Disneyland Paris debuted a new daily show, Disney Princess Cavalcade, on Friday at Disney Adventure World, the resort’s recently reimagined second theme park. The procession runs several times a day, year-round, along Adventure Way, the park’s main promenade, which runs along the shores of Adventure Bay, its new lake.
Four Disney Princess characters — Moana, Raya, Tiana and Rapunzel — ride individual floats built around their respective film worlds. The procession begins near the future site of an area planned around The Lion King, travels to The Regal View Restaurant & Lounge, and returns along the same route. Partway through, the floats stop for an interactive segment: the princesses step down to lead brief dance sequences — Moana drawing on Pacific Islands-style movement, Raya on martial arts-inspired choreography — then invite selected guests to join in.
Disneyland Paris says the show took about a year and a half to develop and involved 287 rehearsal hours. Claire Salmon, the cavalcade’s producer, told WDW News Today that her goal was to deliver a distinctive production on time and within budget, and that sending the floats out and back along the same route gives guests two opportunities to see them.
The floats and costumes draw on details specific to each film. Costumes were designed in-house by Disneyland Paris and made in France; the floats were built by a parade-float company based in Nice. Each one recreates a setting from its film — Motunui for Moana, the Heart Palace for Raya, the streets of New Orleans for Tiana, and the Snuggly Duckling tavern for Rapunzel — and carries the princesses’ animal companions, including Moana’s Heihei and Pua, Raya’s Tuk Tuk, Tiana’s firefly friend Ray, and Rapunzel’s chameleon, Pascal. Disneyland Paris says the costuming alone involved roughly 394 feet of hand-frayed fringe for Moana’s kites, about 900 pieces of fabric sewn into the manes of Raya’s dragons, 24 hand-painted feathers for Tiana’s companions, and 13 sculpted ducks on Rapunzel’s float.
Two original songs were written for the show. The main number, “Make My Way,” plays as the floats move; it’s sung mostly in French, with its title doubling as a recurring English-language hook. A second, quieter number underscores the interactive stop. About 50 musicians recorded the soundtrack across sessions in Nashville and Paris.
The cavalcade replaces the Disney Marching Band led by Minnie Mouse, which had performed along the same route since Disney Adventure World’s expansion opened. Minnie will still appear in the area — Disneyland Paris says she’ll wear a new Victorian-style outfit and periodically greet guests near the West Pavilion. It’s the first parade built specifically for the park’s new route since the second gate’s relaunch; under its former name, Walt Disney Studios Park had hosted other processions, including Disney Cinema Parade and Disney’s Stars ‘n’ Cars.
The new cavalcade is the latest addition to Disney Adventure World, which took its current name on March 29 when Disneyland Paris renamed Walt Disney Studios Park to coincide with the debut of the Frozen-inspired World of Frozen area. That same expansion introduced Raiponce Tangled Spin, a spinning ride inspired by Tangled, and The Regal View Restaurant & Lounge, a table-service restaurant themed around Disney Princess characters, both situated along Adventure Way. Disneyland Paris has said a future expansion will add an area themed to The Lion King, along with an attraction inspired by Pixar’s Up.
Disneyland Paris notes that showtimes are subject to change or cancellation due to weather, technical issues or other circumstances.
Cover image courtesy of: Disneyland Paris
