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Mickey's PhilharMagic
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Wikipedia article
'Mickey's PhilharMagic' is a 4D film attraction found at several Disney theme parks around the world, including Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Park (Paris), and Disney California Adventure. The film was directed by George Scribner, who also directed Disney's 1988 animated film 'Oliver & Company'. 'Mickey's PhilharMagic' is a 12-minute-long show featuring 3D effects, scents, and water, as well as a number of characters from Disney movies. It is shown on the largest purpose-built 3D screen ever made, at 150 feet wide.
The versions of the film at Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Paris were updated in 2021 with an additional scene based on Pixar's 'Coco', with the Magic Kingdom receiving the same update in fall 2021, as a part of the World's Most Magical Celebration, and in Tokyo Disneyland will receive the same update in fall 2022.
Locations
At Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, 'Mickey's PhilharMagic' is located adjacent to Peter Pan's Flight and the Fantasy Faire shop in Fantasyland. This is the fourth attraction to utilize this show building. The theatre originally hosted the Mickey Mouse Revue. Later, it was the home to the 3-D film 'Magic Journeys', after it left Epcot's Journey into Imagination pavilion to make way for 'Captain EO'. Most recently, it was home to the stage presentation 'Legend of The Lion King'.
At Hong Kong Disneyland, 'Mickey's PhilharMagic' takes place of the Fantasyland Concert Hall, which is located adjacent to Royal Banquet Hall in Fantasyland.
At Tokyo Disneyland, it takes the place of the Mickey Mouse Revue, which was originally located at Walt Disney World before moving to Tokyo Disneyland as one of its original attractions.
At Disneyland Paris, it takes the place of Discoveryland Theatre, taking over from previous attractions like the 'Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival', 'Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!' and 'Captain EO'.
At Disney California Adventure, it takes place at Sunset Showcase Theater in Hollywood Land, taking over from previous attractions like the For the First Time in Forever: A 'Frozen' Sing-Along Celebration and Muppet*Vision 3D.
Songs
* "Be Our Guest" from 'Beauty and the Beast'
* "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" from 'Fantasia'
* "Part of Your World" from 'The Little Mermaid'
* "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" from 'The Lion King'
* "Un Poco Loco" from 'Coco' (California, Paris, Florida and Tokyo only)
* "You Can Fly!" from 'Peter Pan'
* "A Whole New World" from 'Aladdin'
* "The Mickey Mouse Club March" from 'The Mickey Mouse Club'
Development
The attraction is unique in being one of a very select number of attractions in the Disney theme parks in which Walt Disney Imagineering has collaborated with another division of The Walt Disney Company in this instance, it was Walt Disney Animation Studios. This same partnership developed the 'Fantasmic!' shows at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Between the two companies, some of Disney's top talent worked together. Including Disney veteran Alex Mann, who was instrumental in developing and scripting the final story. Legendary Disney animator Glen Keane re-animated Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid' in 3D, returning after animating her in 2D in the original film. Nik Ranieri, supervising animator of Lumire in 'Beauty and the Beast', also returned to animate that character in 3D. Most of Donald Duck's dialogue is actually archival recordings by his original voice actor, Clarence Nash. Tony Anselmo, Donald's current voice actor, recorded only five new lines for the character in this attraction (such as the scene where Donald hums to the tune of the song "Be Our Guest" from Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast') and a few more for the 'Coco' segment.
On July 1, 2021, it was announced a new scene would be added to the film featuring "Un Poco Loco" from Pixar's 'Coco'. The new segment was added to Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Paris on July 17, 2021, and in Magic Kingdom on November 12, 2021, coinciding with Walt Disney World's The World's Most Magical Celebration, and in Tokyo Disneyland on September 15, 2022.
Plot synopsis
Outside the Queue Area
As the theater doors open, Mickey Mouse is performing with his PhilharMagic Orchestra at the Fantasyland Concert Hall (Orlando, Hong Kong, and Tokyo), Discoveryland Theatre (Paris), and Sunset Showcase Theater (Anaheim).Inside the Queue Area
There are posters advertising the Concert Hall's past productions and performers, such as Hades from 'Hercules', Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid', Genie from 'Aladdin', Wheezy from 'Toy Story 2', Willie the Whale from 'Make Mine Music', The Three Caballeros, The Big Bad Wolf and The Three Little Pigs.The Theater's Lobby
Upon entering the theater's lobby, guests pick up their "opera glasses" (3D glasses). During their wait, guests hear orchestral music from 'Fantasia', 'Fantasia 2000', and other Disney animated films.Background Music
Fantasyland Concert Hall (Orlando, Hong Kong, and Tokyo)/Discoveryland Theater (Paris)/Sunset Showcase Theater (Anaheim)
Goofy, the Concert Hall's stage manager, admits the guests into the main theater, where final preparations for the performance are underway. After accidentally disturbing a cat, Goofy lugs in an electrical cord and gets electrocuted. Minnie Mouse then tells the guests to put on their "opera glasses" after reminding them that, as a courtesy to the attraction, there should not be eating, drinking, smoking or flash photography during the show. After this instruction, Minnie then realizes that Donald Duck has gone missing and goes to tell Mickey. Goofy then raises the curtains (despite Mickey protesting that they aren't ready yet) to reveal that the stage is empty, except for a conductor's podium and Donald, who is sleeping in a box. Mickey races onto the stage in a hurry, quickly telling Donald to unpack the instruments. Mickey places his famous Sorcerer's hat on the podium, then dashes off the stage, ordering Donald, "Don't forget the orchestra. And don't touch my hat!"After Donald wakes up, he unpacks all the instruments, including a grand piano, from the small box, he is then tempted to try on the Sorcerer's Hat himself. He does so, disobeying Mickey's orders, which causes the magical instruments to come to life and play an extremely unpleasant melody. Donald tells the instruments to "stop it" and the instruments stop, except for a small flute who messes with him and the instruments laugh at this antic. However, when Donald bullies the flute, the other instruments immediately shocked and angered, rise up and attack him, creating a whirlwind of magic and music as the "Mickey Mouse March" plays. Donald loses the hat in the storm and passes through scenes from different Disney animated features while trying to retrieve the hat.
After the whirlwind passes, Donald finds himself in the dark, which takes us inside the dining room of the Beasts Castle in 'Beauty and the Beast' with Lumire, who begins to sing "Be Our Guest". Guests can smell the food, triggering hidden smell cannons in the theater, and when the champagne bottles pop, they feel a quick blast of wind in their faces surrounded by cakes, which triggers hidden air cannons in the back of the seats. The dark comes back for a second. When the light returns, we find ourselves in 'Fantasia'. The music from 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' plays, as the Magic Brooms enter the room, splashing water on Donald and washing away the dirty dishes left behind from the previous scene. The audience also gets blasted with water. A broom smaller than Donald comes in, carrying a big bucket. Donald snatches the bucket away and laughs, but only gives it back when a gigantic broom comes in. The giant broom spills water on Donald, taking us underwater into 'The Little Mermaid', where Ariel is in her grotto with Flounder singing "Part of Your World". At the end of the song, an electric eel shocks Donald when he tries to kiss Ariel. Next, we fade to 'The Lion King', where Simba is singing "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" amidst a menagerie of African plains animals rendered in a 3D paper cut-out style. Zazu also appears in this segment. After this scene, the orange feathers burst out and we go into the Land of the Dead in 'Coco', where Miguel is singing "Un Poco Loco" alongside Hctor while skeletons dance to the music. During the concert, Dante places the hat on Donald's head, who then starts to dance with Miguel and Hctor, but Pepita then steals the hat while Donald holds onto her tail. Then, we enter a starry night sky in London from 'Peter Pan', where the chorus sings "You Can Fly". Peter Pan and Tinker Bell sprinkle pixie dust on Donald, giving him the ability to fly. Finally, we go into Agrabah in 'Aladdin', where Aladdin and Jasmine are singing "A Whole New World" while flying through the night sky on Carpet. Donald follows them on a magic carpet of his own. He eventually retrieves the hat again by Jasmine placing it on his head. Unfortunately, the hat gets knocked off of Donald's head by Iago, and Donald jumps after it.
Donald falls back into the magical whirlwind from earlier. Donald gets sucked inside, finding himself back on stage, still in the whirlwind. Mickey returns, puts on the hat, and uses its powers to restore order. As Mickey finally conducts the orchestra, playing a reprise of the "Mickey Mouse March", the flute that Donald bullied earlier knocks Donald into a tuba. As a fitting end, the tuba launches Donald across the theater and into its back wall. Mickey takes a bow and signs off as the curtains close. Donald's rear, appearing as an animatronic, is shown stuck in the back wall before eventually falling through the hole. This is not shown in the Paris version. Instead, extended applause is heard and Minnie thanks the guests for coming to the show.
See also
* 2011 in amusement parks
References
Citations
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