Well, it’s official: Halloween events are canceled for 2020 at the Disneyland Resort. First Universal Studios announced that their Halloween Horror Nights will not be happening at either of their resorts in the US, and now Disney California Adventure has canceled their popular special ticketed Halloween party, Oogie Boogie Bash.
Better Luck Next Time
Last year was the debut of the Oogie Boogie Bash, a new Halloween party held at Disney California Adventure. In previous years, the event had been held at Disneyland and was called Mickey’s Halloween Party. Disney’s Halloween events are imaginative and focus on villains, without being too scary. We were really looking forward to the evolution of the new Oogie Boogie event this year, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that Halloween just isn’t in the cards for Southern California this year. We were able to confirm with Disneyland that due to a lack of theme park guidelines from the state, Disney has made the difficult decision to cancel the Halloween party for this year.
However, this cancellation doesn’t come as a surprise, especially since Walt Disney World canceled its Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party last month. Additionally, tickets were never placed on sale for Oogie Boogie Bash this year (tickets for Disneyland’s Halloween events usually go on sale in June or July).
Similarly, Universal Studios both in Hollywood and Orlando canceled their massively popular Halloween Horror Nights events earlier today. Knott’s Berry Farm, Legoland and SeaWorld have not yet made announcements regarding their plans for Halloween. For more information about Universal’s cancellations, check the article below.
Fond Memories of Scares Gone By
While there won’t be an Oogie Boogie Bash this year, we’d like to share some of our photos and thoughts from last year’s event at Disney California Adventure.
When fans heard that the popular Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland would be replaced by Oogie Boogie’s Bash at Disney California Adventure, some thought it was a trick. But Disney pulled off a surprise treat with expanded offerings at DCA. . .
World of Color: Villainous!
Villainous is the star of the show. Oogie Boogie takes over Paradise Bay as he tells the story of Shelley Marie (an homage to Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein), a little girl who can’t decide if she wants to be a princess or a villain for Halloween.
The show begins as a sort of 2-D illustrated book that Oogie is reading to you. Shelley isn’t sure what costume to wear.
That’s when Shelley decides to consult the Magic Mirror. Hey, it worked for Snow White, why not her?
Once she steps through the mirror, Shelley transforms from 2-D animation to 3-D. Throughout the story, she visits several villains who all try to convince her to dress up as them. This is also when the story starts to get a little scary.
Being villains, though, they all try to trick her in some way. For example, Ursula tries to convince Shelley to sign a contract, but unfortunately for Ursula, Shelley reads the fine print.
There are also new animations specifically for this show.
Dr. Facilier seemingly foils Ursula’s plan and convinces Shelley to pull tarot cards.
Rejecting Facilier’s offer, Shelley was pulled to the Underworld by Hades. This is when the tone of the show starts to lighten up significantly and is probably the highlight. There are several jokes about Disneyland that felt very relevant.
Finally, Maleficent speaks to Shelley, offended that Shelley hadn’t thought of her; very in character for Maleficent to not be invited to the party.
There’s a heartwarming ending that we loved (and won’t spoil). Oogie then takes over and plays a rendition of Boogie Wonderland (Oogie Wonderland) and ends the show.
While there are some scary spots that might be too much for the little ones, this is a must-see highlight of Oogie Boogie Bash.
Frightfully Fun Parade
The Frightfully Fun Parade was moved from Disneyland to DCA for the Halloween season in 2019. We loved this show at Disneyland and we still love it at California Adventure.
The main difference here is that the California Adventure parade route is much wider and this parade was designed with the narrower Disneyland route in mind. At times that means that the parade feels a little small.
Regardless, this is an amazing parade and we have always recommended that you stop and watch it.
We should also note that the best places to watch it are closer to Hollywoodland, Buena Vista Street, and Paradise Park. We watched it between Buena Vista Street and Cars Land and found the Avengers Campus construction was a little distracting. Of course, that won’t be a problem after this year.
The only change to the parade itself was adding the Cheshire Cat back to the villains float and giving Vampirina the boot.
The only complaint we have (and have had since its debut) is that this parade is too short. Hopefully, they will expand this popular offering in the future.
“Immersive” Treat Trails
Treat trails have been a part of the Halloween parties at Disneyland since the beginning, but Disney enhanced them considerably for the California Adventure version of the event. They call them “immersive treat trails.” Immersive isn’t the right word to describe them, I’d call them “interactive.”
These treat trails use what Disneyland has always done best, to great effect, live entertainment. Each trail is designed around a specific character, mostly villains, and that character is front and center. They have a microphone and they interact with all the guests as they walk by. And by interact, I mostly mean heckle, which is what we should expect from villains.
Dr. Facilier is in Stage 17 in Hollywoodland, and his trail is decked out with tarot cards and a big stage with skulls underneath. As we walked by, he commented on everyone’s costumes and all the guests were delighted to see (and hear from) him.
The Mad Hatter (the Tim Burton version) took over the Hyperion Theater queue and appeared on a stage in the back. His set was decorated like he was stepping out of the pages of Alice in Wonderland and as guests walked by he told stories, including a reciting of the Jabberwocky poem. While we were disappointed to see the Tim Burton version of the Mad Hatter instead of the classic, we were delighted at how well he interacted with guests and how much fun he was.
The star trail was definitely Oogie Boogie (it had the longest line too). He took over the entire Animation building to great effect. All the screens were lit up with Oogie themed gambling imagery, which created a visually stimulating experience. Front and center was the green worm filled sack himself, Mister Oogie Boogie Man.
Oogie’s costume gave him a slight Pillsbury Dough Boy appearance, creepy and endearing. The mouth articulates to the pre-recorded dialogue; it’s funny, morbid, and extremely entertaining to watch. The trail has been designed to leave room for guests to stand around and watch Oogie if they wish without blocking the treat line.
It’s incredible that Disney was able to take the simple treat trails of old and turn them into one of the best parts of the entire party. Of course, the magic of it is the addition of live entertainment.
Villains Grove
Villains Grove is a visual extravaganza. Redwood Creek Challenge Trail was updated with lighting, projection mapping, and other digital effects to evoke the spirit and essence of the villains.
The villains featured in the grove are Frollo, Maleficent, Queen of Hearts, Scar, the Evil Queen, Cheshire Cat, and Dr. Facilier. The wisps from Brave are also incorporated as your informal guides.
Villains Grove was one of the best parts of the Oogie Boogie Bash. It was spooky without being scary, highly atmospheric, and an incredible transformation compared to its daylight counterpart.
The fog really makes the lights dazzle.
Many of the special effects are done through projection mapping, and it is pretty spectacular. Very interesting to see the waterfall reimagined thanks to technological magic.
These vines grow across the falls right before your eyes.
The villains featured in the Grove were represented by glowing wisps of color. The only thing that could have enhanced this area would have been to include live actors.
Villains Grove was very well imagined with clever nods to Disney most dastardly denizens. We could have spent the entire night walking in circles through the area.
We hope to see Villains Grove return with haunting enhancements in coming years.
DescenDANCE Party
This is just a dance party, plain and simple. There’s a DJ that plays standard pop music for most of the evening and at certain times performers enter the stage. Songs from the Descendents movies play and they teach the audience choreography.
Overall, we loved the improvements to the Halloween party experience, even with the park swap.
Let’s Hear From You
We’re saddened to hear that the Oogie Boogie Bash isn’t returning this year, but we’re holding out hope for next year! Has this new wave of cancellations taken you by surprise or were you expecting Halloween events to be canceled? Did you attend the Oogie Boogie Bash last year? Let us know which you liked better, Oogie’s Bash or Mickey’s Party? What do you think will happen with Knott’s Scary Farm and other local haunts? We look forward to your thoughts in the comments below.
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