When told they were planning a trip to Disney, he became so excited, he broke into dance…

(Video: Watch this video on the post page)

SpectroMagic is an evening parade presented at the Magic Kingdom park at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Produced by longtime Disney Show Producer Ron Logan, it is similar to the Main Street Electrical Parade, which was its predecessor, directed by Don Frantz. The parade incorporates elaborate, brightly lit floats, a musical score, and many sound effects. The floats are populated with Disney characters and represent scenes from Disney’s movies and short films.

The parade went on a hiatus in the May 1999 when the Main Street Electrical Parade made its return to the Magic Kingdom. SpectroMagic returned in April 2001 with the following changes:

* Spectro-men have new heads

* Genie (from Aladdin) replaced Roger Rabbit (from Who Framed Roger Rabbit) as the conductor of the parade.

* Sebastian (from The Little Mermaid) animatronic and bubble system added to King Triton’s float

* Jiminy Cricket animatronic added to the finale float.

The parade went on hiatus again in June 2010 when the Main Street Electrical Parade made its return to the Magic Kingdom as part of a Summer entertainment package called “Summer Nightastic!” The return date for SpectroMagic has not been set as the Main Street Electrical Parade is currently on a open ended run at the Magic Kingdom.

The main theme for SpectroMagic (“On This Magic Night”) was composed by movie composer John Debney. Together with Steve Skorija, he arranged music by Disney composers into a 14-minute suite. It is the only parade in Disney history to be in 3/4 time. Scenic designers was Ken Dresser.

* Original run: October 1, 1991 – May 21, 1999

* Second run: April 2, 2001 – June 5, 2010

* Third run: Unknown

* Show duration: 20 minutes

* Total number of batteries: 948

* Battery type: 75 tons of deep-cycle batteries

* Fiber-optic strands: over 100 miles

* Miniature lights: 600,000

* Miniature light colors: 11 (including clear)

* Speakers: 204

* Speaker power: 72,000 watts

* Speaker batteries: 112

* Parade Units:

o Entrance Unit with Trumpeters

o Title Unit heralding SpectroMagic

o Spectro-Men on Whirly-balls (4 pods)

o Mickey Unit

o Music Unit (3 units hitched)

o Sleeping Beauty Garden Unit 1 (Peacock)

o Sleeping Beauty Garden Unit 2

o Sleeping Beauty Garden Unit 3 (Waterfall on back)

o Giant Fish Unit

o Bubble Fish Unit (3 units hitched)

o Ursula Unit (1 pod)

o Little Mermaid Unit (3 units hitched)

o Whirly Fish (2 pods)

o Fantasia Opening Unit with Spinning Hippo

o Baracus Unit (Fountain with Ostrich’s)

o Diana Unit (3 units hitched)(Flying horses)

o Chernabog Unit

o First Finale Unit (3 units hitched)

o Carousel Unit

o Second Finale Unit (3 units hitched)

In the parade there are 29 units, and 7 whirly units giving a grand total of 36 units in the parade.

Disney refers to floats as “units.” Each unit has a driver cleverly hidden in the unit. All audio is controlled through DTMF tones transmitted by RF signals from the antennas on Cinderella’s Castle to each unit. Each unit has its own audio themed to the unit, with the main parade theme played on the zone speakers. Each zone is anywhere between 70 to 80 ft in length. The audio is stored on the unit as digitally encoded information. All the audio and other effects are stored in DACS (Digital Automation Control System). The lighting effects and other special effects are all controlled by on-board computers which initiate their own cues using a Programmable Logic Controller. The cues are sent via the antennas to the units. The main control center is located under Main Street USA. The PC (Production Center) is where all Magic Kingdom parades are stored. It is located behind Pirates of the Caribbean and Splash Mountain. In its original run in 1991 most units used Amiga software developed by Richmond Sound Design Ltd. running on Amiga computers to generate animations that were synchronized via MIDI Time Code with the local audio and projected onto the side of the unit.

Recently SpectroMagic has had upgrades. Most notably, the Spectro-Men are now face characters and no longer wear masks. These characters now have either a wig that is lit from within using LED lights, or wigs with hats lit from within with LED lights. Their face make-up is silver, with blue and purple eye highlights. This change was prior to August 14, 2007.

That high pitched humming sound you hear is the big lady laying her oversized fingers on the cart horn.  SO HUNGRY!   MOVE!!

New Lifestyle Campaign Will Feature Disney Channel Stars and the First Lady

As part of its ongoing effort to promote healthy lifestyles and nutrition for kids and families, Disney today announced that it will develop a program in collaboration with First Lady Michelle Obama supporting “Let’s Move,” her newly announced campaign to create a healthier generation.

Disney Characters to work out and promote healthy living

Disney will create a series of PSAs featuring the First Lady and leading Disney Channel stars to inspire healthier eating habits, physical activity and more. The messages will be featured across Disney’s kid and family targeted media platforms, including Disney Channel, Disney XD, Radio Disney, and Disney.com and will begin airing later this year.

Disney’s participation in “Let’s Move” complements its long-standing commitment to kids’ health and nutrition. In 2006, Disney pioneered groundbreaking nutritional guidelines aimed at giving parents and children healthier eating options. Disney food policies limit the use of the company name and its characters to only those kid-focused products that meet specific guidelines, including limits on calories, fat, saturated fat and sugar. Disney made nutritionally-beneficial changes in the meals served to children at all Disney-operated restaurants in the Disney Parks and Resorts. Today, more than 85% of Disney’s licensed food portfolio consists of healthier options, including produce and low-fat dairy with more than one billion servings of fruits, vegetables and dairy sold in 2009 alone. Disney Channels Worldwide is committed to programming that reflects and recognizes that everyone shares a responsibility to encourage kids and families to adopt healthy lifestyles. Guidelines are employed to model behavior that demonstrates good nutrition and physical activity. At least one episode of each series currently in production –including “Hannah Montana,” “Wizards of Waverly Place,” “Sonny With A Chance,” “Zeke and Luther,” “Phineas and Ferb” and “The Suite Life on Deck” — centers on a healthy lifestyle theme. In addition, over 100 interstitials have been dedicated to encouraging healthier lifestyles. They include ‘Pass the Plate,’ a global effort to both inform and empower viewers, showing them how kids just like them around the world enjoy and benefit from healthy foods, and “Get’cha Head in the Game,” an interstitial series that inspires kids to follow their dreams through physical activity.

For more information about Disney’s nutritional policies, please go to http://disney.go.com/crreport/childrenandfamily/positivedevelopment/kidshealthandnutrition.html

My family loves Epcot. But, I think it is time for some changes at this park.

So what would I suggest? First, I really like the addition of the Kim Possible game. It makes investigating each country more exciting. I also like the additions in Innoventions. They are fun and interactive. But, the park is starting to seem aged to me. I think some excitement can be brought back to the park in very simple ways that would not cost a lot of money.

If I was in charge at Disney, I would immediately add several rides to the World Showcase area of Epcot. They do not need to be hugely expensive to fit in. I think at least every other country should have a ride. Examples:

- United Kingdom could feature a large ferris wheel (London is home to the largest ferris wheel in the Western Hemisphere).

- Italy (or France) could feature a Soarin’ type of simulator adventure but bicycle themed instead of flying, with their history of bicycling. Alternatively, there could be a gondola type of ride.

The movies in the World Showcase countries are beautiful and impressive, but once you have seen them, why go back again?

I would love to see some other suggestions for rides or interactive features at Epcot.

Just weeks away is a grand opening of Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Harry Potter themed area at Universal

Will this Orlando themed addition hurt Disney World? It has been some time since Disney has launched anything this grand. Individual attractions are brought on from time to time. But nothing with this kind of excitement has been heard in Disney for years. Will this push Disney to renovate, expand, or re-theme parts of its properties? Let me see some comments.