Every morning of the 15th Anniversary Celebration comes to life with a care-free party atmosphere in Main Street USA - and a grand welcome from 'Disneyland' itself! You see it before you, off in the distance, and then letter-by-letter it dances, skips and swings its way down Main Street for a unique streetmosphere show like nothing before.

To a modern beat and a fun mix of classic Disney songs, you'll be "following the letters" and welcomed with the chorus of "you're as welcome as can be!" before joining the fun and singing "-D- -I- -S- -N- -E- -Y- -L- -A- -N- -D- !!". You'll feel like you're dreaming before you even step onto Main Street...

Following the Letters

"Disneyland is your land"

Ten letters, one very special word. But can you tell who's who?

D - Overture

The 'D' of "Disney" provides the grand overture of Alpha Bet You Are, its trademark swirls providing arms with hands on springs.

I - Goofy

With a spinning Disney dot as its head, Goofy's letter 'I' features his trademark patched-up orange and blue outfit with flapping suspenders!

S - Daisy Duck

Daisy makes a glittering entrance as the letter 'S', with a spinning pink ribbon and a frilly white petticoat adorning her sparkling "dress".

N - Chip

The first of the chipmunks, both of whom occupy the two 'N's in 'Disneyland', Chip has deep brown fur with a pale chest and springy ears. They're always up to some mischief, though - watch his black nose zip up and down the edge of the 'N'!

E - Donald Duck

Alpha Bet You Are's most recognisable figure, letter 'E' presents Donald Duck in his classic blue sailor shirt and blue beret, with yellow stripes and a fluffy tail of white feathers.  You might even be lucky enough to have Donald bow and tip his beret for you!

Y - Mickey Mouse

The red shorts and yellow buttons - not least the flapping, black mouse ears - give away the identity of letter 'Y' away in an instant - it's Mickey Mouse himself!

L - Minnie Mouse

Following quickly behind her love interest, Minnie looks exquisite as 'L' in a full polka-dot creation based on her classic red dress, with her trademark bow flapping with her black mouse ears.

A - Pluto

Mickey and Minnie's faithful pal Pluto arrives as letter 'A' with soft brown fur and long, twirling dog ears. Pluto lies low on the ground and stops to sit every now and then during his route through Main Street.

N - Dale

The second 'N' stars the other half of the chipmunks - pesky Dale, with a red nose zipping up and down his body and another set of fluffy ears springing back and forth as he dances through the streets.

D - Finale

Alpha Bet You Are is complete!  With a final, smaller 'D', the unique trail of famous letters completes the most famous word of all - Disneyland!

The streetmosphere show enters from next to Plaza Gardens Restaurant, stopping right at the heart for a special performance and to form their famous word, before dispersing again and exiting via Town Square.

Music

An important part of this early-morning party is its music. Mixing classic Disney songs such as "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", "Following the Leader", "I Wanna Be Like You" and "Mickey Mouse Club March" with new lyrics recorded by choir children from the Seine-et-Marne region, the music is a lively and quirky addition to a morning on Main Street.  Now you can be "Following the letters" rather than "following the leader", or singing "D-I-S-N-E-Y-L-A-N-D" to the classic "Mickey Mouse Club March".

Musical director Vasile Sirli was behind the brand new music, using the Budapest Pop Orchestra, familiar with the resort since their work on The Wonderful World Of Disney Parade and Disney's ImagiNations Parade, to record the eclectic instrumental backing, which features a new instrumental theme also heard in Candleabration.

Behind the Letters

The Pumpkin Men, the Pink Witches and many more inbetween - creating new, original characters has been a tradition of Disneyland Resort Paris which sets it apart from other Disney resorts for years. But how about characters without eyes, without heads, and without arms? This unique streetmosphere creation by show director Emmanuel Lenormand, filing out onto Main Street USA to a playful soundtrack four times each morning, is a daring departure for Disney, so just where did it come from?

Towards the end of 2006, Emmanuel was charged with the task of creating a new "welcome" morning show for Disneyland Park during the 15th Anniversary.  Initially stumped, a visit to the Emporium in October 2006 finally brought a spark of imagination - from the resort's 2007 merchandise!  This merchandise, originally produced in July 2006, features the numbers of '2007' dressed up as Disney characters with all their trademark clothing and characteristics.  Emmanuel changed this to ten letters and a fitting word - 'Disneyland', to welcome guests as they first arrive, and Alpha Bet You Are was born.

Emmanuel described at the premiere, "These are enormous, magical letters, and we have worked on a choreography with lots of humour. My original idea was that, at the start, you wouldn't understand what was going on - you see lots of huge forms, then you realise that the letters progressively form the word 'Disneyland' in the street - in giant form, since certain letters measure 2.8 metres high!".

The performers inside aren't actually true character performers but largely puppeteers (such as those of Animagique or the new Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade), who have a better ability to judge movement and balance - and to control the movements of the costumes from inside.