Since February 10, visitors to Disneyland Paris have been able to enjoy a colorful musical experience, with the new daytime show “A Million Splashes of Colour”. A true celebration of Disney and Pixar animated films at the heart of Disneyland Park. We went to meet the dancers who bring this show to life every day, to follow them in their preparations and discover their daily lives for a day.
Every morning, the dancers head backstage to the park’s rehearsal studio. We share their positive energy, their joy at being together again for this show, and the motivation of the teams, ready to share this colorful, joyful and lively new experience with visitors.
In the studio, music blares from the speakers. The warm-up begins, the dancers line up in front of the huge mirror and follow the stretching exercises guided by the dance captains.
At the end of the warm-up, the show’s music begins: The Future’s Starting Right Now. It plays a central role in the show and sets the rhythm for this celebration, combining both the original music played as the floats move, and the mashup of many iconic Disney and Pixar songs played during the part of the show that takes place at the foot of the castle. Under the watchful eye of the dance captains, the dancers perform their dance steps in the correct positions. The rehearsal room is full of smiles and energy.
As they rehearse the choreography for the show, the dance captains take turns analyzing the execution of the choreography, fine-tuning placements and movements if necessary, and then the set-up is completed.
The dancers then move on to the various stages of preparation, starting with make-up. Each dancer receives an example of the make-up he or she is to apply on their own. There are several examples to suit the dancers’ level of make-up experience. Everything is put at their disposal in a room dedicated to cosmetology.
Florian, a dancer, takes the opportunity to chat with us: “I’ve already taken part as a dancer in a show at Disneyland Paris last year, it was Mickey and the Magician“, “Disney is a world I’m passionate about, I love working here and I’m really happy to be here”.
Once the make-up has been finalized, it’s time for the dressing-up. Everything is precise and timed so that everyone has time to prepare in the best possible conditions at every stage. Aided by the dressing teams, the thousand-colored dancers appear in their new costumes, specially designed for this parade.
They’re ready to go!
It’s time for the first announcements in the park: “Be ready to tell a million stories. Because the future is starting right now”. All the teams working on this show are ready! The show can begin. The first dancers open the dance, rhythmic music and colorful floats. The floats take off down the iconic avenue of Disneyland Paris: Main Street USA.
Arriving at the foot of the castle, the dancers take to the various stages, opening up the dance floor to the various Disney and Pixar characters taking part in the celebration. Dressed in their colorful new outfits, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy take part in the festivities in Central Plaza, along with many iconic Disney and Pixar characters such as Joy (Inside Out), Timon (The Lion King), Moana (Moana, the Legend of the End of the World), Mirabel (Encanto) and the new Disney heroine Asha (WISH – Asha and the lucky star).
The fountains dance and the magic happens around the various scenes featuring the characters and dancers who move around Central Plaza, all interacting with visitors.
The show continues up Main Street USA to Town Square, where the dancers leave the park in a final exchange with visitors.
The day ends for the dancers after 4 performances during the day.
For each performance of A Million Splashes of Colour, a cast of 12 dancers accompanies the 3 floats and 18 Disney and Pixar characters. As a reminder, the first performance of the show took place on February 10 and will be played every day at Disneyland Paris until September 30, 2024 – subject to favorable weather conditions.
To find out more about this colorful season: click here