It's now the "Parade of the Stars" - but it's still a disappointment...

To see the parade and the comments I've added, just scroll to the right. This isn't an HTML error - it's a way for you to see the parade as I saw it, "rolling" [so to say] by.  There are twenty-two photos and four short new larger-sized MPEGS for you to view!

What a let down this new parade STILL is! [Before I start though, it's important to note that the performers continue to do their very best to entertain the crowd. They again should be commended.]

Sadly in this revamped parade, again the performers have been defeated, not only from the new, and rather tepidly played music, [a waltz-time Disney hits medley] but from continued poor chorography, and remote float designs. The way-too-small scale of the individual units continues to make this a non-event.

Yes, the new score, of which you can hear some snippets of in the four new larger sized MPEGS on this page, is a vast improvement over Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance, which it replaced. 

But the tempo is still more than a couple of beats too slow - reminding one of a somewhat polished high school orchestra trying to play something way too reverently that should be snappy and fun. 

[It's a problem that could easily be fixed, by speeding up the recording a bit, while maintaining the pitch, recording studios do it all the time.]

The whole parade still plays like the patch job it has been from day one - it seems too many people were trying too many things and they still came up with something under-whelming. 

If this were simply sold as what it is, a daytime character cavalcade, and we still had another nighttime parade to enjoy, it would have been fine.  But since the park cut back to just one parade now, instead of the two they used to run, it comes across as not wanting to give us as customers much nowadays, even as prices continue to climb.

What a disappointment that a park that gave us the magic of the Electrical Parade, the majesty of the Lion King Celebration, the fun of Party Gras, and the regal Mulan procession, ends up here with something that is so unmemorable.

Thank goodness the Fireworks show makes up for this for most visitors.  The applause that show gets nightly now is wonderful, in contrast this parade doesn't seem to generate any kind of similar response.

As I said before, I would NOT recommend you spend any of your limited time at the park viewing this parade.

As with Animazement, [another weak entertainment offering] if you've seen everything else at the park already, and need a break, then by all means sit down and take it in, it's not a total disaster like Light Magic was.  And yes, the music is now at least something pleasant [if pokey] to listen to.

But if you only have one day at the park, your time is much better spent jumping into the shorter lines for your favorite attractions that the parade helps to create.

Let's hope this one has a short run so we can get something else a little more worthy of what we've come to expect of Disneyland.

[Nighttime photos taken 4/14/00]

To see the complete parade, be sure to scroll to the right.  Clicking on selected photos will bring up short MPEG videos of the parade that you can see on your computer -->

These new MPEGS are a larger size than before that offer a better picture - and may take quite a bit longer to download as a result.

ORIGINAL PARADE REVIEW HERE

The Blue Fairy from Pinocchio now leads the parade - still one of the prettiest floats. When the parade first made its debut, this unit was further back.

Flora, Fauna and Merryweather [from Sleeping Beauty] now lead the ballerinas down the route, a nice newly-added touch.

The delightful ballerinas continue to herald the Princess float, they still have the only "real" choreography in the whole parade, and come off quite gracefully. 

Very pretty ladies they are too.

Here come the Princesses [Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella] - a nice idea to see them all together, but again, the way the unit was built, it's almost impossible to get good photos of them.

A photo from the previous review, they sure got that Rose Parade wave down, don't they?

It's a shame they have to be way up on a float like that - too bad they can't walk along the route greeting all the little girls, now THAT would be something special for them.

In a photo from the first review, you see a sea urchin / jellyfish type of creature announce the arrival of Princess Ariel [The Little Mermaid].

Click on the photo above for a quick large MPEG video of the character grouping that precedes Ariel.

Apparently Ariel doesn't have to swan-pool like her fellow Princesses did.  She is still under glass - and on a rainy day is the only one that manages to stay dry!  

She's also now without Flounder in hand, and she moves around quite a bit inside her bubble, waving to folks.  This is much improved from her previous routine, where she just sort of sat there.

Yes, they still have Aunt Martha out there dancing her butt off - and now they make a big deal of this now in the pre-parade announcements and such.  But it's still the weakest part of the parade - unless of course it's your relative is out there prancing around.

Click on the photo above for a quick large MPEG video of visitors bouncing around, you'll also hear a bit of the new soundtrack music.

Again a tribute to the Nutcracker Suite segment of the original Fantasia film - these are the dancing flowers / thistles.

[As Fantasia 2000 ends its IMAX run, it will open in regular theaters.  One of the hooks to get folks to go see it again will be the return of the Nutcracker segment to the film, with an introduction by Yo Yo Ma.  It was not included in the IMAX edition of the film due to how bad the segment looked all blown up to that size.]

Belle [sans Beast - hmm... come to think of it, none of the royal boyfriends are seen anywhere in this parade] appears on this Rose parade wannabe unit, apparently pulled by butterflies.

Note how the poor design on the float makes seeing the character difficult for folks - those butterflies block a good view of her.

Again some in the crowd commented on her dress...

...it doesn't seem to be from any particular scene or movie.

Maybe she finally went shopping?

Lovely lady though, even if people may not know what character she portrays.

The dancing mushrooms from the original Fantasia again make a quick appearance in what has to be one of the more creative costumes in the parade.

Yes, a sad moment in Disney history is still in the procession.  Baloo and King Louie are reduced to leading a conga line in Tutus.

Too Too much.

Click on the photo above for a short large MPEG video of their little dance.

One of the weirdest units is the Lion King one.  Simba is a remote controlled puppet - and they still [at this late date] don't seem to have the routine down to work him properly yet.

Those are giraffes by the way, not horses.

Who wants to be a millionaire?  Simba does!

The flamingos from Fantasia 2000 make their appearance - these costumes are a lot of fun.  That's Terk from Tarzan dancing around with them.

Tarzan makes his appearance - gotta sell those videos and DVDs you know.  Behind him is the ark balloon that used to be up first in the parade - with Donald and Daisy leading that group of characters.

By the way, in case you haven't heard, the performer playing Tarzan is developing quite a following among the female Annual Passholders...

...the women scream [as do a few guys] and some even wolf whistle the poor fellow all the way down the parade route.

Bet he loves it.

And no, those muscles are not painted on... 

...and yes, he does a terrific Tarzan yell.

They saved the original opening cavalcade of characters now for the last part of the parade - it does help make for a better finish.

Click on the photo above for a quick large MPEG video of more characters dancing by the assembled masses.

The finale still features the most familiar characters [Mickey, et all] perched on what seems to be Eisner's salary...  ;)

...and the parade now ends with the Mary Poppins penguins doing most of their routine backwards - so the crowd that follows the parade up the route has something to look at.  

Nice touch.

They finally found someone to palm off those foofy Dwarf cloud purses on - some of the hapless visitors chosen to participate in the parade!

They even carry the rope down the route.  As if paddling their own canoes weren't enough I guess...  ;)

At least they aren't playing that Pomp and Circumstance loop anymore...

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