By its middle years, the Disney Decade was not quite living up to the high expectations that had been set by all the breathless hype. Despite this, 1996 was something of a banner year for Disneyland, particularly for its summer entertainment schedule. If only the venerable Disneyland Guidemap had kept pace.
Incredibly enough, with all that Disneyland was offering, the Guidemap, month in and month out, offered a rather dull reflection. Over the years it had grown from a pocket guide to a multi-page booklet. Quarterly editions, supplemented by weekly time schedules, had been supplanted by a weekly folder that offered up the same monotonous cover. Except for an occasional character or logo, there was nothing brightening the block of text that appeared under the bold “Disneyland Today” headline.
Here it is in January…
And here it is in April. Look closely and you will see that the only visual change is that the Toy Story Funhouse logo has been bumped up closer to the headline.
Summer marked the expected arrival of the Main Street Electrical Parade. This beloved classic was as much a herald of the season as the swallows returning to Capistrano. This, at least, warranted a major visual change to the cover, albeit one that carried an ominous tag. Attached to the familiar drum were the words, “Farewell Season.” (More, much more, about this in the next two months.)
But what a season it was! The summer of 1996 offered an embarrassment of riches, particularly for a Disneyland local with an annual pass, There were two big parades, The Lion King Celebration by day, and the Main Street Electrical Parade by night. The Fantasy in the Sky fireworks, featuring Tinker Bell, ran from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Fans of live entertainment had three big shows from which to choose: The Spirit of Pocahontas in the Fantasyland Theatre, The Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fools in Frontierland’s Festival Arena, and Fantasmic!, performing nightly on the Rivers of America.
As if that wasn’t enough, there were also smaller scheduled performances. Billy Hill and the Hillbillies shared the Golden Horseshoe stage with the Golden Horseshoe Variety Show. Over at Carnation Plaza Gardens guests could choose among swing dances with the Bill Tole Orchestra, the Eddie Reed Big Band, Red and the Red Hots, or Tea Dances with the Disneyland Band. Tomorrowland Terrace offered up the contemporary sounds of Voyager, Tuff Enuff, Zippers, Midwest Coast, or DJs Mike Ivey and Johnny B.
Guests could also find a variety of seemingly spontaneous entertainments, ranging from the Sword in the Stone Ceremony to the Coke Corner pianist to the Flag Retreat Ceremony, each day at dusk at Town Square.
Despite all that activity, the Guidemap remained stubbornly consistent. It was no more than a four-fold flyer, heavy with text surrounding a park map in the center spread.
That same center spread, seen here in a map from later in the year, looks virtually identical. Close examination shows a single change: the addition of the Festival Arena along Big Thunder Trail. (That is Clopin, being carried off by balloons!)
The interior text remained just as consistent, although minor changes occasionally appeared through the year. One of the biggest was a simple announcement that appeared attached to that troubling new logo for the Main Street Electrical Parade.
In August, that announcement informed guests about a Children’s Charity Benefit. “Now you can purchase an authentic light bulb from this celebrated classic.” Readers were directed to various locations where they could fill out mail order forms and send in donations that would benefit local children’s charities.
It was troubling to think that all those lightbulbs that had glowed so brightly through the years would be removed and sold, even if it was for a good cause. And why were they doing such a thing? What could possibly replace the beloved Main Street Electrical Parade? But all that lay ahead. Meanwhile, there was an amazing number of things to see, experience, and enjoy, thirty years ago at Disneyland.
