The Main Street Electrical Parade is a regularly scheduled parade famous for its numerous runs at Disney theme parks around the world, most notably Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort and the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World. Originally created by Bob Jani and project director Ron Miziker, it features floats and live performers covered in thousands of electronically controlled lights and a synchronized soundtrack triggered by radio control along key areas of the parade route. The parade has also inspired several variations and spin-offs, some of which still operate today. Currently, an updated version runs at Tokyo Disneyland as the Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLights. In 2014, Hong Kong Disneyland premiered a spiritual successor to the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Paint the Night Parade, which, like its predecessor, features "Baroque Hoedown" as its theme song. An extended version of Paint the Night premiered at Disneyland on May 22, 2015 as part of the park's 60th anniversary celebration.
The original Disneyland copy of the parade ran at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom as "Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade" from June 5, 2010 to October 9, 2016, when it closed in preparation for a limited-time run at Disneyland in California starting on January 20, 2017. It was intended to run until June 18, 2017, one day after the 45th anniversary of the parade, but popular demand saw it extended to August 20, 2017.[1] The parade sat dormant for nearly two years thereafter, before returning to Disneyland on August 2, 2019 for a second limited-time run, lasting until September 30 of that year.[2]
The predecessor to the 1972 Disneyland Main Street Electrical Parade is the Electrical Water Pageant, a show made up of fourteen 25-foot-tall (7.6 m) screens with electrical lights placed on them. The screens are placed on a string of seven barges that travel around the Seven Seas Lagoon in front of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, beginning at 9 p.m. at Disney's Polynesian Resort or immediately after the fireworks if they are scheduled for 9 p.m.
The Electrical Water Pageant still shows today. The Electrical Water Pageant has been showing since October 26, 1971, just weeks after the Walt Disney World Resort opened. In 1972, when the Main Street Electrical Parade debuted, some of the floats were flat screens on rolling platforms similar to the Electrical Water Pageant. The engineers who helped create the parade also created the first show-control program in existence. This allowed the 2000 foot long parade route to contain multiple radio-activated "trigger zones".
Using radio-activated triggers as each float entered a zone, the audience would hear float-specific music through the park's audio system. Each zone was between 70 and 100 feet long, and the zoned system meant that every person watching the parade would experience the same show, no matter where they stood along the parade route.[5] Until 1977, the parade was comprised largely of flat, two-dimensional screens that needed to be manually pushed or pulled along the parade route. However, even from the beginning, some units were partially or entirely three-dimensional. Of the original floats, the Blue Fairy, Casey Jr. and the drum, the Cinderella ballroom canopies, the Chinese Dragon (later replaced by Elliott from Pete's Dragon), and Dumbo's circus calliope were all 3D.
The original 1972 Disneyland Main Street Electrical Parade was designed by Hub Braden, an NBC Burbank Television art director, who had designed projects for Bob Jani, Disneyland Entertainment Division. The original parade units were built by a Chicago, Illinois, display company known for its holiday light displays along Michigan Avenue in Chicago. In 1974, the original parade was retired, to be replaced by the Bicentennial-themed America on Parade from 1975 to 1976. In 1977, an upgraded Electrical Parade was introduced to Disneyland, now featuring an entirely three-dimensional lineup. On the same day, it was also formally introduced to the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World, with the same layout. This new Electrical Parade featured a newly-recorded soundtrack with updated musical arrangements by Don Dorsey and Jack Wagner at United Audio Studios in Santa Ana, California. At Disneyland, this version of the parade ran until 1982, to be replaced by the Flights of Fantasy Parade, which ran from 1983 to 1984, concurrent with the opening of "new" Fantasyland and the 1984 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles. Then, in 1985, the Electrical Parade returned for another run at Disneyland.
Meanwhile, the Magic Kingdom's Electrical Parade ran from 1977 to 1991. It was replaced by a similar parade called SpectroMagic, which ran from 1991 to 1999 and then reopened in 2001 and ended on June 4, 2010. In 1992, the Electrical Parade from the Magic Kingdom went to Parc Disneyland at Disneyland Paris and ran there until 2003. After it closed there, it was sent to Hong Kong but never debuted there. It is unknown what happened to these floats. Hong Kong debuted Paint The Night, which was heavily inspired by the Electrical Parade, in 2014, but never performed the original Main Street Electrical Parade.
From 1985 to 1995, Tokyo Disneyland had its own Electrical Parade, known as the Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade, since this park does not have a Main Street USA, instead known as World Bazaar, and its parade route traverses the park, not going near World Bazaar. In 1995, it was then replaced by a new parade called Fantillusion, which ran until 2001. Then Tokyo Disneyland received its current night parade, Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLights, which was a return to the style of the original with updated new music and floats.
Back in Disneyland, the Main Street Electrical Parade finally closed for good in 1996. Light bulbs certified as having been part of the show were sold to collectors. The replacement show, Light Magic, opened in 1997 and was an immediate failure. Disney quickly cancelled Light Magic but held off in bringing back the popular Main Street Electrical Parade. However, the parade was refurbished and appeared at the Magic Kingdom in May 1999 for a limited engagement, just in time for Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration. The parade ended its run at the Magic Kingdom on April 1, 2001 and SpectroMagic was brought back the following day.
The Main Street Electrical Parade floats were then sent back to California for the parade's return to Disneyland. These plans changed after Team Disney Anaheim saw the poor attendance figures for the spring break season at Disney's California Adventure and feared that the park would fail to attract large crowds during the crucial summer season, unless they had a big draw.[citation needed] So, on April 25, 2001, Disney announced that the popular Main Street Electrical Parade would be coming to Disney California Adventure Park on July 2, 2001, in honor of the first summer of the park.
The name of the show was changed from the Main Street Electrical Parade to Disney's Electrical Parade. Most of the 1996 parade floats returned, except for the Pinocchio Pleasure Island section and Snow White diamond mine float, which were sent to Parc Disneyland at Disneyland Paris in 1997. The parade has been offered during summer periods and selected weekends. It finished a nine-month hiatus during the 2005 off-season at the Disneyland Resort, which allowed replacement of lights on all of the floats and alteration of wording on the drum to "Disney's Electrical Parade, Presented by Sylvania".
On the 2008 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade special, Disney announced that a Tinker Bell float would be added to Disney's Electrical Parade, which would make it the first new float to be added to the classic parade in nearly 20 years, since the 35th Disneyland anniversary float in 1990.[citation needed] It was announced at a press conference on April 24, 2009, that the Snow White and Pinocchio units would be returning as well via replicas of the originals.[6] Disney started testing updated and new units in late May 2009. The Blue Fairy float was retired and replaced by the new Tinker Bell float as the leader of the parade. At the same time, the Dumbo unit was removed from the parade entirely for unknown reasons, though a new soundtrack was created for the unit. One of the original turtle floats from the Main Street Electrical Parade was on display at the "technology section" of the D23 Expo in 2009 prior to the updated parade's debut.
Various enhancements were made to other floats as well. Animated LED pixie dust effects similar to those on the new Tinker Bell float were added to most of the major floats. The lightbulbs that made up the letters on the drum float were replaced by smaller bulbs embedded into the side of the drum, and new, larger lightbulbs were added around the edges of the drum. The butterfly in the Alice in Wonderland unit was altered in appearance and given the ability to flap its wings, and the Cheshire Cat was altered to fade between "visible" and "invisible" rather than simply blinking on and off. Additionally, the caterpillar was changed from green to a more movie-accurate blue, and was given a new digital face in December of 2009. In the Peter Pan unit, Tinker Bell was removed from the crow's nest of the pirate ship, as she had her own float now, and the skull on the bow of the ship, previously formed by a group of light bulbs, was replaced by a single piece lit from the inside. Finally, the To Honor America unit was given a new title banner and animated fireworks. This updated version of the parade made its formal premiere on June 12, 2009.
Disney's Electrical Parade at California Adventure ended its run on April 18, 2010, and was sent to the Magic Kingdom as part of Walt Disney World's 2010 promotional package "Summer Nightastic!". Though billed as Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade, the title on the drum float was not changed from its run at California Adventure, still reading "Disney's Electrical Parade". The "presented by Sylvania" text was removed, however. While initially it was announced the parade would stay just through the summer, Disney has announced that the parade's run would be open-ended. On August 11, 2016, it was announced that the parade would be ending its run at the Magic Kingdom on October 9, 2016, at which time it would head back to Disneyland in 2017 for a limited-time encore performance.[4]
Encore Performances at Disneyland
The parade ended its run at Magic Kingdom on October 9, 2016, in preparation for its limited-time return to Disneyland park in California, which was scheduled to run from January 20 to June 18, 2017,[7][8] before being extended to August 20, 2017. The parade's return to Disneyland was heavily promoted, with a Main Street Electrical Parade-themed yacht featured in the 2016 Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, with Mickey Mouse as Grand Marshal. During ESPN's broadcast of the 2017 Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017, Disney began airing a 30-second television commercial announcing the parade's return. The commercial focused on two workers restoring the parade floats in a large hangar filled with defunct Disneyland attractions such as Skull Rock, Skyway, Rocket Jets, Flying Saucers and PeopleMover; and characters and props such as the original Abominable Snowman from the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Captain Rex from the original version of Star Tours, Sam the Eagle from America Sings, the Mighty Microscope from Adventure Thru Inner Space, and the Sea Serpent from Submarine Voyage. The commercial ended with Elliott leading the parade out of the hangar with the tagline "IT'S COMING HOME".
On January 19, 2017, a special ticketed premiere event was held after regular park hours, costing 95 US dollars to attend.[9] Banners with the parade's logo were hung on the Main Street lamp posts during the parade's run, similar to those hung on the lamp posts during the Halloween and Christmas seasons and during the Diamond Celebration. Although the parade continued to use the updated, DreamLights-style soundtrack that had been in use since 2009, the original opening announcement, provided by Jack Wagner, was restored, albeit pitched down slightly to better match the new soundtrack.
The parade underwent several changes in the months between the final Magic Kingdom performance and the Disneyland premiere. Casey Junior was made the lead float of the parade, and the text on the drum float was reverted to its original state, alternating between "Disneyland Presents" and "Main Street Electrical Parade" rather than "Disney's Electrical Parade" fading in and out. The Tinker Bell float was relocated from the front of the parade to the end of the Peter Pan unit, and Tinker Bell's balloon was replaced with a large flower platform. Despite Tinker Bell no longer leading the parade, the pixie dust effects on the rest of the major floats were not removed until several weeks into the parade's run. Finally, the float upon which Pinocchio rides in the Pleasure Island unit was omitted completely; to compensate for this, the donkey boys' dance was rechoreographed, and Pinocchio was integrated into the new routine. The Main Street Electrical Parade's 2017 run at Disneyland Park ended with its final performance on August 20.
Immediately following this date, Disney did not make any announcements regarding the parade's future. Nearly two years later, on June 28, 2019, Disney announced that the Main Street Electrical Parade would return to Disneyland once again on August 2, 2019 and run through September 30, 2019.[2] On July 22, to advertise the parade's new run, the official Disneyland Resort YouTube channel posted a slightly edited version of the aforementioned commercial from two years prior.[10] The parade returned as promised on August 2, and aside from a few minor choreography changes and refurbishments to the floats, the parade was largely unchanged from its 2017 run. Assuming it is not extended, this will be the parade's shortest run to date, lasting only eight weeks.
Parade Units
Over the years and numerous iterations of the parade, the roster of floats has changed. The version of the parade that has appeared in Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, and Disneyland Paris has maintained a continuous set of units. These include The Casey Jr. train from Dumbo carrying Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Goofy, and subsequent floats based on Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Pete's Dragon, and a patriotic American float titled "To Honor America". Notable previous units included the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio, a circus float connected to Dumbo, an It's a Small World unit, and a promotional float for Return to Oz that ran for only a few months in 1985 before being destroyed by a fire.[11]
Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLights features several upgraded or alternate models of floats featured in the western incarnation, alongside units unique to the DreamLights version. As of the 2017 renewal, the floats are Blue Fairy, Knights of Light, Mickey's DreamLights Train, Alice in Wonderland, Disney Fairies, Pete's Dragon, Peter Pan, Toy Story 3, Aladdin, Tangled, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, and It's A Small World.
Alice and the Cheshire Cat (replaced by a new version on March 29, 2019)
Butterflies (retired in July 2017)
Inchworm (retired in 2011)
Mr. and Mrs. Snail (retired in July 2015)
Note on the changing order of the floats between Alice in Wonderland and It's a Small World:
2001- 2007: Peter Pan, Snow White, Pete's Dragon, Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, A Bug's Life, Swan Lake, Cinderella
2007-2011: Snow White, Peter Pan, Monsters, Inc., Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Beauty and the Beast, Pete's Dragon, Cinderella, Swan Lake. (Note: Monsters, Inc. and Pete's Dragon swapped places again in Jan 2010)
2011- July 2015: Pete's Dragon, Snow White, Peter Pan, Aladdin, Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc., Cinderella, Disney Fairies
July 2015-July 2017: Snow White, Pete's Dragon, Peter Pan, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Aladdin, Tangled, Cinderella, Disney Fairies
July 2017-Present: Disney Fairies, Pete's Dragon, Peter Pan, Toy Story, Aladdin, Tangled, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen
(Note: Voice talents are of the current version only. This is the only version of the parade where all of the characters are speaking throughout the entire parade.)
Disney's Electrical Parade (Disney's California Adventure, 2001-2010)
Casey Junior (Mickey and Minnie appeared on the finale float instead)
Blue and Pink Mushrooms (They were dismantled and de-bulbed following the first of the two final public performances at Disneyland. They, along with the Train and Drum, were shipped to Walt Disney World for the parade's first return to the Magic Kingdom on May 28, 1999)
Baroque Hoedown Dance Floats (golf carts with lights)
Music
The Main Street Electrical Parade's underlying theme song is entitled "Baroque Hoedown." The original version was created in 1967 by early synthesizer pioneers Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley and appeared first on the album Kaleidoscopic Vibrations: Electronic Pop Music from Way Out. Originally, the parade's soundtrack had the same themes as the current recording, but was a different arrangement by Jim Christensen and Paul Beaver. In 1977, an updated version was arranged by electronic music artist Don Dorsey and Jack Wagner at Jack Wagner Studio, which was used until January 2009 in Disney's Electrical Parade.[citation needed] The current soundtracks for both the Main Street Electrical Parade and Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLights, were arranged, programmed and performed by Gregory Smith, who also arranged the music for Disneyland's Remember... Dreams Come True and Magical: Disney's New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations fireworks shows.
The soundtrack to the parade has been released numerous times:
Main Street Electrical Parade (1973 soundtrack) (Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort)
Main Street Electrical Parade (1977 soundtrack) (Disneyland and Magic Kingdom)
The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song (1992) (Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort)
Fantasmic!: Good Clashes with Evil in a Nighttime Spectacular (1992) (Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort)
The Main Street Electrical Parade (1999 CD) (Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World)
Les Parades En Musique (2000 CD) (Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort Paris)
Disney's Electrical Parade (2001 CD)
Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade DreamLights (2001 CD)
Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade DreamLights- Show Mix Edition (2001)
Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade DreamLights ~Christmas~
Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade DreamLights (2011 Renewal Version)
A Musical History of Disneyland (Disneyland Park, Disneyland Resort)
Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection: Disneyland (2015)
Dorsey used eleven synthesizers to create the soundtrack: Moog Model III, Mini-Moog, Steiner-Parker Synthacon, Oberheim 8-voice, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Fender Rhodes Piano, New England Digital Synclavier II, Bode 7702 Vocoder, Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter, Yamaha DX7, and Yamaha TX7.
While the original soundtrack is played solely on synthesizers, the Tokyo Disneyland version uses an orchestra with adult and youth choirs in addition to harmonies and synthesizers. This version also includes character voices in both English and Japanese. This version was also orchestrated, programmed, conducted and performed by Gregory Smith. During the Christmas season at Tokyo Disneyland, the Electrical Parade gets a new soundtrack; it is mostly the same soundtrack with added Christmas songs, mixed in with the theme music. For Tokyo Disneyland's 30th anniversary, a show stop was added to the parade, it includes a 2-minute Christmas medley; fireworks from Cinderella Castle are synced during the show stop as well.
As of 2009, the soundtrack for the American version of the parade utilizes much of the soundtrack created for DreamLights, with new loops created for the Cinderella, Pinocchio, and To Honor America units. A new loop was also created for the Dumbo unit, but the unit was removed before the new soundtrack debuted. The new soundtrack retains a more electronic sound than that of Tokyo's in that many of the orchestral parts of the DreamLights soundtrack have been replaced by synthesizers in this version. This version of the soundtrack was used for the parade's runs at Disney's California Adventure from 2009 to 2010, the Magic Kingdom from 2010 to 2016, and Disneyland in 2017 and 2019.
Jack Wagner provided the synthesized vocoder voice for the intro and outro to the parade during its original runs at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Tokyo Disneyland.[citation needed] Bill Rogers provided the synthesized vocoder announcements when the parade returned to the Magic Kingdom in 1999. After the soundtrack was updated, the vocoder announcements were updated as well. In Disney California Adventure, the announcements were pitched down and slightly altered harmonically to match the lower key of the new soundtrack. During the parade's third run in the Magic Kingdom, newly-recorded vocoder announcements were used instead of either the 1977 or 1999 versions. Disneyland's 2017 and 2019 editions of the parade retained Jack Wagner's original vocoder intro from 1977, albeit pitch-shifted in a similar manner to the Disney California Adventure announcements.
Remixes, samples, and parodies
The nighttime parade Paint The Night at Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland is heavily inspired by the Main Street Electrical Parade, while also not being a direct upgrade to the parade like Tokyo’s DreamLights. One of its theme songs is an EDM remix of Baroque Hoedown, alongside Owl City’s “When Can I See You Again” from Wreck-It Ralph. The parade’s opening fanfare and announcement are both based on those of the Main Street Electrical Parade. The California version also has a drum float behind the Tinker Bell float that leads the parade, heavily modeled after the drum float in the Main Street Electrical Parade.
A remix of the Electrical Parade (called the Retro Future Remix) was released on Dance Dance Revolution Disney Mix, and contains audio resamplings from the Apollo 8 reading of Genesis.
In Japan, Walt Disney Records released a CD called DJ Digs Main Street Electrical Parade which featured the theme music remixed by Japanese DJs.
The Japan only House☆Disney album, also released by Walt Disney Records, contains a remix of the song by famous Japanese DJ Shinichi Osawa.
The album Eurobeat Disney 3, also only released in Japan, was done by the group A-Beat Power and features a remix of the song in Eurobeat style.
In 1998, a Disney Tribute Album entitled We Love Mickey ~ Happy 70th Anniversary (Walt Disney Records), featuring covers of Disney songs by Japanese artists, included a remake by the Eccentric Opera. The track uses samples from Dorsey's arrangement and Snow White. Lyrics appear to be in German and are from an unknown source.
A "Celtic"-inspired version was heard in the Main Street Electrical Parade's replacement Light Magic. Light Magic ran for one summer, never to return again.
In The Simpsons episode "Selma's Choice" Lisa could be seen dancing in a dazed state in front of the Duff Gardens Light Parade with a musical take off of Main Street Electrical Parade theme and background music.
A cover version by They Might Be Giants was released on the Disneymania 2 album. The same version was also featured on the soundtrack of the film Moog. It is also heard in the episode “Orlando” from ABC’s sitcom The Middle, where Sue listens to it during the Heck family’s road trip to Walt Disney World.
A parody of the parade can be found during the ending credits of Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario.
A remix by Shinichi Osawa was released on the 2014 Disney remix album, Dconstructed.
A tribute to the vintage Main Street Electrical Parade was recorded "old school style" by Jim Presley for Jiminy's Limited Editions entitled "Jiminy Salutes The Main Street Electrical Parade."
The vocaloid producer DaniwellP created a remix of the Electrical Parade using Hatsune Miku.
The parade is parodied in the 2002 film Scooby Doo as a spooky themed parade called The Electrical Torture Parade.
Versions of this Parade
At least three versions of the parade have been created since 1972. As of 2019, two are still known to exist.
Version A (Disneyland version) was built in 1972 and consisted primarily of flat wire frames on wheels that were hand-pushed. In 1974, it went on hiatus and returned in 1977 with 3D floats. This version ran at Disneyland Park (in Anaheim) from 1972 until 1996. It was likely stored until 1997 when it performed a one off performance in New York to celebrate the opening of the New Amsterdam theatre. It then moved to Magic Kingdom (in Orlando), where it lasted from 1999 until 2001. After that, it moved to the struggling Disney's California Adventure Park (in Anaheim), where it ran from 2001 until 2010. When it ended there, it moved back to the Magic Kingdom (in Orlando), where it lasted from 2010 until 2016. It then left Magic Kingdom (in Orlando) to move back to its home park, Disneyland (in Anaheim), where it ran from January 20, 2017 to August 20 of the same year. After this, it was stored away in an offsite warehouse near Disneyland,[12] before returning to Disneyland once more for its 2019 run, which started on August 2 and is scheduled to last until September 30.[2]
Version B (Walt Disney World version) was built in 1977 and premiered in Magic Kingdom (in Orlando). It was a clone of the one that was running in Anaheim but the floats in this version were built wider. It lasted there until 1991, when it moved across the Atlantic to Disneyland Park (Paris). It lasted from 1992 up until 2003, when it was sent to Hong Kong Disneyland, but never debuted in the park for unknown reasons. The exact fate of this version is uncertain, but it is speculated that the parade is either still sitting in crates at the resort, or was scrapped sometime after arrival and disposed of in the bay just off Lantau Island.[13]
Version C (Tokyo Disneyland version) was built in 1985, and premiered in Tokyo Disneyland. It lasted until 1995. It is unknown what has happened to the floats in this incarnation. It has been rumored that they were destroyed or have been been refurbished into Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLights. The Swan Lake unit was moved to Disneyland Paris in 1997 and then to Hong Kong Disneyland alongside the other Version B floats.
In 2001, Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLights premiered in Tokyo Disneyland. It is unknown whether this version is a refurbishment of Version C or was built from scratch; if the latter is true, it is a fourth version, separate from Version C. In either case, this version continues to run at Tokyo Disneyland to this day. The floats are unique to Tokyo Disneyland.
The specific details of each incarnation of the parade are as follows:
Main Street Electrical Parade (Disneyland)
Park: Disneyland
Original Run: June 17, 1972 - 1974
Second Run: June 11, 1977 - 1982
Third Run: 1985 - November 25, 1996
Fourth Run: January 20, 2017 - August 20, 2017
Fifth Run: August 2, 2019 - September 30, 2019
Sponsors:Energizer (1985-1986), General Electric (1995-1996)
Opening Announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Disneyland proudly presents our spectacular festival pageant of nighttime magic and imagination. In thousands of sparkling lights, and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sounds: the Main Street Electrical Parade!"
Closing Announcement (1977-1996): "Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade!"
Closing Announcement (2017-2019): "The Main Street Electrical Parade!"
Disney's Electrical Parade
Park: Disney's California Adventure
Original Run: July 3, 2001 - April 18, 2010
Sponsor: Sylvania (2005-2010)
Opening Announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Disney proudly presents our spectacular festival pageant of nighttime magic and imagination. In thousands of sparkling lights, and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sounds: Disney's Electrical Parade!"
Opening Announcement (1977-1991): "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Walt Disney World proudly presents our spectacular festival pageant of nighttime magic and imagination. In thousands of sparkling lights, and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sounds: the Main Street Electrical Parade!"
Closing Announcement (1977-1991): "Walt Disney World's Main Street Electrical Parade!"
Opening Announcement (1999-2016): "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the Magic Kingdom proudly presents our spectacular festival pageant of nighttime magic and imagination. In thousands of sparkling lights, and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sounds: the Main Street Electrical Parade!"
Closing Announcement (1999-2016): "The Magic Kingdom's Main Street Electrical Parade!"
Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade
Park: Tokyo Disneyland
Japanese Name (in Kanji): 東京ディズニーランド・エレクトリカルパレード
Japanese Name (in Romaji): Tokyō Deizunīrando Erekutorikaru Parēdo
Original Run: March 9, 1985 - June 21, 1995
Sponsor: Unisys
Opening Announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Walt Disney proudly presents our spectacular festival pageant of nighttime magic and imagination. In thousands of sparkling lights and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sounds: Tokyo Disneyland's Electrical Parade!"
Japanese Name (in Kanji): 東京ディズニーランド・エレクトリカルパレード・ドリームライツ
Japanese Name (in Romaji): Tōkyō Deizunīrando Erekutorikaru Parēdo Dorīmuraitsu
Original Run: June 17, 2001 - Present
Sponsor: Unisys
Opening Announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Tokyo Disneyland proudly presents our most spectacular pageant of nighttime dreams and fantasy. In millions of sparkling lights and brilliant musical sounds: Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: DreamLights!"
Opening Announcement (1992-1995): "Mesdames et messieurs et vous les enfants, EuroDisneyland est fier de vous présenter son extraordinaire festival de magie nocture et d'enchantement. Dans une féerie de milliers de lumières, sur une musique electro-synthe-magnétique: the Main Street Electrical Parade!"
Closing Announcement (1992-1995): "EuroDisneyland Main Street Electrical Parade!"
Opening Announcement (1995-2003): "Mesdames et messieurs et vous les enfants, Disneyland Paris est fier de vous présenter son extraordinaire festival de magie nocture et d'enchantement. Dans une féerie de milliers de lumières, sur une musique electro-synthe-magnétique: the Main Street Electrical Parade!"
Closing Announcement (1995-2003): "Disneyland Paris Main Street Electrical Parade!"
The Hercules Electrical Parade
On June 14, 1997, a variant of the Main Street Electrical Parade, the "Hercules Electrical Parade", ran on Broadway, Manhattan, New York City for the opening of Disney's New Amsterdam Theater and the film Hercules. Disney arranged for the lights to be all turned off on about 8-blocks of Broadway up to the theater. All businesses complied, with the exception of Disney rival Warner Brothers. It was led by a custom Hercules title unit made for this one time only use. It was shown on national television on a one-hour promotional program featuring the music and making of Hercules.[15]
Opening Announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, inspired by Disney's Hercules opening weekend in New York, the Walt Disney Studios proudly presents, a spectacular pageant of nighttime magic and imagination. In thousands of sparkling lights, and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sounds: the Hercules Electrical Parade!"[16][17]
1978 Orange Bowl
On January 2, 1978, an abridged version of the Electrical Parade was presented during the halftime show of the 1978 Orange Bowl college football game. These announcements did not utilize a vocoder effect.[18]
Opening Announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight the Orange Bowl honors the most unique event staged in America in 1977: Disneyland and Walt Disney World's incredible spectacular of nighttime pageantry and imagination, in electrical sights and sounds, the Main Street Electrical Parade!"
Closing Announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, the Orange Bowl 1978 Spectacular of Lights!"