Pixar Play Parade

THis is from the Latest Disney Insider E-newsletter

"On March 14, a whole new adventure will begin at Disney's California Adventure Park. It will be colorful. It will be exciting. And, sometimes, it will be ... wet.

It's the Pixar Play Parade, a whole new parade complete with brand-new floats, beloved Disney·Pixar Characters, and plenty of surprises for Guests. We talked to Senior Production Manager David Miller to get a taste of what to expect, and to see what kind of hard work it takes to create a parade about playing.

"The Pixar Play Parade is all about how to have fun," says David. "The concept takes elements of a child's playground and brings them to life in a way that we have never seen at the Disneyland Resort. We've used swings and jungle gyms as inspiration and made it larger than life."

The floats are nothing short of spectacular, and are loaded with inventive elements. David gives us a few examples. "In the 'A Bug's Life' unit, Flik and Atta play on a Russian swing -- and we have characters we like to call the Swing Dings that have their own type of swing. In the 'Ratatouille' unit, we have rats that are bouncing around on spaghetti. And in the 'Toy Story' unit, Buzz Lightyear sits atop on one of those kids' toys that makes balls pop inside when you roll it on the ground, while Woody and Jessie balance on a teeter-totter. We also have some fun cowboys and cowgirls that are doing tricks on a Tinker Toy that Rex is holding in his mouth. To start the parade, Roz from 'Monsters, Inc.' is making her way down the route spinning her baton and encouraging everyone to 'get the party started' while Sully and Mike follow close behind (and Mike makes the wisecracks you would expect from him). It's all very light, fun, and especially colorful."

Have a favorite Disney·Pixar film? You'll find it represented in this parade -- from "Toy Story," the very first Pixar theatrical feature, all the way to last year's hit "Ratatouille." David says that the entire parade is amazing, but pressed to name a favorite float, he chooses the tribute to "The Incredibles," because "Not only are Mr. Incredible, Mrs. Incredible, and Frozone on hovercrafts, but you also have baby Jack Jack sitting on top of the Omnidroid, shooting fire out of his head! You have to see it to believe it!"

Fortunately, the fire is not an audience-participation element -- but the parade does have its own, very refreshing way to touch Guests. "On the warmer days, there are some very fun water interactions coming from just about everywhere," explains David. But don't worry about getting damp when the weather cools -- on chilly days, the parade will substitute cascades of bubbles instead of the wet stuff. Either way, it's a fun way to put Guests right in the center of the action.

According to David, the parade has been about two years in the making, and has involved a team of hundreds to create the floats, costumes, music, and performances that make it so exciting to watch. And of course, none of it would have been possible without the creative geniuses of Pixar. "Pixar is so great to work with because they really love their creations. The attention to detail is amazing and really keeps everything true to the movie on which the characters were based," David explains. "We look forward to many more collaborations in the future!"

David reminds us that although the floats and effects may be unlike anything we've seen before, it's the people who make the parade. "I want to mention how wonderful it is to work with such an amazing team of people. Everyone is so good at what they do that it's always a pleasure to come and make something amazing that the Guests will love and come back to again and again!"

You are cordially invited to come ... and play along."

When's it coming to WDW?????

Long time down the road since the studio's just got their "old" one- Street Party Bash.