One of the reoccurring articles you'll find here on "The Park Hoppers" Featured Articles page is BackTrack. Here on BackTrack, we showcase the past of theme parks. This could be anything from an old ride or show, to even old theme park's themselves that are no longer operating. BackTrack will highlight some of the best aspects of theme park history in each and every article. For the very first edition, we bring you an article on an often forgotten attraction from Magic Kingdom past.
October 1st , 1971. A day that will forever live in theme park lure. This, of course, was the opening of the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. And with the opening of the Magic Kingdom marked a slew of opening day attractions. Haunted Mansion and Hall of Presidents were there in Liberty Square on the first day of operation. Adventureland opened with The Jungle Cruise and The Swiss Family Treehouse. Meanwhile, Fantasyland introduced guests to Snow White's Adventures; Mr. Toad's Wild Ride; and, as often as it is forgotten by many, Mickey Mouse Revue.
Mickey Mouse Revue was a small animatronic driven stage show located in the show building that now houses Mickey's PhilharMagic. Featuring 81 animatronic Disney related characters, the show was essentially a greatest hits compilation of famous Disney songs, new and old. Mickey Mouse appears as the conductor of the large animatronic band, similar to the role he still plays in Mickey's PhilharMagic, though the current show is a mostly 3-D experience.
The show would start off with a brief pre-show hosted by Mickey himself, before guests would be ushered into the main theater room. The show would begin form there, starting with an appearance by conductor Mickey himself before ushering in The Three Little Pigs, The Three Little Pigs represent an older and more obscure part of Disney animated history, having first made their debut in a 1933 Silly Symphony cartoon by the same name. They would sing a small rendition of "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf", before disappearing to reveal Snow White kneeling in the woods with her woodland critters. Snow White sings a rendition of the beloved classic "I'm Wishing", before the Seven Dwarfs appear and inject their silliness into the show with the cherished and beloved "The Silly Song".
The stage would then transition to a set featuring an animatronic Alice from Alice in Wonderland, along with the giant flowers as depicted in the film. "All in the Golden Afternoon" would be the song to represent this segment, before The Three Caballeros took over, headed by Donald Duck, Jose, and Panchito The three would erupt in their classic hit named after them from the 1944 animated film also of the same name, wielding sombreros, stringed guitars, and maracas.
The light would then fade off of them of reveal The Fairy Godmother from Cinderella as she breaks out in "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo". She would sway around with her wand in animatronic form, before ended her last note and having the curtain drawn over her to reveal the silhouettes of both Cinderella and Prince Charming themselves as they recite the famous "So This is Love" much as in the classic film. All is calm as the audience watches their silhouettes doing their classic dance together.
The calmness wouldn't last long though, as Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear, and the rest of the Disney cast (including Pluto and Donald's nephews) would blast off into a loud and boisterous cover of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", much to the excitement of everyone watching. This would serve as the grand finale of sorts, as following this number, Mickey would reappear as conductor, and a slow rendition of "The Mickey Mouse Club" song would be heard over a happy Mickey thanking guests for coming to the show. Guests would then be thanked and asked to leave the theater to the outside.
Mickey Mouse Revue was surprisingly one of the few attractions overseen by Walt before his inevitable 1966 passing. In an interview in early 1962, Walt was discussing a show utilizing many of the Disney characters that would run using very similar technology to his soon to be revealed Enchanted Tiki Room. It would prove an immediate smash hit among the younger audiences in it's near decade of operation. The attraction, however, would meet its demise in the fall of 1980. It would find itself ending up in Tokyo Disneyland in April of 1983, where it would last several decades before closing in 2009 in Tokyo for their version of Mickey's PhilharMagic. In Orlando, the building would lie dormant for nearly 7 years, before finally housing the Magic Journeys 3-D show that had previously been in the Imagination pavilion over at Epcot.
As history would have it, Magic Journeys would eventually be replaced by another show, The Legend of the Lion King, in 1994. Based off the animated smash hit The Lion King, the show would use musical numbers and life-sized puppets to retell the story of the film. Interestingly enough, this show would use one of the first versions of a costume that could move it's mouth along with a pre-recorded spiel. The actor playing Rafiki would mouth a spiel by the character as if he were actually talking to the audience in the show's pre show. You can now find this technology resort wide, particularly in the show's seen from the stage in front of Cinderella's Castle.
The Legend of the Lion King would last until 2003, where it was replaced by the current and, largely loved, Mickey's PhilarMagic: a 3-D show starring Donald Duck as he journeys through several popular Disney animated movies and encountering a slew of memorable Disney characters, including Peter Pan, Ariel, and Simba. Interestingly enough, the show has quite a few things in common with the original Mickey Mouse Revue. Both attractions star a Mickey Mouse conductor attempting to conduct an orchestra, both heavily rely on the use of Disney animated characters, and both also utilize the beloved Disney soundtracks from several respective films. It's safe to say that the more things may change, the more they stay the same.
Written by Kyle Thibodeau
That wraps up the very first edition of BackTrack. If you enjoyed this piece, please leave a comment in the comment section below. Consequently, if there's any attraction you wish to see showcased in a future edition of BackTrack, please contact one of us here at "The Park Hoppers".
October 1st , 1971. A day that will forever live in theme park lure. This, of course, was the opening of the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. And with the opening of the Magic Kingdom marked a slew of opening day attractions. Haunted Mansion and Hall of Presidents were there in Liberty Square on the first day of operation. Adventureland opened with The Jungle Cruise and The Swiss Family Treehouse. Meanwhile, Fantasyland introduced guests to Snow White's Adventures; Mr. Toad's Wild Ride; and, as often as it is forgotten by many, Mickey Mouse Revue.
Mickey Mouse Revue was a small animatronic driven stage show located in the show building that now houses Mickey's PhilharMagic. Featuring 81 animatronic Disney related characters, the show was essentially a greatest hits compilation of famous Disney songs, new and old. Mickey Mouse appears as the conductor of the large animatronic band, similar to the role he still plays in Mickey's PhilharMagic, though the current show is a mostly 3-D experience.
The show would start off with a brief pre-show hosted by Mickey himself, before guests would be ushered into the main theater room. The show would begin form there, starting with an appearance by conductor Mickey himself before ushering in The Three Little Pigs, The Three Little Pigs represent an older and more obscure part of Disney animated history, having first made their debut in a 1933 Silly Symphony cartoon by the same name. They would sing a small rendition of "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf", before disappearing to reveal Snow White kneeling in the woods with her woodland critters. Snow White sings a rendition of the beloved classic "I'm Wishing", before the Seven Dwarfs appear and inject their silliness into the show with the cherished and beloved "The Silly Song".
The stage would then transition to a set featuring an animatronic Alice from Alice in Wonderland, along with the giant flowers as depicted in the film. "All in the Golden Afternoon" would be the song to represent this segment, before The Three Caballeros took over, headed by Donald Duck, Jose, and Panchito The three would erupt in their classic hit named after them from the 1944 animated film also of the same name, wielding sombreros, stringed guitars, and maracas.
The light would then fade off of them of reveal The Fairy Godmother from Cinderella as she breaks out in "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo". She would sway around with her wand in animatronic form, before ended her last note and having the curtain drawn over her to reveal the silhouettes of both Cinderella and Prince Charming themselves as they recite the famous "So This is Love" much as in the classic film. All is calm as the audience watches their silhouettes doing their classic dance together.
The calmness wouldn't last long though, as Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear, and the rest of the Disney cast (including Pluto and Donald's nephews) would blast off into a loud and boisterous cover of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", much to the excitement of everyone watching. This would serve as the grand finale of sorts, as following this number, Mickey would reappear as conductor, and a slow rendition of "The Mickey Mouse Club" song would be heard over a happy Mickey thanking guests for coming to the show. Guests would then be thanked and asked to leave the theater to the outside.
Mickey Mouse Revue was surprisingly one of the few attractions overseen by Walt before his inevitable 1966 passing. In an interview in early 1962, Walt was discussing a show utilizing many of the Disney characters that would run using very similar technology to his soon to be revealed Enchanted Tiki Room. It would prove an immediate smash hit among the younger audiences in it's near decade of operation. The attraction, however, would meet its demise in the fall of 1980. It would find itself ending up in Tokyo Disneyland in April of 1983, where it would last several decades before closing in 2009 in Tokyo for their version of Mickey's PhilharMagic. In Orlando, the building would lie dormant for nearly 7 years, before finally housing the Magic Journeys 3-D show that had previously been in the Imagination pavilion over at Epcot.
As history would have it, Magic Journeys would eventually be replaced by another show, The Legend of the Lion King, in 1994. Based off the animated smash hit The Lion King, the show would use musical numbers and life-sized puppets to retell the story of the film. Interestingly enough, this show would use one of the first versions of a costume that could move it's mouth along with a pre-recorded spiel. The actor playing Rafiki would mouth a spiel by the character as if he were actually talking to the audience in the show's pre show. You can now find this technology resort wide, particularly in the show's seen from the stage in front of Cinderella's Castle.
The Legend of the Lion King would last until 2003, where it was replaced by the current and, largely loved, Mickey's PhilarMagic: a 3-D show starring Donald Duck as he journeys through several popular Disney animated movies and encountering a slew of memorable Disney characters, including Peter Pan, Ariel, and Simba. Interestingly enough, the show has quite a few things in common with the original Mickey Mouse Revue. Both attractions star a Mickey Mouse conductor attempting to conduct an orchestra, both heavily rely on the use of Disney animated characters, and both also utilize the beloved Disney soundtracks from several respective films. It's safe to say that the more things may change, the more they stay the same.
Written by Kyle Thibodeau
That wraps up the very first edition of BackTrack. If you enjoyed this piece, please leave a comment in the comment section below. Consequently, if there's any attraction you wish to see showcased in a future edition of BackTrack, please contact one of us here at "The Park Hoppers".