The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (167 page)

If the children in your care are often glued to
Disney Junior
shows at home, you can imagine how excited they’ll be at the prospect of seeing their favorite
Disney
TV characters in person!  Expect a lot of high-energy anticipation–and some impatience–in the queue for
Disney Junior.
  For toddlers, time seems to pass far more slowly than it does for adults.  Having simple games or toys on hand will help you and your little ones pass the time in the queue, as will the video monitors that line the queue, presenting clips of the
Disney Junior
stars who are performing inside.

When you’re finally admitted to the
Disney Theater
, be prepared to sit on the carpeted floor, as there are no seats or benches.  This might be a strain on older Guests or Guests with certain physical conditions or health issues.  For many parents used to bringing their children to beaches, parks, playgrounds, and play groups, sitting on the floor and ground are par for the course, and most toddlers certainly have no problems sitting on the floor!

While sitting on the ground can be a bit uncomfortable for grown-ups, it makes sense for a pre-school theater to have a large, open audience area, rather than rows of seats; it’s a better way to
accommodate crowds of energetic kids who want to leap, clap, and dance, and the diaper bags, knapsacks, blankets, and kid-paraphernalia that the parents of toddlers tote everywhere.

For close to 25 minutes, Guests will be treated to a lively show that includes characters from favorites
Sofia the First
,
Jake and the Never Land Pirates
,
and the
crème de la crème
,
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
.  Your little ones will be over the moon with the exuberant music and fun routines, especially when interactive elements like bubbles and confetti shower the audience.

After the show, gather up all of your belongings and your kids.  In the press toward the exit, it’s possible to leave behind things like bottles, diaper bags, blankets
, or even your toddler’s shoes if they kicked them off during the show.  Make sure you have everything–and everyone–and then follow all Cast Member instructions as you head toward the exit. 
Did You Know?
 
Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage!
was refreshed in 2007, and also during
DCA
’s Hollywood district refurb in 2010 and 2011; transforming
Hollywood Pictures Backlot
into
Hollywood Land
, as well as the
Disney Junior
rebranding, brought more changes to this attraction. 
FastPass:
  No. 
Disney Junior
is a show with scheduled performances and therefore doesn’t fit the profile for a
FastPass
attraction.  Please check the
DCA
Entertainment Times Guide
for that day and pick a show time.  There are usually about six shows during the day, set an hour or more apart.  Given the theater’s capacity, as long as you don’t queue at the last minute, you’re almost sure to be admitted for the next show.

Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular
(Hyperion Theater)

[
FastView:
 
An exhilarating musical theater experience for the whole family.  Queue early for the best seats.
]

From its marquee lined with glittering popcorn bulbs to its lush 2,000+-seat interior, the
Hyperion Theater
is a lovely recreation of the classic Los Angeles vaudeville and movie houses, particularly the marquee and the French Baroque façade of the Los Angeles Theater at 615 South Broadway in the heart of Downtown L.A.

There is no
Hyperion Theater
in Los Angeles.  The name is a nod to
Hyperion Avenue
, where the
Disney Studio
was located from the mid 1920’s through the late 1930’s, when it finally moved to a massive
Burbank
complex.  But although there was no actual
Hyperion Theater
, there were many opulent theaters like it in and around Hollywood.  Sadly, many of those old gems have fallen into disrepair and decay, but some, like the
Pantages
and the
Disney
-owned
El Capitan
on the
real
Hollywood Boulevard, are still in operation today.

Before television and computers, if you wanted entertainment, you had to go out and find it.  You and your family and friends
would go to the local theater for live shows, concerts, and movies.  Los Angeles and Hollywood were known for their glamorous entertainment palaces, richly appointed with chandeliers, mosaics, carved woodwork, rich curtains and draperies.  At these elegant theaters the stars, directors, and producers of Hollywood films arrived in ball gowns and tuxedos for movie premieres.

Walt
was a life-long theater-goer.  He adored plays and movies from boyhood onward, and it never ceased to thrill him that he and his talented team created entertainment that filled movie houses and pleased millions of people.

The
Hyperion
was a
DCA
opening day attraction.  Its first production was
Disney’s Steps in Time
, followed by
Blast!
 
Disney’s Aladdin:  A Musical Spectacular
debuted on January 16, 2003 and was an instant success.  Still popular with Guests, this abridged, live-action version of the successful 1992 animated feature continues to run today, although it will take its final bow in the not too distant future–or so
Disney
keeps saying. 
DCA
’s
Aladdin
has been held over
years
longer than anticipated.

Disney’s Aladdin:  A Musical Spectacular
manages to compress the major plot points of
Aladdin
into half the film’s running time.  It is a fast-paced, merry jaunt.  Many of the film’s songs are included in the live production.  The tunes, crafted by the talented team of
Alan Menken
(music) and
Howard Ashman
and
Tim Rice
(lyrics) are winners, particularly the
Genie
’s show-stopping
Friend Like Me
and the Academy Award-winning ballad
A Whole New World.

The talented cast of
about 30 performers doubles and triples-up in multiple roles necessitating rapid, madcap costume changes.  The actors dash through their performances with a heady and contagious energy that charges the entire audience.  In some scenes, performers move through the aisles, engaging Guests in the show.  In the
A Whole New World
flight sequence, multiple
Aladdins
and
Jasmines
ride numerous
magic carpets
at different levels in the theater, from the lower tiers up to the towering ceiling.  Not to worry; the performers are safely secured to the suspended carpets.

If you decide to attend
a show at the
Hyperion
, be sure to check that day’s
DCA
Entertainment Times Guide
to find the show time that works for you, and arrive at the theater least 20 minutes in advance.  You can enter the theater up until about five minutes before the scheduled time, but unless it’s an off-season weekday, if you arrive that close to show time, expect to sit in the nosebleed seats!  I arrived late once on a peak day and had to sit on the top level.  Still an astounding view, still an astounding show, but it’s even better from the lower levels, particularly the orchestra area.

Despite the vast size of the theater, there are no rest rooms and no food counters inside. 
Nosh a snack and visit the rest room
before
you and your clan queue for the show.  Seating will take about ten to fifteen minutes, and the show itself is 45 minutes long.  As entertaining as it is, this show flies by with the dazzling speed and whiplash changes of direction of a
magic carpet
ride!
Note bene
:  After a successful seven-year run and more than 8,000 performances,
Aladdin
was slated to close on August 15, 2010. Its popularity earned it an extended run into late 2010.  It was supposed to be replaced in 2011 by the 50-minute show
Toy Story—The Musical
, a show originally written for and performed aboard the
Disney Wonder
cruise ship–yet
Aladdin
continues to play at the
Hyperion
into 2013.
Did You Know?
 
Disney
’s
Aladdin
, released in 1992, was a box office success, earning over $217 million domestically and a total of $504 million globally.  It was a critical success as well. 
Robin Williams
, who voiced the
Genie
, stole the show, and many couples who married that year selected
A Whole New World
as their optimistic, romantic wedding song. 
Jasmine
was
Disney
’s first princess of color, and, in fact, this was the first animated
Disney
film with all non-white human characters.  A milestone at the time, there was some controversy in the Arab and Arab-American communities about some of the lyrics in the song
Arabian Nights
.
A reference to the practice of cutting off ears was roundly panned as being insulting to Arabs, and in
Aladdin
’s later showings and its video and DVD releases the line was reworded as a reference to the intense desert heat.  Some complained that although ostensibly of color,
Aladdin
and
Jasmine
were completely anglicized in feature, voice, and manner, bearing almost no resemblance to the film’s other Arab characters.  Although I’d read about this controversy during my research, it was really brought home to me when an
Anaheim
cab driver of Arab origin shared his feelings about the song
Arabian Nights
.  Residents of
Anaheim
, he and his wife are life-long fans of
Disney
and
Disneyland
, and their children attended the local elementary school.  But upon hearing
Arabian Nights
’ lyrics about lopping off ears, and Arabia’s “barbarism,” they felt almost sucker-punched.  Here was an entertainment company they revered and counted on for quality family entertainment, casually insulting their culture.  “What do I tell my kids,” wondered the cab driver, “when they ask me, ‘Daddy, why do they say that [in the song]’?”  The cab driver and his wife and many in the Arab-American community were satisfied when
Disney
admitted they’d made a misstep and changed the lyrics.  Although
Disney
had stumbled, it persisted in growing more inclusive in its hiring and promotion practices and its film, television, music, and theater productions.  By 2013 it would have a diverse palette of stars and productions. 
Did You Also Know?
  Tragically, this is the site of
DCA
’s only fatality. 
DCA
has a sterling safety record, but in 2003 a Cast Member perished after a six-story fall from a
Hyperion
catwalk. 
FastPass:
  No.  Shows are performed at scheduled times and the theater doesn’t lend itself to the
FastPass
system.  Provided you queue early, you shouldn’t have any problem obtaining a decent seat in the
Hyperion
.

The Hollywood Backlot Stage

[
FastView:
 
Enjoy open-air concerts by
Disney
characters and entertainers, as well as visiting non-
Disney
performers.
]

Walt
always sought to bring greater depth to Guest’s park experience.  In the late 1950’s, he wanted to build additional lanes and squares branching off of
Main Street
in
Disneyland
.  There were plans for an elaborate
Edison Square
and
International Street
. 
Edison Square
was to be a district where a mechanical host presented various engaging, life-sized exhibits demonstrating how electricity had improved our lives from the 1800’s onward.

While
Edison Square
was never realized, advances in
Audio-Animatronics
in the 1960’s led to the
Disney
-designed-and-built
Carousel of Progress
, first at the 1964 – 1965 New York World’s Fair, then in
Disneyland
’s
Tomorrowland
.  Technology had finally caught up to
Walt
’s vision!

Unlike
Main Street
,
Hollywood Land
was given a back street and back courtyard from the beginning.  Guests who like to fully explore their environments can veer off
DCA
’s
Hollywood Boulevard
to find a large square, modeled on a real studio backlot, where
Muppet*Vision 3D
,
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue
, and the
Hollywood Backlot Stage
are located–and where, nightly,
Alice
and the
Mad Hatter
and their
Mad T Party
reign.

At
the beginning, the heart of the backlot was a statue of
Sorcerer Mickey
presiding over a central fountain.  Guests posed for photos in front of the fountain and statue, and rested on the surrounding benches.  The statue was removed, and the fountain covered, to install the
ElecTRONica
/
Mad T Party
stage, but maybe someday
Sorcerer Mickey
will return to this district.

The
backlot has a snack truck, the
Studio Catering Co.
, which changes its identity based on the latest nighttime show, and one shop, called the
Studio Store
.

Film and stage buffs enjoy roaming the backlot area, examining the
Hollywood touches, the façades, klieg lights, and life-sized props.  There used to be an array of
faux
phone booths on the east side of the lot, including an old fashioned glass-enclosed phone booth ( the type Clark Kent used back-in-the-day to change into Superman), and even a blazing red British phone booth.  There were prop signs and statues–all the
accoutrements
of a working backlot–and now Guests encounter the whimsical, oversized chairs and lamps of the
Mad T Party
.

While
Muppet*Vision 3D
is presented inside a theater, and
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley
to the Rescue
is an enclosed dark ride, the
Hollywood Backlot Stage
is an open air performance space on the northeast side of the square, backing against the facades of
DCA
’s
Hollywood Boulevard
.  It’s a small stage, fitted with lights, props, and a sound system, fronted by rows of benches for the audience.

On days when the weather is fine (and in So Cal, that’s most days), Guests can enjoy
al fresco
performances at the
Hollywood Backlot Stage
.  Shows have changed multiple times since
DCA
’s opening on February 8, 2001, but they’re always a tribute to both Hollywood and
Disney magic
.

Until October 17, 2010
, the long-running production was
Drawn to the Magic
, a celebration of
Disney
animation.  During a 15-minute show, three Cast Members portrayed
Disney Animators
, sketching on easels and singing songs about
Disney
characters.  During each performance, three Guests were invited onstage to pose for the
Animators
.  After the songs, each
Animator
unveiled a drawing, and the
Disney character
they had drawn strode onto the stage!

A subsequent
production, which opened in time for the 2010 holiday season, was
Disney Dance Crew
, a lively blend of classic
Disney
music and modern beats.  The concept:  Two dance crews are battling each other (shades of
Disney
’s
Camp Rock 2:  The Final Jam
). 
Mickey Mouse
joins the show, teaching the rivals to cooperate for a truly winning dance.

Some Guests, especially small kids, enjoyed
Disney Dance Crew
.  Grown-up Guest were less entranced, with characterizations of the show ranging from “cute” to “obnoxious”.  But whether or not you liked
Disney Dance Crew
, no one could dispute that it had one incredible feature:  In this show,
Mickey
’s face and mouth moved!  His eyes blinked!  He could
speak
!