| Disney on Parade | |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong Disneyland | |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | September 12, 2005 |
| Closing date | November 1, 2010 |
| Replaced by | Flights of Fantasy Parade |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Parade |
Disney on Parade was a daytime parade of the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong.[1] It debuted on rehearsal days throughout June 2005, before the grand opening of Hong Kong Disneyland on September 12. The parade takes a few floats and themes from Tokyo Disneyland's former daytime parade named Disney on Parade: 100 Years of Magic.
The park was originally scheduled to receive Disneyland's long-running Parade of the Stars, which was debuted for its 45th anniversary celebration in 2000 and was replaced with a new 50th anniversary parade in 2005. However, officials decided on a different parade for the new park.
The parade was also the genesis for an epiphany of then-CEO Bob Iger which led to the $7.4 billion acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios in 2006. Iger's epiphany was that many of the characters in the parade were from Disney films that were made prior to the mid-90's. He then realized how badly Disney needed Pixar because all characters less than ten years old in the parade were from Pixar's films.
The parade begins in Fantasyland, near the entrance of Storybook Theatre, and ends on Main Street, U.S.A., near the Disneyland City Hall. Floats in Disney on Parade feature Chip 'n' Dale, a studio-like float, Disney Princesses, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, Toy Story, and Mickey Mouse and friends in a finale float which looks like the Sleeping Beauty Castle. The parade features almost 100 performers and assisting cast members. During the Christmas season from 2007 to 2010, the parade was enhanced with Christmas themes and ran as the 'Let it Snow' Christmas Parade.[2]
In September 2010, Hong Kong Disneyland celebrated its 5th anniversary. Disney On Parade was replaced by a new parade called Flights of Fantasy Parade on January 21, 2011. Steve Davison, the creator of Disney's World of Color in Disney California Adventure, mentioned at the time that he was working on a parade for Hong Kong Disneyland's 5th anniversary.[3]