Every evening, join a splendid gathering of classic Disney characters when they invite you to "be their guest" for an enchanting, epic anniversary birthday ceremony around Central Plaza.

As Mickey and all his friends bring a touch of magic and a hint of toe-tapping music to this dignified evening celebration, a sparkling shower of pixie dust heralds the illumination of fifteen glowing candles scattered across the turrets and spires and the Castle.

This magical nightly ceremony takes the popular Christmas Enchanted Fairytale Ceremony and adds a 15th Anniversary flare, for a truly unforgettable, show-stopping Candleabration!

The Show

As daylight fades on Disneyland Park and crowds gather amid a chatter of anticipation, trumpets suddenly flare and echo throughout Central Plaza... a royal fanfare for a most majestic evening celebration!  As the trumpets swell to a magical climax joined by a full orchestra, Mickey appears from Sleeping Beauty Castle and welcomes his guests.

"Hiya folks! Oh gosh, it's swell to see ya!"

"Welcome! Bienvenue! Que la fête commence!"

The 15th Anniversary theme begins, with its swirling opening heralding the arrival of a team of flag artists on stage, dressed in shimmering white and blue with glittering top hats, running in circles with their giant blue drapes flapping in the wind.  To the beat of the ever-building musical score, they cut their flags through the air, from side to side.  With a higher burst of choir and strings into the music, a second team arrive on stage with larger banners to join the choreography, flying the 15th Anniversary symbol across the stage.

As the music fades, Mickey Mouse runs on-stage in a glittering suit of blues and whites.

"You know, the place where magic really lives is inside of us! Just listen to your heart, and follow your dreams!"

The performers drop their flags and grab their hats, for a ballet of traditional dance and movement with an unmissable European touch.  To the grand accompaniment of ceremonious trumpets and brass, the group dance with splendour using their hats as the key in a classic chorus line performance.  Joined toward the end by the first team of flag artists, circling their flags to the dramatic strings of the music, the performers hold their hats high in a circle around Mickey, as trumpets swell and the crowds applaud.

With the grandiose opening number complete, the ceremony can begin!  The anniversary theme begins again, and Mickey passes his hat to a friend...

"You know folks, today is very special day!  Fifteen years of dreams and magic, and... fifteen candles!"

"So keep your eyes open, 'cause this is gonna be one of the most magical moments... EVER!!"

Reaching out his arms and sweeping them across the audience as bells chime and the choir grows, Mickey then turns and points his magic toward the Character Castle Makeover.  One by one, to the beat of the music and joined by a "ping" of magic, each of the fifteen candles is illuminated.  From the three glowing candles of Lumière all the way up to Pinocchio and Dumbo on the tallest spires, the "bougillumination" builds and builds as the castle sparkles with hundreds of strobes and flashes across its spires, leading up a trail of pixie dust to Tinkerbell herself, flying atop the highest spire.

As the performers turn their flags to reveal the words "Happy Birthday" and Mickey stands proudly in front of his magical display, a burst of golden confetti sparkles out of Tinkerbell's wand.  Suddenly, Mickey is joined on stage by the rest of the Disney VIPs, starting with his nearest and dearest, Minnie and Pluto!

"Oh Mickey, it's beautiful! C'est magnifique!"

"Aww Minnie, you're pretty magnifique too! And now, it's time to celebrate our fifteen magical years!"

The opening notes of 'Just Like We Dreamed It' cue the stars to prepare their instruments - Goofy on drums, Donald on keyboard, Daisy on saxophone, Chip 'n' Dale on brass, and Pluto rocking out on an electric guitar!  Meanwhile, at the centre of the celebration, Mickey and Minnie dance to their music and enjoy their Parisian party fifteen years in the making.

With the music coming to an end, the dancers and flag artists surround the stage to dance and clap for a grand finale led by Pluto on his electric guitar.  Mickey and Minnie kiss, twirl around each other and leave the stage to continue their year of dreams, the Castle still glowing with its splendid collection of candles.

"So long everybody, bye bye!  See ya real soon!"

Music

The music of Candleabration is comprised mainly of three key pieces - the opening fanfare and majestic, orchestral dance scores, the 15th Anniversary 'Dreams' theme and finally the song, 'Just Like We Dreamed It'.

The show's opening fanfare and Mickey's top hat dance routine are original creations written especially for the show by Musical Director for Disneyland Resort Paris, Vasile Sirli.  With blasts of strong brass, tapping drums and a swirling, anticipation-building orchestration of strings, the music was recorded in Hungary by 80 musicians of the Budapest Pop Orchestra, who previously recorded the show stop scores for The Wonderful World Of Disney Parade (1998-2007) and Disney's ImagiNations Parade (2000-2001) for Disneyland Resort Paris, amongst other pieces.  The music of Mickey's chorus line route can also be heard in a slightly altered style through the music of Alpha Bet You Are.

The instantly recognisable theme used for the opening appearance of the flag artists and for the "bougillumination" itself comes from the 2003 Universal Pictures 'Peter Pan' live-action film and therefore from internationally renowned film composer James Newton Howard - a Disney name himself with past credits including the scores of 'Dinosaur', 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' and 'Treasure Planet'.  Named 'Flying', the piece was re-recorded by Disney for use in their television commercials for Disney Parks.  Seeking a suitable piece of illuminations music, this popular 'Dreams' theme seemed a perfect fit - not least because it gave some perfect synergy between what guests have seen on television at home and what they see unfold before their eyes in the park.

Finally, the theme song of Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade - 'Just Like We Dreamed It' - gets a final encore for the anniversary year, with a performance at the end of the show with all the Disney VIPs.  The song here, the show stop version of the theme, includes a special encore section at the end itself.

History

An "evening anniversary ceremony" show was first revealed in announcements to travel agents as far back as July 2006, before being fully confirmed to the press later that year with the official French name of 'Bougillumination' - translating as "Candle Illumination".  The English name and a confirmation to shareholders was given in the December 2006 Shareholders Club newsletter, though the 'Candlabration' name chosen for English-speaking guests later become officially spelled as 'Candleabration'.

A piece of concept art for the show, showing the characters with their instruments in front of the illuminated castle, was first released at the 21st February 2007 shareholders' Annual General Meeting.  The concept revealed that the characters would wear their new 'Year of a Million Dreams' costumes recently debuted at the Florida and California resorts, with Daisy also receiving a blue dress not seen across the Atlantic.  The designs for Paris were developed by the resort's lead costume designer Sue Lecash, with the additional instruments of the characters worked into their anniversary blue outfits.

The key inspiration for the show is unquestionably The Enchanted Fairytale Ceremony, a hugely popular show from Disney's Christmas Season.  With the fifteen candles of the Character Castle Makeover under creation, the park sought a show to illuminate the LED display in spectacular fashion.  The reigns fell to show director Christophe Leclercq, who brought new ideas to a castle show such as the dancer's flags - which gradually piece together to form the words "Happy Birthday" - and the ballet of Mickey with his top hat, building a show to both celebrate the magic of Disney and pay homage to Paris itself.

Original ideas for the show called for Lumière himself to have an active presence in the show each night, but as concepts changed, the emphasis turned instead to simply the Disney VIPs (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Chip 'n' Dale and Pluto) and their flag-waving dance partners - not least because they could complete a more complicated choreography than their candelabra friend.

The first performance, a full dress rehearsal, took place at Disneyland Park on 30th March 2007.  This was followed by the spectacular press premiere on 31st March 2007 at 9pm, which featured a reworked show script to introduce Lumière as the master of ceremonies (much like Christophe Leclercq's original vision) and was preceded by a special performance of two songs by Daniel Powter.  A group of fifteen children were invited to the stage and, with the help of Mickey and the Blue Fairy, hold their wishes up to the sky - at which point the face of Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant was filled with their dreams of characters and magic using high-power digital projections.  The finale of the show, featuring the song 'Just Like We Dreamed It', was also joined by an incredible fireworks display to match even those of the 1992 grand opening, choreographed to the song and culminating in an unstoppable burst of over 50 huge golden shells.  Reports and video can be seen here.