It was a busy start to the Spring Break season this past week at Disneyland with the launch of both an edgy new parade AND the return of the Food and Wine Festival. We’ve got photos and video of both for you, along with the regular news, refurbishments, and construction. Now, let’s see if the new stuff is magic or tragic . . .
Magic Happens
After two years of design and planning, Disneyland’s new Magic Happens Parade is finally thumping and dancing down Main Street USA to the music of Todrick Hall.
The parade features two new songs, has 9 floats (ranging in size from large to tiny), and has 90 performers.
Disney has repeatedly said that the costumes were designed to look as though they walked right off a runway . . . but we wonder in what time period and alternate dimension that runway existed (the ’70s? ’80s? ’90s . . .). There are some early Britney Spears-inspired looks, some ’80s Krystle Carrington from Dynasty, some Studio 54 exaggerated creativity, and some RuPaul Drag Race in these designs.
But not all the costumes are fully practical. In every performance, we noticed performers getting caught up in their high collars and protruding elements of their attire. But overall, it’s colorful and fun . . .
Mickey Mouse leads the opening float . . . 
Though you won’t be able to see them during the daylight, there are 300 sparkling LED lights on Mickey’s iridescent 15-foot tall sorcerer hat float. Floats like this one will look a bit more magical during the evening performance than during the light of the day.
Mickey’s friends get into the act as well with all-new colorful costumes.
The Moana segment follows Mickey. Dancers in flowing aquatic-inspired costumes lead the way. The float is approximately 32 feet long and 22 feet tall. Moana’s voyager canoe is pushed along by a towering LED screen crafted to look like a wave. But here too, you’ll be better able to see the technical wizardry at night, as the flexible LED panels just aren’t bright enough to outshine the Southern California sunlight.
Polynesian percussion sounds are heard as a unit of Kakamora dancers follow Moana. They are chasing Moana’s pet chicken Hei Hei, who really steals the show with his antics.
And, in a Disneyland first, Maui appears on his own float with Pua the pig.
The Coco unit is next up with vibrant colors and mariachi-meets-disco beats. At nearly 36 feet long, this float can’t be missed. Over 30,000 individual marigolds decorate the bridge between the worlds of the living (at the front of the float) and the dead (at the back).
Don’t miss looking back at this float as it passes. There are a lot of fun details.
Dancers from the Enchanted Forest outside Arendelle mark the transition from Coco to Frozen II. The performers have Aspen Tree bark-inspired costumes with dramatic swaths of paint across their eyes.
The large Frozen II float is headed by the Nokk, Elsa’s water horse, and a giant forest of Fall colors which somewhat blocks the view of the starring attraction, Anna and Elsa. You’ll note that the four elemental symbols from the film are all represented on the snowflake behind Elsa: water, fire, earth and wind.
Look close at this unit as it passes, Elsa does make it snow, but it can be hard to see depending on where the wind sends the flurries.
At this point, the music changes and a somewhat disjointed grand finale of floats appear in rapid succession. A mish-mash of characters walk at the front of the final segment, they include Aladdin & Genie, Peter Pan & Tinker Bell, Pinocchio & the Blue Fairy . . . and the Fairy Godmother, who leads us to the Cinderella float.
Cinderella’s float is small, but it beautifully captures that moment when a pumpkin is magically transformed into a gilded coach by her Fairy Godmother.
Following Cindy is the oddly placed Sword in the Stone unit. While we LOVE seeing these classic characters in the parade, they feel strangely out of place in the middle of all the princesses in the grand finale. Perhaps if there was a section of the parade with other classic non-princess characters (Jungle Book, Aristocats, 101 Dalmations, etc.) it would feel more integrated.
But this is a really fun little section of the parade. Merlin dances and clicks his heels in the air. Meanwhile, Arthur pulls Excalibur from the stone. And an animatronic owl, Archimedes, is off to the side.
Sword in the Stone is followed by Princess and the Frog. A Mangrove tree towers above Tiana and Naveen as flowers swirl around them.
And the parade comes to an end with a castle float populated by the three good fairies (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather), Sleeping Beauty, and her prince. Her gown (as you can see in the photo below) shimmers between hues of pink and blue.
I’d like to share some personal thoughts on this parade. They don’t mean that you will love or hate Magic Happens but explains why I feel the way I do about this unique entertainment offering.
First, I find the parade to be fresh, different, energetic, and unique. But it does feel a bit lacking as well. While it has more floats than the previous several parades in the park, it still felt a bit short. It was also all Yin and no Yang. Meaning, there are lots of princesses but no villains. A villain segment would have been just perfect before the grand finale and would have given the parade a little extra heft.
Guest reaction to the parade seems mixed. That’s likely because the music and costumes don’t feel “Disney,” although the floats are classic Disney whimsy. For me, the parade doesn’t quite equal Soundsational, but it was still a fun diversion. I likely won’t take time to watch it again unless I have friends or family in from out of town. But I’m glad to see something new and I really do think this is better than allowing old parades to become stale or not having a parade at all. But, if they need a promotion to get folks back into the park . . . build us a Maleficent or Chernabog float as a dramatic high point before the happy ending.
If you’d like to see the parade for yourself and don’t mind spoilers, please take a look at our videos of Magic Happens by day and by night.
Here’s the Day video:
And here’s the one at night:
And let us know your thoughts in the poll below . . . is it Magic, Tragic, or something in between?
Food & Wine Festival 2020 Opens
In addition to the new parade opening at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure kicked off the most anticipated festival of the year on the same day. The Food & Wine Festival always has a mouthwatering array of food, and this year offers lots of ambitious new items. Plus, there are a variety of entertainment options and additional experiences.
For the most part, the festival is the same idea as last year. The familiar booths are lined up along the parade route, there are inventive food and drink at each one, and there’s a fun atmosphere throughout all of the festival area. However, we did notice a few changes from last year.
There are only 13 booths this time (as opposed to the 14 last year). With that said, there are is an all-new booth (One in a Melon replaced Citrus Grove – Goodbye, Meyer Lemon Macaron!), and 80% of the food and 100% of the drinks are new this year.
One of the other changes this year is a $2 increase in price for the Sip & Savor passes. This year they are $56 or $51 with an AP (which includes a bonus magnet).
Also, we noticed that the iconic archway along the parade route was mysteriously absent. It’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it helped make DCA feel special for the festival.
Here’s what it looked like last year.
Instead of a beautiful arch, there’s the welcoming walls of Avengers Campus. Because the walls were pushed into the walkway a few weeks ago, it’s creating difficulties for traffic flow along the parade route.
The Top 5 Selections of Food & Wine 2020 (So Far!)
Although the festival started just a few days ago, we’ve already visited twice, have completely gone through 3 Sip and Savor passes, and have a pretty good idea of what’s going to be popular this year. Here are our top 5 items from Food & Wine 2020.
Monkey Bread with Caramel Whiskey Glaze and Candied Pecans
The Monkey Bread from LA Style has quickly become a favorite item of mine. I’ve already ordered it 3 times! It’s freshly baked buttery bread with notes of cinnamon and topped with a caramel whiskey glaze (that contains trace amounts of alcohol) and candied pecans. When you get a fresh batch, the bread is doughy and warm without being overly dry. Pro tip: slightly pull the buns apart and allow the dish to sit for about 2 minutes so the caramel can soak in. Trust me, you’ll love it.
Smoked Bacon Barbecue Beef Loco Moco on Rice
WOW! We hope that this dish gets picked up somewhere around the Disneyland Resort (Tangaroa Terrace or Bengal Barbeque, we’re looking at you!). This take on Loco Moco features a hefty slice of beef that’s doused in a sweet and tangy smoked bacon barbecue sauce over rice. The only change we would make would be to replace the crumbled hard-boiled eggs with a poached egg to help retain the classic dish’s gooey stick-to-your-ribs feeling. Out of everything we tried, this was Dusty’s favorite.
Caramel-Peanut-Milk Chocolate Macaron
I must have stopped by the Off the Cob booth at least 4 times to try to get my hands on one of these because they kept selling out! This macaron is essentially the lovechild of a Snickers bar and a chocolate macaron. We think this could easily fill the hole that the Meyer Lemon Macaron left in our hearts now that Citrus Grove is gone.
Tortilla-Crusted Fried Guacamole with Carne Asada
This unassuming dish turned out to be a big hit with our crew! Although the presentation is a little plain, the bold flavors definitely make up for it. These deep-fried slices of avocado are an interesting take on simplified guacamole and are paired with saucy cuts of carne asada.
Lavender and Fig Cold Brew
This drink was very surprising. In my experience, it’s pretty hit or miss with Joffrey’s Coffee, but this cold brew hits it out of the park. The floral notes of the lavender aren’t overpowering and the fig adds a bit of complexity to the smoothness of the coffee.
Brunch Fried Chicken and Waffle
Not on our list, but sure to be very popular, is the Chicken and Waffle from the Golden Dreams booth. It’s beautiful and Instagrammable. The chicken is crunchy and very good, and the mimosa slaw is tangy and unique. But the waffle is bland and the orange boba tastes completely out of place (maple pearls would have been better). But the booth can’t seem to keep these in stock and everywhere you look you’ll see an influencer-wanna-be holding one of these in the air trying to get the perfect shot.
For more information and descriptions about the food for Food & Wine 2020, be sure to read the article below. It will be updated frequently as we try more and more food!
DCA Food and Wine Festival Opens Today – Here’s What You Need to Know
Food & Wine Entertainment and Special Events
A festival isn’t complete with entertainment! You can find many returning DCA festival favorites like Phat Cat Swinger and The Tina Aldana Band, as well as a few new faces.
Throughout the day, you’ll also see Chip and Dale come out with their Jammin’ Chefs drumming on pots and pans. Although it isn’t new, it always draws a sizable crowd to watch the group play.
In the Hollywood Backlot, there are culinary presentations as well as a fun kids show involving Chef Goofy. There’s also a meet and greet with him as well.
Around the park, you can find Festival Offering signs reminding you when and where the Festival shows and opportunities are.
Across from the Palisades Stage, you can find the Artist Corner and buy original art and prints.
On certain days throughout the festival, you can watch artists work on new pieces. Jeff Granito was there for the opening of the festival.
If you’re looking to learn more about wine, beer, or mixology you can take a course in tasting at the Golden Vine Winery. These events are an upcharge and require reservations, and they’re very popular. If you’re interested, be sure to sign up soon!
For more information about the shows, experiences, and special festival events, be sure to take a look at the article below.
Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival Experiences Now Available
Food & Wine Merchandise
Finally, the last component of the festival is something to remember it buy by. The Food & Wine 2020 merch is a sizable collection that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The theme of much of the merchandise is based around the joke that life is too short, so eat!
For all you APs out there, there is a shirt exclusive just for you. I like that it’s simple and not obnoxious about being it AP-exclusive; the AP tag is printed on the sleeve instead of front and center somewhere on the chest.
Something we found interesting about the merchandise this year is that it really leans into the Arts and Crafts style lettering, similar to the Grand Californian Hotel. Virtually all mentions of the festival use that styling.
To see the full lineup of Food & Wine Festival 2020 merchandise (there’s a lot of it!) follow the link below.
California Adventure Food & Wine Festival and Magic Happens Merchandise!
In addition to the festival merchandise and usual vendors, there’s a new seller in town for the festival.
If you’ve been to Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival, you may recognize that name. They sell some of the most incredible maple syrup I’ve had. According to the sales rep, everything they brought is limited-edition, and once they’ve sold out they’re packing up and headed home.
The Food & Wine Festival runs now through April 21. What do you think about the festival this year?
Disneyland Update
Now that we’ve covered the two big new things this week, let’s return to our regularly scheduled content. Let’s take a peek at the attraction refurbs and a quick recap of what’s new around the parks.
Disneyland Construction & Refurbs
It’s been non stop construction at Disneyland for as long as we can remember. This week is no different. But there are some projects wrapping up . . . and winds brought some of scrims down, revealing progress . . .
Tomorrowland
Now that the Tomorrowland entry walls have been completed and the gardens have been planted, we can start to see the new direction for this land. We absolutely love the reflective mural walls on either side of the land’s entry. During the day you’ll see the blue sky reflected, and when the sun hits just right, the walls burst into a rainbow of color. It’s real artistic elegance and a nod to Disneyland’s classic era.
In the back of the land, the emergency exit staircase for Space Mountain looks like it’s finally wrapping up. However, the handrails are STILL missing. We almost hate showing you photos of this project because it’s taken so long to complete that even we have grown tired of it . . . but it’s part of what’s going on in the parks and we know that at least some of you want to know how things look.
Fantasyland
Two of Fantasyland’s attractions are in the middle of a fairly intensive refurb. Snow White has expansive construction scrims set up and construction walls that stretch through the center of the land. This week, all of the printed scrims were temporarily removed for winds, giving us a special look into the attraction’s exterior status.
The outside of Snow White has been given a fresh coat of paint to help liven it up. The building itself looks much brighter and vibrant.
The stonework has been given a new paint scheme. The new colors are more aligned with the newfound vibrancy of the building.
Which color scheme do you prefer: the muted blues on the top tower below or the brighter warm tones on the tower to the left?
The refurb still has no set end date but should be completed before summer. Curious about what’s happening inside? Check out the article below to read about the new ending of the classic Disneyland attraction.
NEWS – Snow White’s Adventures to Be Less Scary at Disneyland
Concurrently happening in Fantasyland, King Arthur’s Carrousel is being pieced back together for its refurb. This project also has no set end date.
Haunted Mansion
Over at New Orleans Square, the Haunted Mansion refurbishment is well underway. We stopped by at the right time on Friday as the scrims were rolled down for wind. Let’s look for some happy haunts . . .
There’s extensive work happening on the attraction, both outside and in.
Most of the glass windows have been removed.
All of the tombstones and statues have been removed from the garden and have been laid out on the lawn until they can be reinstalled.
Similar to the above refurbs, the Mansion project does not have a projected end date.
DCA Updates
Disneyland isn’t the only park that’s in a state of fluctuation, DCA has its own fair share of construction zones.
Marvel Land
It’s impossible to talk about DCA and not mention the construction of the next major addition to the park, Avengers Campus. The upcoming land is having an impact on traffic flow throughout the park, especially since it’s along the main path used for Food and Wine Festival.
The Spider-Man attraction has gained a second miniature arm next to the array of antennas.
A few weeks ago the red paneling on the Spider-Man attraction was removed. It still has not been replaced. We’re curious why they went through all of the effort to install it just to remove it a few days later.
It looked like there were construction workers checking out the newly installed metal frames on the left side of the building. We’re interested to see what’s going to happen with that.
Looking further back into the land, the two buildings by Guardians are continuing to be boxed in.
Speaking of Guardians, the construction walls that have been blocking access to the attraction for the last few months have finally been removed. We’re not sure why the repaving project took so long, but we’re glad we don’t have to squeeze through the bottleneck caused by the walls to get to this area.
The transition of pavement patterns from Hollywood Land to Marvel land isn’t exactly graceful. The traditional red brickwork abruptly ends and the Avengers Campus pattern of white and gray begins.
Work on the backstage building behind Luigi’s Tires continues.
It’s hard to track progress on this building from the ground, but it looks like it’s shaping up rapidly when looking from the air.
Hollywood Boulevard Mural Refurb
The faux skyline at the dead-end of Hollywood Boulevard had part of its scrim rolled down on Friday. We were having a bit of difficulty trying to figure out if there had been any changes to it, but it seemed less washed out than before.
While they’ve got the scaffolding set up, I hope they can fix the 2 letters on the Roosevelt Hotel sign that are out…
Cars Land
Just beyond the construction walls of Marvel land, Cars Land is revving up for a hot summer. Mater’s is still operating at half capacity while one turntable is being worked on. We’re guessing that the other side will close once its mirroring side opens.
The Cozy Cones are finally getting some much-needed TLC. They were very sunbleached and looking pretty run down.
There are construction walls set up entirely around all of the cones. Surprisingly, they aren’t completely closed for business. They do open later in the day during the refurb period.
Once it hit 12pm the doors opened, allowing us to buy our favorite cone-shaped goodies just like any day.
Jessie’s Carousel
Jessie’s Critter Carousel on Pixar Pier has closed for its first refurbishment since it opened last April. This refurb is set to last until March 4.
This & That
Finally, here’s a handful of the smaller news items from around the Resort this week.
New Spirit Jersey
Calling all Spirit Jersey collectors out there! Just in time for spring, there’s a new addition you may want to add to your collection. There’s a new lavender Spirit Jersey that’ll be perfect for late-winter/early-spring. We wouldn’t be surprised to see a matching set of ears, or similarly pastel-colored Spirit Jerseys in the near future.
Indiana Jones 25th Anniversary
On March 4, Indy will be turning a quarter-century old. To celebrate the attraction’s adventurous history, there will be special limited-time merchandise and food items in Adventureland.
From March 3-8, you can find a special chocolate-loaded Dole Whip and cold noodle salad at Tropical Hideaway, and a specialty rib bowl at Bengal Barbecue.
Disneyland Ticket and Travel Deals!
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Let’s Hear From You
Congratulations! You’ve made it through a Giant-Sized MiceChat Update. We covered a lot of ground this week.
What do you think of the new Magic Happens parade? Have you tried anything from the Food & Wine Festival you recommend? Do you think that all of Marvel land is on track for a summer opening? Let us know in the comments below.
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