Disney Parks, Resorts, & Entertainment

Cherry Tree Lane To Offer One-Stop Shopping for Disney Fashion Accessories

6 May 2014 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

One of the many things Disney fans have been wishing for over the past few years is unique merchandise locations. Specialty and location-specific merchandise, or themed shops are all a plus. With fond memories of EPCOT Center’s Centorium and other shopping locations which were almost attractions unto themselves; two announced locations in the new Disney Springs are offering those experiences again.

The Landing will be the first section to open in the Downtown Disney area, becoming home to Cherry Tree Lane boutique and Marketplace Co-Op. Once the two new shops have opened, Downtown Disney Marketplace will be officially renamed Disney Springs and the changes and improvements to the shopping, dining and infrastructure supporting the district. The construction and parking may be a source of frustration right now, but these two beauties are showing us that Disney designers are hitting it out of the park.

Today on the Disney Parks Blog, Steven Miller shared details of Cherry Tree Lane, which, as you may guess by the name, offers and homage to Mary Poppins and the Banks family inside. From the sign, with a Mary Poppins umbrella to the Victorian touches and subtle umbrella wallpaper, you’ll definitely feel Practically Perfect inside.

Cherry Tree Lane wallpaper – see the umbrellas? Image ©Disney

As for merchandise, Cherry Tree Lane will be the place for Disney Dooney & Bourke, Disney Collection by Vera Bradley, and accessories with their own Cherry Tree Lane design, which I already love. After all, I think we can all agree, Mary Poppins is the queen of bags, yes? Jewelry, shoes, scarves and more will also be available. I know I’ll be shelling out way more than “tuppence a bag” (sorry, was that groan-worthy?) when Cherry Tree Lane opens!

Cherry Tree Lane design — “Cherry Tree Lane” design ©Disney

Disney Dooney Cherry Tree Lane — Disney Dooney & Bourke Street Scene at Cherry Tree Lane exclusively! Image ©Disney

Disney Vera Bradley Bouncing Bouquet. Image ©Disney

Can’t wait for Cherry Tree Lane to open up SOON! (And the Marketplace Co-Op too, which will feature some amazing merchandise specific to Magic Kingdom and its lands, among other items!) What are your must-gets?

Walt Disney World’s Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Preview

28 April 2014 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train we go! The long-anticipated final jewel (pun intended) in the New Fantasyland crown is about to be complete. Local, national and international media and travel professionals will be descending on the Walt Disney World Resort in just a few days, to learn all they can about this new family roller coaster, as well as other news and updates from around the resort. Some of the other topics we may hear about include the latest updates to the My Magic+ system and Magic Bands plus what’s coming up this summer at WDW.

I’ve made a choice not to share too much of the attraction as it has been revealed. I know I will be wowed when I ride for the first time, and want you all to have that same experience first hand. With all of the whirlwind of activities coming up starting this Wednesday night, I thought it would be a good idea to have a landing page where you can find all of the updates from the events, and where to follow along with me. Feel free to add me at the following outlets if you don’t already:

Twitter: @zannaland – here is where my main updating will happen. It’s easiest for me to tweet news and tidbits, retweet other folks who are at the event or official accounts, and it’s also where all of my instagrams will be shared.

Instagram: @zannaland – this is the easiest (and most fun) way for me to share photos and short videos with you all. All instagrams will be shared to twitter and my facebook page as well.

facebook: zannaland – as above, all of my instagrams will be shared here, as well as future blog posts and videos from the events.

YouTube: zannaland – Any videos from the opening will be posted here

Check back here for updates, photos and more – and feel free to share, RT, like, or otherwise share the love that you see here! ♥

See you in the Mine!

Muppetational New Scavenger Hunt at Epcot for Muppets Most Wanted

9 April 2014 by Suzannah Otis 8 Comments

Over the weekend, I saw a friend on instagram post a photo of a new Muppets Most Wanted-themed scavenger hunt taking place around Epcot’s World Showcase. I grabbed the family and headed over to check it out, because if there’s one thing I love, it’s scavenger hunts, and the Muppets. Oh wait, that’s two things. Actually, there are hundreds of Muppets…so…if there are hundreds of things I love, they’re scavenger hunts and the Muppets! Anyway, I was excited to experience it in person.

We entered through the International Gateway to World Showcase, so I asked at the Agent P. kiosk where to find this Muppet adventure. We were told to head over almost to Mexico, so we did, with some pauses along the way for bunny-checks in Canada’s Victoria Gardens area (we couldn’t find any, so decided they were all inside the tiny cottage) , drooling over the Cronut counter (we were stuffed from Sanaa), and saying hello to Duffy. It’s quite easy to get happily distracted in World Showcase, especially with a 5 year-old in tow. Then we came upon a sign proclaiming it was the MBI – Muppet Bureau of Investigation, and we knew we were in the right place.

Muppet Bureau of Investigation — The sign-up area is located right next to the hydroponics booth for the Flower and Garden Festival, before the bridge to Mexico.

I decided to take photos to chronicle our entire Muppet mission – If you don’t want to read below, let me sum this attraction up for you in a few bullet points:

Easy to sign up for and get started (no waiting for a return time)
Two options for missions so you can choose a side of the World Showcase to cover (same end result)
Only takes about 20 minutes per side (3 country visits per side both ending in America)
Keeps the attention-span of small ones (pre-school through elementary would be perfect)
Perfect amount of interaction with a sense of accomplishment at the end
Muppets!

If you want to be surprised by the clues and the results of our quests, you may want to end your reading now…you’ve been warned! And now, There be spoilers (and evil frogs) ahead!

Okay, now the fun stuff. I LOVED this experience. Unlike the Agent P. adventures, there was not TOO much to do – it is the perfect amount of walking, activity and attention-span capturing for little ones and above. For older kids, sure, they may think it’s kind of easy, but it definitely looks like this temporary quest was some sort of testing to see how it goes. I think it is a great success and hope for more in the future. It is definitely less intrusive as far as beeping, talking cell phones in Agent P’s adventure go. It’s also fun that you have to interact with cast members for this adventure (not sure they appreciate that part, but it’s fun to have to go out of your way to speak to international cast members that you may not have interacted with otherwise).

We started in Germany. You know up front when signing up that your choices are Germany, Italy and America, or the United Kingdom, France, and America. I love that you have the option and that it’s short enough that your whole day isn’t taken over by this adventure.

You look at your MBI booklet and it tells you to look for the world’s oldest and most expensive cuckoo clock. So we headed into the cuckoo clock store and looked around. Soon we discovered the subtle but fun clue. It definitely doesn’t overpower the store taking away from the regular experience of the German pavilion. Once we saw it was a note from Constantine, we opted to read it in his accent (which we have taken to doing around the house anyway, much to the dismay of my 13 year-old daughter). I’m sure the German cast member standing next to me appreciated my excellent Constantine impression.

Muppet Epcot Mission — Go ahead, read it in Constantine’s accent…you know you wanna

We got our sticker and it told us to head to Italy and that we were getting there by train 301. This was important. Our Italy page told us to look for a Gonzo mask in Il Bel Cristalo store. Again, this was subtly done and did not take away from the rest of the store. Italy also had some fun Muppet details. I’m now wondering if we missed any in Germany! There is also now a train schedule posted right next to the Muppet Topiary display between Germany and Italy, showing another reminder of train 301, which you’ll need in Italy.

Now our next clue took us to the American pavilion and the end of our mission, so I’m going to show the other two countries of the U.K. and France before ending in America. (We actually worked backwards from France just to see if we could figure out the clues and get the stickers out of order. Thanks to a helpful cast member in France, we were able to do just that.) But I’ll put the details in the proper order below.

So we went back to France (not really we started there, shhh) to the perfume shop. I spotted the diamond, cleverly shaped like an actual carrot, a very Muppet-like joke. We are then prompted to enter our code again, this time asking how many carats the diamond is.

The cast member in France then told us we had to go to a very scary place – America! We didn’t head back since we already experienced the conclusion of the mission. But here’s how it ends:

The booklet has visual clues like Lady Liberty and hot dogs (Liberty Inn!) but the map shows the check-in point is actually to the right of the American Adventure entrance. There is a kiosk there, where you receive a final sticker, a certificate of completion, making you an official MBI agent, and you are allowed to go behind some landscaping to see…

And that’s that! We had a wonderful time, and even though there weren’t actual Muppets at every turn, it was, I think, perfectly themed and really well done. It will be interesting to see if Gio asks to do the missions again or if it’s a ‘one and done’ kind of experience for him. The MBI Muppet scavenger hunt adventure will be active during the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, through May 18. I’ll update as I get more information. I kept some of the visuals a surprise so you can experience the stickers, the booklet itself, and other details yourself.

I’d love to hear if you’ve experienced this yourself and what you thought. What was your favorite part?

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel Will Light It Up Blue Tonight

2 April 2014 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

April is Autism Awareness Month and April 2 is World Autism Day. The Light It Up Blue program was started as a unique global campaign which helps raise awareness about the disorder. In honor of this historic day, thousands of iconic landmarks, buildings, hotels, bridges and retail stores are among the hundreds of thousands of homes and communities around the globe that illuminate blue to spread autism awareness.

Tonight, April 2, 2014, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel will be joining other iconic buildings around the world — including the Empire State Building in New York City and the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia – and lighting up blue.

In addition, one of the hotel’s signature restaurants, Todd English’s bluezoo has created a specialty blue cocktail, named blue sparkler, in honor of Autism Awareness Month. Through April 30^th proceeds from sales of the drink will be donated to the Princeton House Charter School, an Orlando area school for children with autism.

The blue sparkler is a mixture of pavan liqueur, Florida 4 orange vodka, sparkling wine with orange and vanilla syrup. Todd English’s bluezoo is located in the lobby of the Dolphin and can be reached at 407-934-1111 or www.thebluezoo.com. For more information on Princeton House Charter School visit www.princeton-house.org.

…

In other Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin news, guests at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel will experience Easter magic during PEEPtastic Easter April 16 to 23, a celebration sweetened by thousands of free PEEPS® brand marshmallow samples, PEEPS®-inspired menu items, PEEPS® décor and Easter-themed activities for families to enjoy. This sounds SO fun, and I think I need to head over and check this out in person. Giant Peeps? Glow-in-the-Dark Easter egg hunt? Peeps milkshake? Sounds so fun!

During the week, guests will be treated to complimentary PEEPS® marshmallow chicks upon check-in, during special appearances by the Easter Bunny and at other surprise moments. For some sweet eats, PEEPS®-inspired menu items will be featured at several of the hotel’s restaurants. Menu items will include s’mores made using PEEPS®, a PEEPS® inspired milkshake and chocolate-dipped PEEPS®.

The Epcot Resort Area hotel’s annual glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt – a favorite for kids – headlines a full schedule of Easter-themed activities at the hotel, including traditional Easter egg hunts, Easter egg races, a bunny hop relay, arts and crafts, and meet-and-greets with the Easter Bunny. (Activities are all complimentary for guests, except for a small fee for various crafts. Please check the event website for pricing.)

For an added magical Easter morning experience, guests can order an Easter Basket, featuring a variety of candy, a solid milk chocolate bunny and a plush toy, delivered by the Easter Bunny himself to their guestroom. (Additional costs apply.)

Larger-than-life PEEPS® will be found across property, as the iconic chick-shaped marshmallow will serve as inspiration for several approximately 3-foot, 50-pound white chocolate sculptures.

Other special features during the week will include a special Easter dinner buffet at Garden Grove restaurant, featuring Disney character appearances on Sunday, April 20, at 5 p.m., a campfire, glow-in-the-dark volleyball, family game night and a poolside showing of the movie HOP.

For more details about PEEPtastic Easter at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel, including a full schedule of activities, visitwww.swandolphin.com/easter. To make room reservations, call 1-800-227-1500 and mention “PEEPS.” Overnight rates start at $189 per night.

Mickey Edition Nintendo 3DS and Magic of Disney Game Out April 11

1 April 2014 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Disney Interactive and Nintendo will be launching Disney Magical World for the Nintendo 3DS on April 11 – basically Animal Crossing for Disney fans but here’s the official description:

In Disney Magical World, players pick from a selection of characters and can customize with Disney-themed outfits and accessories. The personalized character explores the world by managing a café, planting crops, and collecting Disney character cards in a new magical world. Favorite Disney characters also join in the fun to find missing items and solve problems.

To coincide and celebrate this release, Disney is also releasing a special “Mickey Edition” Nintendo 3DS XL, and it sure is pretty! Covered with golden Mickey heads, it will be released exclusively at WalMart, on the 11th. Look:

Disney 3DS — G Hannelius, currently starring in the Disney Channel sitcom Dog With A Blog , films a promo for the new Disney Magical World game with actor Cole Pendery. Photo courtesy Nintendo USA

Will any of you Disney Gamers be picking this up? Early Easter Bunny gift, perhaps?

Newest Disney Vera Bradley Print Mickey’s Perfect Petals to Debut May 4

28 March 2014 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

As with all other Disney partnerships with handbag designers, the Disney Collection by Vera Bradley is another successful venture. I’ve reported on the original debut of the Disney Vera bags, and also shared photos on social media of the additional designs released (stay tuned for an upcoming post on the Disney Vera Bradley bags available on Disney Cruise Line!). Now, according to Steven Miller at the Disney Parks Blog:

Mickey's Perfect Petals — Mickey’s Perfect Petals. Photo ©Disney

…a new event titled, “A Perfect Petals Brunch featuring the Disney Collection by Vera Bradley,” is coming to World ShowPlace at Epcot on Sunday, May 4. This ticketed event will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and will feature the release of a brand new color called “Mickey’s Perfect Petals.” In addition to a scrumptious brunch and a special gift, event guests will have the first opportunity to purchase seven new items. The event store will also carry some previously released colors from 2013, including “Midnight with Mickey” and “Where’s Mickey.”

The best part of this brunch, however, will be a special appearance by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, co-founder of Vera Bradley. Barbara has wonderful stories to share, especially about her mother who played an important role in her life and in the founding of Vera Bradley (it’s fitting that this event will take place the weekend before Mother’s Day!).

If any quantities are remaining following this event, the new “Mickey’s Perfect Petals” items will be released when Cherry Tree Lane opens in the Marketplace Co-Op at Downtown Disney Marketplace (stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for that opening date). There are no immediate plans to carry this color at Disneyland Resort or on our Disney Parks online store.

Tickets for this event are $125. Admission to Epcot is also required to attend. To register, please visit DisneyParksMerchandise.com beginning at 1:00 p.m. EDT on March 20, 2014. If you are active on social networks, I invite you to join the conversation by using the hashtag – #DisneyVera.

Where's Mickey — The previously released “Where’s Mickey” pattern. Photo ©Disney

Will you be attending the Perfect Petals Brunch, or hoping to get a bag after at a Downtown Disney store? What do you think of the new design? I love the color palette!

LeSportsac Tink Designs Pay Homage to Marc Davis

28 March 2014 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

It’s no secret that we love bringing you the latest Disney designer purses here at Zannaland, and there are certainly no shortage of them lately! I have personally loved the Disney LeSportsac designs from the start because of both the versatility of the bag designs, as well as the tribute to original Disney art that LeSportsac offers. With such wonderful bodies of work from Mary Blair and now Marc Davis, it’s no wonder these bags are instant hits and loved by so many. LeSportsac is truly a great choice for use within the parks as well, with multiple zippered pockets, lightweight, easy-to-clean styles and a choice for every occasion. I know the “it’s a small world” styles were so popular, and I have no doubt the new Tinker Bell patterns will be as well.

LeSportsac Marc Davis Tink — The Marc Davis Tinker Bell print

LeSportsac Neverland Tink — Neverland print

This is just one style, of course you can find so many more at LeSportsac.com AND enter their giveaway for a Tink bag too! Which is your favorite design? The Marc Davis or the Neverland? (I think I’m partial to the Marc Davis personally.)

We’ll be having a giveaway here at Zannaland too, I still have a few “it’s a small world” designs to giveaway, so stay tuned!

NEW Epcot Flower Festival Disney Dooney White Daisy Pattern

28 March 2014 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Disney and Dooney & Bourke keep surprising us! Here is another unannounced new Disney Dooney pattern spotted on instagram and ebay! Available at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival Center, the Daisy pattern is available currently in the crossbody Letter Carrier and Satchel sizes. Personally, I LOVE this color scheme, it’s some of my favorite color combos. I think this is a great, subtle Disney pattern for those that don’t want to scream MICKEY! on their handbag. These bags are made with the lighter nylon material, not the coated canvas of the other traditional Dooneys.

EDIT: Now available online at DisneyStore.com!

Here are some current photos:

Disney Dooney White Daisy — White Daisy – Letter Carrier $128, Satchel $198. Photo ©DizThruBrownEyes used with permission and thanks! 🙂

Thoughts? Will you be heading to Epcot to get this Disney Dooney?

Check DisneyStore.com for sales of select current released Disney Dooney & Bourke purses and Zannaland’s Disney Dooney & Bourke page with ALL handbag photos and info.

*DisneyStore.com links are affiliate links, which means it costs you nothing extra to click or buy, but if you do, I get a small commission. Thanks for reading!

NEW Disney Dooney and Bourke Sweethearts Pattern Released

23 March 2014 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

Disneylanders were given a surprise from Dooney & Bourke yesterday when an entirely new pattern was released in the parks and the Downtown Disney District. The new Mickey and Minnie “Sweethearts” pattern features black and white classic Mickey and Minnie with touches of hot pink hearts as well as hot pink lining and color on the straps. I love the graphic black and white stripes and think this is a great design.

Coincidentally, I was just in Downtown Disney over here at Walt Disney World yesterday and Tren-D did not have any new designs in the store, but hopefully we will see them soon. Disneyland saw the “It’s A Small World” Dooney & Bourke pattern first as well.

Huge thanks to Chrysty Summers for spotting these new bags and sharing her photos with us here. I’ll of course update as we get more info on availability here at WDW or on the Disney Store Online. For now, it looks like Sweethearts is available at the Disneyland Resort in a larger Shopper Tote style that fully zips up, then the crossbody Letter Carrier, and Barrel styles as well.

Here are the photos (all ©Chrysty Summers):

Mickey Minnie Sweethearts Dooney & Bourke – the Barrel style is $130

What do you think of Sweethearts? Will you add this to your Disney Dooney & Bourke collection?

Check DisneyStore.com for sales of select current released Disney Dooney & Bourke purses and Zannaland’s Disney Dooney & Bourke page with ALL handbag photos and info.

*DisneyStore.com links are affiliate links, which means it costs you nothing extra to click or buy, but if you do, I get a small commission. Thanks for reading!

Festival of Fantasy Parade in Words and Pictures

14 March 2014 by Suzannah Otis 7 Comments

As was all the buzz this week, a brand new daytime parade debuted over at the Magic Kingdom. Kicking off on Sunday, March 9, the Festival of Fantasy Parade has been well-received with praise and adoration. I lined up Sunday to see for myself and share some photos and video (see Instagram and Facebook) and was also invited as a guest of Walt Disney World on Monday March 10, to see the parade again and speak to some of its creators. What has struck me overall with Festival of Fantasy is the absolute spectacle that this parade is. I don’t think it’s news to anyone that the daytime parades at Magic Kingdom have been severely lacking in the last, oh, 10+ years. We’ve had several incarnations of basically the same style of float and general parade feel for ages now. And visitors or locals to California’s Disneyland will no doubt evangelize about their Mickey’s Soundsational Parade and with good reason. Soundsational is a fun, unique look at the songs and characters we all love and have come to expect at Disney parks. A lot of comparisons have been made with Soundsational and Festival of Fantasy and I’ll go into a bit of that below. So read on for my thoughts on Festival of Fantasy and enjoy some of my favorite photos from the parade.

First, I must say that Festival of Fantasy is visually stunning. From the unique and sometimes outrageous costumes to the gigantic, kinetic, sensory-overloading floats, this is an impressive parade. After my first viewing, I quickly realized that it is a parade which needs to be viewed multiple times to take everything in or notice each detail. And that makes it a perfect fit for Walt Disney World, a resort catering to tens of millions of visitors each year, many of whom will visit the park just once, or perhaps every few years or so. While Walt Disney World does have a large and dedicated group of locals, it does not begin to compare to that of Disneyland, whose majority of visitors are locals – making the frequent changing of parades and entertainment a wise decision for the most part. Here, in Walt Disney World, if you are planning your yearly vacation, you will probably look forward to seeing this parade again and count on it being there. My point is, Festival of Fantasy is a great repeat-viewing parade, because you will likely see something new each time.

There have been some comments online about this parade being disjointed and just a random mix of themes and floats. And while I agree that, compared to Soundsational, which features a cohesive color-scheme and design element throughout, I don’t think Festival of Fantasy lacking that cohesion is a bad thing. Certainly the design and feel of Soundsational matches, until the very last float, which looks like a completely different style of float and artistry. Festival of Fantasy just happens to do this with each float, I think. This is a parade dedicated to Fantasyland, both its spirit and its presence within the park. Of course there is no “Sleeping Beauty” attraction other than a princess meet and greet, yet an entire float features one of Disney’s most famous animated villains. Snow White, while not having her own attraction any more, will have the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train opening up soon, yet all we see of them in the parade are Snow and the Dwarfs themselves. It is not so much a literal definition of “everything in Fantasyland” but more of the essence of what we love about these parts of Disney in film. In a sense, we get eight mini parades rather than one long one.

{Enjoy the gallery of photos below – click to see full-size – more text after the pictures!}

Festival of Fantasy Princess Garden Frozen

A constant throughout Festival of Fantasy are the innovative and eye-catching costumes. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves on this one, but I am in love with all of these designs and love how each set of dancers preceding a themed float seems to represent the elements from each movie, from coral and seahorses, to thorns and ravens, to Pleasure Island treats and circus tents. The costumes and choreography are a show unto themselves. The Lost Boys receive a fun make-over in the style of Broadway’s Newsies with some fun dance moves. Randy Wojcik, Senior Show Director, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Creative Entertainment, likes to call each float a “mini Broadway show rolling down the street.”

I spoke to Randy about the costumes, wondering if they would survive wear and use, 365 days a year and he let me know how extensive the design and testing process was, getting approval for ergonomic wear and support. He’s rightly very proud of both the costumes and floats, especially the jaw-dropping Maleficent, represented as a steampunk contraption of a fire-breathing dragon. When I asked which came first, wanting Maleficent in the parade, or wanting a steampunk element in the parade, he said they always knew they wanted Maleficent, and the steampunk just came about through various pitch ideas and boardroom sessions.

Maleficent is definitely the show-stopper of the parade, but really, so many of the floats can stand up on their own merit. Maleficent, however, is part of a larger scene where Prince Phillip is battling the “thorns” (represented by stilt-walkers) conjured by Maleficent, as stylized ravens circle around. The battle then turns to Maleficent, who rears her head and breathes fire, a sight unparalleled outside of a nighttime spectacular in the parks. If you are looking to catch a photo of the fire, watch for Maleficent to lean her head all the way up, as that’s the only way she breathes fire. It seems to happen twice in Frontierland and twice around the hub turn by the Castle. I’ve yet to catch a perfect fire photo, but I plan to return and get one soon (research!). Be sure to enjoy all of Maleficent though; take note of her moving wings, her eyes and teeth, the thorn-spiked spinning wheel in the center of the dragon, all of it is amazing. It’s quite a detailed and impressive piece at 53 feet in length and 26 feet tall, designed in partnership with Tony Award-winner Michael Curry.

Next up is a float which, despite it being borrowed from Tokyo Disneyland’s Jubilation parade (along with the opening Princess float), is one of my favorites design-wise. It’s such a fun, brightly-colored and unique take on Monstro and the Pinocchio film itself, along with various other early films like Fantasia and Dumbo. The parade ends with Mickey and Minnie, which I think is a great finale. Since Mickey and Minnie aren’t really represented in Fantasyland (aside from Mickey in Philharmagic), they are a good reminder of the rest of the Magic Kingdom and Disney in general. I love Mickey and Minnie in this float and to me, their costumes are very reminiscent of the characters we see in Tokyo at their parades. All of the classic characters have wonderful, fun costumes in this parade, making for some great photos.

As far as the music goes, there is a catchy and familiar-sounding “Festival of Fantasy” theme, composed by Mark Hammond, known for his work on World of Color, Mickey’s Soundsational Parade, Flights of Fantasy Parade at Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland’s Jubilation Parade and Happiness is Here Parade. I am hopeful that soundtrack will be released, and other merchandise too. All in all, I think Festival of Fantasy is a wonderful, vibrant, captivating parade, which actually makes me want to line up to watch it at 3:00! I’d love to hear your thoughts below if you’ve seen the parade – what is your favorite part?