Disney Parks Blog – Mickey and the Magical Map Meetup

DAPs Magic Disney News – by JaytasmicOn Friday, May 31, 2013, The Disney Parks Blog invited its readers to a “magical” meet-up, which included a special performance of the new Fantasyland Theater stage show, “Mickey and the Magical Map.”  I signed up and was lucky enough to attend this event where at the end of the regular show, one of the Disney Parks Blog writers, Erin Glover, gave out prizes to lucky guests and brought out some of the stage show’s creators to discuss the creation process and answer guest questions.

As we entered Fantasyland Theater, cast members were handing out complimentary Mickey and the Magical Map popcorn buckets and soda! It was indeed a nice gift. What better gift than a free popcorn bucket full of Disney popcorn? Maybe the free goodies that Erin was giving away to guests that had the lucky raffle tickets.  Some of the prizes that were given out included Disney watches, a Sleeping Beauty Castle blueprint portrait, and even a gift basket full of Mickey Mouse plushes, vinylmation, and pins!

After these prizes were handed out, three of the show’s creators came out for a discussion with Erin and answered some questions. The speakers included Mike Layman, technical director;  Scott Auerbach, art director; and Tracy Halas, the choreographer of the show, who once also performed on that very stage years ago.

When it came to designing the overall “look” of the stage and map, the creators asked themselves, “What would Sorcerer Yensid’s workshop actually look like?” They ended up going with a stage full of color and textures.  They also wanted to make sure that the colors used were complimentary to the rest of Fantasyland, so that the stage could fit perfectly in that land.

The creators also discussed some of the challenges that arose during the development of the show. They explained that integrating the map with 3D elements was a challenge.  They really wanted the brushes and paint on screen to react to the movement of the dancers, so they worked very closely with the video production team.

Some of the audience members were able to ask a few questions too.  One audience member asked if there was a possibility of seeing different characters and music performances in the future.  They answered this question by explaining that the map was created in a way that could introduce different characters and movies in the future, to keep things fresh.  This way, people that may have already seen the show various times could have something new to look forward to.  They also stated that there may be possibilities of having holiday versions of the show, if the ideas were good enough.

Another audience member asked, “Why wasn’t there a live character during the Lilo and Stitch performance?” and Tracy answered that they wanted to focus more on the choreography and stunts with the surfboards as oppose to only paying attention to the characters running around.  They sure made a good point because if Stitch was running around on stage, then we might have missed the awesome flips and jumps those dancers do during this performance!

One last note I’d like to point out that was discussed during the panel is that, much like many other Disney attractions and shows, there are various hidden Mickey’s during this stage show.  The creators gave the audience a hint to where some of these are.  Next time you watch the show, make sure to pay attention to the bubbles on screen during “Under the Sea”, and make sure to keep your eye on the paint spot!

Now are a few of my shots of Mickey and the Magical Map!

King Louie’s performance is definitely my favorite part. His song, “I Wanna Be Like You” is one of the catchiest Disney songs I know and it was great to have him perform it on stage! The crowd went wild when Pocahontas emerged from the stage. It was quite nostalgic seeing her perform “Just Around the Riverbend” on that stage again. I also really loved the princess medley featuring Pocahontas, Mulan and Rapunzel. Especially because Pocahontas and Mulan are rarely seen in the park. “Under the Sea” is one of those classic Disney songs that never get old! Mickey and Tiana, with the help of the audience, bring the show to an end with a performance of “Dig a Little Deeper”

 

That’s all from me, if you haven’t watched Mickey and the Magical Map yet, then check out the full show here! But also make sure to watch it in person the next time you visit the resort!

-Jay