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Mickey's PhilharMagic

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Mickey's PhilharMagic
Ride statistics
Attraction type3-D film
DesignerWalt Disney Imagineering
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Ride statistics
Attraction type3-D film
DesignerWalt Disney Imagineering


Mickey's PhilharMagic is a 4-D film attraction found at the Magic Kingdom theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, and Hong Kong Disneyland. The film was directed by George Scribner, who is best known for directing Disney's 1988 animated film, Oliver and Company. Mickey's PhilharMagic is a 12-minute long show featuring 3D effects, scents, and water as well as a number of characters from Disney movies. It is shown on the largest purpose-built 3D screen ever made, at 150 feet wide.

Locations

At Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Mickey's PhilharMagic is located adjacent to Peter Pan's Flight and the Fantasy Faire shop in Fantasyland. This is the fourth attraction to utilize this show building. The theatre originally hosted the Mickey Mouse Revue. Later, it was the home to the 3-D Magic Journeys film after it left Epcot's Journey into Imagination pavilion to make way for Captain EO. Most recently, it was home to the stage presentation Legend of the Lion King.

At Hong Kong Disneyland, Mickey's PhilharMagic is located adjacent to Royal Banquet Hall in Fantasyland.

Attraction development

The attraction is unique in being one of a very select amount of attractions in the Disney theme parks in which Walt Disney Imagineering has collaborated with another division of The Walt Disney Company - in this instance, it was Walt Disney Feature Animation. This same partnership developed the Fantasmic! shows at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Legendary Disney animator Glen Keane re-rendered Ariel from The Little Mermaid in 3D, returning after rendering her in 2D in the original film. Nik Ranieri, supervising animator of Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, also returned to animate that character in 3D. Most of Donald Duck's dialogue is actually archival recordings by his original voice actor, Clarence Nash[1]. Tony Anselmo, Donald's current voice actor, recorded only five new lines for the character in this attraction (such as the scene where Donald Duck hums to the tune of the song "Be Our Guest".)

Plot synopsis

Mickey Mouse is performing with his PhilharMagic Orchestra at the Fantasyland Concert Hall. Inside, there are posters advertising the Concert Hall's past productions and performers, such as Hades from Hercules, Genie from Aladdin, The Big Bad Wolf, and The Three Little Pigs. Upon entering the theater's lobby, guests pick up their "opera glasses" (3-D glasses). During their wait, guests hear orchestral music from Fantasia, Fantasia 2000 and other Disney animated films.

Goofy, the Concert Hall's stage manager, admits the guests into the main theater, where final preparations for the performance are underway. Unfortunately, Donald Duck has gone missing just as Goofy raises the curtains to reveal that the stage is empty, save for a conductor's podium and a small steamer trunk, within which Donald is sleeping. Mickey asks Donald to unpack the instruments, then places his famous Sorcerer's Hat on the podium, telling Donald not to touch it.

After Donald unpacks all the instruments, including a grand piano, from the small trunk, he is tempted to try on the Sorcerer's Hat himself. He does so, which causes the magical instruments to come to life and play an extremely dissonant melody. However, when Donald bullies a small flute, the other instruments rebel, creating a whirlwind of magic and music. He loses the hat in the maelstrom and passes through scenes from Beauty and the Beast, Fantasia, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Peter Pan and Aladdin while trying to retrieve the hat.

Ultimately, Donald retrieves the hat, only to have it knocked away by Iago. Donald jumps after it, returning to the musical maelstrom that he had left earlier. Mickey returns, grabs the hat and uses its powers to restore order. As a fitting end, Donald gets knocked into a tuba and is then shot from the stage and into the theater's back wall.

Talent

Most of the original voice cast reprised their original character roles in each of their own respective Disney films, excluding Peter Pan (who had a different voice), Donald Duck, and Simba (with archival recordings). According to Disney staff members at Walt Disney World, an estimate of about 80 talented musicians and/or background singers performed the music for the film as well as the return of famed composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin) and lyricist Tim Rice (Aladdin, The Lion King), who arranged the music for each song they had worked on since some verses or lines of these songs were skipped for this attraction.

References

  1. ^ Kevin Rafferty. "With a Little Help from His Friends". Tales from the Laughing Place #15. pp. 5–11. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
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