It’s been said that Walt Disney Animation Studios is in the middle of a revival. Some even go as far to capitalize that word and dub this is as a definitive era in the studio’s history, in the same sense of the Golden Age of the ’40s and the Disney Renaissance of the ’90s. Here at the Rotoscopers, we celebrated this new-found revival last year with our Revival Rundown, a thorough, informative tour through all of the films in this period, from 2007’s Meet the Robinsons through 2014’s Big Hero 6. Now, Disney is officially acknowledging the success of this recent era with an all-new stage show, anchored by three of the Revival’s leading ladies.
This summer, Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire will debut at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World in Florida. The show will be performed on the iconic Castle Forecourt Stage, right in front of the Cinderella Castle. In addition to Mickey and the gang, it will star characters from The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, and Frozen.
The show’s story is reflective of the traditional Castle show format. Here’s the official description as released on the Disney Parks Blog:
In “Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire,” Mickey and his troupe of Merry Makers have been preparing to host a joyous festival and have ventured far and wide to invite friends from other lands to join their celebration. From the Land of the Bewitching Bayous, Goofy has invited Tiana, Naveen and Louis to add a little spice of New Orleans jazz to the party. From the Land of the Enchanted Woods, Donald Duck brings some new friends he met at the Snuggly Duckling, and Daisy introduces us to her special guests, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Finally, Mickey shares a surprise with Minnie, as he has traveled to the Land of the Mystic Mountains to invite Olaf, Anna and Elsa, who contributes a blast of her icy magic. It all culminates in a grand dance, as the Merry Makers invite all their special guests to join in the fun on this special day in Magic Kingdom Park!
While Frozen is, of course, nearly everywhere today, The Princess and the Frog and Tangled have been somewhat overlooked in the wake of Elsa’s enormous popularity, and it’s nice to see them get some love. This will also be the largest role Daisy Duck has ever had in a Walt Disney World production.
In preparation for Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire, the current stage show, Dream Along with Mickey, will end. Disney has not announced a specific closing date. Dream Along with Mickey has performed since September 2006, a significantly longer engagement than previous Castle shows (which tended to last five years maximum). It first debuted as part of the Year of a Million Dreams promotion and has since been the first Disney show to implement articulated characters. Its simple, repeated mantra of dreams coming true is perhaps the most direct interpretation of the message this vacation kingdom yearns to impart on its guests at a Disney property.
The only characters from Dream Along with Mickey expected to be included in the new show are Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald. Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, and their princes, the Peter Pan gang, and Maleficent are not anticipated to make the cut.
Are you excited for ‘Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire’? Will you miss ‘Dream Along with Mickey’?
Edited by: Kelly Conley
