I was one of the Cinderella Court Dancers in the event, and as a former Disneyland cast member 1985-1994, I was in ELP from 1988-1993. [I’m in the front canopy in this footage, 2nd couple.] My friends and former CMs called me as they were looking for people who could get themselves to NYC on their own dime as Disney wouldn't be paying (they didn't pay non-DL participants either by calling it a "volunteer event", they did however allocate a hotel room for me in the block reserved for those from DL working the event.). In fact, they used local Disney Store employees to fill most of the roles -- the rest of us were current/former CMs who knew the parade and could help out the new people. So I got to see friends I hadn't seen in 3 years (since I had moved away, I was living in Paris at the time) including my former supervisor (also my former landlord), choreographers, supervisors, wardrobe, and fellow dancers. When I got to NYC and went to first rehearsal and costume fitting -- my old costume (which I hadn't been in 4 years as my last ELP was summer of '93) still had my old sweat-smeared name tag sewn into the collar! The big challenge was that the parade normally runs 22 minutes gate to gate at Disneyland. The batteries in the floats and costumes are not designed for much longer -- this event was about 4x the usual distance. They had to tow (using small propane-fueled airline tugs) most of the floats once they passed the main grandstand where it was being broadcast as their batteries died. Wardrobe was running around like crazy replacing costume batteries on route. e.g. the male court costume uses one motorcycle battery, the women's hoop skirts require two. The biggest problem was the unseasoned performers who had never been inside a character costume with a head. They get REALLY hot inside and by the time we made it to the end of the route in Central Park they were dropping to the ground exhausted. They were troopers. It was a once in a lifetime event. Ironically 20 year later, I now live in NYC... Here's some pics of the rehearsal and pics from the parade my friend took. Gotta love the golf cart as stand-in pumpkin coach: 1drv.ms/u/s!As9ITgmETruBk097qRZqJ7-klzCQ [edit: changed photo link]
At least the new parade uses LEDs -- "back in the day" it was all incandescent Christmas tree bulbs. Over the years we had costumes catch fire if the wires overheated due to shorts. The wiring was pretty complex and dense and with all the movement it was inevitable there would be loose wires and shorts.
So were the face characters for the parade auditioned if they were from a Disney store or did most of them already do the parade? In general were characters taught like if they were in the parks since each has his or her own mannerisms?
Val and Brit Most of the face characters came from Disneyland if I recall as Disney had only one shot at the event and since it was being televised wanted those roles to shine. Keep in mind this was a just a big commercial in the end. They were selling a product and wanted to hit the ball out of the park. Compared to a normal parade rehearsal schedule which would take weeks, we only had 3-4 days of rehearsal in a large warehouse and never rehearsed on the street. It just had to work first time. That’s why I give a lot of credit to the kids from the Disney stores as they had to learn their choreography AND get used to working inside costumes with poor visibility and heat in less than a week. It usually takes a month or more to mount a parade from first rehearsal to opening day. I think whoever did Blue Fairy at opening was from Disney but her pages holding the back of her dress were locals. My close friend who played Peter Pan (we went to the same high school in CA), and another who played Prince Charming were there. But due to the size of the warehouse and rehearsal schedules being staggered we didn’t get to see the entire parade rehearsed at once, so I can’t remember all the details. The guy who played Hercules was a union actor. I think he was the only guy paid a union rate, not sure of the woman who played Meg. The people who were still working for Disneyland may have gotten their normal hourly rate for the event, I’ll have to ask my friend. Considering the political prep work, the filling of potholes, street lighting, getting the fragile floats there from California, a quick rehearsal schedule and no street rehearsal, it was a masterpiece in coordination and execution.
@@lohphat Wow! Just another awesome thing about Disney I guess. Thanks for answering my questions! So do we know at all if any of the problems with the parade were predicted or did Disney just wing it? Like the lights dying on the costumes after a certain point.
Oh my god! I remember going to this! I was living in manhattan when this happened!!i have to see if my parents have the vhs! This was such a big deal during the time!!
Your content is some of the best on RUclips right now. I hope you continue to inspire viewers to make their dreams a reality. Life isn't easy, its work. You have to work for the one you want. God bless you and your family, brother.
I've been to Disney once in my life. I was ten years old, the oldest out of my family. My family of my dad and step mom, two brothers, grandma and three cousins all piled into a mini van on midnight on the Fourth of July and drove from Ohio to Florida. I didn't get to see any characters or ride the tea cups, it was sweltering hot but it was everything I wanted it to be. As it got dark we all got to pick out gifts in the shops and I remember not knowing what we were waiting for until the parade started. It was beautiful. Halfway through I felt something on my head, my parents had snuck away and got all of us Mickey ears with our names embroidered into them (most likely not to get them mixed up between the kids, not just to make us feel special lol). I'll never forget that day where magic came alive. I'll cry once I get a chance to go back.
I saw the Main Street Electrical Parade during its last stint at the Magic Kingdom in 2013. I think it was the highlight of that whole trip. I'd seen it on TV when I was a kid and it always looked impressive to me--loved that they were still using "Baroque Hoedown" on the Moog and all of those good old analog electro-synthe-magnetical musical sounds.
Also in 1978 the parade was the halftime show for the Orange Bowl between Arkansas and Oklahoma. The game was pretty much forgettable as Arkansas would kill Oklahoma 31-6, but the halftime show was one of the strangest things ever
Great video! I was hoping you'd mention that the Warner Brothers Studio Store was one of the most famous locations in New York that refused to put their lights out for Disney, for obvious reasons. Obviously, their stores did not last nearly as long as Disney's, but I loved going to both and this trivia fact always made me giggle.
I WAS THERE! Oh wow... yeah, I remember going to this with my parents who are both now gone. There was some demonstrations against Disney in the city that night as well, and I remember my father made sure we didn't stand on that block. They were also tossing out cassette singles of Hercules' soundtrack into the crowd and my father caught one for me.
I grew up in Queens and I remember this parade. I grabbed folding chairs and my younger brothers, headed off to meet my mom her office in the city, we walked over to 5th Ave and set up our chairs. I remember loving the parade and wishing they would do it every year. But it never happened again.
Oh my gosh, those Hercules plates! We used to have a bunch of them when I was a kid! I think they were available for purchase at Mcdonald's. The memories! 😭😭
Omg. I live on Long Island ! How did I not know about the electrical parade in NY!! 😩😩😩😩. This is incredible that an amazing piece of Disney Parks was here at home. Thank you for sharing this !
They need to have another one in Manhattan again. I wasn't born during the time, and I live near New York, so seeing this in person will be truly magical
Great Video. The maketing was very much for Hercules in Germany there was a Train that go across many city. I was in a city call dusseldorf to see the Train it was very good.
Hello Rob you are doing a great job on teaching us of more Disney magic . Keep up the wonderful job. When I was just about 7 I use to watch Walt on the Sunday evening wonderful world of Disney explaining and out lining how what is now WDW is. I use to dream for year after that about visiting the most magical place on earth. In 2014 I got the opportunity to visit and then I took my two girls at time ages were 3 and 1. We thoroughly enjoyed the parks , me as a grown guy shed a tear when I saw the castle for the first time. Ever since we have been back in some cases 2 times a year. I am a believer of the Disney magic thank you Rob and grater extension Walt for making this kid wish upon a star come through 😊
It’s so sad to me that Hercules was a big hit. I love the soundtrack and the characters are great! As always great video Rob! Never knew about this event before this video.
It would take Frozen (2013) to beat the Lion King's nearly 20 year reign as the top dog of WDAS's box office. Frozen was also the first WDAS film to take in 2 Oscars since the Disney Renaissance. It takes a Queen to succeed a King.
There were rumors about a new night parade but that was scrapped now with all the cuts/delays due to covid19 Tron + the new castle paint job + WDW railroad reopening may be all we get for the park
LOVE this video Rob! I still have a soft spot for the electrical parade, I happened to be at WDW Memorial Day Weekend in 2013 when they had the MK 24 hour opening, and I remember watching it at about 1am! So cool! I wonder if I could make a video idea suggestion? I did a history of Musical Theatre module at uni a few years back. As I recall, when Disney bought the New Amsterdam Theatre, didn't Disney also plan to have a themed hotel down the street? Then they could sell vacation packages where guests could stay in their hotel and see the last Disney Theatrical production. I'd love to know more about why this never happened! (I'm a little sad it didn't, Musicals and Disney are my two favourite things, they could have had all my money for that lmao)
I was there! While it was indeed a hit, several of the floats actually had a lot of their lights out (one had at least half out). I need to dig up my old photos.
Rob love the video and I had no idea this ever happened. If only Disney had the power it does now when Eisner was in charge. But I guess he is to thank for hooking an entire generation. On a separate just wondering if you considered making a special video about the immediate price hikes.
I haven't seen the MSEP in *years* .. It is, by far, the best/most original of the parades they have. Not sure I like the switch to LEDs.. but it does offer some really great programming options for light shows.. .. Which they have yet to really explore :/ Great video!
You forgot to say that not every light was shut off. Cats don’t dance open the same year as Hercules by Warner brothers. So they didn’t shut off the lights their and had to reroute the parade.
It's really too bad that Frank Wells passed away. I firmly believe Katezenburg was the chief player in making the Disney renaissance, it's not just coincidence they ended when his employment ended.
Wait!!!! This is bugging me out!!! Why do I feel like my Grandmother took me to that parade?? She isn't living any more, so I can't ask her. But this all look so familiar. My memories are all mixed up, because I was so young going to Disneyland... But I do remember going on the train and sitting on the sidewalks waiting for a parade... I was born and raised here in the big apple... Could it be this?! I need to make some phone calls. But this has me bugged out. 😂😂
About when did you go to Disneyland, do you recall? The parade started there in the 1970s and ran for a good many years during the summer months. Almost certainly if you were there about 8PM (or later at 9:30PM) you would have had a chance to sit on the sidewalk in Main Street and see it. While it changed over the years, most people that didn't see it a lot wouldn't recognize that, so except for the Herc float, what you saw in this video probably looked a lot like what you saw as a kid.
I had never known about this until I received a stagebill about it recently. I am a massive Hercules fan so it was surprising to me but also disappointing, given how quickly Disney was to write off Hercules after. I don't recall ever seeing the Hercules floats at the parks which is sad since from the video they look amazingly designed. I do find it funny however that years after it's release nearly anything Hercules seems to sell out that Disney makes.
Does anyone else think that it was obvious why The Lion King was a huge movie, and yet the movies that followed it were not? As someone who was a child at the time, I can honestly tell you, I was not at all interested in seeing, and come to think of it, I still have yet to see to this day, Hercules or The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. They were both what looked like boring movies about historical stuff that I did not care about and did not want to watch as what was supposed to be a fun, animated, Disney movie. I remember in like 6th grade, they made us watch Hunchback in class, and everyone complained about it. No one wanted to watch it in school either. I don't know, just seems obvious to me, and I would like to think that as a company that's supposed to know what kids like, they should've known that. I know some people liked them, but not nearly as much as people liked The Lion King and other movies that involved talking animals and such, rather than things that made it seem like you were taking a lesson in history. Maybe if they had split them up with other movies, it wouldn't have been so bad; but having that many historical movies in a row... no kid wanted to see that.
They seemed to be straining for prestige in this period, going for projects with "serious film" cred--Hunchback and Pocahontas were both about that. (I recall hearing that when Pocahontas and The Lion King were both in production, Pocahontas was the one most of the animators were clamoring to work on; they thought of that as the big prestige movie.) Hercules was intended to be lighter and jokier, though.
I’m not sure. I liked them all even as a kid. I had Hunchback of Notre Dame plates, toys, and bed sheets. I think as an adult I like the music the best. Hercules and Hunchback both have some really underrated songs that are probably on par with The Lion King’s.
Disney Animated films in general during the late 90's were a story of diminishing returns. Some people blamed the musical-animated genre as getting stale, others blame the rising competition, while some blame that the Disney Renaissance magic of the early 90's is just not there anymore. The news behind the scenes was bleak too, Roy E Disney was starting to get upset with Michael Eisner's management decisions on both the animation and theme park fronts, many animators jumped ship to other studios to escape the long hours, and Alan Menken, without Howard Ashman's partnership, while still a talented composer, just couldn't match the expectations set by the works he and Ashman had done.
This isn't a Disney news channel. It's a Disney history channel, so it's obviously going to lean heavily on Disney history. While some buffs read up on everything they can, not everybody knows about stuff like this. In any case, if news is what you're after I highly suggest checking out the DSNY Newscast. Jack covers NEW! News! every week.
I still wonder why Disney chose NYC for this and not Chicago. Being their founder Walt Disney was born in Chicago you would think that they would do more things for their founder's birthplace. Oh well at least we have The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival which is kinda like The Electrical Parade.
Because during the 90's, Disney essentially owned Times Square. It was Disney's decision to put a flagship Disney Store at that location and producing its own Broadway shows that turned Times Square from a seedy red-light district/skid row into the world class attraction we know today. NYC was willing to do anything for Disney at that point, so the company had a lot of say and leeway on the logistics, resources, and manpower needed for an event on city property. Disney just does not have the same amount of influence in Chicago.
This video was exasperating. Have you no sense of history? Look at how much Disney movies made beforehand, not counting reissues. NO ONE IN THE WORLD thought it would make as much as The Lion King. Not many Disney movies made over $100 Million before The Lion King. Heck The Little Mermaid only made $84 in it's original run. For a video about Disney history you don't have a lot of perspective.
Eisner and Disney certainly expected it. There's a big difference between the reasonable hindsight of the outside perspective from the audience and consumers, and the expectations of the company. Disney was dedicated at that point to 20% YoY growth. Eisner and co most definitely wanted each film to do better than the last, which made films like Pocahontas, Hunchback, and Hercules box office disappointments to them. Remember, Eisner promised the public (and more importantly, shareholders) the Disney Decade. You don't make a Disney Decade by putting out three films that progressively perform poorer than the last at the box office (and the stock market definitely doesn't want to hear "But it still did better than the movie we put out nearly a decade ago!")
I was one of the Cinderella Court Dancers in the event, and as a former Disneyland cast member 1985-1994, I was in ELP from 1988-1993. [I’m in the front canopy in this footage, 2nd couple.]
My friends and former CMs called me as they were looking for people who could get themselves to NYC on their own dime as Disney wouldn't be paying (they didn't pay non-DL participants either by calling it a "volunteer event", they did however allocate a hotel room for me in the block reserved for those from DL working the event.). In fact, they used local Disney Store employees to fill most of the roles -- the rest of us were current/former CMs who knew the parade and could help out the new people. So I got to see friends I hadn't seen in 3 years (since I had moved away, I was living in Paris at the time) including my former supervisor (also my former landlord), choreographers, supervisors, wardrobe, and fellow dancers.
When I got to NYC and went to first rehearsal and costume fitting -- my old costume (which I hadn't been in 4 years as my last ELP was summer of '93) still had my old sweat-smeared name tag sewn into the collar!
The big challenge was that the parade normally runs 22 minutes gate to gate at Disneyland. The batteries in the floats and costumes are not designed for much longer -- this event was about 4x the usual distance. They had to tow (using small propane-fueled airline tugs) most of the floats once they passed the main grandstand where it was being broadcast as their batteries died. Wardrobe was running around like crazy replacing costume batteries on route. e.g. the male court costume uses one motorcycle battery, the women's hoop skirts require two.
The biggest problem was the unseasoned performers who had never been inside a character costume with a head. They get REALLY hot inside and by the time we made it to the end of the route in Central Park they were dropping to the ground exhausted. They were troopers.
It was a once in a lifetime event.
Ironically 20 year later, I now live in NYC...
Here's some pics of the rehearsal and pics from the parade my friend took. Gotta love the golf cart as stand-in pumpkin coach: 1drv.ms/u/s!As9ITgmETruBk097qRZqJ7-klzCQ
[edit: changed photo link]
wow thats amazing, I was wondering about the battery life for longer parade. its awesome to hear about it from a castmember perspective.
At least the new parade uses LEDs -- "back in the day" it was all incandescent Christmas tree bulbs. Over the years we had costumes catch fire if the wires overheated due to shorts. The wiring was pretty complex and dense and with all the movement it was inevitable there would be loose wires and shorts.
So were the face characters for the parade auditioned if they were from a Disney store or did most of them already do the parade? In general were characters taught like if they were in the parks since each has his or her own mannerisms?
Val and Brit Most of the face characters came from Disneyland if I recall as Disney had only one shot at the event and since it was being televised wanted those roles to shine. Keep in mind this was a just a big commercial in the end. They were selling a product and wanted to hit the ball out of the park.
Compared to a normal parade rehearsal schedule which would take weeks, we only had 3-4 days of rehearsal in a large warehouse and never rehearsed on the street. It just had to work first time.
That’s why I give a lot of credit to the kids from the Disney stores as they had to learn their choreography AND get used to working inside costumes with poor visibility and heat in less than a week. It usually takes a month or more to mount a parade from first rehearsal to opening day.
I think whoever did Blue Fairy at opening was from Disney but her pages holding the back of her dress were locals. My close friend who played Peter Pan (we went to the same high school in CA), and another who played Prince Charming were there. But due to the size of the warehouse and rehearsal schedules being staggered we didn’t get to see the entire parade rehearsed at once, so I can’t remember all the details. The guy who played Hercules was a union actor. I think he was the only guy paid a union rate, not sure of the woman who played Meg. The people who were still working for Disneyland may have gotten their normal hourly rate for the event, I’ll have to ask my friend.
Considering the political prep work, the filling of potholes, street lighting, getting the fragile floats there from California, a quick rehearsal schedule and no street rehearsal, it was a masterpiece in coordination and execution.
@@lohphat Wow! Just another awesome thing about Disney I guess. Thanks for answering my questions! So do we know at all if any of the problems with the parade were predicted or did Disney just wing it? Like the lights dying on the costumes after a certain point.
Oh my god! I remember going to this! I was living in manhattan when this happened!!i have to see if my parents have the vhs! This was such a big deal during the time!!
Me too it was amazing
Your content is some of the best on RUclips right now. I hope you continue to inspire viewers to make their dreams a reality. Life isn't easy, its work. You have to work for the one you want. God bless you and your family, brother.
Thanks!
I've been to Disney once in my life. I was ten years old, the oldest out of my family. My family of my dad and step mom, two brothers, grandma and three cousins all piled into a mini van on midnight on the Fourth of July and drove from Ohio to Florida. I didn't get to see any characters or ride the tea cups, it was sweltering hot but it was everything I wanted it to be. As it got dark we all got to pick out gifts in the shops and I remember not knowing what we were waiting for until the parade started. It was beautiful. Halfway through I felt something on my head, my parents had snuck away and got all of us Mickey ears with our names embroidered into them (most likely not to get them mixed up between the kids, not just to make us feel special lol). I'll never forget that day where magic came alive. I'll cry once I get a chance to go back.
I saw the Main Street Electrical Parade during its last stint at the Magic Kingdom in 2013. I think it was the highlight of that whole trip. I'd seen it on TV when I was a kid and it always looked impressive to me--loved that they were still using "Baroque Hoedown" on the Moog and all of those good old analog electro-synthe-magnetical musical sounds.
Also in 1978 the parade was the halftime show for the Orange Bowl between Arkansas and Oklahoma. The game was pretty much forgettable as Arkansas would kill Oklahoma 31-6, but the halftime show was one of the strangest things ever
Despite its box office struggles, I loved and still love Hercules...It’s just one of the most purely FUN Disney movies EVER
Great video! I was hoping you'd mention that the Warner Brothers Studio Store was one of the most famous locations in New York that refused to put their lights out for Disney, for obvious reasons. Obviously, their stores did not last nearly as long as Disney's, but I loved going to both and this trivia fact always made me giggle.
The end bumper playing "The Sidewalks of New York" is a nice touch.
i LOVE these kinda stories that you just don’t hear anywhere! keep up the great research and stories!
I WAS THERE! Oh wow... yeah, I remember going to this with my parents who are both now gone. There was some demonstrations against Disney in the city that night as well, and I remember my father made sure we didn't stand on that block. They were also tossing out cassette singles of Hercules' soundtrack into the crowd and my father caught one for me.
I grew up in Queens and I remember this parade. I grabbed folding chairs and my younger brothers, headed off to meet my mom her office in the city, we walked over to 5th Ave and set up our chairs. I remember loving the parade and wishing they would do it every year. But it never happened again.
Oh my gosh, those Hercules plates! We used to have a bunch of them when I was a kid! I think they were available for purchase at Mcdonald's. The memories! 😭😭
Nostalgia Chick was right after all.
I'm surprised Disney didn't just buy ad space on the billboards and make blank, black "ads" to run.
Hindsight is 20/20.
Billboard contracts are sent weeks/months in advance and many some have annual contracts so it would have been impractical.
'97. Why do I not remember this. LoL. I live in Jersey ! Great job again. Thanks now off to see what else I forgot about in 1997.
Man, Hercules is awesome and those parade floats look amazing.
Omg. I live on Long Island ! How did I not know about the electrical parade in NY!! 😩😩😩😩. This is incredible that an amazing piece of Disney Parks was here at home. Thank you for sharing this !
They need to have another one in Manhattan again. I wasn't born during the time, and I live near New York, so seeing this in person will be truly magical
Dude, you need more subs, this is amazing!
Thanks!
Gotta love Eisner for things like this, Hell would freeze over before Iger ever spent money on moving a parade to a city for one night!
This is actually amazing and a new fact to me from Disney.
Dude you are my fav disney channel keep up the good work dude!
Also I play mc Magic/palace network my username is brooksgamerut I hope i get to meet you! On the server
Great Video. The maketing was very much for Hercules in Germany there was a Train that go across many city. I was in a city call dusseldorf to see the Train it was very good.
Hello Rob you are doing a great job on teaching us of more Disney magic . Keep up the wonderful job.
When I was just about 7 I use to watch Walt on the Sunday evening wonderful world of Disney explaining and out lining how what is now WDW is. I use to dream for year after that about visiting the most magical place on earth. In 2014 I got the opportunity to visit and then I took my two girls at time ages were 3 and 1. We thoroughly enjoyed the parks , me as a grown guy shed a tear when I saw the castle for the first time. Ever since we have been back in some cases 2 times a year. I am a believer of the Disney magic thank you Rob and grater extension Walt for making this kid wish upon a star come through 😊
Thanks for sharing those great memories and all of the kind words about the channel!
Hey Rob! Did you know that Walt Disney's parents actually got married in central Florida? Could be a cool video idea
It’s so sad to me that Hercules was a big hit. I love the soundtrack and the characters are great! As always great video Rob! Never knew about this event before this video.
We had Disney come to our town of Goderich Ontario and put on a Disney Parade.
It would take Frozen (2013) to beat the Lion King's nearly 20 year reign as the top dog of WDAS's box office. Frozen was also the first WDAS film to take in 2 Oscars since the Disney Renaissance. It takes a Queen to succeed a King.
Thanks Rob. I love all your videos. I always learn so much!
Rob, this is brilliant. I am not sure how you come up with these ideas and find all the research that you do. Fantastic job!!
Amazing video as always!
That awesome I wish that ran through my hometown for a night!
Great video Rob! Thank you 😊
I totally remember watching this on tv!
That was great, great history lesson!
Nice Video Rob!
Always love videos by you. Such unknown topics brought to light. Incredible.
Do you think Disney will bring back the electric light parade for its 50th anniversary of WDW?? It would be nice, I miss that parade!
There were rumors about a new night parade but that was scrapped now with all the cuts/delays due to covid19 Tron + the new castle paint job + WDW railroad reopening may be all we get for the park
I love hearing the music at the end it makes me feel like I’m at the park 😭
Then what happaned to Casey Junior
LOVE this video Rob! I still have a soft spot for the electrical parade, I happened to be at WDW Memorial Day Weekend in 2013 when they had the MK 24 hour opening, and I remember watching it at about 1am! So cool!
I wonder if I could make a video idea suggestion? I did a history of Musical Theatre module at uni a few years back. As I recall, when Disney bought the New Amsterdam Theatre, didn't Disney also plan to have a themed hotel down the street? Then they could sell vacation packages where guests could stay in their hotel and see the last Disney Theatrical production.
I'd love to know more about why this never happened! (I'm a little sad it didn't, Musicals and Disney are my two favourite things, they could have had all my money for that lmao)
I was there! While it was indeed a hit, several of the floats actually had a lot of their lights out (one had at least half out). I need to dig up my old photos.
This is awesome. Being so close, I never knew!
Rob love the video and I had no idea this ever happened.
If only Disney had the power it does now when Eisner was in charge. But I guess he is to thank for hooking an entire generation.
On a separate just wondering if you considered making a special video about the immediate price hikes.
Didn't they even have a Hercules cheeseburger somewhere? Like a long triple burger or something?
Hercules is one of my favorites, sad to know that it didn't do so well.
Another great post. Thanks!
I was there!!! We watched from my dad's office!
I haven't seen the MSEP in *years* .. It is, by far, the best/most original of the parades they have. Not sure I like the switch to LEDs.. but it does offer some really great programming options for light shows.. .. Which they have yet to really explore :/
Great video!
I was there it was amazing almost dreamlike
Awesome video.
Great Video Rob! Well Done! Do You remember this as a kid at all? I do not
Not one bit actually! I only found out about it when a buddy of mine mentioned seeing it when he was a kid.
Crazy! I grew up in New Jersey and had no clue :( Great job again! :)
You forgot to say that not every light was shut off. Cats don’t dance open the same year as Hercules by Warner brothers. So they didn’t shut off the lights their and had to reroute the parade.
Ay thanks for the shoutout!
I love parades
I swear to god I never knew this took place and at the time I lived in Connecticut.my homestate.Where I lived is considered a suburb of NY
Wow I didn't know any of this! Hercules is my favorite disney movie so it's sad that their efforts to promote it didn't make it a big success
Rob can you make a video about Celebration?
As a Native New Yorker I’m shocked I never knew about it till now!
It's really too bad that Frank Wells passed away. I firmly believe Katezenburg was the chief player in making the Disney renaissance, it's not just coincidence they ended when his employment ended.
Wasn't Katezenburg disliked for wanting Disney to be more "edgy," as what was shown with DreamWorks' films?
Wait!!!! This is bugging me out!!! Why do I feel like my Grandmother took me to that parade?? She isn't living any more, so I can't ask her. But this all look so familiar. My memories are all mixed up, because I was so young going to Disneyland... But I do remember going on the train and sitting on the sidewalks waiting for a parade... I was born and raised here in the big apple... Could it be this?! I need to make some phone calls. But this has me bugged out. 😂😂
Update us when you find out!
About when did you go to Disneyland, do you recall? The parade started there in the 1970s and ran for a good many years during the summer months. Almost certainly if you were there about 8PM (or later at 9:30PM) you would have had a chance to sit on the sidewalk in Main Street and see it. While it changed over the years, most people that didn't see it a lot wouldn't recognize that, so except for the Herc float, what you saw in this video probably looked a lot like what you saw as a kid.
Speaking of stores,can you do a video about Warner Bros studio store
Hey Rob do you think you can do a video on the cast members who dressed up like a knight and the phantom in the Haunted Mansion?
I had never known about this until I received a stagebill about it recently. I am a massive Hercules fan so it was surprising to me but also disappointing, given how quickly Disney was to write off Hercules after. I don't recall ever seeing the Hercules floats at the parks which is sad since from the video they look amazingly designed. I do find it funny however that years after it's release nearly anything Hercules seems to sell out that Disney makes.
Man I miss Spectromagic.
So...you're the one.
Hi rob how you doing
...Hercules is my favt disney movie....
Is it me or does anyone remember that Walt Disney World had a 24 hour event?
1:38 HMMMMMMMMMMMM...
Macy parade
Does anyone else think that it was obvious why The Lion King was a huge movie, and yet the movies that followed it were not? As someone who was a child at the time, I can honestly tell you, I was not at all interested in seeing, and come to think of it, I still have yet to see to this day, Hercules or The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. They were both what looked like boring movies about historical stuff that I did not care about and did not want to watch as what was supposed to be a fun, animated, Disney movie. I remember in like 6th grade, they made us watch Hunchback in class, and everyone complained about it. No one wanted to watch it in school either. I don't know, just seems obvious to me, and I would like to think that as a company that's supposed to know what kids like, they should've known that. I know some people liked them, but not nearly as much as people liked The Lion King and other movies that involved talking animals and such, rather than things that made it seem like you were taking a lesson in history. Maybe if they had split them up with other movies, it wouldn't have been so bad; but having that many historical movies in a row... no kid wanted to see that.
Hercules is based off of mythology, not historical stuff, and the mythology in the movie is not very accurate anyway.
They seemed to be straining for prestige in this period, going for projects with "serious film" cred--Hunchback and Pocahontas were both about that. (I recall hearing that when Pocahontas and The Lion King were both in production, Pocahontas was the one most of the animators were clamoring to work on; they thought of that as the big prestige movie.)
Hercules was intended to be lighter and jokier, though.
I’m not sure. I liked them all even as a kid. I had Hunchback of Notre Dame plates, toys, and bed sheets. I think as an adult I like the music the best. Hercules and Hunchback both have some really underrated songs that are probably on par with The Lion King’s.
Hercules was deeply underrated before
Disneyland Paris and Manhattan?
LOL
Like how did Hercules fail?! It's a wonderful movie and was heavily promoted, did people just not like it after watching it in the theaters?
Disney Animated films in general during the late 90's were a story of diminishing returns. Some people blamed the musical-animated genre as getting stale, others blame the rising competition, while some blame that the Disney Renaissance magic of the early 90's is just not there anymore. The news behind the scenes was bleak too, Roy E Disney was starting to get upset with Michael Eisner's management decisions on both the animation and theme park fronts, many animators jumped ship to other studios to escape the long hours, and Alan Menken, without Howard Ashman's partnership, while still a talented composer, just couldn't match the expectations set by the works he and Ashman had done.
Who the F gave this video a thumbs down!?!?!
People who loved Hercules and Hunchback and hate Frozen I suppose.
Soundtrack of the Hercules float ruclips.net/video/KpeZO5NkFfc/видео.html
I liked Hercules...😳
Do You HAVE ANY NEW! News! This Video Segment Is OLD Everyone Know That.
This isn't a Disney news channel. It's a Disney history channel, so it's obviously going to lean heavily on Disney history. While some buffs read up on everything they can, not everybody knows about stuff like this. In any case, if news is what you're after I highly suggest checking out the DSNY Newscast. Jack covers NEW! News! every week.
Hercules Electrical parade is Wierd to me
I still wonder why Disney chose NYC for this and not Chicago. Being their founder Walt Disney was born in Chicago you would think that they would do more things for their founder's birthplace. Oh well at least we have The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival which is kinda like The Electrical Parade.
Because during the 90's, Disney essentially owned Times Square. It was Disney's decision to put a flagship Disney Store at that location and producing its own Broadway shows that turned Times Square from a seedy red-light district/skid row into the world class attraction we know today. NYC was willing to do anything for Disney at that point, so the company had a lot of say and leeway on the logistics, resources, and manpower needed for an event on city property. Disney just does not have the same amount of influence in Chicago.
This video was exasperating. Have you no sense of history? Look at how much Disney movies made beforehand, not counting reissues. NO ONE IN THE WORLD thought it would make as much as The Lion King. Not many Disney movies made over $100 Million before The Lion King. Heck The Little Mermaid only made $84 in it's original run. For a video about Disney history you don't have a lot of perspective.
Eisner and Disney certainly expected it. There's a big difference between the reasonable hindsight of the outside perspective from the audience and consumers, and the expectations of the company. Disney was dedicated at that point to 20% YoY growth. Eisner and co most definitely wanted each film to do better than the last, which made films like Pocahontas, Hunchback, and Hercules box office disappointments to them.
Remember, Eisner promised the public (and more importantly, shareholders) the Disney Decade. You don't make a Disney Decade by putting out three films that progressively perform poorer than the last at the box office (and the stock market definitely doesn't want to hear "But it still did better than the movie we put out nearly a decade ago!")