July 3, 2008: Light Magic

[Werner Weiss]

Light Magic, Disneyland’s big-budget “streetacular,” ran from May 1997 through Labor Day 1997. And it never returned.

Link to Light Magic, at Yesterland

Please discuss it here.

[SeaWolf38]

Hi Werner! As usual, another well-written article! I never knew those structures in the IASW corridor were from that lame parade. I wish the Electrical Parade could have stayed... its just not the same at all over at DCA.

[Yendorb]

Ah yes, I remember stopping to watch the "parade" once. Once was more than enough. If the parade would have kept moving, kept being a parade, it probably would have done better, but the show was too long (without enough entertainment value) to have to watch your group perform for that long. Imagine being at the Rose Parade and you watch all the other floats pass by very quickly to get into place, then you only get to see the workings of one float. After it's over the floats drive off just as quickly as they came on. That was Light Magic.

[Disneyphenom]

I'd love to see what the internet community would have said about the Mickey Mouse Club Circus...

Even Walt came up with ideas that bombed. Hard.

It's just sad that fans keep beating a dead horse. Werner, really? Not much of an update.

[Werner Weiss]

Originally Posted by Disneyphenom

It's just sad that fans keep beating a dead horse. Werner, really? Not much of an update.

Yesterland is about the history of Disneyland, and Light Magic is part of that history.

Any story about Light Magic would not be complete if it didn't discuss that, overall, Light Magic was poorly received by Disneyland guests, and that Light Magic never returned after a single summer season. I suppose this can be read as "beating a dead horse," but I'd like to think of it as an appropriate Yesterland entry for the subject.

[Petchaurus]

I agree. Why continue to beat up a dead art. I was not lucky enough to have witnessed the show. I honestly have been thinking about that show as of late and think if it was revamped to some degree it would be a great re-addition to the park with the new pixie initiative. Just retheme and re-structure the parade. Maybe it can move slowly? From what I saw the fiberoptic lights were fantastic etc. I don't necessarily think it was the worst thing. We just have a bunch of jaded Disney fans who refuse to let go of things. I know...Main Stree Electrical is awesome because it's so vintage. I think moving it back to DL would create a new opening for a BIG tinkerbell night parade in DCA? No? Afterall, Tinkerbell is a lot bigger now than she was back in 1997.

[RenMan]

I agree with Werner that this is a chapter in DL history. Is there any compelling reason why he should NOT include it in Yesterland? It's a defunct attraction, it belongs in there along with all the others. And you've got to admit that it's remarkable that they would spend so much money on a thing and only feature it one summer.

Anyway, I never saw the show and hind sight is 20/20, but you gotta wonder what they were thinking with the deformed-looking pixies.

[DisneyPrincess4590]

Oh my goodnes...I never saw Light Magic, but that first pixie is so creepy!! Kind reminds me of the creepy Magic Kingdom's Spectromagic....

[Hooty Sapperticker]

Them pixies looked like they had an extra chromosome. But after a few hundred gin and tonics, Light Magic was pretty fun.

[surffnutt3000]

Great article, as always; thanks Werner!

I remember watching Light Magic opening night, and thinking, "They replaced Main Street Electrical Parade with THIS?"

Unfortunately, with four identical floats, there wasn't much that could have been done to fix this particular show. In my opinion, the company made the right decision by shutting Light Magic down at the end of the Summer season.

[TheDude]

Although I also believe this is like beating a dead horse, it needs to be done and truly belongs in Yesterland as a reminder to all new visitors to the park (being Yesterland,) of how bad things could be if you create something with the sole intention of marketing. If it were up to me, I would have a whole website dedicated to the Pressler/Harriss "dark time" in Disneyland history in hopes that someone working at Disney will always read what was, thus not allowing something like "Light Magic" to ever occur again.

Besides, it is a lot easier to see the good times Disneyland endured under Ouimet if one understands the dark ones.

Thanks werner!

[Mr Wiggins]

Originally Posted by Disneyphenom

I'd love to see what the internet community would have said about the Mickey Mouse Club Circus...

Even Walt came up with ideas that bombed. Hard.

It's just sad that fans keep beating a dead horse. Werner, really? Not much of an update.

This longtime member of the internet community first visited Disneyland in the late summer of 1955, at age 7. I saw the Mickey Mouse Club Circus four times before it closed. It was a blast for me and my brother & sister, all rabid Mickey Mouse Club fans and circus fans (as were most of the kids in the country at that time). What kept us from dragging our parents there more often wasn't that the show was bad, but that so many other attractions outside the tent were calling to us. The Circus was a fun show but couldn't compete with Disneyland. Given a choice between the Circus and pestering my parents for more tickets to ride Autopia for the 5th time, the lions and tigers lost.

Comparing the honest showmanship of the Mickey Mouse Club Circus to the rudderless concept, design and direction of Light Tragic is totally bogus. I saw them both -- luckily only once for Light Tragic (and once was more than enough!).

Great article Werner!

[richboi117]

GRR!!! That is where those hideous lights over Main Street came from!! CURSE LIGHT MAGIC!!!


A nice article to read tho =)

[fcanfield]

Well, I quess I am in a minority who saw Light Magic many times that summer and did enjoy most of the show. You had to learn where to stand to watch the show and allow for the many technical problems they. They biggest problem I thought was crowd control and getting the audience to where they could see the whole show. They did make a number of improvements over the summer which were good but still could not convince the guests that this was a street show and not a parade..

[Katella Gate]

Thanks for the Update Werner... They obviously should have called this the "Light on Magic Parade".