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Rumor Did Disney Put in an Order for 50 Parade Float Chassis?
- Thread starter MisterPenguin
- Start date
Lunchb0x48
Member
A parade of 50 floats would be wretched on guests, park operations, and entertainment. It would be over twice as long as any parade in any Disney park. At the speed Disney typically runs their domestic parades (which is faster than overseas but still surprisingly slow) it would keep guest traffic flows in a knot for over 2 hours. The floats don't typically run up against one another, they have room before and after each float to allow the sound from the various floats to not clash with one another, this would make it even longer. In addition the step off areas (where the parades stage before coming out) are not large enough for that contingent of floats, the parade den is not large enough to store that number of floats. Since before the parade steps off the entire parade has to be assembled, tested, and all performers to places that would also mean that the performers would probably be in costume, in the sun for an hour and a half or more and the float batteries would have to be bolstered quite a bit. And speaking of performers, to keep the quality of the parade up to Disney's standards you would need twice as many of them and all of the costs that suggests. While they certainly could do a 50 float parade if they chose to and I'm sure it would be amazing, unless they spent a lot upgrading facilities, add more performers, and figure out someway not to have non-parade interested guests keep from going nuts it is probably not something they would do.
If they did buy 50 float chassis, it's likely not all for one parade.
brb1006
Well-Known Member
I'm thinking half of the 50 floats could be used for new seasonal parades, the afternoon parade, and a new night parade. Not all 50 in a single parade.
Or not all for one park.
Would the 50 be enough for 4 new parades without any old floats?
Rteetz
Well-Known Member
Doubtful.
MerlinTheGoat
Well-Known Member
Based around their recent parades, i'd have to say yeah unfortunately Disney would probably consider that more than enough. Comparing night parades, Paint the Night is woefully short next to the likes of Spectromagic, Fantillusion and Dreamlights. I believe Paint the Night had 7 floats when it opened at Hong Kong, and 9 when it opened in California. I believe Festival of Fantasy has 6 original floats, 8 if you count the two that were originally from from Tokyo's Jubilation!
Spectromagic by comparison I think was 24 floats in its complete form. Fantillusion originally I believe was even longer apparently at 31. I'm not sure offhand how many Dreamlights has currently, but it's well over a dozen. They've added some new floats during the past decade too (not sure if they've cut much from it since it first opened).
If you split the alleged 50 floats evenly among 4 parades, then each parade could get 12 floats each. And leaving an additional 2 to spare as well, so two of the parades could get 13 floats instead of just 12. I would far prefer a more meaty experience like Spectromagic or Fantillusion. New parades have been disappointingly short among other issues I have with them. But I'm not getting my hopes up. The company hasn't made a truly long parade in many years even for major anniversaries. Even a 12 float parade seems rather generous considering what they've done lately...
brb1006
Well-Known Member
Here's a video that featured the original Tokyo version of Fantillusion where it had a longer opening section. Flora, Fauna and Merryweather were on three separate floats (The Paris version had all three of them on the last float of the Mickey section. The villains section had a float for the Evil Queen (Aka Grimhilde) from Snow White and Chernabog. The original version of Fantillusion also had extra floats for certain sections of the parade.
When it was brought to Paris, most of the floats from the Tokyo version were cut.
When Dreamlights first premiered at Tokyo Disneyland in 2001. The parade used to have floats for A Bug's Life, and a single float for Winnie the Pooh. A different version of the Beauty and the Beast section before it returned in 2017 with a newer look, and The Swans. The Alice in Wonderland section also removed the Snails, Ladybug and the giant Caterpillar a few years ago and only featured The Cheshire Cat. The Snow White section was cut entirely, but used to have a Seven Dwarfs Mine Cart following Snow White's float. Snow White's float lasted for a couple of years until 2017.
Video from 2006 in it's original form during the Christmas overlay
Coaster Lover
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Plot Twist: the chassis won't be used for parade floats but will instead be used as the base for 50 mobile Starbucks kiosks... with Magic Band and smart speaker integration, all you will need to do is mention the word "Starbucks" and a mobile Starbucks kiosk will come to you in less than 60 seconds... or not...
Cesar R M
Well-Known Member
the darn castle float MUST GO.While this is speculation, if the rumor turn out true in the future. Then hopefully Disney can finally retire these floats. Some of these floats are almost 40 years old! Soon turn 50 if Disney keeps these floats before WDW's 50th Anniversary.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
And that is why it won't happen. If this is true they will spread it out but is there any corroboration other than the original post? Not what I would expect no matter what the fans expecting parades to be replaced. Pretty sure the ops requirements of parades will temper any new additions
brb1006
Well-Known Member
While not related to the upcoming floats. I came across home video footage of "Walt Disney World's Tencennial Parade" (Which honored Walt Disney World's 10th Anniversary in 1981) complete with clear audio and shows the entire parade. This was back when Walt Disney World and Disneyland used to have an special anniversary parade complete with it's own catchy anniversary theme ("Disney World is Your World" which was borrows from Disneyland 25th Birthday Parade a year prior). Which was sang by The Kids Of The Kingdom and were prominent during Walt Disney World and Disneyland throughout the late 1970s and mid 1980s.
disney1023
Well-Known Member
That Diamond Horseshoe float looks suspiciously like the Hitchhiking Ghosts float from Boo to You...
doctornick
Well-Known Member
So there was a discussion in another thread (multiple threads, really) about a night parade for the 50th. It reminded me of this thread - I don't think we ever got confirmation of the original poster's claim of the 50 parade float chassis. have any insiders heard anything about this being true? I'm assuming it was not since getting a new parade (or parades) seems somewhat in the air.
roj2323
Well-Known Member
It’s probably samsonmetal.com
They built the DHS hat, the Epcot wand hand, the safari trucks at DAK, the new animatronics for the pirates of the Caribbean refurbishment last year as well the lighting for toy story land as well as many other projects.
This aerial image was apparently taken when they were building the lighting for Toy story land
They built the DHS hat, the Epcot wand hand, the safari trucks at DAK, the new animatronics for the pirates of the Caribbean refurbishment last year as well the lighting for toy story land as well as many other projects.
mikeymouse
Well-Known Member
I have a family member who worked for Randall Construction in Apopka. He said they do a lot of pieces for wdw. Railings, signs, etc. Made a lot of things for SWland. Wonder if it would be them. He said they are very tight-lipped about everything. There were things he wouldn't even tell me.