Let's see what Joe Disney thinks!
Walt Disney's Fantasia
A "live-in-concert" version of Walt Disney's "concert feature" has existed for quite some time now
(particularly, one that features pieces from both films, as well as "Clair de Lune" the way it was meant to be shown); but here at the Hyperion, this kind of show format is "plussed." In this hour-and-15-minutes production, five pieces from the original
Fantasia program are played by a live orchestra in a special pit visible to the audience, and brought to life through dance, projections and new animation. The orchestra begins with "Toccata and Fugue" accompanied by the original animation, then ballerinas twirl gracefully to "The Nutcracker Suite", Mickey Mouse himself appears on stage to reenact his signature role as "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", the "Dance of the Hours" adds some comedy to the show, and it all builds up to a stunning and terrifying "Night on Bald Mountain" followed by an
apothéose set to "Ave Maria."
Love how unique this is. A live orchestra, ballet, character performers, animation, this show has a little bit of everything without pushing into being unrealistic. My first instinct was to worry that it might get boring having an hour plus orchestra concert, but you even address that concern with the mention of Dance of the Hours to bring levity half way through. Its an addition that shows the intentionality of your pitch. Even in just a few words you show your concern for the pacing which is very admirable
Oh, and I forgot to add my bonus, but here it is.
BONUS: My favorite theme park show is Finding Nemo: The Musical. When I was young, it just blew me away. The design was fantastic, the puppetry was top-notch and the Lopezes' score is fantastic. In fact, the very day I saw it for the first time, I found out they were selling a soundtrack CD, and I bought it and I basically listened to it all the time. In fact, it should say a lot about the success of this show that Disney is currently licensing it for schools to put on!
Side note: I was going to say the Hoop-Dee-Doo-Revue, but then I remembered that's exclusively at a resort, not a theme park.
+1 Bonus -The rules for the bonus are pretty loose so I would've counted Hoop, but Finding Nemo is probably my personal favorite. It's obviously overshadowed by Frozen and Coco, but it really is some of the Lopezes' best work!
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“It’s all about the Princesses, Joe!” We’ll fill the Hyperion stage with a 55-minute production showcasing the iconic sights and sounds associated with Disney Princesses, from Snow White’s “I’m Wishing” to Tiana’s “Almost There,” and Belle’s “Bonjour,” and many more. Add in a half-dozen “princely” backup dancers and ONCE UPON A DREAM will be a song and dance extravaganza that will keep the theatre filled multiple times a day for the next decade.
BONUS: My favorite theme park show was The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Backlot Theater in Disney-MGM Park (1996 – 2002). It brought the animated movie story to life in ways that I found more emotionally compelling than on the screen.
You can never go wrong with princesses! I'm shocked there hasn't really been a big princess crossover show like this in the parks. The closest we get are things like the castle stage shows, but they generally are all so concerned with not being too "girly" that they shy away from actually celebrating the princesses or fully committing. I'm a nearly 30 year old man and dangit sometimes things should be "girly." A true princess show like this would be great! I love the focus on dance you included which gives it a nice angle beyond just "princess" too
+1 Bonus - I was too young to really remember when I saw it in person, but I loved watching it on my families old VHS Tape my dad filmed of it
Muppet Cinematic Extravaganza
Replacing the Hyperion theater is The Muppet Cinematic Extravaganza , a muppets spin on the most famous Hollywood movies of the time. We watch as gonzo performs stunts at the battle of New York in the avengers or we watch as piggy performing pigs in space and Kermit as master Yoda. This show will let us watch the muppets do hilarious things during the most well known scenes in movies that will sure be a real knee slapper.
Bonus: muppetvision. But I am sure you could have guessed that.
The Muppets and movie parodies. Seems like a perfect fit! I always support more puppets and more muppets. Plus, this actually embraces the Hollywoodland theme rather than just using it as an excuse to go blue sky which is a cool approach. I don't have much to say about this, but that isn't an insult. Muppets parodying movies is just a cool idea. Enough said.
+1 Bonus - Are you perhaps some sort of Fan of the Muppets?
Disney's California Adventure IS about the state of California, as the folks at Disney might have forgotten (what with stuff like PIXAR Pier and Avengers Campus), so this new jukebox musical will act as a salute of sorts to the Golden State - a summary of the whole park in one show, to other words. A vacationing couple on their way to New York City from Minnesota winds up in California after taking a wrong turn (the husband is too stubborn to ask for directions), and wind up getting thrust into one musical number after another. Among the songs featured in the show are "Surfin' USA", "Hooray For Hollywood" (with a cameo appearance from Donald Duck!), "Californification", "On the Road Again", and "The Bare Necessities" - performed by a jovial grizzly bear who serves as the Genie equivalent of the show, guiding the couple through the big ol' state of Californ-i-a.
Bonus: Does it necessarily have to be a live show? If not, I might have to go with Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, if so I think Festival of the Lion King is pretty epic.
This feels very very much like it would be right at home in DCA 1.0 even down to the jovial grizzly bear and the joke about the husband not asking for directions. I absolutely don't mean that as an insult because it feels like you've embraced that campy salute to the Golden State and are showing the best of what classic DCA had to offer. A very simple premise, but done really well and with some fun twists. Californication might be one they leave out of a Disney soundtrack though considering the less than kid friendly pun in the title that ya might not have noticed (and thats without even getting to the lyrics) lol, but your soundtrack and scene line up is great and while I doubt Disney would use it that song absolutely slaps and is incredibly fun to play on guitar
+1 Bonus - Monsters Inc Laugh Floor is great! So unique and clever how they do it. Festival of the Lion King is a great back up though and might be my second favorite live show at the parks
Monsters Inc.: The Musical
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Designed as a way to quickly replace the Rogers musical (and as a way to increase the Monsters Inc presence in this corner of Hollywoodland, possibly as a way to create a mini-Monstropolis subland), this new musical (which could become a Broadway musical if there’s greater demand) will retell the events of the 2001 Pixar film in musical style.
Discover what happens if a couple of monsters and a young girl cross paths as Mike Wazowski and James P Sullivan must learn how to bring Boo back to her door without Randall Boggs and Henry Waternoose III knowing (Disney fans may already know what happens, but this musical is different from the film in that it features some new scenes, some of which were deleted from the original film).
This musical is about 2 hours long, features 12 songs (many of which are original to this musical, accompanying important plot points), and since this Monsters Inc, many comical, funny, and entertaining lines and scenes in this musical (maybe even a reference to those memes).
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Bonus: I’m more of a rides guy than a show guy, but my favorite show was the Magic Kingdom nighttime fireworks show because it‘s a great way to end a day at the parks.
Monsters Inc would be a great musical! There's a lot of fun stuff they could do with the costumes if they lean into stylization the way Finding Nemo the Musical or Spongebob's Broadway show. The story and characters are properly grand and theatric, yet there's very few locations to make new sets for. The jazzy soundtrack with the Randy Newman songs is iconic and would make a really fun start for a musical soudntrack. 2 hours long when the movie its based on is only 90 minutes and this is a theme park show might be a little excessive even for the Hyperion Theater, but I would hold details like that against you. I see a lot of potential with this especially if it is done with the same care as Nemo was in picking talented people to write the soundtrack
+1 Bonus - Can never go wrong with a good fireworks show
A Celebration of a Mouse
The Hyperion is now home to this self-explanatory stage show, bringing Mickey Mouse’s most renowned adventures to life. With its framing device reminiscent of the short Mickey’s Gala Premier, we relive Mickey’s rise to fame as he finds a way to have fun floating down the river on Steamboat Willie, conducts a Band Concert, faces off against his rival Mortimer Mouse, and is enlisted by a certain Mr. Disney to help him make movies in Tinseltown.
For the bonus, I'm gonna give a mention to
Muppet*Vision 3-D; just a fun romp with an equally eclectic mix of 3-D effects, animatronics, and even a full-bodied Sweetums!
Never really thought of those, but I'll keep them in mind in the event that I revisit the concept.
I love the idea of doing essentially a musician biopic about Mickey Mouse. Bohemian Rhapsody starring the big cheese as a stage show is such an incredibly fun premise and the framing device anchoring it in Hollywoodland and a stroll down memory lane is a great way to stop this from just being a "best of" concept. I love this! It is a lot of fun and it is nice to see Mickey approached as an actual character with history and goals rather than just a mascot or generic everyman.
+1 Bonus - Muppet*Vision really does amazing things blending in different styles of effects in cool ways
