"Mickey's PhilharMagic" -- Fun Facts
Mickey's PhilharMagic" features the largest seamless projection screen in the world, representing the most immersive wrap-around image Disney has ever created. The screen measures 150 feet long and 28 feet high.
Donald's voice as heard in the show was created out of classic performance from the past by Clarence "Ducky" Nash, the original voice of Donald Duck. Tony Anselmo, the current voice of Donald, added a few lines that were not recorded by Ducky in the past, such as humming the melody to "Be Our Guest."
The entire production of "Mickey's PhilharMagic" was created totally on computer, representing the first time the featured classic Disney characters were completely modeled and animated by computer.
The show features the largest cast of classic Disney animated stars who have ever performed together in a single 3-D show.
Animator Nik Ranieri, who brought Lumiére to life for Disney's animated classic "Beauty and the Beast," returned to render him in 3-D for "Mickey's PhilharMagic." Animator Glen Keane, creator of the magical Ariel in "The Little Mermaid," also returned to develop her in 3-D for this spectacular experience.
The long mural that spans the lobby is a composite of imagery from animated classic Disney movies with musical themes: "Toot, Whistle, Plunk & Boom," "Melody Time" and "Fantasia."
The show is in the same theater as the "Mickey Mouse Musical Revue" in which Mickey made his Magic Kingdom debut as an orchestra conductor in 1971. In 1980, the show moved to Tokyo Disneyland where it became an opening day attraction in 1983. It continues to play at Tokyo Disneyland today. The 3-D film "Magic Journeys" and the live puppet show "Legend of The Lion King" occupied the theater until the installation of "Mickey's PhilharMagic."
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"Wishes" -- Fun Facts
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Bursting with color, sound and emotion, "Wishes" is the biggest fireworks spectacular ever presented at Magic Kingdom.
Narrated by the voice of Jiminy Cricket with help from the Blue Fairy, the dazzling display weaves a thrilling "story in the sky" for Walt Disney World guests with hundreds of brilliant pyrotechnic effects exploding above and around Cinderella Castle.
The Show
Running time: Approximately 12 minutes
Fireworks firing cues: 557
Individual pieces of pyrotechnics: 655
Presented most nights, "Wishes" is several times larger than "Fantasy in the Sky," the previous fireworks show at Magic Kingdom, and roughly five minutes longer.
The Story
"Wishes" tells a richly emotional tale about making a wish come true, using classic Disney songs and character voices accompanied by meticulously choreographed fireworks.
The Cast
"Wishes" features the voices of:
Jiminy Cricket , the Blue Fairy and Pinocchio (from 1940's "Pinocchio")
Snow White and the Evil Queen (from 1937's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs")
Cinderella (from 1950's "Cinderella")
Peter Pan (from 1953's "Peter Pan")
Ariel (from 1989's "The Little Mermaid")
Aladdin and Genie (from 1992's "Aladdin")
Tinker Bell (also from "Peter Pan"), flies from atop Cinderella Castle during a key moment in the show.
The Crew
Creator/show director: Steven Davison
Davison, creative director with Walt Disney Creative Entertainment, also developed the "Believe. . .There's Magic in the Stars" fireworks spectacular at Disneyland.
Fireworks designer: Eric Tucker
An award-winning pyrotechnics designer whose credits span the globe, Tucker previously designed the fireworks for "IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth" at Epcot.
Music director: Steve Skorija
As music director for Walt Disney Entertainment, Skorija oversees music production for live entertainment and special events at Walt Disney World Resort.
Composer/arranger: Gregory Smith
Smith previously worked on such Walt Disney World productions as "IllumiNations 25" and "Splashtacular" at Epcot, and the "Mickey Mania" parade at Magic Kingdom.
The Music
In addition to Gregory Smith's original theme, which is based on the children's nursery rhyme "Starlight, Star Bright," the score for "Wishes" contains portions of 12 songs from 10 classic Disney animated features:
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937)
"Pinocchio" (1940)
"Fantasia" (1940)
"Cinderella" (1950)
"Peter Pan" (1953)
"Sleeping Beauty" (1959)
"The Little Mermaid" (1989)
"Beauty and the Beast" (1991)
"Aladdin" (1992)
"Hercules" (1997)
The Fireworks
"Wishes" features several new locations for launching fireworks that create brilliant bursts of light around Cinderella Castle, plus pyrotechnic effects never seen before in a Disney theme park, including several developed especially for the show:
The show's "wishing star" crests approximately 100 feet above the castle's bright spires.
The Blue Fairy is represented with a spectacular star-shaped shell that "paints" each wish high in the sky with enchanted starlight.
The Guests
"Wishes" was created in honor of the launch of Magical Gatherings, a celebration of the magic that occurs when friends and extended family reconnect at Walt Disney World Resort. The show is designed to bring guests together at night for a heart-tugging spectacle that will create lasting memories for everyone.
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[ October 17, 2003, 03:00 PM: Message edited by: PolyGirl40 ]
