10th November 2007 to 6th January 2008
Bougillumination Enchantée
Entertainment Type
Illuminations ceremony
First Season
NEW for 2007/08 Season
Children 3-7
Children 8-12
Teens/Yng Adults
Adults
Seniors
Viewing Tips
- The Central Plaza Stage has no seating and may have limited viewing, depending on the guests which stand in front of you. Due to the popularity of the show and its performance location, don't expect to get a perfect view - just make sure to enjoy the atmosphere! Arrive at least 30 minutes in advance for a spot nearer to the stage.
- If you have small children, try to arrive early to find a place around the plaza with a clear view - don't follow others and lift your child onto your shoulders, this spoils the view for others behind you! For those without children - before settling on a place, try to avoid parents in front of you who may lift children onto their shoulders.
History
- Since 1992, Disneyland Park has presented a daily illuminations ceremony during the Christmas season. The event began far smaller than the grand production of today, seeing Mickey and Father Christmas arrive in Town Square to light up the Giant Christmas Tree and Lights of Winter, accompanied by the frenetic music of 'Jolly Holiday', today used for Christmas Ciné Folies.
- In 1999, the Millennium Tree Lighting Ceremony made use of a huge Mickey Mouse "glass" sculpture (styled to look like sculpted ice), with a laser beam running the length of the street to the castle.
- A group of Christmas carollers took park in 2001 and 2002, arriving on the small, wooden-styled float later used for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in The Wonderful World of Disney Parade and now used with various overlays for seasonal parades. 2001 also saw the use of a special Magical Christmas Tree Forest on Central Plaza, with extra lights and some snowfall. Scheduled snowfall officially began falling over Main Street, U.S.A. in 2002, timed to the show.
- Major changes began to be made from 2003, when the ceremony was moved to a new stage on Central Plaza featuring a pile of storybooks and a giant, illuminated feather. The show featured only Father Christmas and various pixie characters, illuminating the Lights of Winter and, at the far end of the street, the Giant Christmas Tree. The new Christmas song 'Chante, c'est Noël!' was included, along with a couple of small fireworks to end the show. The edition was a success, but feedback concluded it was too hard to see both the tree and ceremony, being at opposite ends of the street, and that more Disney characters should be included...
- It was 2004 which saw the introduction of the version used as the basis for the current show. Featuring only the Disney princes and princesses dancing around the stage, the star attraction was now the grand illumination of the main turrets on Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant, lit by a real-life Tinkerbell standing on the castle's main balcony. If this wasn't enough, the Giant Christmas Tree itself was moved from its traditional Town Square location to sit right next to the Castle, on the hill next to Le Theatre du Chateau. The show was part of a transition to using the princesses as the main Christmas theme for Disneyland Park's 'Fairytale Christmas', who themselves caused chaos on Main Street each night by arriving in a horse-drawn carriage from Town Square, the princes riding on horses! The show, particularly the castle illumination, was a huge success, but not quite perfected just yet...
- More tweaks and changes came in 2005, with the stage elevated to almost twice its original height, greatly improving the show for all watching, and the addition of more lights across the Castle to now cover almost all its turrets and towers. The show lost one segment of the Princesses' dancing to introduce a far larger additional cast of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Chip and Dale. With the introduction of a stronger storyline, following the Fab 7's preparations for their grand Christmas ceremony, the show now used more traditional Christmas music, along with both the new 'Ring the Bells' song and 'Lumina' illumination score by musical director Vasile Sirli. The 2005 edition was also the first to illuminated the Enchanted Fairytale Chandeliers, which replaced the Lights of Winter arches from this season onwards.
- In 2006, the show returned intact and, for once, matching the previous year's edition. The only major change was the relocation of the Giant Christmas Tree to its rightful home in Town Square, providing a greater balance and symmetry to the decorations.
The Music
- The 'Dreams Theme' used for the illumination of the 15th Anniversary candles is actually a piece entitled 'Flying' from the score of the live-action Peter Pan released in 2003, written by James Newton Howard. The piece was re-recorded with a noticable difference to the original for Candleabration in early 2007.
- 'Lumina' is the music of the illumination moments, a piece written especially for the former Enchanted Fairytale Ceremony by the resort's musical director, Vasile Sirli. It can be found on both the Chante, C'est Noel ! CD Single and as a standalone track on the 15 Ans de Magie en Musique 2-CD Album.
- When the Enchanted Fairytale Chandeliers dance to bells, the score is 'Ring the Bells', a traditional carol and piece of music also written especially for the original show by Vasile Sirli.
- 'Just Like We Dreamed It', the 15th Anniversary anthem written mainly for Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade by Sunny Hilden, is heard at the end of the end of the ceremony, an added finale when compared to the earlier Enchanted Fairytale Ceremony.
|
The fifteen candles for fifteen years of magic are joined by the illumination of the entire Château - a glittering, spectacular Ice Palace. Sparkling chandeliers, banners and the towering Giant Christmas Tree itself complete the fantasy - the most spectacular Disney illuminations ceremony on earth!
Guaranteed to give you goosebumps, the Enchanted Candleabration is a new illuminations ceremony for Disney's Christmas Season 2007/08, effectively joining together the popular Candleabration ceremony for the 15th Anniversary and the succesful Enchanted Fairytale Ceremony from recent Christmas past.
In addition to the regular cast of Mickey's Candleabration ceremony, including Minnie, Pluto, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Chip and Dale, the Central Plaza Stage welcomes some very special, royal guests! Under the starry sky and glittering pixie dust of Tinkerbell, four royal princesses dance a wintry waltz with their princes!
The Show
With darkness cast over the frosty Winter day, a festive overture and the Disney VIPs' very own rendition of 'Tis the Season to be Jolly' heralds the start of La Bougillumination Enchantée -- the Enchanted Candleabration!
Mickey Mouse is Coming to Town
Minnie leads the way to Central Plaza stage, where Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale help to prepare for the arrival of Mickey Mouse and their holiday celebration.
"Hurry everyone, hurry!" Minnie urges, "Oh, do you think he'll like it?"
A medley of Christmas classics follows, with the gang lending their vocals and dance moves to 'Jingle Bells', and 'Santa Claus is coming to town', which soon turns into 'Mickey Mouse is coming to town' as the hosts spot the leader of their gang emerging from the castle. "Oh look, I can see Mickey!" shouts Minnie, "Hurry up everyone!"
Mickey Mouse climbs on-stage to greet his friends, when Goofy gleefully connects up their electrics with a frazzling blast. No problem, Mickey has the whole ceremony planned, starting with the 15th Anniversary commemoration...
Fifteen Candles
"Hello everybody, bonsoir! You know folks, today is a very special day. Fifteen years of dreams and magic, and... fifteen candles! So keep your eyes open, 'cause this is going to be one of the most magical moments ever!"
With a click of his fingers, Mickey casts the castle to darkness, then, in time to the "Dreams Theme", the fifteen candles are illuminated one-by-one with a "ping" of magic. Covering the castle, the flickering orange lights are topped out with a burst of golden pixie dust confetti from Tinkerbell's wand, atop the highest spire!
But, on this night of enchantment, this is only the start... Mickey has some special, royal guests to introduce -- Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora and Belle. The couples step up onto the stage to the opening beats of "One Man's Dream", the perfect accompaniment for a graceful Winter dance beneath the fifteen flickering candles.
More than a little pixie dust...
Mickey continues the ceremony, "And now, I'm happy to welcome a very magical friend -- here she is, Tinkerbell!". "Oh, bonsoir clochette," Minnie calls up to the highest spire on the castle, as the scene is cast into darkness once again for the final illuminations.
Bells and horns blast out along Main Street, as Tinkerbell's pixie dust magically lights the Giant Christmas Tree on Town Square from foot to tip. To a traditional carol and ringing bells, the 26 Enchanted Fairytale Chandeliers, featuring portraits of the four princesses present, are then lit one-by-one in frosty blues, performing a sequence in time with the music.
For one final time, the chords of 'Lumina' strike up to present the grand finale, all eyes now on Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant, its turrets already glittering and sparkling with bright white lights...
Then, piece by piece, tower by tower, in time with the chimes of the music, the castle bursts into light, covered with thousands of lights.
As the music builds and swirls, trumpets blaring, bells ringing and no end of "oohs" and "aahs" from the captivated audience, the first turret lights, then the next, then another... Just when you think the illumination might be complete, another tower sparkles with lights, then another.
Just Like We Dreamed It
As the lights reach right up to the highest turrent, the music reaches a dramatic crescendo and the lights dance to the bells. Then, on the final note, the entire spectacle is lit - towers, turrets, candles, '15' plaque, everything in sight covered with lights.
The Giant Christmas Tree glows with traditional yellows, the Chandeliers a bright icy blue, the 15th anniversary banners sparkling in yellows and blues and, finally, every tree on Central Plaza.
Spectacle complete, the characters dance to their 15th Anniversary theme of "Just Like We Dreamed It", whilst the princes and princesses dance a waltz around the stage below.
Fun Facts
- More than one million lights are illuminated during the Enchanted Candleabration, using technologies old and new - from LED lights to fibre optics, to the old-fashioned filament bulbs of Main Street. Thousands of additional LEDs come from the 15th Anniversary banners and candles for this year's special edition.
- The Ice Palace overlay of Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant requires over 140 metres of LED lights wrapped around lightweight metal frames which encase its turrets, towers and spires. The frames are coloured to the castle behind, from pinks to blues to gold, blending in as much as possible during daytime.
- The Christmas illumination ceremonies of Disneyland Resort Paris, including the spectacular illumination of Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant since 2004, have been such a huge success that the concept has now made its way to Disneyland California, Magic Kingdom in Florida, Hong Kong Disneyland, and, in some ways, to Tokyo Disneyland.
|
RSS Feeds
Book Tickets & Hotels
