DEP in it's final run???

[wdi]

While I love the MSEP/DEP I am wondering if Disney is going to pull the "plug" on the parade at the end of the summer season? It seems like the crowds of been getting smaller and smaller. What do you think will happen?

[DLMAGICDARREN]

I think it will end up back at DL, where it belongs, but it may take a few more seasons for them to figure out how to make a nightime show at DCA, so we probably have it a couple more seasons.

[Superstar Limo]

Please just pull the plug

[tangaroa]

Yeap sure. Send the parade back to Disneyland, where the numbers will pop up shortly. After a couple seasons the numbers will be back to 1996 numbers: everyone will take it for granted and the parade will have to be retired again.

It's a cute little parade but it's time came and went about 10 years ago.

[DLMAGICDARREN]

LOL I totally disagree.

Saying a parade's time has come, when it still pulls in the crowds is a bit silly. (And I'm not talking about this year's DCA numbers, but the entire parade's history)

The entire reason the parade was "retired" in the first place, was expectations of Light Magic, not simply that the parade was old. The parade ran over 20 years at Disneyland. It didn't draw the same numbers in the final years (until it's announced retirement), but what does? It still pulled in crowds.

And still when they "retired" it at Disneyland the parade simply moved to Florida. It was a crowd pleaser at Magic Kingdom, who lost it's original electric parade in 1992 when the parade moved from Florida to Paris.

Spectromagic was created to replace Magic Kingdom's original electric parade, not any real cutting edge new technology, but it used the very sucess formula that the original parade followed.

Disneyland's Main Street Electrical parade, simply moved from the California resort, to the Florida resort in 97, it never really even was "retired".

Still Florida was much more fond of their own Spectromagic, rather then Disneyland's parade. This combined with the fact that DCA needed nighttime entertainment contributed to the decesion to bring Spectromagic back to the Magic Kingdom, and send the electric parade back to California.

Spectromagic crowds are tremendous, even though that parade is now 10 years old.

Had DCA not been built, who knows the fate of the original parade and if it would still be playing at Magic Kingdom or not. However DCA was built, and even though I absolutely disagree with the strategy of considering it "California" related, simply because it came from the original park, (that's like saying it's ok for every Disneyland retired attraction to migrate over to DCA), it still did bring the parade back to California.

With Spectromagic continuing at Magic Kingdom,, Fantalusion going from Tokyo to Paris, and Dreamlights playing strong in Tokyo, there is not currently another Disney resort in need of a nighttime parade, so I don't see it leaving California soon. I think Hong Kong's resort (to open in 2005), already has dibbs on the Magic Kingdom original electric parade, that moved over to Paris in 92, and recently retired there to make room for Fantalusion.

I do think, that eventially DCA will get a nighttime show of it's own figured out, weather it's a year round Lumin-Aria type show, or an original parade, only time will tell. But when it does happen, I see no reason for them to not simply bring the parade back to Disneyland.

Some people have tired of it, that is very true, but some have also tired of It's A Small World, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Pirates of the Carabbean, and Haunted Mansion, but that alone does not determine the fate of an attraction (or parade). As long as people visit an attraction, or watch a parade, it lives on. Only when people stop visiting or watching do attractions close, (such as the Country Bears, which broke my heart to lose but it did play to an empty audience most performances).

I'm not saying a better nighttime parade is impossible, our overseas Disney parks seem to have figured that out easily. But until a new one is developed for the California resort, I'd bet the orignal Electric parade has at least a few seasons left.

[Alpha]

I am one of those old enough to have tired of the Electrical Parade while it was still at Disneyland ( and I was only going twice a year then) and found parade time a good time to do "e ticket" rides or shop, but I must say that I have not seen anything to match it since. I too hope they will plan an origional production for DCA. The Eurika parade is great for the day, but I think a water type show for the evening is better than a parade. The pier is so beautiful at night they should take advantage of it as a backdrop for a show on the lagoon. Just my Opin.

[Marcie]

Originally posted by DLMAGICDARREN

And still when they "retired" it at Disneyland the parade simply moved to Florida. It was a crowd pleaser at Magic Kingdom, who lost it's original electric parade in 1992 when the parade moved from Florida to Paris.

Disneyland's Main Street Electrical parade, simply moved from the California resort, to the Florida resort in 97, it never really even was "retired".

Still Florida was much more fond of their own Spectromagic, rather then Disneyland's parade. This combined with the fact that DCA needed nighttime entertainment contributed to the decesion to bring Spectromagic back to the Magic Kingdom, and send the electric parade back to California.

Had DCA not been built, who knows the fate of the original parade and if it would still be playing at Magic Kingdom or not. However DCA was built, and even though I absolutely disagree with the strategy of considering it "California" related, simply because it came from the original park, (that's like saying it's ok for every Disneyland retired attraction to migrate over to DCA), it still did bring the parade back to California.

With Spectromagic continuing at Magic Kingdom,, Fantalusion going from Tokyo to Paris, and Dreamlights playing strong in Tokyo, there is not currently another Disney resort in need of a nighttime parade, so I don't see it leaving California soon. I think Hong Kong's resort (to open in 2005), already has dibbs on the Magic Kingdom original electric parade, that moved over to Paris in 92, and recently retired there to make room for Fantalusion.

Hi Darren,

There are a few little items I think you have out of place in your information. Not that they are major, but thought I would clarify some of them.

When MSEP retired at DL it did not move to WDW immediately or even in 1997 at all. The MSEP went to WDW in mid-to-late 1998 and opened in the spring of 1999. It was only slated originally to run one summer season per the agreement that was set between WDW and DLR. However, WDW extended the parade run beyond the summer of 1999 into 2000.

A move began at DLR to reintroduce the MSEP back at DL in January 2002 to counter an expected drop off in attendance due to a lack of anything new at the park until Pooh opens. Paul Pressler basically made the final decision in late 2000 or very early 2001 to move the parade back "home" to California. It was at his authority that he basically told Al Weiss (according to my executive contacts) to pack up the parade and move it back.

The plan was to have the parade at DLR for approximately 8 to 9 months in 2001 for the Entertainment work crews to rebuild many of the floats that have been crumbling over the years due to age and restore some of the floats back to the original ways they were prior to the WDW run. However, with DCA's nighttime numbers tanking, a decision was made literally as the floats were being packed up in Florida to re-open the parade at DCA instead of DL for an undisclosed amount of time to help keep guests in the new park at night. For the most part it has worked, but naturally the audience levels have eventually dropped off over time like any show would experience. Even Fantasmic rarely gets a full house when it is running.

DCA had nothing to do with the closure of the parade at WDW and the move back to California. But when the decision was made to put the parade in DCA, it really messed up the Entertainment work crews who had to work intense hours to get most of their repairs and restoration done in time for the July debut.

It will be interesting to see what will happen when Hong Kong opens. I think it is only time when DEP will be moved from DCA to DL, but you are probably right Darren when you say it won't come until a new nighttime show is developed for a yearround schedule on the bay. That may come in 2003 if the work that is currently being done proves successful in winning over the executives. Another aspect to consider is how the 50th will play out with either reintroducing the older MSEP back at DL by moving the parade from DCA or debuting an all-new MSEP like TDL did for the anniversary. I will put my vote on the latter choice as that was the original plan when the decision was made to move the parade back from WDW to DLR.

The plan was to run the original MSEP at DL from 2002 to 2005 when an all-new MSEP would replace the aging version.

It is interesting that Spectromagic is more liked by WDW guests than the MSEP. I think it is more due to the fact that MSEP is a Disneyland original and a few years later duplicated at WDW. Who knows. It is just like Pirate's was hugely received at DL upon opening, whereas the WDW version was only mildly received after its opening. Never know how guests are going to react to the same experience on both properties.

[DLMAGICDARREN]

Hi Marci,

Thanks for the correction. I love to at least learn something when I write posts, but have information incorrect.

I will never deny I'm a WDW's dummy pre 1998, so I made the assumption it moved quicker in 1998 then it actually did.

You are right now that I recall 1998 better, which was my first year to ever visit WDW (prior to my move to Florida in 1999). Spectromagic was still playing at Magic Kingdom, which does mean it did not move as soon as the parade "retired" at Disneyland, but as you say, it really does not change the original point that the parade was not really ever truely "retired" only moved. 1998 was my first ever trip to WDW, so I sometimes forget the details of what the resort was doing durig my first ever trip, over what I strated seeing on a much more regular basis beinginning in 1999.

Actually what I was more concerned about in my accuracy, was the orignal MK MSEP moving to Paris in 1992, and therefore the entire reason for the creation of Spectromagic.

It's my own pure speculation, that MSEP was not as fondly liked by MK fans, but as I always say, I talk to guests, and that was the overall concencus whenever I asked. I do think the music in Spectro, over MSEP, is more up to date and hip so possibly that's why (but still not my presonal favorite) It was probably determined to be a step backwards to go back to a MSEP, when the park already had a MSEP in the first place. Also MSEP is a California original, and California has never seen an updated nighttime parade (well except of light Magic, but that's a whole new topic), then of course was Mulan but I'll always say, just bacause they run a parade in the daytime as well as nighttime, does not mean they created a nighttime parade, you simply turned on the lights on the parade route to show a daytime parade at night.

I know what you are saying that the parade was never originally planned for longer then one season at WDW but few experimental things are. I don't think it was ever a strong goal by managment to "only" have it play one season, it's just what was probably announced, when that was the oginial commitment. By 2000 (as in 1999) it was well known by all that DLR was expanding, and surely known there was not any planned nighttime entertainment for DCA. I do realize the decesion to move the MSEP back to California was made, before the specific decesion to move it to DCA over Disneyland was ever actually announced, but since it still has yet to re-debut at Disneyland, I don't think I am off base in theory, just as you said, a few details.

Regardless of which park in California it would return to, the first step was to ship it back to California. Probably the only reason the announcement that the actual park it was returning to was DCA, and not DL was held off, were decesions still being made regarding float storage and other technical aspects of bringing it to a park it never played at. We never know what the execs are truely "thinking" at any time, we only know what they publiclly say.

Once again I'm in the minority (but I'm used to it), completly suppporting the contiuation of DEP, however I will be jumping for joy the day it finally moves back to the park it belongs in, and DCA has an original "hoefully California themed" year round nighttime show of it's own.

[christyca]

I feel DEP has no buisness over at DCA.There was no magic there when I saw it run.It will always be MSEP in my heart.All the charachters find there home in Disneyland,thats where it all began and that is where it should stay,especially watching it come up mainstreet and you see the castle in the background,it gives me goosebumps when I think of it........Please let it come home!

[TP2000]

I think it should return to Disneyland for just one summer, maybe 2003?

2003 is rumored to be the year when DCA gets its own summer lagoon show, and the DEP would likely get in the way.

I wouldn't mind however if the DEP simply "glowed away" yet again, and disappeared forever. I really loved the parade, but I said goodbye to it back in '96. Then I saw it again by chance while visiting WDW in '99. But it really just needs to bow out with some grace. It's a very 1970's parade, born during the Nixon-Brady Bunch era of the early 70's, updated a bit during the disco era of the late 70's, and then kept pretty much the same since then.

They should just come up with a new night parade like WDW and Tokyo have done to replace it, lest it wear out it's welcome again. From the looks of the sparse crowds last Saturday night along the DCA parade route, I think it's already getting old at DCA.

I know it's a cheap fix and easy to stick around, now that they got through the uncomfortable "Well, it really didn't glow away forever in '96. We didn't know what we were really doing back then." phase. But it's time was up in '96, if I remember correctly.

Just because Light Magic was a disaster doesn't mean that the Electrical Parade can't be topped. Tokyo and WDW have succesfully made the jump from Electrical Parade to something new and fresh, and Disneyland needs to shake off the ghosts of Light Magic and try the same thing.

There's nothing really to gain at this point by keeping the old girl around.