Disneyland Forever

Disneyland Forever
Disneyland
Status	Closed (or on hiatus)
Soft opening date	May 21, 2015[1]
Opening date	1. May 22, 2015 2. 2017?
Closing date	1. September 5, 2016[2]
Replaced	Magical: Disney's New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations Remember... Dreams Come True
Replaced by	Fantasy in the Sky[3]
General statistics
Attraction type	Multimedia and pyrotechnic show
Designer	Walt Disney Creative Entertainment
Music	Live the Magic Kiss Goodnight Various Disney Soundtracks
Duration	14:52 minutes
Wheelchair accessible
Closed captioning available

Disneyland Forever is a nighttime spectacular^[4] at Disneyland that premiered alongside the Paint the Night parade and World of Color—Celebrate! on May 21, 2015^[1] as part of the park's 60th anniversary celebration.^[5] The show was produced by Walt Disney Creative Entertainment, under direction of Steve Davison.^[6] Disneyland Forever incorporates fireworks, projection mapping, fire, lasers, and searchlights to depict scenes from Disney films.

Technical details

Disneyland Forever features fireworks launched both from backstage areas and from selected locations within the park, as well as the largest projection mapping display ever presented in a Disney park.^[7][8] During the show, video and images are projected on Sleeping Beauty Castle, the buildings along Main Street USA, the Matterhorn, the facade of It's a Small World, and along the Rivers of America (on the water screens from Fantasmic),^[9] using a total of 25 projectors.^[10] The projections in each area are different in order to evenly distribute crowds and to encourage people to view the show multiple times from different locations.^[11][12][13] The show also features fire effects, lasers, searchlights,^[14] and other effects,^[15] and is approximately fourteen minutes and forty-seven seconds long.^[16]

Show summary

Two new songs were written for the show: the theme song "Live the Magic" and the exit song "Kiss Goodnight", the latter of which was written by composer Richard M. Sherman and sung by Broadway star Ashley Brown.^[17][18][19] Other songs co-written by Sherman and his late brother, Robert B. Sherman, including "Step in Time" from Mary Poppins and "Heffalumps and Woozles" from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh are also featured in the show.^[20] The rest of the soundtrack includes music, songs, and audio from Disney and Pixar films and archival footage of Walt Disney.^[18]

Projection mapping displays used for other fireworks shows

When Disneyland Forever ended its initial run with the conclusion of the Disneyland Diamond Celebration on September 5, 2016, the projection mapping displays seen on Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Main Street U.S.A. store facades, the Matterhorn, It's A Small World, and the Fantasmic mist screens on Rivers Of America in Frontierland that originally debuted with it and the Disneyland Diamond Celebration on May 22, 2015 continued to be used for Disneyland's other existing fireworks shows (with the slight exception of Fantasy In The Sky) and new ones yet to come in the future. The first existing fireworks shows that got to utilize Disneyland Forever's projection mapping displays during the Diamond Celebration in 2015 were Disneyland Celebrates America: A 4th Of July Concert In The Sky on July 4, 2015 (and again on July 4, 2016 still during the Diamond Celebration and - with or without the Disneyland Forever fireworks or whatever the current nightly fireworks show is - may well again in 2017 and beyond be used), Halloween Screams on nights when Mickey's Halloween Party was (and again did in 2016 even after the Diamond Celebration concluded and - with or without the Disneyland Forever fireworks or whatever the current nightly fireworks show is - may well again in 2017 and beyond be used) going on during Halloweentime in 2015, and New Year's Eve 2015 going into New Year's Day 2016 (which utilizes the Fantasy In The Sky soundtrack after the countdown to midnight and the playing of Auld Lane Syne). During the Disneyland Diamond Celebration on the 4th of July holiday (in 2015 and 2016), a slightly shorter version of Disneyland Celebrates America: A 4th Of July Concert In The Sky would start right after Disneyland Forever ended its performance for the night. Believe... In Holiday Magic had its first use with the Disneyland Forever projection mapping displays starting on November 10, 2016, as Disneyland opted to continue with Disneyland Forever during the Disneyland Diamond Celebration's 2015 Christmas season. If Magical were to return in 2017 instead of Disneyland Forever, it would be the next existing fireworks show to utilize Disneyland Forever's projection mapping displays.

Disneyland Forever show line-up

The show features seven themed sections:^[9][18][21]

• "Open": A traditional fanfare, complete with 94 high powered searchlights (most of which form a diamond over Sleeping Beauty Castle), opens the show. As images of orange groves are projected around the viewing areas, the opening narration describes how, 60 years ago, the area where Disneyland currently stands was an orange grove. As the projected oranges grow larger, they burst into pixie dust. Walt Disney’s declaration that "as long as there’s imagination left in the world, Disneyland will never be complete" ushers in Peter Pan and a live action Tinker Bell. Peter encourages Tinker Bell to sprinkle her pixie dust on the castle as they show the audience "how magical this place can be", leading into "Live the Magic."
• "Clouds": Projections of the rooftops of London accompany the song "Step in Time" from Mary Poppins (Dick Van Dyke recorded new chants as the character Bert for this sequence^[22]). Projected kites then segue into floating lanterns as "I See the Light" from Tangled is performed.
• "Enchanted Places": A projection of Winnie the Pooh floats to the top of the castle and dives into a honeycomb to introduce a sequence featuring the songs "Rumbly in My Tumbly" and "Heffalumps and Woozles" from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
• "Jungle": The song "Circle of Life", a fireworks "sunrise", and projected animals recreate the opening scene of The Lion King. The scene then transitions to Angkor Wat from The Jungle Book as King Louie performs "I Wanna Be Like You". A "wild jazz number" punctuated by rainstorm effects and waterfalls follow.
• "Sea": Giant inflatable coral structures and projections of underwater scenes accompany Ariel and Sebastian from The Little Mermaid as they perform "Under the Sea". The number ends abruptly as projections of the Tank Gang from "Finding Nemo" encourage a Nemo puppet suspended above the castle to swim through the "Ring of Fire". Projections, smoke and lighting effects on the Matterhorn transform it into Mt. Wannahockaloogie.
• "Snow": The projected smoke and ash from the volcano transition into snow as artificial foam snow begins to fall in the viewing areas. Queen Elsa of Arendelle appears to perform "Let It Go" and projections on the Matterhorn transform it into her snow palace.
• "Finale": The projections of the orange groves return and the narration declares that Disneyland will continue to grow and that "the magic, as Walt assured us, will never end." Searchlights, lasers, and projections of Sleeping Beauty Castle, the buildings on Main Street, and the facade of It's a Small World moving and dancing accompany "When You Wish upon a Star" from Pinocchio and a reprise of "Live the Magic." As the buildings 'disintegrate' and the finale culminates, a projection of Walt hand-in-hand with Mickey Mouse is shown and Peter Pan is heard exclaiming that "(Disneyland) is yours…forever!" A bright ensemble of fireworks punctuate the finale.

Alternate version

In cases where the fireworks cannot be deployed due to inclement weather, an alternate version consisting of the finale is shown. Slightly different projections are seen in their respective viewing areas, while the searchlights and lasers still function.

Voices

• Ellen Dubin - Disneyland Forever Narrator
• Walt Disney - Himself (archival recording)
• Keith Longo - male vocalist, 'Live the Magic', (Disneyland Forever original recording)
• Sheena Loza - female vocalist, 'Live the Magic, (Disneyland Forever original recording)
• Blayne Weaver - Peter Pan
• Dick Van Dyke - Bert
• Zachary Levi - Flynn Rider/ Eugene Fitzherbert
• Mandy Moore - Rapunzel
• Sterling Holloway - Winnie the Pooh (archival recording)
• Paul Winchell - Tigger (archival recording)
• Louis Prima - King Louie (archival recording)
• Jodi Benson - Ariel
• Keith Ferguson - Sebastian
• Brad Garrett - Bloat
• Allison Janney - Peach
• Stephen Root - Bubbles
• Austin Pendleton - Gurgle
• Joe Ranft - Jacques
• Idina Menzel - Elsa

External links

• Disneyland Forever at the Disneyland website
• Disneyland Forever Fun Facts at the Disneyland News Website

References

1. "Watch Premiere Performances of 'Paint the Night' Parade and 'Disneyland Forever' Fireworks and Disneyland Resort 24-Hour Event LIVE on Disney Parks Blog". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
2. "Disney Parks Blog: "Paint the Night Parade" Livestream". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
3. "Welcome Back Favorite Entertainment Spectaculars at Disneyland Resort This Fall". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
4. "'Disneyland Forever' Fireworks Spectacular Announced for Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration". disneyparks.disney.go.com. Disney. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
5. "Disneyland's 60th anniversary party to start with 24-hour bash". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
6. Barkas, Sherry (January 29, 2015). "New parade, fireworks planned for Disneyland's 60th". The Desert Sun. Gannett. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
7. "New shows and more coming to Disneyland's 60th anniversary". Attractions Magazine. January 29, 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
8. "New nighttime events, shiny additions planned for Disneyland's 60th birthday". Orlando Sentinel. January 30, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
9. "Disneyland Forever (More Mouse) by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix". www.mouseplanet.com. Mouse Planet. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
10. Brown, Genevieve Shaw (19 May 2015). "Sneak Peek of Disneyland's New Fireworks Spectacular, 'Disneyland Forever'". ABC News. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
11. "VIDEO: A closer look at Disneyland's 60th anniversary shows". OC Register. January 30, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
12. "What to expect for Disneyland's 60th anniversary celebration". Los Angeles Times. January 30, 2015. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
13. Glass, John (10 April 2015). 100 Things You Don’t Want to Miss at Disney California Adventure: 2015. Alternative Travel Press. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
14. MacDonald, Brady (May 22, 2015). "Is Disneyland's fast-moving 'Forever' fireworks show too complex?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
15. "Disneyland Diamond Celebration: 60 years of magic!". Techno Buffalo. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
16. "VIDEO: Disneyland announces 60th anniversary plans with a little extra dazzle; it's adding a parade, punching up fireworks show". OC Register. January 29, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
17. "Disneyland's 60th anniversary plans include new parade, fireworks - L.A. Biz". BizJournals.com. January 29, 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
18. "Disneyland Diamond Celebration Preview: Part I". TravelPulse. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
19. "60 Amazing Facts about Disneyland Resort For the Diamond Celebration of 60 Magical Years". Disneyland Resort News. Disney. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
20. "Disneyland celebrates its diamond 60th anniversary". USA Today. February 3, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
21. "Prepare to Be Dazzled! Disneyland Reveals More Details for the Upcoming 60th Birthday". laughingplace.com. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
22. "Prepare to be Wowed by Disneyland's Three New Nighttime Spectaculars". Disney Insider. April 2015.