Magic Kingdom 50th Anniversary Plans

[MisterPenguin]

Not a lol - they had huge operational issues running Fantillusion during the summer. Saw it myself. It goes dark so late in June and July the parade wouldn’t step off until 10pm - barely dusk. Way too light for a night parade. Some nights they’d have to rush it through (literally) to be clear for non negotiable start time of 11 for fireworks- when the sky was still blue at the start of the show. Even then Main Street would still be well populated past midnight. Every night.

Yah... Paris's latitude is north of almost all of the continental U.S. Around the summer solstice, there are three weeks it doesn't get 'true night.'

Dusk dark enough for a nighttime parade would be 10:30p.

But, in the middle of the summer, if you stay open to 12a or 1a, it'd work. Wouldn't be nice for a lot of kids, tho, being so late.

Sunrise and sunset times in Paris, December 2025

Calculations of sunrise and sunset in Paris – Paris – France for December 2025. Generic astronomy calculator to calculate times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset for many cities, with daylight saving time and time zones taken in account.

www.timeanddate.com

 

[coruscant]

Not a lol - they had huge operational issues running Fantillusion during the summer. Saw it myself. It goes dark so late in June and July the parade wouldn’t step off until 10pm - barely dusk. Way too light for a night parade. Some nights they’d have to rush it through (literally) to be clear for non negotiable start time of 11 for fireworks- when the sky was still blue at the start of the show. Even then Main Street would still be well populated past midnight. Every night.

Indeed. During the summer months the Fantillusion parade would start at 10:20 pm almost immediatly after sunset.

You can see in the picture that the sky is not fully dark yet when the parade was running.
Fireworks shows, or Disney Dreams and Illuminations could only start at 11 pm. When there was only fireworks shows like Fantasy in the Sky, the crowds were not that huge and concentrated in Central Plaza so they could manage. In 2012 with Disney Dreams it became a nightmare so they ended the nighttime parade. They could still do it for Christmas, but they decided to end also there.

 

[brb1006]

Not a lol - they had huge operational issues running Fantillusion during the summer. Saw it myself. It goes dark so late in June and July the parade wouldn’t step off until 10pm - barely dusk. Way too light for a night parade. Some nights they’d have to rush it through (literally) to be clear for non negotiable start time of 11 for fireworks- when the sky was still blue at the start of the show. Even then Main Street would still be well populated past midnight. Every night.

That could explain why the Paris version of Fantillusion is notably shorter (not counting the show stops) with a ton of floats from sections of the parade getting cut.


For contrast, here's the original version from Tokyo Disneyland circa 2001.

 

[marni1971]

That could explain why the Paris version of Fantillusion is notably shorter (not counting the show stops) with a ton of floats from sections of the parade getting cut.

That was more due to EDL having to actually buy the parade from the OLC and ship it over.

 

[brb1006]

That was more due to EDL having to actually buy the parade from the OLC and ship it over.

I wonder what happened to the other floats that were absent from the Paris version (such as The Magic Mirror and Evil Queen/Witch float and Chernabog)? Do they still exist?

 

[marni1971]

I wonder what happened to the other floats that were absent from the Paris version (such as The Magic Mirror and Evil Queen/Witch float and Chernabog)? Do they still exist?

I would doubt it. Perhaps some were repurposed.

As it was storms at sea caused a lot of damage to what EDL did get. Plus they had to (surprisingly unexpectedly) rewire then to 230v

 

[coruscant]

EDL didn't buy all the floats. So the ones that were not shipped to Paris might have been destroyed in Tokyo. Not sure about that though. As for the one running in Paris they did, at the beginning 3 show stops during the parade, but then they reduced to 2 stops to decrease the time of the parade.
The parade only ran during the Summer and Christmas seasons. During the Christmas Season, if it was too cold (I saw it once during a snow "shower" and very cold temperatures) they wouldn't even do any show stops and the parade would go very fast.

 

[TTA94]

Are we getting a light parade? Is DL ever going to show theirs again?

sigh...

DLP is getting a brand-new castle park show (with some fireworks...).

Million dollar question I guess lol. I still don’t think DL needs two nighttime parades sitting backstage. That is and has been, pre covid, very irritating to know when WDW doesn’t have one. I could see where, let’s say, Hong Kong had both MSEP and PTN sitting backstage, well technically they do lol, at least PTN right now, maybe or maybe not WDWs MSEP? (Mystery), but anyway I could see why HK wouldn’t want to give a parade to WDW since they are not in the US. But DL and WDW should be on the same level IMO. If there’s issues or drama between the two lol then they need to get over it. If those at DL do not like how those at WDW handle things maintenence wise then how about helping to fix the issues? Just going off of the rumors, maybe facts, that WDW ruined MSEP and didn’t take care of it. If true then they need to fire those in charge who didn’t maintain the floats. If there’s concerns how WDW would maintain PTN, then require a appropriate warehouse for storing the floats and require specific maintenance crews to maintain the floats. It all comes down to where there’s a will there’s a way.

 

[TTA94]

Since today Chapek said to expects masks and distancing to be here the rest of this year but gone in 2022, is that indication there are no plans to bring back entertainment until 2022?

 

[Jrb1979]

Since today Chapek said to expects masks and distancing to be here the rest of this year but gone in 2022, is that indication there are no plans to bring back entertainment until 2022?

Just enjoy the cupcakes.

 

[Giss Neric]

Since today Chapek said to expects masks and distancing to be here the rest of this year but gone in 2022, is that indication there are no plans to bring back entertainment until 2022?

There is no way they could celebrate a 50th anniversary without entertainment or fireworks. October is last quarter so by that time most have already been vaccinated and capacity I'm sure will be more than 50% by that time.

 

[doctornick]

Since today Chapek said to expects masks and distancing to be here the rest of this year but gone in 2022, is that indication there are no plans to bring back entertainment until 2022?

I’d like to think he’s just setting expectations low for anyone booking this year and then if (hopefully when) COVID numbers improve during the year they can loosen restrictions in the parks.

 

[MadTeacup]

I can’t figure out whether Epcot Forever returns or not. It was intended to run for more than a few months. I suspect it will depend upon the degree of social distancing. If it would behoove them to push off new fireworks until 2022 when HEA will already have additions come October, I could see the appeal.

I believe Martin has confirmed that EPCOT Forever is returning first with HarmonioUS likely delayed until 2022.

Something like that is being planned as a summer back-up if fireworks are not offered. MK will not be closing at 6 pm this summer.

They have actually been testing the summertime mini projection shows for the last few weeks. We will likely see this debut around June or sooner before the return of HEA and OUAT.

@MansionButler84 Is the updates still planned for FoF? Or will we even get FoF back?

The update is doubtful, but the current plan is to return some form of FoF by the 50th. Last I heard they are planning on transitioning from the cavalcades to a cavalcade version of FoF where each unit will be sent down the parade route individually at different times throughout the day. This plan could change, but it would make a lot of sense if they're not comfortable with crowds.

They could run cavalcade versions of FoF like they did with the seasonal floats.

See above.

Since today Chapek said to expects masks and distancing to be here the rest of this year but gone in 2022, is that indication there are no plans to bring back entertainment until 2022?

Doubtful. Entertainment will begin to return this year.

 

[TTA94]

I believe Martin has confirmed that EPCOT Forever is returning first with HarmonioUS likely delayed until 2022.


They have actually been testing the summertime mini projection shows for the last few weeks. We will likely see this debut around June or sooner before the return of HEA and OUAT.


The update is doubtful, but the current plan is to return some form of FoF by the 50th. Last I heard they are planning on transitioning from the cavalcades to a cavalcade version of FoF where each unit will be sent down the parade route individually at different times throughout the day. This plan could change, but it would make a lot of sense if they're not comfortable with crowds.


See above.


Doubtful. Entertainment will begin to return this year.

And your thoughts on the whole PTN idea?

 

[MisterPenguin]

Since today Chapek said to expects masks and distancing to be here the rest of this year but gone in 2022, is that indication there are no plans to bring back entertainment until 2022?

He also hedged that statement with "but vaccines might change that."

 

[DoleWhipDrea]

Million dollar question I guess lol. I still don’t think DL needs two nighttime parades sitting backstage. That is and has been, pre covid, very irritating to know when WDW doesn’t have one. I could see where, let’s say, Hong Kong had both MSEP and PTN sitting backstage, well technically they do lol, at least PTN right now, maybe or maybe not WDWs MSEP? (Mystery), but anyway I could see why HK wouldn’t want to give a parade to WDW since they are not in the US. But DL and WDW should be on the same level IMO. If there’s issues or drama between the two lol then they need to get over it. If those at DL do not like how those at WDW handle things maintenence wise then how about helping to fix the issues? Just going off of the rumors, maybe facts, that WDW ruined MSEP and didn’t take care of it. If true then they need to fire those in charge who didn’t maintain the floats. If there’s concerns how WDW would maintain PTN, then require a appropriate warehouse for storing the floats and require specific maintenance crews to maintain the floats. It all comes down to where there’s a will there’s a way.

It’s not a rumor or a mystery - DLR’s Entertainment Department was furious when they got the MSEP floats returned to them in the state they were in from WDW’s treatment, and that’s not something they will simply forget about. That parade is greatly beloved by the CMs and guests alike, bringing about heavy attendance when the crowds disappeared after Galaxy’s Edge opened and DLR became a ghost town. It’s why PTN eventually was mothballed. People are still tremendously fond of and nostalgic for the original.

You’re also talking about two separate departments that don’t really communicate with each other actively. The culture is very different between the two and looks very different from one another. DLR’s entertainment roster is regularly updated while WDW’s is...well, there’s a reason why this thread is filled to the brim with frustration over a celebration that really should be spectacular, but in reality we’ll be lucky for anything that would encourage crowding.

Again, if vaccinations are at a place that make the higher-ups comfortable, and if the higher-ups are willing to provide a budget, we might be able to see something happen (whatever Josh says to both DLR and WDW goes). But the reality is that we are still in a pandemic and we’re still talking about a company that didn’t want to spend money when they had plenty to spend. It’s a tremendously complicated situation and Disney doesn’t dare promise anything for this year simply because none of us know what the next few months are going to look like. Floridians over 65 and health care workers are supposed to be able to get vaccinated now, but many are still struggling to just manage to schedule an appointment.

 

[MandaM]

It was 72% in America. That would be astonishingly-high for a flu shot, it just feels low to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna results.

All 3 are still 100% effective against COVID-19-related death. And all 3 work better than the AstraZeneca vaccine most of the world is using.

And to be fair to those reporting from Canada or the UK, one of the (few) things everyone can agree the previous administration did well was to buy a lot of (what ended up being) the best vaccines. Our vaccination curve will put other countries to shame.

It’s good to live in the leader of the free world once again. I imagine we will share our surplus with our allies at some point.

I do not mean for this to come across as “America is the best!” But we will have the best vaccination program. As we should. We pay more for vaccine development per capita than any other nation.

We're doing well in vaccinations, but we're not the best worldwide. (Britain is actually ahead of us.) As of February 11th, we're 6th in the world per capita. Number one - by a mile - is Israel. An astonishing 66% of their population has gotten at least one shot, compared to 14% in the US. Rounding out the other top spots are Seychelles at 46%, the United Arab Emirates at 44%, the UK at 20%, and Bahrain just a little above the US at 14.5%. Hopefully, our new vaccine purchases and Biden's strategy will increase our rates. But, Israel is on track to vaccinate all of its citizens by the end of March, which we definitely can't match.

I think it might be more accurate to say that the Trump administration hedged their bets and ordered some of everything. Interestingly, they bet on the AstraZeneca vaccine the most, ordering 300 million doses of it, compared with the initial orders of 100 million for Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J. They also ordered 100 million doses each of the GlaxoSmithKlien/Sanofi and Novavax vaccines, but both of those are having problems and won't be viable until late 2021 at the earliest.

The Trump administration didn't really buy a lot of vaccines. In comparing the amounts of vaccines each country had contracted, we were kinda low. As of January 29. we ranked 32nd in the percentage of our population covered by Covid vaccine contracts. With Biden's purchase of 200 million more, I'm sure that number will now go up.

 

[Touchdown]

We might be 6 based on shots per 100k but given our country is bigger and has a larger population then any country ahead of us. After a Rocky first month we are really doing well, the idea we could actually vaccinate everyone in this country over 16 by the end of summer was unthinkable a month ago.

 

[ToTBellHop]

We might be 6 based on shots per 100k but given our country is bigger and has a larger population then any country ahead of us. After a Rocky first month we are really doing well, the idea we could actually vaccinate everyone in this country over 16 by the end of summer was unthinkable a month ago.

We are the only country I’m aware of that will almost exclusively use the best vaccines. Managing to get enough of them for 300 million of us by 7/31 is impressive.

And comparing us to tiny countries is not really an apples-to-apples comparison (poster above you).

UK has done well but focusing so much on dose 1 was risky. Hope it works for them.

 

[jrhwdw]

I believe Martin has confirmed that EPCOT Forever is returning first with HarmonioUS likely delayed until 2022.


They have actually been testing the summertime mini projection shows for the last few weeks. We will likely see this debut around June or sooner before the return of HEA and OUAT.


The update is doubtful, but the current plan is to return some form of FoF by the 50th. Last I heard they are planning on transitioning from the cavalcades to a cavalcade version of FoF where each unit will be sent down the parade route individually at different times throughout the day. This plan could change, but it would make a lot of sense if they're not comfortable with crowds.


See above.


Doubtful. Entertainment will begin to return this year.

Will it be like what we saw this Christmas or something more?


Might plans change for the better when Herd Iumuneity happens? I heard it could happen by April or May if things go right.