I hope you are all enjoying Doug’s column ’30 Years Ago at Disneyland!’ It’s a fun look at the start of the ‘Disney Decade,’ and one of the best anniversary celebration Disneyland has ever had!
In this edition of ‘Monday Memories,’ I go back 20 years to the year 2000 and the Disneyland 45th anniversary celebration. With the celebration came the ’45 Years Of Magic’ Parade featuring ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ as the parade’s theme song. It was based on the ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ sequence from ‘Fantasia 2000.’
The parade wasn’t well received because the music choice was rather odd. After a change to a medley of Disney songs, the parade definitely felt like a Disney parade! Guests had a chance to participate in the parade while wearing hats and/or tutus! It was a lot of fun to see, and it made for some lasting memories.
Another thing to come out of the 45th anniversary celebration was the fireworks show – ‘Believe…There’s Magic In The Stars.’ This was the first Disney Parks fireworks show to have a story.
The show begins with a woman’s voice gently whispering the word “believe,” the show’s main theme. A child is then heard saying “I wish I never had to leave this magical place.” That “magical place” is of course Disneyland. He then wishes on a star for his wish, and the Believe musical theme begins.
Music from ‘Aladdin,’ ‘Tarzan,’ ‘Mary Poppins,’ ‘The Hunchback of Norte Dame,’ ‘Alice In Wonderland,’ ‘The Little Mermaid,’ and ‘Pinocchio’ was featured in the show.
The story of this show takes you through times of joy and laughter, dark times, and ends with happy times.
So what memories do I have of this show? Well, I was a Cast Member at Disneyland, and during my first summer working, I was constantly on Parade Guest Control. One of my favorite memories was having the chance to watch this show from near the Castle Forecourt.
It was fun to watch guests’ reaction to the fireworks shooting off from the Castle. That was new to me, and it was definitely new to them as well. Of course the one thing that guests loved about the show was the fireworks. Most of us remember visiting Disneyland on a summer day, and ending our visit with the fireworks show.
Walt Disney considered the fireworks show to be the “kiss good night.” They topped off an already fun day at “The Happiest Place On Earth!” because mostly everyone loves fireworks! It’s fun to hear the cheers, oohs, and ahhs during the show because it shows the emotion that fireworks bring to everyone.
As we go through uncertain times right now, we are reminded that even through the dark times, we know that happy times are in our future. It’s also a good time to remember those happy times no matter what!
And in recent years, Disneyland has brought back two of its most popular fireworks shows – ‘Remember… Dreams Come True’ and ‘Disneyland Forever.’ ‘Believe… There’s Magic In The Stars’ is definitely one show I wouldn’t mind seeing again!
So remember to always ‘Believe’ because ‘There’s Magic In The Stars’ and magic everywhere you look!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No02Pfvi0uk
