The
first Mickey's Halloween Party of the year is this Friday. I got to
go to that thing in 2013. It wasn't as mind-blowing as the
advertising (and price tag) would have you believe, but it was fun
enough. There honestly wasn't that
much going on that there wouldn't be on any normal Disneyland
evening, it's just that on this occasion, it was Halloween-themed.
Speaking as a grown-up, the best part was getting to wander around
Disneyland in a costume. (I
was the “it's a small world” Clock Tower.)
The “candy stations” were nothing to write home about and I don't
usually go in for rave dancing.
And then there was the unique live entertainment, which I would
describe as a mixed bag. The “Cadaver Dans”—i.e. The Dapper
Dans with ghoulish makeup and a spooky song repertoire—were a lot
of fun. The “Halloween Screams” fireworks show is fantastic, and
I think it's practically criminal that they only show it at the
party. The parade, though—”Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade”—was
rather disappointing. It just felt very thrown-together, with cheap
floats, uninspired music and dancing, and an overall lack of
imagination and effort.
Orlando's
Magic Kingdom, by contrast, has a Halloween parade—Mickey's
Boo-To-You Halloween Parade—that's pretty dang slick..but rather
than simply wish to have theirs imported over here,* I thought I'd
Armchair Imagineer a better one from scratch! Inspired by the
wonderful A
Christmas Fantasy Parade,
I would make this parade an elaborate, tightly themed spectacle that
really brings across the spirit of the holiday in all its facets (or
at least all the facets that are family-friendly enough for
Disneyland). Accordingly, rather than spamming the most marketable
characters, I would choose characters and IPs that actually reflect
aspects of Halloween...while still including plenty of crowd-pleasers
so the average guest can still find a favorite!
Disneyland Dilettante readers, I give you...the Hooray For Halloween
Parade!
