Disney on Parade: 100 Years of Magic was a parade at Tokyo Disneyland. The parade celebrated the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney. It ran from April 15, 2000 to January 21, 2003. From 2002 to 2003, the parade was sponsored by NTT DoCoMo.
Following the parade's final run on January 21, 2003, five of the parade's floats (the first four and the Alice in Wonderland float) were recycled for Disney on Parade at Hong Kong Disneyland, which ran from 2005 to 2010.
The parade was held in honor of the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney himself, which was on December 5, 2001. The history of Disney movies, starting with Mickey Mouse's animation production, was reconsidered in three periods, matching the flow of American entertainment. The total length was 700m, the initial stage was composed of 14 floats.
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland was originally scheduled to receive Disneyland's long-running Parade of the Stars, which debuted for its 45th anniversary celebration in 2000 and was replaced with Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams in 2005. However, officials ultimately decided on a different parade for the new park. The parade was also the genesis for an epiphany of then-CEO Bob Iger which led to the $7.4 billion acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios in 2006. Iger's epiphany was that many of the characters in the parade were from Disney films that were made prior to the mid-90's with the recent characters being from Pixar's films and at that point, the Disney/Pixar collaboration was nearing its end.
In September 2010, Hong Kong Disneyland celebrated its 5th anniversary. Disney on Parade was replaced by Flights of Fantasy Parade on January 21, 2011. In June 2010, Steve Davison, the creator of World of Color in Disney California Adventure, mentions that he is currently working on a parade for Hong Kong Disneyland's 5th anniversary.[1]
'Let It Snow' Christmas Parade
'Let It Snow' Christmas Parade (Traditional Chinese: 雪映舞動巡遊)
During the Christmas season, Disney On Parade became 'Let It Snow' Christmas Parade. The parade itself was a modified edition with Christmas additions, decorations and replacements. It first ran from November 23, 2007 through January 6, 2008 as part of the A Sparkling Christmas Holiday event. Since then, the parade has been running in each Christmas event until January 2, 2011.
Parade Units
Tokyo Disneyland
Opening
Logo Float: There is a float with a sun on it and on the float it says "Disney on Parade" and on the bottom it says "100 Years of Magic". There is a Mickey head on the top of the float. Dancers with ribbons precede the float.
The Band Concert: Based on the 1935 animated cartoon. A band leads an 8-meter-high balloon of Mickey, which has a moving hand holding a baton.
The Good Old Days
Animation Book: Chip and Dale are on an art and design float with paint and a flip book of Mickey Mouse.
Farmyard: Features Clara Cluck, Donald Duck, Goofy, Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, and the barnyard animals in famous opera scenes.
The Golden Age
Princesses:
Mary Poppins: Based on the 1964 animated and live-action musical film. Mary Poppins herself and Bert ride the horses from the carousel from the movie as the Penguin Waiters follow on the float.
The Happy Days
Minnie Drive-In: In the style of a 1950s diner, Tigger roller skates in front with a group of waitresses, as Minnie Mouse and Roger Rabbit enjoy a soda made by Winnie the Pooh. The soundtrack is 1950s rock-'n'-roll.
Alice in Wonderland: Based on the 1951 animated film, Alice sits on top of a giant mushroom, while the Cheshire Cat and Caterpillar interact with the audience.
Villains Disco: Maleficent leads the band of evil. Cruella De Vil, the Witch, Honest John and Gideon (replacing Hades and Ed) are the members of the band. Since the middle of 2001, the unit has been cut.
A Bug's Life: Based on the 1998 Disney and Pixar film. Heimlich sits atop a giant radio with a 1990s Disney Channel logo. Dancing around the float are ants.
Final
Rainbow Of Stars: The first part of the finale unit features a bridge with characters like Pocahontas, John Smith, Meeko, Belle, Beast, Fa Mulan, Li Shang, Hercules, and Megara.
Castle of Dreams: A shining castle adorns the second part of the finale unit. This float features Mickey Mouse on the top balcony, Woody to the bottom of Mickey, Jessie to the left of Woody and Buzz Lightyear to the right of Woody. During the "Hip Hip Hooray!" part of the parade theme, a confetti cannon inside one of the towers will go off and shoot confetti to the audience.
NTT DoCoMo Sponsor Float: During the parade's last year, it was sponsored by NTT DoCoMo and so a float with their logo was added.
Hong Kong Disneyland Floats
Logo Float: This float had the "100 Years of Magic" suffix changed to “Come and Join the Magic”. Other than that, the float remained the same.
The Band Concert: Based on the 1935 animated cartoon. The giant balloon of Mickey remained the same.
Animation Book: This float featuring Chip and Dale remains the same as in Tokyo.
Plane Crazy: Based on the 1928 animated cartoon. Also remains the same as in Tokyo.
Princesses: This float features various Disney Princesses.
Alice in Wonderland: Based on the 1951 animated film. This float also remains the same as in Tokyo.
Finale: The final float is an open ended replica of Sleeping Beauty Castle, and features The Sensational Six. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse appear on the Castle Balcony, while Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto appear inside the castle.
