Down the Rabbit Hole: Remembering the Mad T Party

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[music]
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[music]
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First there was [music] Glowfest, then
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Electronica, and then the Mad Tea Party.
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Welcome to Daps Magic, Disney and
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positive stuff. I'm Mr. Daps, and this
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week [music] we are going to journey
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down the rabbit hole to talk about Mad
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Tea Party. Before we get into all of
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that though, I'd like to encourage you
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to take a moment to subscribe [music]
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wherever you're watching or listening to
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this podcast. Also, if you take a moment
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and leave either a rating, a comment,
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[music] a like, anything like that, that
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helps this get seen by other people so
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that we [music] can all share our love
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of Disney and positive stuff together.
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Particularly this week, the Mad Tea
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Party and the Mad Tea Party Band. We are
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[music] going to have a blast doing
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this. At least I'm going to have fun
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with it. I hope you do, too. So, let's
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head down into the rabbit hole. This
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episode really came about because over
1:01
the last week or two, I've had several
1:03
conversations where the Mad Tea Party
1:05
came up and every time it came up, it
1:07
was viewed so fondly and people had such
1:09
happy memories that I thought it should
1:12
be remembered a little bit more
1:14
publicly. Partially because so many
1:17
people also don't know or remember this
1:20
really awesome entertainment offering
1:22
that happened in 2012. The Mad Tea
1:25
Party. Well, it basically let guests
1:27
journey down the rabbit hole into the
1:29
world of Tim Burton's Alice in
1:31
Wonderland. And it really was the
1:33
culmination of several things that came
1:35
before it that I actually mentioned
1:37
before. First was Glowfest. This was a
1:39
giant dance party at night that took
1:41
over what's Hollywood Backlot or yeah,
1:43
Hollywood Backlots now and uh Hollywood
1:46
Boulevard. And there was lots of colors
1:49
and big stand things that would stand up
1:52
and you'd see them during the day, but
1:53
nothing happened until it got dark. And
1:55
then everything came to life and it was
1:57
vibrant and lots of pink, I remember.
2:00
And then they had glowing drinks, I
2:02
think. And and it really was a a unique
2:05
experience, but there really wasn't a
2:07
story. It was just a we're going to
2:10
throw as much things that glow at you as
2:11
possibly as we possibly can. Next came
2:15
Electronica. Electronica kind of took
2:17
some of the things they learned from
2:18
Glowfest and added a story that was
2:21
related to Tron Legacy to the area. And
2:24
right nearby they had the Legacy um
2:28
preview that was happening for the movie
2:30
and the whole area came to life to bring
2:34
guests into the world of Tron and there
2:36
was a bit of a story happening and you
2:38
go to Flynn's Arcade and we could do an
2:41
entire episode on Electronica and maybe
2:43
we will if you want. maybe I'll bring
2:44
somebody in that was also there back in
2:47
the day with me. But then after
2:49
Electronica, they continued to build on
2:51
this idea of immersive entertainment
2:54
that also included a story in this
2:57
Hollywood backlot area, which oddly
2:59
enough, the story will get even more if
3:01
it continues to become Pandora in the
3:03
future and that new attraction. But the
3:06
next step for this area was the Mad Tea
3:09
Party and this opened on June 15th,
3:11
2012. and it saw guests journeying down
3:15
through that rabbit hole to enter that
3:18
world of Alice and Wonderland. And this
3:21
wasn't the first time that Alice in
3:22
Wonderland had been explored at the
3:25
Disneyland Resort. Obviously, you have
3:27
the attraction in Fantasy Land, but
3:29
there was also the characters over at
3:31
Disneyland that were known and loved and
3:34
still are today, whether it was Mad
3:35
Hatter, uh Alice and Wonderland, Queen
3:38
of Hearts, the the uh Tweedles, and uh
3:41
some of them could be seen almost daily
3:44
at Coke Corner, refreshment corner, I
3:46
guess you'd call it officially, but uh
3:49
playing musical chairs. And this had
3:51
been going on for quite some time. Very
3:53
popular. People loved it. So already
3:56
there was this kind of built-in like,
3:58
oh, we know
4:00
Alice in Wonderland's popular. What
4:02
wasn't known at the time was would this
4:04
version of Alice in Wonderland be
4:05
popular? This version based off of this
4:07
new movie that that had a very different
4:11
look, feel, vibe, you name it. It was
4:15
everything traditional taken and thrown
4:17
on its head to become really rocking.
4:21
And so as guests went in to that area
4:24
and experienced the Mad Tea Party, they
4:27
they got to experience so many different
4:30
offerings, whether it was entertainment,
4:31
whether it was the decor of the area,
4:34
whether it was the drinks in the area,
4:35
which for whatever I remember, I think
4:37
that was kind of controversial at the
4:39
time. But the main thing that many of
4:42
the fans came for was the Mad Tea Party
4:44
Band. And the Mad Tea Party Band, I will
4:46
admit that was one of my favorite things
4:48
that I've seen at Disney California
4:50
Adventure through the years. Um, I've
4:51
had a pass since I think 1995.
4:54
And if you were to ask me five
4:56
entertainment highlights of of Disney
4:58
California Adventure, maybe even the
5:00
Disneyland Resort, the Mad Tea Party
5:02
Band would definitely be up there. They
5:04
were upbeat. They had incredible music.
5:06
They were really connecting with people
5:09
where where they were at in the songs
5:12
they knew, you know, whether maybe it
5:13
was What's My Age Again? Don't Stop
5:15
Believing. Um, Sweet Escape, um, Just
5:18
Dance. Like, there's so many great songs
5:21
that they performed throughout the
5:22
night. Uh, Best Day of My Life. Um, but
5:25
the band was made up of people that were
5:27
representing the characters of
5:29
Wonderland.
5:31
And the two vocalists, the leads were
5:33
Alice and the Madhatter. Very
5:36
appropriate. Totally made sense. Uh, the
5:38
Mad Hatter looked like he could have
5:40
come straight from Alice in Wonderland,
5:41
the Tim V Burton version of Alice in
5:43
Wonderland. And Alice had a uh a version
5:46
that you're like, "Oh, yeah, that's
5:47
Alice." But also unlike we've ever seen
5:50
her before. And then you had on bass
5:53
guitar the March hair, who the March
5:56
Hair's outfit was more of, in fact, the
5:58
rest of the band's outfit were more
6:00
bounds than full-on costumes. uh like
6:03
they weren't trying to make him into a
6:05
rabbit, but they were trying to give
6:07
that vibe of like, oh yeah, this is
6:10
representing that. And it really was
6:12
kind of in the peak of the bounding era
6:14
when it was really taking off and and so
6:16
this made a lot of sense and everybody
6:18
had their favorite musician in the band,
6:20
I feel like. Uh there was also in fact
6:22
they had their favorite people that
6:23
played their favorite role in the band
6:25
also. But uh then there was also Door
6:27
Mouse on lead guitar. Had some fantastic
6:30
solos throughout the night. And that's
6:32
what made this fun is they weren't just
6:33
people getting up and playing a role.
6:35
There were really good musicians getting
6:37
up there and they'd be fun to watch
6:40
anyway. In fact, some people still do in
6:42
their their other band called Hiatus.
6:45
And then you had uh Caterpillar on
6:47
keyboards and Sheshire Cat on drums. And
6:50
and once again, they weren't full-on
6:52
costumes. They were they were bounds
6:54
that really were playing um they were
6:57
giving an homage to the Alice in
6:59
Wonderland movie that had just come out
7:01
from Tim Burton if I recall. And what
7:05
the goal of this whole evening was uh
7:08
Robin Trobridge really described it well
7:10
is creating an an atmosphere or a vibe
7:14
where you could kind of have that family
7:16
friendly concert that all ages could
7:19
come together and enjoy this experience
7:21
together. And I think it really
7:23
succeeded. I can think of going through
7:26
or going there through the years. And I
7:28
would have friends that were older than
7:30
me. I had friends that were younger than
7:31
me. And it was fun to see all of the
7:34
different ages coming together. And
7:36
maybe you didn't know every song, but
7:38
you probably knew most of them. And the
7:41
ones you didn't, the performances were
7:43
so fun. They were so energetic. They
7:45
were so polished that really it didn't
7:48
matter cuz it was going to be a good
7:50
time. it was going to be a party and and
7:53
this happened all of the time. Like it
7:55
was so fantastic. Every Sunday I feel
7:57
like for quite some time, a couple
7:59
years, you could find the Daps Magic
8:01
team at least at one point hitting a
8:03
set, maybe multiple sets to watch the
8:06
Mad Tea Party Band. But there were other
8:08
things happening beyond just that that
8:11
show moment that happened multiple times
8:13
throughout the night. I think it was
8:14
about a half an hour if I recall. So
8:16
between the band performances, there was
8:19
a DJ that performed and that was the
8:22
White Rabbit. And this really was kind
8:25
of the glue that kept everything
8:27
together and it kept the energy up and
8:31
really they were they were just keeping
8:34
things moving throughout the night and
8:35
they had their ears on that kind of
8:37
glowed and they were in a I think they
8:39
were in a teacup maybe if I recall
8:40
correctly. But it it really did keep
8:43
things from going up and then completely
8:45
down when the band wasn't playing while
8:47
people waited for them to come back and
8:49
and people did disperse a little bit
8:51
during the the DJ set, the White Rabbit
8:54
set, but
8:56
the energy was still there. So, they
8:58
didn't really go far. That was maybe a
9:00
chance to go get a drink. Maybe that was
9:01
a chance to go watch another offering
9:03
that was nearby called the House of
9:05
Cards. And this was really cool cuz they
9:08
were aerial aerialists, I guess. I don't
9:11
know what they're called. Um, but they
9:12
were incredible performers that really
9:16
were I think there was the dueling
9:17
queens and the hottest deck in town and
9:19
their dance crews that were doing some
9:21
incredible stuff over on the the other
9:24
areas of the Hollywood backlot area. And
9:28
you really just had to see that and
9:30
experience it to uh to really get it.
9:34
And and it's interesting as I'm speaking
9:36
about this cuz I'm thinking of the
9:39
hottest deck in in in town and these
9:42
performances and really they were the
9:44
next step after laser man for
9:46
electronica like that was kind of your
9:49
sideshow thing that people would
9:50
congregate around and watch. Uh there
9:52
was also the drink me bar, very
9:55
appropriate name for this. And uh this
9:58
was really trying to continue the story
10:01
of Alice and Wonderland through the
10:03
beverages that were sold for 21 years
10:06
and older. And and I will say they were
10:08
very good about [laughter]
10:09
keeping track of that. Um, I can
10:12
remember many a Sunday night watching
10:14
people try to sneak uh drinks to people
10:17
that weren't 21. And inevitably out of
10:20
nowhere, security would show up and
10:22
start asking the questions like, "Oh, do
10:24
you have an ID? Are you 21?" All of
10:26
those not so fun things if you're that
10:28
person. But for those of us that were
10:30
watching, there was a bit of an
10:32
amusement factor that was happening with
10:33
this. And uh it really was one of those
10:36
moments that uh you kind of felt bad for
10:38
them, but also it's Disney, you know
10:41
better. You shouldn't be doing this. And
10:42
it was it was a lot of fun and and
10:45
great. It was great. Um there was also
10:47
incredible technology. Like that was one
10:49
of the things that
10:52
continued to evolve through these
10:54
nighttime dance parties as well or
10:56
whatever you want to call this. And um
10:59
we were really impressed when
11:01
Electronica came along, but Mad Tea
11:04
Party took everything that they did
11:06
electronically for Electronica and made
11:09
it even better. whether it was a LED
11:13
screens that were used or projections or
11:17
the lights. Um, even the sound was
11:20
fantastic and it really changed the vibe
11:23
of what what you felt in the day versus
11:27
at night. Like it completely transformed
11:29
the area. And as I think about this now,
11:33
you know, I was probably what in my
11:35
early 30s then. And it's crazy to me to
11:40
think that was probably my generation
11:42
and and the ones that were peripheral to
11:44
that my version of Vidiopouloolis for
11:47
those that came before us. Like I don't
11:50
really remember Vidyopoulos. Like I knew
11:52
it happened, but that was about it. I
11:54
didn't live close by. Like it wasn't
11:56
something that I was going to have the
11:57
option or the opportunity to really come
12:00
in and do all the time like like those
12:02
who experience that. And um and I think
12:05
that was one of the reasons this was so
12:08
popular and really you could say it
12:09
built off video um because it did create
12:13
that that place where people could come
12:15
together, have fun in a very high energy
12:19
environment and in this case also had
12:21
that Disney connection and that Disney
12:23
magic and and
12:26
does it in just the way that only Disney
12:28
can. And that was something I think that
12:32
was super special about Mad Tea Party.
12:34
Like you can go to concerts, but Disney
12:37
concerts are completely different. And
12:39
and I think of Descendants and I think
12:40
of these newer um series that have come
12:44
out and movies that have come out,
12:46
franchises, I guess I should say, from
12:48
Disney Channel and Disney Plus. And I I
12:50
feel like when you go to one of those
12:51
concerts, I haven't been to one, but I
12:54
feel like when you go to the concerts
12:55
that have followed these, that's
12:56
probably similar to what for this
13:00
generation, what we were experiencing
13:01
during Mad Tea Party. Um, as with all
13:04
things at Disney, the Mad Tea Party did
13:07
not stay the same. It did for a while,
13:10
but then they decided to play with it a
13:12
little bit. And so you would see, you
13:15
know, new songs maybe added in or a new
13:18
theme. Like the first theme I can
13:20
remember changing was for Halloween time
13:22
and that was in 2013.
13:25
And that was such a unique thing because
13:29
it created a different vibe that while
13:32
it was the same, it suddenly had this
13:34
this kind of creepy, eerie um
13:39
I don't even know what to connect it
13:40
with. But it it definitely like we're
13:43
going to make it haunted. We're going to
13:44
make it Halloween and scary and all of
13:47
those kind of fun things without being
13:49
scary because it was Disney scary. But
13:51
ahead of the start, in fact, I think it
13:53
was the day of the starting of the the
13:56
Halloween version of this, um, I got to
14:00
interview Robin Trobage. And so before
14:02
we start talking about how this evolved,
14:05
Mad Tea Party evolved through the years,
14:07
watch this interview.
14:09
>> Hi, I'm Mr. Daps and I'm here in Disney
14:11
California Adventure, right in front of
14:12
the Mad Tea Party, and I am joined by
14:14
Robin, who tell us what you do. Uh, I am
14:17
the entertainment show director for the
14:18
Mad Tea Party,
14:19
>> which means what?
14:20
>> Which means I get to be involved with
14:23
well, first getting the show on its feet
14:25
and then uh any seasonal uh theming that
14:27
we do in particular Halloween at this
14:29
time of year. Uh that's my gig is to is
14:31
to come up with some concepts and ideas
14:32
and see what we can do to
14:33
>> So kind of one of the coolest jobs ever.
14:35
>> Uh it's not a bad job, Mr. Dabs.
14:38
>> That's fantastic.
14:39
>> You do have some fun things going on for
14:41
Halloween.
14:41
>> Absolutely. Absolutely.
14:42
>> What's going on? Uh well, you know, we
14:44
have the Mad Tea Party Band. Mad Tea
14:46
Party Band with Mad Hatter and Alice as
14:48
our singers and Door Mouse on the
14:50
guitar. Hatter or not Hatter, but March
14:52
Hair on the bass. Chesh our cat banging
14:54
the drums. We got all that stuff, right?
14:55
But now they've got some new repertoire.
14:57
Seems like every 3 months or so, we sort
14:59
of refresh things. We have a few people
15:01
that come back and see us from time and
15:03
time again.
15:03
>> I think it's a little bit of fun for the
15:04
musicians, too, to get some new stuff.
15:06
>> Always nice. Yeah. So, we've uh we've
15:08
brought in some some good Halloween
15:10
themed songs. Uh put them into the set.
15:12
Uh you know, songs that you might know,
15:14
songs you might not know, but that are
15:16
definitely fitting for Halloween. Uh Mr.
15:18
Depps, if you do come, you may. You just
15:20
may.
15:20
>> I will be here Sunday night. So,
15:22
>> you better get your time warp ready. I'm
15:23
just saying. I'm not I don't want to
15:24
ruin anything, but you might want to
15:26
practice.
15:26
>> I'm not time warped enough already. Or
15:28
>> you you're pretty. Yes, [laughter]
15:29
>> maybe too much.
15:31
>> It's going to be loosen up everything.
15:32
Get a lot It's a lot of fun. But yeah,
15:34
so we got a lot going on with Mad Tea
15:35
Party as far as far as Halloween. had
15:37
little surprises around every
15:37
[clears throat] corner, but but
15:38
definitely new music for the band. The
15:40
uh White Rabbit DJ spinning a whole
15:42
bunch of new crazy things. Uh sound
15:44
effects throughout the the joint. The
15:46
dancers are hottest deck in town.
15:48
They've got a new routine. Halloween,
15:49
you don't want to miss that. It is
15:51
outrageous. It's fantastic. Still got
15:53
the Mad Arcade. Still got uh what? Face
15:55
painting. Still got our flamingos on the
15:57
still. Still got projections on the
15:58
wall. All new projections on the area.
16:00
>> And it's amazing how it completely
16:02
changes everything right here. You walk
16:03
in and it's a different world than what
16:05
we see right now.
16:06
>> Yeah. Yeah, we like to think it's it's
16:06
it's a very um you know, it's a very
16:08
what am I looking for?
16:09
>> Immersive.
16:10
>> It's very immersive. And it's a it's
16:11
just it's very tight. It's very
16:12
comfortable, you know, and um and so we
16:14
were able to kind of transport you once
16:16
you take the journey through the rabbit
16:17
hole.
16:18
>> We like to drop you into a whole world
16:20
that you just didn't expect.
16:21
>> That wonderland of music and exciting.
16:23
So, what's your favorite part?
16:24
>> My favorite I get asked that a lot and
16:26
that's a good question. No, but I'm
16:28
excited about this.
16:29
>> I can't back away from as much as I love
16:31
everything that we've done. I love every
16:32
part of this show. I think everything
16:33
has a has its place, has its offer. It's
16:35
fantastic. That Matt Tea Party band is
16:37
is unbelievable. I I there's nothing for
16:39
me better than than live music in an
16:41
outdoor venue. I just think that is
16:43
incredible. What we've been able to do
16:44
with them by theming them and giving
16:45
them the characters and really dress
16:47
them up, giving them the hottest songs
16:48
that you want to play. That I think
16:50
appeals to everybody. That's the moms,
16:52
the dads, the kids. We have kids on
16:54
shoulders for three hours just watching
16:55
the band. So, I really I like what that
16:58
does for uh for the man tea party. And
16:59
it really is a fun uh feel as you walk
17:03
in and see the band playing and it's
17:05
it's it really is a familyfriendly
17:07
concert that's pretty much every night
17:09
it seems like.
17:09
>> Well, we do it every Friday, Saturday,
17:10
and Sunday. Yeah. So, when we get to the
17:12
holidays, we we extend to seven days,
17:14
but right now we're three days just on
17:16
the weekends. Uh and we're Yeah, we're
17:18
having a good time.
17:19
>> Now, if they want a really good spot, do
17:20
you happen to know how early they should
17:21
show up?
17:23
>> Let's see. Good question. Sorry. No, no.
17:26
I want to give you the best answer. I
17:27
mean ultimately uh it's either 6:00 or
17:30
7:00 depending on when we start. You
17:31
know, you want to you if you want to
17:33
experience the whole show, then you want
17:34
to experience the journey through the
17:36
rabbit hole. And then you make your way
17:37
to the band, which happens immediately
17:39
after the rabbit hole opens. But if you
17:41
happen to be here a little early and you
17:42
you're in the party, you might be able
17:43
to set yourself up closer. But I'll tell
17:45
you what, no matter where you stand in
17:47
the venue, you hear the band. You see
17:49
the band. The video screens are
17:51
unbelievable. You've seen them. We've
17:52
got the big the big LED screens behind
17:54
the band. We got the the LED screen over
17:56
at the House of Cards. No matter where
17:57
you look, there is energy, there's
17:59
excitement, there's goo, there's
18:00
Halloween images. It's really
18:02
outstanding.
18:03
>> Well, thank you so much. I can't wait to
18:04
come back on Sunday and see everything
18:06
that's going on. And uh
18:07
>> we'll share a little bit of seasonal
18:08
tea.
18:09
>> Absolutely. I'm a tea drinker, so
18:11
[laughter]
18:12
>> that's good.
18:13
>> Well, thank you, Robbie.
18:13
>> We got a special brand of tea just for
18:15
you.
18:15
>> I'm looking forward to that. Uh and come
18:17
on down and see all this for Halloween
18:18
time at Disneyland. Disney California
18:20
Adventure Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
18:30
And I just remember having so much fun
18:33
with that interview and knowing that we
18:35
already loved Mad Tea Party and knowing
18:38
that Halloween is becoming one of the
18:41
biggest holidays at the Disneyland
18:43
Resort and just anticipating what we
18:45
would get to experience later that
18:47
night. And and it didn't disappoint.
18:50
like the dancing was incredible because
18:52
there was those show moments that were
18:53
uh I think just some of the highlights
18:56
of of uh Mad Tea Party. And
19:00
I remember just kind of walking away
19:02
from that going, "What have they done
19:04
now? I can't wait to see this." And so
19:06
then we got new music coming from this.
19:08
We got the new look for the area. um you
19:12
know, they try to to make it a little
19:14
bit um Halloweenish with with all of the
19:16
spiderw webs and stuff like that,
19:18
including on the costumes. Um kind of
19:21
adding a zombification of it all. And
19:23
and then they had the new um dance
19:25
routines also from Hottest Deck in Town
19:27
and and all of that fun stuff. And it
19:30
really did
19:32
add to the experience. And it really was
19:35
a good next step to the experience. and
19:37
and the mad tea party went from being
19:40
like, "Oh, this is amazing." to whatever
19:43
step turned it up to 11, I guess you
19:45
could say. And uh and that might have
19:47
been I I you can let me know that might
19:51
have been the
19:54
pinnacle of Mad Tea Party, you know, as
19:56
they went through these seasonal changes
19:58
and tried different things and um but I
20:02
I like that one really does stand out to
20:04
me. Then you fast forward like I think
20:06
it's the next year and you have Frozen
20:08
Fun coming to the Disneyland Resort. So
20:10
this turned a Mad Tea Party into uh
20:14
Freeze the Night, a family dance party,
20:17
which was fun. It was it was similar to
20:19
what we'd already seen, what we already
20:21
experienced, but then of course you had
20:22
to throw in some Frozen magic in there
20:25
as well. And I think I recall this being
20:28
where they would um also add some snow
20:32
that that came down and and it really
20:34
like it was a good addition. It wasn't
20:36
my favorite addition, but it would have
20:39
been my nieces and nephews. And it
20:41
really did stay true to something that
20:43
they started with was making this a
20:45
familyfriendly concert venue with live
20:48
entertainment that really just blew
20:50
people's mind. And it continued to do
20:52
that as it moved forward. And then as
20:55
2015 came along, there was the diamond
20:57
anniversary and diamond celebration at
20:59
the Disneyland Resort. It celebrated its
21:01
60th anniversary. And with that, the Mad
21:04
Tea Party made its triumphant return.
21:07
And you had the Diamond Mad Tea Party.
21:09
And that continued on for, you know, up
21:12
to the beginning. I think it was spring,
21:14
maybe March of of 2016. And then it was
21:17
gone. And and everybody was sad. And it
21:20
was interesting because I don't know
21:22
that the diamond version of Mad Tea
21:24
Party connected the same way that the
21:26
predecessors had. And um I'm sure part
21:30
of it was just whoever worked on
21:32
different versions,
21:34
you know, it changed. It evolved. It it
21:36
whatever. Maybe it was just me growing
21:38
and evolving as well. But uh but it was
21:42
definitely one of those moments knowing
21:44
that you know that was the last day that
21:47
was going to happen and then knowing
21:48
there wasn't going to be a mad tea party
21:50
anymore and not really knowing what was
21:52
going to come next. Yes, we had Paint
21:54
the Night over in the other park and we
21:57
had World of Color which great. I think
21:59
it was Celebrate then. But um but there
22:03
was something special about this little
22:05
corner of Disney California Adventure
22:07
that got packed full of people with
22:09
incredible musicians, incredible
22:11
friendships, and incredible uh
22:14
experiences that were had throughout the
22:16
years um that just hasn't been
22:18
replicated since. And that's that's a
22:20
hat tip to all those people that made
22:22
this happen uh so many years a decade
22:25
ago now. And uh so there's my excuse for
22:28
bringing it up in this episode of Daff's
22:30
Magic Disney and positive stuff. But I
22:33
think even more importantly than than um
22:36
just the memory is there's also a legacy
22:38
that that continues on and you see it in
22:42
the Disney community and a little
22:43
subsect of the Disney community and it
22:45
really is that community factor. It it
22:48
really
22:50
you hear all the time of friendships
22:52
that were made, connections that were
22:53
made among Disney fans, among Disney
22:56
fans with Disney performers. Um, you
22:58
know, maybe they go see the breakout
23:01
bands from Mad Tea Party playing at
23:03
Knots or somewhere else, Downtown Disney
23:06
even occasionally. And there is this
23:10
this deep connection that was built by
23:12
those who experienced this era that
23:15
really is something special that you
23:19
know a decade later there's a couple of
23:21
things you know there's there's a few
23:23
highlights through out 22 years of
23:25
running Dap's Magic that pop into my
23:28
head that had that type of a connection
23:30
between fans and other Disney fans, fans
23:32
and performers um and really brought the
23:36
fandom together and and one of them is
23:39
Mad Tea Party. Another one obviously
23:41
would be the um the 50th anniversary
23:44
celebration. That one incredible like
23:47
specifically Parade of Dreams. Um
23:51
that really did like those were two
23:53
special times that I can think of at the
23:54
Disneyland Resort where people really
23:57
came together and coalesed as Disney
23:59
fans and simply celebrated what was
24:02
being presented in front of them. And
24:04
that that's increasingly uh more rare as
24:08
as it's easier to get opinions out, as
24:11
it's easier to criticize, as
24:15
as more negativity has become the norm
24:17
for fandoms. And one of the things I've
24:21
always felt is is that if you're a fan
24:23
of something, you really should be
24:24
hoping it it succeeds and you should be
24:26
celebrating its wins and learning from,
24:30
you know, learning from its losses. And
24:32
and so I've always felt that Disney is
24:35
something that we should celebrate and
24:36
hope succeeds, hope gets better and
24:39
hopes to that it learns from the
24:42
mistakes it makes. And so when it does,
24:44
because all organizations, all people,
24:46
everything does make a mistake. I've
24:49
always hoped that that
24:51
we can have critical thinking and and
24:56
civil conversation and discourse about
24:58
it without being um cruel, without
25:02
being, you know, going on personal
25:04
attacks. And and I really think that
25:09
when you look back at the 50th, when you
25:10
look back even further at the 35th, that
25:12
was before I was running DAPs, but um
25:15
when you look at some of these milestone
25:17
celebrations or offerings that really
25:19
brought Disney fans together, they
25:22
really did showcase the best of what a
25:25
fandom can be. And it also showed that
25:27
what I mean it was also kind of a
25:30
reflection I guess is a better way to
25:31
put it of what can happen when Disney
25:34
really pushes the boundaries of
25:36
innovation both from the way it tells
25:39
the story, the technology, even the the
25:42
stylistic changes that that it could
25:44
make. Um there is something special that
25:48
can happen. And when you connect that
25:51
with the Disney magic, that's something
25:54
that nobody else does. You know, every
25:57
other company, I think, would love to
25:59
have the innovation and the magic making
26:03
that Disney has. And that's really
26:04
because the people that do this, whether
26:06
it's the Imagineers, Disney Live
26:08
Entertainment, the technicians, the
26:10
performers, the the guest control
26:12
members that were helping facilitate the
26:16
environment. There was even I remember
26:18
uh you know entertainers that would be
26:20
going around and I think their main job
26:22
was basically to dress up in theme and
26:25
dance along with people and help
26:26
facilitate that environment and that
26:29
culture that was built during that time
26:31
of the Mad Tea Party. really was a
26:33
special thing. And and so as we're we're
26:36
starting to wrap this up,
26:38
maybe this wasn't the most in-depth
26:41
episode of DAPS Magic Disney and
26:43
positive stuff, but it is a special one,
26:45
I think. And it really is special
26:48
because of the memories that were made,
26:50
the community that came together, the
26:52
friendships that that still continue on
26:54
today. And so I would be curious to hear
26:58
from all of you. I kind of just
27:01
spouted out what I remember about Mad
27:03
Tea Party and and a few things that that
27:06
make me smile. What's your favorite
27:08
memory? Uh did you have that moment from
27:10
the Mad Tea Party that really just jumps
27:13
out at you that that you would like to
27:14
memorialize? Maybe in the comments,
27:16
maybe we'll even return to this and do a
27:18
second episode on Mad Tea Party if this
27:20
is something that people want and and go
27:22
through some of those memories and bring
27:24
on a couple people that that also were
27:26
there. I can think of Angela right off
27:28
the top of my head and um and talk about
27:33
the memories, the legacy, and the magic
27:36
that was the Mad Tea Party and why that
27:39
worked and why it's still special today.
27:41
Um I'd also be curious, did you have a a
27:44
favorite version of the Mad Tea Party?
27:46
Whether it was the Diamond anniversary,
27:48
Halloween, uh Frozen, whatever. Let me
27:51
know in the comments and and we'll have
27:53
a blast talking more about that as well.
27:55
as we remember Mad Tea Party together.
27:58
If you'd like to talk even more about
28:00
this or maybe you'd like to chat with me
28:02
or whatever, head on over to DAPSHQ,
28:04
which is at dapshq.com.
28:06
We have threads there. We also have the
28:08
ability to chat over there and uh we
28:10
have the ability to just continue the
28:12
conversation and and not be constrained
28:15
by the amount of time on a video or or
28:18
comments underneath it. And so hopefully
28:22
you will uh head on over there and uh
28:24
connect with our community even more.
28:25
Also, if you enjoyed this trip down the
28:27
rabbit hole, please just hit that like
28:30
button, share it, connect [music] other
28:33
people with these types of stories and
28:36
these types of topics, and then we can
28:39
continue to build this community of
28:41
Disney and positive stuff and really
28:43
make it the community for Disney [music]
28:46
and positive stuff in the world on the
28:48
internet and let people celebrate what
28:51
we celebrate, experience [music] what we
28:52
experience, and have fun talking about
28:56
these things that we have so much fun
28:58
talking [music] about because it is more
29:00
fun talking with it with more memories,
29:02
more friends, and more [music]
29:04
community. But that is what I've got you
29:07
for you this week. Thank you so much for
29:09
joining me on this trip down journey
29:11
down the rabbit hole, I think is what
29:12
they called it. It has been a whole lot
29:14
of fun remembering [music] this. I hope
29:16
you'll head on over to dapsmagic.com.
29:19
Write a caption for this week's caption
29:20
of the week. It'll be fun. It's it's
29:21
it's a mad tea party moment. and and
29:25
hopefully you enjoy [music] it. But uh
29:28
and share your moments in the comments
29:29
below. But make it a great week
29:31
everybody. Keep kind. We'll see you in
29:34
the parts.
29:40
[music]
29:44
[music]

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