Disney theme parks are noted for their live shows. When Walt himself opened Disneyland in 1955, a cavalcade of his colorful characters paraded through the park. It’s a culture that continues to this day in California, but at Disney World in Orlando, the glow began. fade.
Long before the pandemic began, Disney halted nightly parades at its 4 Orlando theme parks and when their doors opened after the lockdown, there were notable omissions.
The Journey of the Little Mermaid, broadcast since 1992, has been on hiatus since the reopening of the Hollywood Studios movie theme park in 2020. Disney does not miss the opportunity to take advantage of its strengths, so it is unexpected that the screen sank. without a clue, as it may have been used to announce the new live-action version of The Little Mermaid released in May.
The nighttime Fantasmic exhibit opened at Hollywood studios in November last year, while the futuristic Epcot park and fairytale-themed Magic Kingdom hosted new performances that were filmed.
They were retired at the end of 2021 as part of Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration, but were replaced in April of this year. Highlights include Disney Enchantment fireworks and projection mapping display at Magic Kingdom. Despite celebrating a historic anniversary, the exhibition basically consisted of scenes from more recent films that were screened in the park’s central castle.
“Rather than seeking to balance the nostalgia of longtime enthusiasts with the expectations of casual guests, Magic Kingdom’s new nighttime exhibit turns out to actively reject sentimentality,” one guest wrote. “It’s largely based on animated films from the last decade, many of them that are far from classics. It is necessarily the antithesis of an anniversary series. “
Ironically, it replaced Happily Ever After, a series that was more nostalgic and, most importantly, had a cohesive story. On the other hand, another guest said that Enchantment “feels like it’s been rushed. The result is sloppy. The story, and that’s the term loosely used, is a sampling of clips that go from movie to movie without any genuine connection to the subject. “
It was described as a “happily ever after” contraband, so Disney did the only practical thing and brought back its predecessor. This appeased the enthusiasts, but it’s not a cutting-edge solution.
In fact, the same can’t be said for Harmonious, Disney’s attempt to reinvent nighttime entertainment at Epcot. Harmonious had even bigger boots to fill than Enchantment, as it replaced IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, which debuted in 1999, making it one of the oldest exhibits in Disney theme park history.
While Illuminations was noted for catchy music written by classical composer Gavin Greenaway, Harmonious, like Enchantment, consisted largely of a series of Disney cartoon clips with a little story connecting them. The clips were projected onto a screen of fine mist pulverized from huge vaulted metal structures moored in the middle of Epcot’s lagoon. It was an unpleasant and unsightly development. Critics complained that the structures spoiled the view of the park and did not deserve this sacrifice given the low quality of the content broadcast on the screens.
Fans rejoiced when the arcs were removed and Harmonious replaced them through the more simplistic EPCOT Forever interim presentation. Harmonious “simply neither intelligent nor attractive. . . Bad pacing, too much video content, everything looked like an advertisement, not a genuine display. . . The visual apparatus has aggravated the problems,” said one critic. Another described it as “a visualization of clips, in which all segments are disjointed and interchangeable. Unfortunately, this is the design taste of late-night fashion broadcasts. “
Disney will have to buck this trend for this debacle to be repeated as Harmonious’ permanent successor will debut in December. Last week, Disney announced it would be called Luminous: The Symphony of Us and will feature fireworks, fountains, lasers and soft effects. and music. This time he doesn’t want to take any risks.
Two weeks ago, Disney reported that entertainment at its Orlando booth would be about to receive a big dose of magic dust. The Mouse announced that Disney World’s new vice president of entertainment will be David Duffy, a bearded local Nebraska who has worked at the company. for 33 years.
Duffy began his acting career at Disney World while also working as an actor on commercials and television shows. In 1996, he became director and designer of the production team, where he worked on beloved entertainments such as Cinderellabration and Spirit of. Aloha culinary experience.
He then rose to artistic director of Disney Cruise Line, followed by a stint in the same position at Disneyland. This earned him even broader day-to-day jobs as an executive manufacturer of Disney parks, reporting and products, where he was responsible for the progress and production of global products. Entertainment offers. His accomplishments include paintings about the progression of the Frozen – Live at California Adventure exhibit, as well as the opening rite of Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout in the same park and the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at nearby Disneyland. . .
However, his long experience and immense skill are the only reasons why his appointment at Disney World has caused a sensation. Since November 2020, Duffy serves as vice president of live entertainment at Disneyland Paris, which has long been regarded as Disney’s crown jewel. Live entertainment portfolio. This culture dates back to the resort’s opening day, when it housed Mickey’s Magic Book, a unique exhibit ever produced through Disney. Located on a level next to Sleeping Beauty’s castle, the centerpiece of the screen was a huge e-book whose pages really changed and fairytale backgrounds appeared like a genuine pop-up e-book.
Since then, Disneyland Paris has presented Mickey and the Wizard, an indoor exhibit that still stands today and in which colorful characters collide in scenes from some of the most famous mouse movies. The magic involved in his call is far from frivolous from production. presents tricks created by Paul Kieve, representative of the film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Thanks to his work, visitors leave the exhibition wondering how Cinderella disappears when wrapped in a carpet and how a levitating box can simply involve a two-meter shot. A genius of singing and dancing.
High-tech touches are incorporated into the decorated decoration. There is a broom that turns out to brush itself and a realistic moving Light style, the chandelier that speaks of Beauty and the Beast. Its special effects, catchy melody, sumptuous sets and fascinating synchronized. The musical ensembles led the International Association of Amusement Parks and Amusements (IAAPA) to award the exhibit its prestigious Brass Ring in 2016.
After this no small feat, Disneyland Paris did just that in 2019 by raising the curtain on The Lion King: The Rhythms of Lionland. With a width of 40 meters, its level is the largest ever built in Disneyland Paris and is This helps explain the extent of the savannah. It is dotted with circular wooden platforms in other grades, giving them the impression of a mini mountain range. From some of them jets of smoke escape, and in others poles are fixed to allow acrobats to swing. And one of them opens for some artists to make a wonderful entrance.
Projections on the screen transform the level from a smoky savannah to a starry sky and jungle as acrobats float on bungee cords and others perform a surreal dance inside giant reels suspended from the ceiling. The music is a combination of level and screen and includes new interpretations of classical songs. In addition to the song of a Broadway show, they are all sung live and performed through a band on one of the wooden platforms.
In total, two hundred singers, 500 dancers and one hundred acrobats auditioned to be part of the 70 artists of the exhibition. Among the lucky contenders are artists from Broadway, London’s West End and Paris’ prominent Théâtre Mogador. They come from 11 countries. However, he did not want to find out many lines to participate. Cleverly, the exhibition has little discussion to be understood by the foreign public visiting Disneyland Paris.
Each year, the station auditions more than 11,000 people to participate in its shows, but only a small percentage of them succeed. In an interview before announcing his departure from Disneyland Paris, Duffy told us that he has a “team of approximately 2,000 entertainment professionals working together to bring magic to life each and every day of the year. “
For about three years, Duffy made his mark in Paris advancing the progression of his groundbreaking Disney D-Light exhibit that featured drones for the first time at a Disney theme park. As reported, this generation has since spread out to showcase Marvel. Comic book characters and last month Disneyland Paris announced that next year drones would be used in a new exhibit to draw animated floats in the air.
Duffy also leaves a legacy in the box, as he masterminded Disneyland Paris’ successful 30th anniversary birthday party, which won the IAAPA Brass Ring award for most creative event. In the center is a hybrid of parade and show called Dream. . . . and Shine Brighter, with characters dressed in multicolored iridescent highlights.
Drones in action for the anniversary of Disneyland Paris.
The end result is such that Robb Alvey, founder of Theme Park Review, the world’s leading theme park and roller coaster review site, said that “Dream
Duffy has even been involved in Disneyland Paris hotels. They are called Cast Members because of their role in a themed setting and one of the largest is the pink Victorian palace that sits across from Disneyland park with a fairytale theme. Naturally called Disneyland Hotel, it is lately in the final stages of renovation and Disneyland Paris announced today that when it reopens in January next year, it will host “La Troupe Royale”, an organization of artists that will entertain visitors with true tales.
Duffy told us how he was involved in “reviewing the new costumes for the cast members who will be performing at the soon-to-be-reopened Disneyland hotel,” adding that “the biggest challenge is anything that also makes it exciting: we live in an age where a lot of artistic content is produced. Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Disney: the world’s most popular and beloved videos and shows are all part of our Disney family. Have an ongoing verbal exchange about how we create the reports for our visitors. Bringing all those other stories to life is exciting and challenging. He will have no shortage of help in his new role.
Based on the April roster for Duffy’s position at Disney World, he will report to senior vice president of hotel operations and vice president of live entertainment for North America. You will also need to provide leadership, supervision, and direction to a team. of another 500 people and, as he revealed, he has a magic formula to manage them.
Why did you work in the theme park industry?
From an early age, I have not forgotten my fascination with the world of “created environments”. Whether it be a wildlife habitat at the zoo in my hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, or the dinosaur exhibit at the University of Nebraska Museum. Natural History, I have been fascinated by the environments created and how they help tell a story. I also grew up watching The Wonderful World of Disney every Sunday night and enjoyed seeing the worlds created through Disney. Then for my fifth birthday. , my mom and dad took me to see an exhibit called “Disney on Parade” where Disney stories and characters came to life. That was it: immersive storytelling has become my passion.
What is your career path to get here?
I was a theater student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where I am now proud to serve on the Fine Arts Advisory Council, and I knew I would have to leave Lincoln to pursue my life’s dream in entertainment. Walt Disney World Resort as a component of the Disney College program for a summer and, after graduation, I moved to Florida to pursue a career at Disney and as an actor. I was very fortunate to be able to perform temporarily in Florida theme parks, at the same time as doing television, advertising and theater in Orlando. This was the beginning of my 33-year adventure with The Walt Disney Company.
What does a day involve?
The good thing about this project is that there is rarely a typical day. In general, every day he gets involved with many other teams. It may simply be an artistic revision of a new experience we are creating, a low-budget painting. session, or a review of new costumes for cast members performing at the soon-to-be-reopened Disneyland hotel. Of course, we also spend time in the parks looking with our visitors for what we create, like our new Avengers drone exhibit. : Power the Night. Es the amazing entertainment on offer here at Disneyland Paris which makes daily work enjoyable.
What skills do you want to do your job?
In addition to a great fondness for our industry and physical and intellectual endurance, I think it is vital that you can speak many other languages. By this I do not mean literal languages; I still paint in my French every day, but being able to understand and talk about technical and monetary considerations, artistic and theatrical paintings, marketing, public relations and even business strategy. As an industry leader, you want to be able to interact, perceive and collaborate with each and every one of your team, and here our team is, in fact, pan-European, which adds another layer of communication and creativity to the mix. While you may never master all those languages, it’s vital to be able to engage in all spaces and facets. of the business.
What do you like most about your job?
This is the simplest question: that of people. Disney makes the most of every aspect of what we do. At Isneyland Paris, we work with some of the most amazing technical and theatrical artists in the world. For example, when we brought the 30th anniversary birthday party to life, we painted with a very artistic and lively team and the result was amazing entertainment like our “Dream. . . and shine brighter! ». I very much appreciate this collaboration with the talents we have here. As a private note, I have also made deep friendships in my career that go beyond painting.
What is the highlight of your day?
The fact that every day turns out to have a new priority. Many of the things we do require years and years of planning. For others, it might only take us a few months or even weeks to carry them out. life. We continually update and expand our entertainment and think outside the box to deliver new experiences. When we were preparing for the opening of the Avengers Campus here, we were able to create a very different experience with immersive entertainment and storytelling. You’ll even see Marvel superheroes appearing on rooftops. How cool is that?
What has been the proudest moment so far?
I am fortunate to say that it is complicated to decide. The first thing that comes to mind is when the Disneyland Paris team brought back the magic of Disney after our reopening following the extended shutdown. To surely see everyone, in all roles, running to the most sensible thing in their game and giving everything they had in the paint was moving. It was necessary for everyone from frontline artists and managers, artistic and production groups to technical groups. Everyone figured out the most productive way to make each guest’s scale special and magical despite the complicated cases of the time. It was a vital moment for all of our cast members to come together again.
What is the challenge in your work?
The biggest challenge is anything that also makes it exciting – we live in an age where an incredible amount of incredible artistic content is produced. Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Disney – the world’s most popular and beloved videos and presentations are all components of our Disney family. Having an ongoing verbal exchange about how we create reports for our guests that bring all those other stories to life is exciting and challenging, from the little ones encountering old Disney videos for the first time to those visiting us for the first time. first time because they love the Marvel universe, the enthusiasts who have been with us since opening day. We need everyone here to find anything that catches their eye. Having such a remarkable diversity of franchises fuels our creativity to provide our consumers with unforgettable memories.
What recommendation would you give someone for a position in the theme park industry?
Don’t be afraid to start at the hotspot and make progress. While there are many positions in this industry where you can enter the business at a higher point, most of the other people who perform in this industry have followed almost a “Learning”, collecting data and learning about all facets of the business through years of diverse experiences. This is my adventure and I know it has served me well.