The Wonderful World of Disney Parade (French: La Parade Du Monde Merveilleux Disney) was Disneyland Park (Paris)'s main daytime parade that ran during March 1998 and December 1999, and again from March 2001 to March 2007.
More than 60 Years of animated classics come to life before your eyes in a magnificent timeline of Disney heroes and heroines. Featuring a mix of classic and brand new floats and introducing the song "Dancin' (A Catchy Rhythm)" to the world, the parade became a Disney phenomenon - the real archetype of an all-round classic, quintessential, Disneyland parade.
The Wonderful World of Disney Parade debuted on March 30, 1998 as one of the main attractions of Disneyland Paris' The Year of Disney Classics event. The parade's focus was to bring together a vast history of Disney's best movies represented by newly-constructed floats in addition to a number of floats reused from the Disney Classics Parade, the park's first ever daytime parade. The parade ran every day until November 6, 1998.
Throughout the route, four to five show-stops would occur, where the dancers would select chosen children would get to live out the moment of being a Disney star as they help the characters tell the story of the respective movie featured on the float.
The parade was set to a catchy new parade tune: "Dancin' (A Catchy Rhythm)" which was produced by Jay Smith and Vasile Sirli exclusively for the parade, which itself became such a hit that it was one of the first CD singles to be released by the resort that very same year.
The parade also featured a pre-parade "Toon-Time" truck, as well as show-stops featuring soundtrack remixes.
Retirement and Grand Return[]
The parade's original line-up of 13 floats and the old-timer character car pre-parade ran for two years until 31st December 1999, when a new parade began to celebrate the Millennium: Disney's ImagiNations Parade replaced this one. However in March 2001, that parade had ended due to various troubles (including the lack of characters and the float designs not being suitable for the unpredictable Parisian weather) and so The Wonderful World of Disney Parade was brought back. However, the return of the parade brought some major changes - The interactive parade stops which featured soundtrack mixes for each float were removed, alongside many of the floats. One of these removed floats - The Princesses Staircase, was replaced with the Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty floats from the Disney Classics Parade which ran prior to 1998.
For the 10th Anniversary of Disneyland Park, a special Giant Birthday Cake float was added at the start of the parade in Late March 2002. On this float, dancers in chef costumes handed out sweets to the crowds and joined the rest of the characters in a new parade stop which featured the exclusive 10 Years Of Magic song written for the celebrations. In September 2002, the parade lost the Giant Birthday Cake float but retained the 10 Years Of Magic parade stop. By early 2003 both had been removed.
The Princess Parade[]
May 2003 brought the parade to an end after four years, and was replaced with The Princess Parade as part of the park's Princess Weeks event. However, this "new" parade was simply The Wonderful World of Disney Parade in all but name, with the addition of a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs float and minus the Steamboat Willie, Mary Poppins, and Dumbo floats, including the usage of "Dancin' (A Catchy Rhythm)" as its theme song. Over the Summer, The Princess Parade regained the Steamboat Willie float, with the Dumbo float being reinstated in January 2004.
In January 2005, the name was reverted back to The Wonderful World Of Disney Parade and the Mary Poppins float was also reinstated, creating a lengthy parade of 9 major units.
End of Run[]
From the 2006 Summer Magic season until its end in March 2007, the parade was renamed as the Disney Princess Parade drawing on the large number of princess units in the parade to create a single parade theme. While Dumbo unit was removed, a far greater number of characters joined the celebration each day.
On 20th August 2006, the order in which the floats are presented was altered, moving Cinderella as the lead unit while the "un-princess" float, Steamboat Willie, was moved to close the parade as an extra "encore".
The parade officially ended its epic run on March 23, 2007, to make way for Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade, a parade celebrating the 15th Anniversary of Disneyland Resort Paris.
Parade Units (Original)[]
Pre-Parade[]
During the 1998-1999 run of the parade, a brightly-colored red, blue, and yellow van nicknamed the Toon Time Van, opened the parade. Traveling along the parade route a few minutes before show time was Donald Duck, Goofy, Chip and Dale, and Pluto, who helped to announce that the parade was about to begin.
Following its removal, the Van was re-purposed as another pre-parade unit for the then-opened Walt Disney Studios Park's Disney Cinema Parade in 2002, where it was re-painted with new black and silver colors and was given a movie-themed overlay, where it carried the latest Disney film stars.
Steamboat Willie Unit[]
Based on the 1928 animated short Steamboat Willie. The first float that heads into the scene is none other than the boat that started off the big cheese himself - Mickey Mouse. Wearing a special black-and-white costume based on his 1928 appearances, Mickey and Minnie Mouse voyage onto the parade route as the float rocks down the route as they try to avoid Pegleg Pete.
The float was designed to be faithful to the boat's original design, but being translated into a full burst of color. Unusually for parade floats, the driver of the float is exposed, where he/she sits in a life ring in the waves at the front of the ship.
During the show stop within the 1998-1999 run, chosen children are dressed in 1920's styled shirts with false noses and big mustaches as they help Mickey rescue Minnie from Pegleg Pete, as a 1920s/30s cameraman and film crew shoot all the action through the camera.
After 2001, the float was joined by Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, alongside various other characters.
The float was removed from the parade for a short time between May 11, 2003 to August 2003, due to the parade's transformation as The Princess Parade. however, it returned shortly after, although the band of sailor dancers were removed.
After the parade rebranded as the Disney Princess Parade in July 2006, nothing much else changed but beginning on August 28, 2006 until the end of its run, the float was moved to the very end, now being used to close the parade. During the parade's final performance on March 23, 2007, a far larger group of performers for each individual float was featured, particularly Steamboat Willie, to give the parade a grand send-off.
The float would eventually become an icon of Disneyland Paris, and even if the parade has since been long gone, it still remains a icon to all.
Princesses Staircase Unit[]
The Princesses Staircase was a large twenty meter end-to-end float spread over three articulated sections. The largest float ever featured at the park, the float united Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora as they danced on the large dance floor. The float was decorated with ornate gold decorations covering the staircases and elaborate portraits adorning the sides. Golden, flowering arches and glistening candelabras and chandeliers added to the decorations, while dancers danced on the floor with the three princesses at the end.
During the show stops, the court dancers invited children to dance a waltz with the princesses, with boys wearing noblemans' capes, and girls wearing crinoline dresses.
According to common belief and/or rumor, the size of the float caused an accident with a dancer backstage, and by the time of the parade's return in 2001, it had been ditched in favor of the Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty floats from the Disney Classics Parade. Snow White would not rejoin the parade until May of 2003.
Based on the 1940 animated film and the first of floats that was reused from the Disney Classics Parade.
This float is set within Geppetto's workshop, where from his workbench, he holds up Pinocchio as he watches over the other marionettes and toys.
During the show stop, children are dressed up in aprons or waistcoats, and become real-life puppets as stilt-walkers hold them up, joining Pinocchio as they freely move around.
It was one of the many floats not to return when the parade returned in 2001.
The circus has come into town on board Casey Junior, with Dumbo upon the top. Casey Junior is connected together with four carriages, holding a large group of clowns in bright yellow raincoats.
During the show stop, the clowns let children act just like them with red noses, and help put out the fire with buckets of confetti. Others need to help a child who is about to become the dinner of a lion.
The float was retired with the May 2003 relaunch of the parade as The Princess Parade, however it was brought back by August, being used to close the parade. It was finally retired in mid-July 2006, when the parade was rebranded as the Disney Princess Parade.
In early 2007 the float was remodeled and repainted to form the train in various mini parades.
While the Disney Classics Parade had their own float based on the film, this float was newly-built. It featured Captain Hook on a small row boat while Tick-Tock the Crocodile begins to eat it up, while Peter Man "flies" up in the sky.
During the show stop, Peter calls out to the boys, who end up becoming his "Lost Boys" for the day, where with their own swords, they help Peter Pan fight the pirates upon the route. Peter Pan was therefore constantly on the move between this fleet of pirate ships, interacting with the audience as he "flew" away.
It was one of the many floats not to return when the parade returned in 2001.
Based on the 1964 animated- and live-action musical film.
This newly-built float carries Mary Poppins gathering around the roofs of London, with the driver disguised as Admiral Bloom. Amongst its smoking chimneys and twirling weathervanes, Mary Poppins floats within the air, looking for good children along the way.
During the Show Stop, male and female chimneysweeps find children and dress them up in black scarves and given brushes as they wipe the soot away as they dance with Mary Poppins.
The float was removed from the parade in May 2003 as part of the parade's transformation as The Princess Parade. However, it returned in January 2005, and remained until the parade's end.
Based on the 1967 animated film and was a returning float from the Disney Classics Parade.
The float was themed to the crumbling temple ruins of King Louie, with Mowgli, Baloo, and King Louie participating in the "Dance of the Monkeys", taking turns on the throne. Kaa was featured in statue form at the front of the float, whilst all of the characters wore special necklaces of bananas and leaves.
During the show stop, the monkeys invited guests to wear similar banana loincloths and clown around with them.
It was one of the many floats not to return when the parade returned in 2001.
Based on the 1989 animated film, and was one of only three floats which lived through the entire run of the parade. This float was also retained from the Disney Classics Parade.
The float, while slightly altered from its previous depiction, was still the same. The float featured featured evil Ursula being tied down by a large collection of undersea life, whilst a statue King Triton sat on his throne next to Ariel in a clamshell. The float was decorated with large conches made to look like jewel cases. Glut the Shark and other creatures moved side-to-side, and bubbles often spurted out of crevices in the float.
During the show stop, the seashell dancers invited girls "under the sea", and wear special conches as they become just like Ariel and dance to a tropical rhythm.
Based on the 1991 animated film. This was another float used throughout the parade's run and retained from the Disney Classics Parade,
The "Be Our Guest" musical number was the theme, where chefs and pipes prepare a lively dinner for Belle. She stands tall on a giant cake, with forks and teapots dancing around her. Beast was featured in a massively increased size, holding his rose in one hand and reaching out to Belle with the other. Mrs. Potts, Chip Potts, Fifi, Lumiere, and Cogsworth were all featured below the Beast on a beautiful base decorated with stained glass-effect designs.
During the show stops, the chefs invite children to bake gigantic cakes with them, wearing matching candy-colored white, gold, and pink costumes and hats, hoping that their cakes will impress Belle and the Beast.
Based on the 1992 animated film. This float was produced in 1993 as the basis of the 1993/1994 La Parade d'Aladdin, with extra Arabian dancers and props surrounding it, and was later added to the Disney Classics Parade, and the entirety of this parade.
The scene depicted Aladdin and Jasmine flying on Magic Carpet above the rooftops of a Agrabah market town, with a slithering serpent sliding over the moon behind them and rotating domes of the skyline. Jafar and Iago featured at the front of the float. The serpent sometimes breathed fire upon route, while Aladdin's magic carpet turned from side to side and moved up and down.
During the show stop, the merchants invite children to perform magic tricks, as they dress up in fakir's boleros.
Based on the 1994 animated film and was created for a mini-parade called The Lion King Festival that year, before being added to the Disney Classics Parade.
The float featured no live characters from the film and instead was simply a large decorative sculpt of animals, roughly based on a cross between the "Circle of Life" and "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" scenes. Amongst the animals was Timon holding a bug (right at the front), Pumbaa (at the centre), and Rafiki holding a baby Simba at the top of the pile.
During the show stop, the animals and the witch doctor invite the children to participate in a dance and create their own music using percussion instruments.
It was one of the many floats not to return when the parade returned in 2001.
Based on the 1997 animated film. As with the Aladdin and The Lion King floats, the unit was also originally created for a mini-parade celebrating the release of the film titled the Hercules Happening.
Philoctetes is helping out Hercules become a proper hero through an out-of-the-ordinary Gymnastics session.
During the show stop, the athletic dancers find fellow "apprentice heroes" as they perform exercises just like Hercules does.
Its construction just one year before the launch of the new parade and very self-contained design perhaps shows signs that it was produced with the new parade in mind, being the most recent of the Disney Classics to be featured in the timeline.
It was one of the many floats not to return when the parade returned in 2001.
Based on the 1950 animated film, this float was originally used for the Disney Classics Parade until 1998 and replaced the Princess Staircase float when the parade returned in 2001.
Cinderella's pumpkin coach provides the basis for a classic parade float, with pink, purple, and gold-dressed ballrooms dancers preceding its assortment of trusty steeds. Fairy Godmother usually stood on the clouds at the rear of the carriage, The float, particularly its pumpkin carriage, is arguably one of the most detailed and intricate floats seen in Paris or perhaps any resort. Amongst its ornate sculpting (particularly its beautiful large green wheels) and leafy finish it features gold leaf coloring and a sumptuous red fabric interior, truly creating a real-life version of the Fairy Godmother's famous creation.
The float has been confirmed to be one of the few kept in working condition after the parade's finale in March 2007.
Based on the 1959 animated film. This float was also originally used for the Disney Classics Parade and as with the Cinderella float, had replaced the Princess Staircase.
Aurora was seen with Prince Phillip on the edge of a rocky outcrop, with a moving and steaming Dragon Maleficent behind them. The float was drafted back into service at the same time as Cinderella above, to provide new homes for these two princesses after their Princesses Staircase float was pulled from service. (1999 till End)
10th Birthday Cake[]
During Disneyland Paris' 10th Anniversary in 2002, the parade received a "10th Anniversary Edition", featuring a "10 Years of Magic" show-stop and a brand new float leading the parade. This giant birthday cake shaped like a castle, featuring ten candles and Mickey Mouse symbols showing the number, featured a gang of chef dancers who handed out sweets to children.
Several honored children also got the chance to ride on the float itself, similar to the final scene of the 10th Anniversary show "Minnie's Birthday Surprise". The 10th Anniversary was a very muted affair, with attention being given instead to the newly-opened Walt Disney Studios Park.
The float itself lasted from March 14 to September 29 of that year, although the show-stops remained until the end of the tenth-anniversary celebrations in January 2003.
Based on the 1937 animated film. This float has been used at the park for many years prior to its addition at the then-renamed The Princess Parade normally being used for Christmas events holding Carolers on rotating turntables, and May 2003 saw its new usage to finally allow Snow White to rejoin the parade.
A wishing well was added as the centerpiece, with flowers, woodland creatures, and an apple covering the unique wood-effect finish of the float, which always stood out from the rest of the line-up.
As the float was normally used for seasonal events, it didn't always feature Snow White and the Dwarfs. During Halloween events, it was once used as a float for the Pumpkinmen and their orange painting, and later was used to feature Stitch and the Sensational Six in a similar orange overlay. For Christmas, it featured glittering Christmas Trees and the Sensational Six in festive red and green costumes.
It has been confirmed that this float is being kept in a working condition after the parade's finale, since it can be interchanged for special events so easily.
Parade Line-up[]
As noted above, The Wonderful World of Disney Parade has seen many line-up changes throughout the years.
The melodies of the floats in the show stop have also been used in Hong Kong Disneyland's parades and its former stage show The Golden Mickeys as the pre-show melodies.
