visitors aware that this
Disney classic would soon be released on DVD and Blu-ray.
Photo by Jeff
Lange
Not to mention the “Bolt” float pictured below. Which rolled through Disneyland just ahead of that Park's Christmas parade.
Photo by
Jeff Lange
Now what's kind of interesting about the unit that Bolt and Mittens are riding on is that this is not the first time this particular float has rolled through the Happiest Place on Earth. For almost two decades now, this unit has been used to promote Walt Disney Pictures releases. Below is a shot of this very same float from the Summer of 1990. When this unit was then dressed to help hype "The Jungle Book” 's third theatrical re-release.
Photo by
Jeff Lange
But -- again -- these pre-parade units always rolled through the Disney theme parks ahead of that day's actual parade (In the case of the "Jungle Book" float depicted above, that moved through Disneyland ahead of that theme park’s 35th anniversary “Party
Gras” parade). But when it comes to the Main Street Electrical Parade ... The new units that were created for this night-time parade that were then supposed to promote the Studio’s latest productions weren’t thrown
away as some sort of pre-game entertainment. The appetizer that came before the
main course. No, no. These units were given prominent positioning by being folded
right into the middle of the MSEP.
And some of these units still survive today. Take –
for example – Elliot from “Pete's Dragon.”
Photo by Jeff Lange
This unit was added to the Main Street Electrical Parade’s
line-up back in 1977. The very same year that “Pete’s Dragon” was first released
to theaters.
And this unit got such a positive reaction from Disneyland
& WDW Guests (I’ve been told by several veteran Emporium employees that –
back in the late 1970s – as soon as the MSEP rolled on through, people would quickly
swarm into that store and immediately snatch up every piece of Elliot plush
that was out on the shelves. That’s the sort of visceral reaction that Guests
had back then to seeing that a full-sized version of “Pete’s Dragon” rolling
down the street in the Main Street Electrical Parade) that – in the coming
years – additional units tied to Walt Disney Productions releases were then tried
out.
Unfortunately, these other MSEP additions were rather short
lived. Two units tied to the July 1981 release of “The Fox and the Hound,” Widow
Tweed’s truck …
Photo by Jeff Lange
… and Amos Slade’s Model T …
Photo by Jeff Lange
… disappeared after a single summer of rolling through
Disneyland.
A similar fate befell an elaborate “Return to Oz
” –themed float
…
Copyright Disney. All
Rights Reserved
… which rolled
through the Happiest Place on Earth for a short three months during the Summer
of 1985. Only to then be parked backstage for years. Where the unit’s mirrored
surfaces eventually accidentally caused a small fire outside of that theme park’s
parade barn.
Of course, if you want to talk about the time that the
entire MSEP became a promotional device … Well, that happened back in June of 1997. When – to help promote the
world premiere of Disney’s latest animated feature, “Hercules” – the entire
Main Street Electrical Parade was shipped off to Manhattan. Where – after a new
lead unit was created …
Photos by Jeff Lange
… “Disney’s Hercules Electrical Parade” rolled down 42nd
Street past the New Amsterdam Theatre and then hung a left onto 5th
Avenue. Where Hades and his minions,
Pain and Panic …
Photos by Jeff Lange
… lit up the boulevard. Thanks to that flaming ball of propane
that would periodically erupt in the palm of the Lord of the Dead’s out
stretched hand.
So long story short here, D.P. While I will undoubtedly miss
the Blue Fairy’s smiling face …
Photo by Jeff Lange
… it’ll still be nice to see Disney’s Electrical Parade returns
to its tradition of folding in new units that can then be used to promote
upcoming Disney releases. Which – given the Company has three follow-ups to “Tinker
Bell” in its production pipeline (with a fifth Disney Fairies home premiere
allegedly already in development) – it only makes sense (at least from a cross promotional
point of voice) that Tinker Bell soon take the Blue Fairy’s place at the front
of Disney’s Electrical Parade.
And speaking of cross promotion … If you enjoyed the shots
of the MSEP that were used to illustrate today’s Why For, then you will definitely
want to head over to JeffLangeDVD. Where Mr. Lange currently has a wide assortment
of images for WDW's Main Street Electrical Parade & “Disney’s Hercules Electrical Parade”
posted.
Photos by Jeff Lange
Anyway … That’s it for this edition of Why For. If you’d
like to see your Disney-related questions answered as part of this JHM column,
please send them along to jim@jimhillmedia.com.
Have a great weekend, okay?
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