March 2009

Yes, the Mouse won’t be wearing his traditional suit in black, white, red and yellow, as shown in all the preview images, when he bursts upward onto the new Central Plaza Stage come April. The costume designers, including Head of Costuming Sue Lecash, have imagined a flashy new costume for the star of the show.

Shiny crisp white from head to toe, this new suit for It’s Party Time… with and Mickey and Friends has one special hidden feature. It was officially revealed in a preview video which played on the big screen at a special trade partners event earlier this week.

Take a look:

Stitched up with ultra-bright LED lights, the suit glows in colours of pink and blue, animating to a rhythm across the fabric to make it appear “luminous” when seen in daylight during the show. With its rope/pipe-like wavy lights stitched across the front and back, it perhaps event makes Mickey’s other illuminating outside — from Disney’s Fantillusion — seem subtle.

Curiously, the video ended with some shots of concept art for other Mickey Mouse costumes — we assume the ones which didn’t make the tailors’ cut.

Well, their final design is certainly only something Mickey could pull off.

Video by PhotosMagiques.com.

The Legend of the Lion King ended after almost five years on 4th January 2009, with unconfirmed word of a return in high season only. But now, despite the huge Lion King stage set still filling the theatre, a new event has been confirmed for the space inside Videopolis as part of this year’s celebrations.

Unlike the other Mickey’s Magical Party events, however, this one won’t be focused strictly on bright, modern themes and might even not be too scared to mention Mickey’s 80-year age. Confirmed in our interview with creative director Kat de Blois, we’ll soon see the entertainment/dining venue become home to Cinéma Mickey, an all-too-rare chance to watch the classic cartoons that began Mickey’s career.

Kat announced in the interview:

“That said, Mickey will be not only present on the stage in front of the Castle, but also at Videopolis in Discoveryland.

“The theater will be transformed into a big cinema, Cinéma Mickey. Be it in the stalls, or eating upstairs, you’ll be able to watch a bunch of Mickey cartoons that made him the star we know, introduced by himself. A new way to celebrate with him, this time as a cartoon character.”

Videopolis interior with current Legend of the Lion King set-up

Mickey Mouse cartoons at Videopolis? It’s true, after all, that Discoveryland presents the future according to the past — and so, this “new” event will take heavy inspiration from something we’ve been enjoying at the venue for as long as we can remember…

Classic cartoons from the Disney archives have always been played on the big screens above the restaurant space to provide entertainment in-between theatre shows, and now it seems they’ll be becoming the main attraction. Kat de Blois’ announcement that Videopolis Theatre will be “transformed into a big cinema” must surely suggest some major changes to the stage area itself, especially with the added confirmation that we’ll now be able to enjoy the cartoons “in the stalls”, without food, too.

But will this be closer to a real stage show or a simple cinema? Kat states that “Mickey will be not only present on the stage in front of the Castle, but also at Videopolis in Discoveryland” and that the cartoons will be “introduced by [Mickey] himself”. It’s up to our own interpretation for now whether this means Mickey will appear on-stage to introduce the cartoons, or simply via a pre-recorded video clip or narration.

• Read the full Mickey’s Magical Party interview with Kat de Blois here!

Traditionally, Disneyland Resort Paris has sought to make its entertainment productions as independent from language as possible, with stories kept very visual and a sometimes baffling compromise between speech in French or English.

In 2004, The Legend of the Lion King broke the trend by having separate English and French shows. Last year, Stitch Live! followed Simba with separate shows. And now, as we’ve been expecting, Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage! will use the same idea… but with a difference.

As announced by creative director Kat de Blois in her Media Magic Interview on DLRP Today, the new puppet stage show will be performed in French, English AND Spanish. This would make it the first ever entertainment production at the resort to be presented “en Español”.

Kat de Blois revealed: “It’s show that comes from the US, yet here, we’re going to present it in three languages, for the first time in the world: English, French and Spanish according to the audience.” The main European markets of the Playhouse Disney channel itself are UK & Ireland, France and Spain, so this decision certainly makes sense — especially since the audience will be much younger and less able to understand different languages than for other shows.

You might remember though that, during the opening phase of Stitch Live!, there were reports that the “ticket booth” Cast Member shelter features a button alongside “Français” and “English” reading “Español”, suggesting its electronic signs had been built ready for a third language. However, no Spanish shows have ever been presented at the attraction, despite guest numbers from the country continuing to rise massively — if you’ve been a long-time visitor to the resort, you’ll certainly have noticed much more “Español” around the parks in the past two years.

Now, it appears Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage! will be the first to truly acknowledge the Mouse’s newfound fans with their own translated performance.

• Read the full Mickey’s Magical Party interview with Kat de Blois here!
• Discover our updated guide to the new attraction here.

Our thanks to Google translator for the (possibly incorrect) headline.

Advertisements for Mickey’s Magical Party are generating a lot of interest in the resort right now, no doubt helped along by that 40% discount offer.

Just a few seconds ago, for example, an email dropped into the inbox of thousands of Disneyland Resort Paris fans and visitors in the UK:

The email shouts “With Mickey’s Magical Party, we’re bursting with New experiences, New shows and a New attraction!”, linking across to the official celebration website — which itself was updated just a few days ago to include some extra videos and photos.

But what about their paid-for advertising campaign? The UK office have sent us a little update on what to expect: “Throughout February and March, we’ll not only be on key TV channels but also in popular magazines, posters in your local supermarkets and online.”

So, open up a popular magazine this month and you might just be treated to be a double-page advertisement for the celebration and the resort, using a shiny new visual of colourful balloons floating through the sky.

Photo: Kris, magicforum.

This new print ad doesn’t specifically mention any of the new events, choosing to lead just with the bright new key visual. The biggest balloon in which cleverly reflects a depiction of the main It’s Party Time… with Mickey and Friends show on Central Plaza, with Timon, Baloo and Aladdin in the background and crowds of eager guests reflected in its ears.

Here’s the full image exclusively on DLRP Today, without the print campaign text:

Notice that the stage appears closer to its final design than the earlier marketing images, yet Sleeping Beauty Castle is shown very prominently — without its confirmed decorations.

You’ll probably agree the general colours and style of this beautiful new key visual are also far subtler and nearer to the classic “Disneyland Paris” image we remember — those bright and colourful balloons are still present, but don’t overpower the image.

Images © Disney.

Here’s the full release list:

Saturday, 7th March 2009

Disney Princesses Booster Pack (4 pins)
€18.00

Ariel pin
€6.00

Bolt (Volt) limited edition pin
Limited Edition x900
€12.90

High School Musical 3 booster pack (4 pins)
€18.00

Friday, 13th March 2009

Phantom Manor Pin Event — Now Fully Booked!

Exclusive pins released at this event:

Phantom Manor limited edition double lanyard
€15.00

Tinkerbell Stretch Room limited edition pin
Limited Edition x900
€12.90

Tinkerbell Bride limited edition pin
Limited Edition x900
€12.90

Stitch Phantom limited edition pin
Limited Edition x900
€12.90

Stitch Pin Trading Event limited edition pin
Limited Edition x400
€10.90

Chip ‘n’ Dale Pin Trading Event limited edition pin
Limited Edition x400
€10.90

Phantom Manor Pin Trading Event jumbo limited edition pin
Limited Edition x400
€39.90

Saturday, 21st March 2009

Spring 2009 limited edition pin
Limited Edition x900
€11.90

Bolt pin
€6.00

Cars starter kit (pins + lanyard)
€19.90

Saturday, 28th March 2009

Mickey Magical Party limited edition pin
Limited Edition x1200
€10.90

Minnie Magical Party limited edition pin
Limited Edition x1200
€10.90

Mickey’s Magical Party Medal pin
€6.00

Mickey’s Magical Party Balloon pin
€6.00

And here are the artworks:

(click to enlarge)