ABC Christmas Day Parade - 'Disney Parks Unforgettable Christmas Celebration' taping schedule

prberk

prberk

Well-Known Member
French Quarter said:
It is ok for us to like different things. I don't need it to be a parade necessarily but I wasn't really commenting on that. I was meaning that I have no problem with the holiday special being a big promotion for Disney.
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And I think that is just it. A live WDW Christmas parade is just as much a promotion for Disney as the DVD is, only it is also special and unique programming that has value beyond being a commercial. That is the brilliance that Disney used to understand so well. The Wonderful World shows were exactly that: great programming that stood both as good shows and as cross-promotion for whatever Disney wanted to sell.
In fact, the very first Walt Disney TV special was "One Hour in Wonderland," a Christmas special he produced for Coca-Cola in 1950, which featured Walt and Edgar Bergin and others celebrating Christmas -- and happened to also feature people involved with his films, including Alice in Wonderland. He won an Emmy for it! Nearly every TV was tuned to it. He did it again in 1951, with the Walt Disney Christmas Special he produced for Coca-Cola and aired on Christmas Day 1951. This one featured Walt and others celebrating Christmas in a modern living room set, but happened to also feature Bobby Driscoll dressed as Peter Pan. Walt was a master at cross-promotion, but he also produced a show people wanted to see, and a Christmas special that was a Christmas special.
WD Christmas special 1951.jpg
WD Christmas special 1951 Bobby Driscoll.jpg
WD Christmas special 1951 family IAWL.jpg
wdfm_waltchristmas.jpg
WD Christmas special 1951 Walt color.jpg
 
French Quarter

French Quarter

Well-Known Member
prberk said:
And I think that is just it. A live WDW Christmas parade is just as much a promotion for Disney as the DVD is, only it is also special and unique programming that has value beyond being a commercial. That is the brilliance that Disney used to understand so well. The Wonderful World shows were exactly that: great programming that stood both as good shows and as cross-promotion for whatever Disney wanted to sell.
In fact, the very first Walt Disney TV special was "One Hour in Wonderland," a Christmas special he produced for Coca-Cola in 1950, which featured Walt and Edgar Bergin and others celebrating Christmas -- and happened to also feature people involved with his films, including Alice in Wonderland. He won an Emmy for it! Nearly every TV was tuned to it. He did it again in 1951, with the Walt Disney Christmas Special he produced for Coca-Cola and aired on Christmas Day 1951. This one featured Walt and others celebrating Christmas in a modern living room set, but happened to also feature Bobby Driscoll dressed as Peter Pan. Walt was a master at cross-promotion, but he also produced a show people wanted to see, and a Christmas special that was a Christmas special. View attachment 115675 View attachment 115677 View attachment 115678 View attachment 115679 View attachment 115680
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But this is where we are disagreeing. You and others say that they "used to" do this well. I think they still do. That is a matter of opinion. I still think Disney is the best company in the world that continues to impress me at every turn. Others seem to think it's going downhill. It all comes down to preferences. No need to try to convince each other of the opposite opinion.

I will be sitting back Christmas morning and getting excited to see WDW on the small screen, no matter which direction they decide to take.
 
Matt_Black

Matt_Black

Well-Known Member
French Quarter said:
It is ok for us to like different things. I don't need it to be a parade necessarily but I wasn't really commenting on that. I was meaning that I have no problem with the holiday special being a big promotion for Disney.
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Oh, yeah. I watched the heck out of Walt Disney World Inside Out (the Scott Herriott years, anyway), and that was one big commercial.
 
Launchpad McQuack

Launchpad McQuack

Well-Known Member
I don't mind it being a commercial for the parks, but I think they should at least put up the facade of it being a parade. I have greatly enjoyed it up until last year. Last year only showed a few seconds of parade here and there, didn't have a charismatic host (IMO, at least), and featured people (mostly people I had never heard of or were just bad) doing covers of Frozen songs (and I freaking LOVE Frozen songs). At least give us people singing either original or covers of Christmas songs.

All that being said, I actually do enjoy seeing what's "new" at WDW, plus the looks at all of the other parks and resorts (since I've never been to any Disney property besides WDW).
 
GatorGuy

GatorGuy

Active Member
I hope it goes back to the parade format, but considering the tree is already up in Town Square and that is where they usually put the cameras and what not, it's very unlikely.

Have any performers been announced? I am hoping we get A-list Christmas performers such as Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé!
 
prberk

prberk

Well-Known Member
GatorGuy said:
I hope it goes back to the parade format, but considering the tree is already up in Town Square and that is where they usually put the cameras and what not, it's very unlikely.

Have any performers been announced? I am hoping we get A-list Christmas performers such as Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé!
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Do Mariah and Michael have current pre-teen pop shows on The "Disney" Channel to promote?
 
raymusiccity

raymusiccity

Well-Known Member
GatorGuy said:
I hope it goes back to the parade format, but considering the tree is already up in Town Square and that is where they usually put the cameras and what not, it's very unlikely.

Have any performers been announced? I am hoping we get A-list Christmas performers such as Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé!
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The Town Square Christmas Tree has nothing to do with it. Being up or down is merely a 'speed bump' in the grand scheme of things. Disney hauls that in and out overnight! :-)
 
GatorGuy

GatorGuy

Active Member
raymusiccity said:
The Town Square Christmas Tree has nothing to do with it. Being up or down is merely a 'speed bump' in the grand scheme of things. Disney hauls that in and out overnight! :)
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Interesting! Previous years they would put up the tree after the filming. However, just as you said it shouldn't be so hard to disassemble and reassemble it overnight.
 
halltd

halltd

Well-Known Member
Cmdr_Crimson said:
Nothing..And I mean NOTHING Compares to the Christmas Parades of the 80's & 90's this was our only way to know what was new that was coming to WDW...
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O. M. G.!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for the trip down memory lane. THIS is what I grew up with and shaped my love of WDW. The songs, the dances, that announcer, the parade, the previews of coming attractions!!!!! I feel bad for my parents because I know how unbelievably annoying I was harping on them to call 407-W-Disney to get the planning VHS so we could book our next trip!

I can't even express how much I yearn for something like this type of production to return at Christmas. :cry:
 
ford91exploder

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
halltd said:
O. M. G.!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for the trip down memory lane. THIS is what I grew up with and shaped my love of WDW. The songs, the dances, that announcer, the parade, the previews of coming attractions!!!!! I feel bad for my parents because I know how unbelievably annoying I was harping on them to call 407-W-Disney to get the planning VHS so we could book our next trip!

I can't even express how much I yearn for something like this type of production to return at Christmas. :cry:
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Unfortunately the christmas show and parade are just another victim of the current management strategy at TWDC which is to strip mine the P&R segment for cash while investing nothing in them. In our house the Disney parade was something we ALWAYS watched on TV when I was a kid and then with my family in my home. Fast forward to the Iger era and we don't even bother to DVR it.
 
ford91exploder

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
prberk said:
Do Mariah and Michael have current pre-teen pop shows on The "Disney" Channel to promote?
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Nope and 'Synergy' is why the D-list entertainers are featured in the Disney Holiday Infomercial.

Before 'Disney Defenders' jump in the Christmas shows were always advertisements however they used to strike a balance between advert and entertainment and they were live which added an energy sadly lacking in today's offerings which are little more than slickly produced infomercials for TWDC's current suite of products.
 
prberk

prberk

Well-Known Member
Cmdr_Crimson said:
Nothing..And I mean NOTHING Compares to the Christmas Parades of the 80's & 90's this was our only way to know what was new that was coming to WDW...
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And here is a screenshot from that parade that shows something we will never see this year:

Live WDW parade 1988.jpg


and no, I don't mean Regis or that lady's glasses!

The word "live" associated with "Walt Disney World." Notice that they were identifying it with Florida. Even then people confused the two places.

I really just miss the true kinetic energy of the live shows.

If you watch that show, you will see that they had plenty of cut-ins showing off all of the options that WDW had for entertainment, but they never forgot it was a Christmas special -- and they had a lot of fun and the sense of it being live on Christmas morning built in.

It was the opening year of Disney-MGM Studios, too, so it is full of stuff over there promoting that.

I do have to say that it is fun seeing that segment promoting some live production. Some lost opportunities there. (I don't know why they could not still be doing "The Mickey Mouse Club" there like they did in the '90s. They have an automatic audience and a fun place for it.) But that is a subject for a different thread.

Anyway, I just miss the live shows. Commercials, yes, but also with a nice balance as a Christmas show.
 
Cmdr_Crimson

Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
prberk said:
I do have to say that it is fun seeing that segment promoting some live production. Some lost opportunities there. (I don't know why they could not still be doing "The Mickey Mouse Club" there like they did in the '90s. They have an automatic audience and a fun place for it.) But that is a subject for a different thread..
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Well, with the Disney Channel stars you could "Technically" say they were/are next gen Mouseketeers..Oddly enough it's been 20 years since the New MMC premiered...Looks Like they should give it another round..

Annnd speaking of more Nostalgia.....Here's 1996 edition..
 
DisneyFans4Life

DisneyFans4Life

Well-Known Member
The one and only time we went for this was when Neil Patrick Harris was the host (was that last year or year before?). We got to the park super early because we had passes (friend was a CM) and got to our spot on MS. We sat there pretty much all day and watched take after take after take. It was SUPER boring, especially once the action moved past you. Not to mention to was crazy hot and we were right in the sun. I will say that it was interesting to see how it all came together and then watch the finished product on TV, but it's not something I would want to do again.
 
halltd

halltd

Well-Known Member
ford91exploder said:
Before 'Disney Defenders' jump in the Christmas shows were always advertisements however they used to strike a balance between advert and entertainment and they were live which added an energy sadly lacking in today's offerings which are little more than slickly produced infomercials for TWDC's current suite of products.
Click to expand...
The parade has always been a huge advertisement. The big difference between then and now is that before, it never seemed like an advertisement, but enticed me to want to come way more. Now it's still a big commercial, but doesn't actually entice me to visit or get me excited to tell all my friends to watch and get them excited to visit. In my head at least, the parade was way more successful as a commercial meant to get me to spend money before...and it was super awesome. That's the sign of a great commercial...when the viewers don't even realize it's a commercial but spend the money anyways.

On a side note, I miss the televised Easter parade as well.

I'd be really curious to know why the change in the parades to being taped and to the entirely new concept.
 

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