WITH COSTUME DESIGNERS ISABELLE ANTOINE AND MALIKA SIF
Our journey through the creation of the brand-new extravaganza at Walt Disney Studios Park continues alongside two Costume Designers. Although they have had the chance to leverage their expertise to bring to life many different projects at Disneyland Paris, they have been particularly inspired by this production. Here is the reason why…
Isabelle, Malika, can you say a few words about your roles and professional journeys at Disneyland Paris?
Isabelle: I have been serving as a Costume Designer at Disneyland Paris for fourteen years. First, I worked as an assistant at the workshop before becoming a fully-fledged Costume Maker – an experience that has been allowing me to deal with the technical and creative aspects of the costume creation process. Today, I imagine costumes that are worn by singers, dancers, and various types of performers during any kind of shows and special events. For several months now, I have been hard at work creating costumes for Alice and her friends from Wonderland, including musicians. I must say that it’s been a fun ride!
Malika: As far as I’m concerned, ever since I was a child, I knew that I wanted to be a Costume Designer. When I saw Beauty and the Beast by Jean Cocteau on television at the age of six, I told myself that it would be wonderful if I could contribute to creating all this magic by bringing costumes to life. I joined Disneyland Paris as a dresser in 1993. Little by little, I moved up to being an Assistant Costume Maker, then a Costume Maker, and finally, a Costume Designer! My professional journey is quite unusual. It is mainly based on self-learning. I do believe that when one is passionate, one can achieve anything! Disneyland Paris is home to more than 500 different professions. Cast Members may start their Disney career in one role and experience several role changes throughout their professional journey. This is truly incredible. My main project as a Costume Designer consists of designing costumes for the Halloween season throughout the year. However, for the Alice & the Queen of Hearts: Back to Wonderland show, I was in charge of designing costumes for the Queen of Hearts and all her sidekicks. Working on this project was a real pleasure, as I love drawing costumes for Villains!
You both seem to be particularly delighted to be working on this project!
Isabelle: Definitely. First, because the atmosphere of this show is so different from the atmosphere of the previous show I worked on, which was TOGETHER: a Pixar Musical Adventure. I couldn’t dream of a more inspiring project! This show is a real pop rock concert that puts the spotlight on a wide variety of personalities. To design the costumes, we not only drew our inspiration from the original animated movie, but we also leveraged contemporary culture trends, which allowed us to bring to life modern and creative pieces. This project is truly unique!
Malika: I totally agree. I’ve enjoyed working on this project even more since we were given way more time to complete it. We actually started in November 2022. Therefore, we were able to think calmly about all of the pieces we were about to design.
How did you come up with Alice’s and the Queen of Hearts’ costumes?
Isabelle: Alice was given a “pop star” and very “cute” personality. Every detail of her costume reflects her kindness. At the same time, she is a teenager who is ready to experience life. To make sure that her costume would reflect this idea, I had to redesign all of its traditional patterns. While the upper part of her costume remains unchanged, the lower part features an outlandish and asymmetrical design with pleats, a combination of materials, flower patches, and petticoats. Alice fully embraces who she is, and this also shows through her shoes that are similar to those worn by young people nowadays. Yet, a Disney touch was obviously added to them! Her shoes also nod to the décor imagined by our set designer Olivier Dusautoir, with grass that covers a part of them.
Malika: For the Queen of Hearts, I drew my inspiration from Disney’s beloved animated movie, which features historical elements such as stiff-bodied gowns to which I added more volume along with disproportionate details since characters need to be seen and recognized from afar. After finding my source of inspiration, I began drawing a costume that is reminiscent of these historical dresses. Yet, I gave it a distorted shape! I also incorporated very modern materials and details such as heart-shaped patterns onto her crown and onto the Marie Antoinette-inspired breastplate that covers her bustier. To bring the breastplate to life, I used pieces of reflective Plexiglas that were colored in shades of red and orange. Thus, when the sunlight shines on this unique piece, it will create a breathtaking effect. I just can’t wait for our guests to discover it! Her outfit is also made up of yellow thigh boots with black stripes as a nod to the barricade tape you can see on American crime shows. This little detail serves as a warning sign meaning, “Be careful! Danger ahead!” Additionally, I left the front part of her hoop skirt open so that her boots could be even more visible. All of these elements give a very dramatic aspect to the character, while making her look glamorous. Her stylish appearance didn’t prevent me from adding some ridiculous details that perfectly match the character’s personality. Thus, her outfit also features puffy sleeves and gloves adorned with nails.
Through these descriptions of their costumes, we can already feel that there’s a huge contrast between both characters.
Isabelle: Costumes mirror the characters’ personalities and contribute to telling the story in the same way as the décor and stage performances. And Alice’s costume stands in direct opposition to the Queen of Hearts’ outfit. It’s not the first time that Malika and I engage in a “costume design contest.” We already “competed” against each other (in a friendly way, of course) as part of another show that was called Disney Pirate or Princess: Make Your Choice! I’ll let you guess which team Malika was in charge of…
Pirates?
Isabelle: You got it!
Malika: I like it when the storyline is based on challenges, and characters and the audience are invited to choose sides.This is something that humans do. Additionally, this is a more subtle way of depicting the good and the bad. I believe that Villains hide many feelings behind their mischievous behaviors. Compared to them, other characters may seem to be bland (she said while giving Isabelle a wink.)
Isabelle: I disagree! Alice has a strong personality, and she proves it through the songs she sings and the costume she wears. You see, Malika and I are already “competing against each other!” (she said while laughing.) We both support two different teams, but the audience will have the final say. We will make sure to pay close attention to the outcome!
How did you come up with the other characters’ costumes?
Isabelle: For the Mad Hatter, I had the various costumes worn by the character on screen in mind, but we really needed to think outside the box and create our very own version! Since I used the same colors as those featured on the costumes from the 1951 movie, the character will wear a green outfit. Yet, since his thoughts are truly… rambling, I imagined a costume based on the contrast between straight lines and curves. While his shoes and jacket feature straight lines, curves embellish other parts of his costume. His outfit is whimsical! As for his hat, I wanted it to look like a thread spool, which is a symbol for milliners and seamstresses! Thus, the top part of his hat is akin to the edge of a spool into which needles can be inserted. Additionally, his costume also nods to measuring tapes. Every detail is obviously distorted to reflect the character’s personality!
Malika: On my end, I mainly worked on the playing cards’ costumes, which are reminiscent of the hip-hop movement, modern society, and gen Z. Their design is based on an unprecedented approach. As such, we’re having a lot of fun!
What measure did you take to make sure that the costumes are perfectly adapted to the various categories of professionals who will be performing on stage, including singers, dancers, and acrobats?
Malika: We take technical requirements into account in everything we do. Our Cast Members’ well-being – whether on stage or in Disney Parks or Hotels – is among our top priorities. When we start designing costumes for a show, we immediately think about the seasons when performances will take place so as to take temperature changes into account. Our performers will wear their regular costumes, along with bodysuits made up of thick materials for winter and thin materials for summer.
Isabelle: When we design costumes, we also make sure to comply with all safety rules. As such, we really paid close attention to the design of shoes, especially when it comes to dancer shoes. The stage on which they will perform is very different from the wooden stages you can see inside theaters. We had to find adapted shoes, since the stage is gigantic. To deliver a lively experience, performers will have to run in all directions! Consequently, to enable them to give their all, we need to take their well-being and safety into account. Thus, we reimagined sneakers, creating extremely modern shoes that mirror the characters’ personalities as well. The term “costume” encompasses all of the pieces worn from head to toe, and we made sure to pay the same level of attention to every detail so that the whole outfits could be perfect, both visually and technically.
Talking about this stage and its décor, can you tell us more about your collaboration with Olivier Dusautoir, the Set Designer for the show?
Isabelle: We met with him several times to discuss the visual aspect of the stage and how we could incorporate all of the costumes into this unparalleled setting. As soon as we embark on a costume creation journey, we need to think about the various interactions that will take place between the characters and the technical elements of the stage. In this show, flowers will interact with some pieces of décor in motion. As a result, we had to work alongside Olivier to incorporate technical elements into the costume design. Everything must be in perfect harmony! Eight flowers will come to life on stage. Each of these flowers have a span of 2.60 meters! In addition to being breathtaking, the created effect fits perfectly into the décor he dreamed up!
Hence the importance of collaborating with your suppliers as well.
Isabelle: We work with companies and talented craftspeople, who notably help us develop materials. Almost all of the materials used for this show were specifically developed to fulfill our unique needs. Our costume design workshop is akin to a research lab. We always seek to try new things by collaborating with our suppliers. Sometimes, the materials we find are perfectly suitable. Yet, there are times when they are not, so we need to come up with new solutions. Being able to work alongside people who are both curious and ready to take up any challenge is so wonderful! I must admit that in France, we are very fortunate to collaborate with partners who do not hesitate to join us on production journeys that are sometimes intricate and extend over long periods of time, but in the end, we always manage to push the envelope, and this is so rewarding! For this particular project, we notably collaborated with the FBG 2211 workshop, a company that excels in incorporating technical materials such as neoprene into costume design and helped us bring to life these awe-inspiring flowers using miles of pleated voile fabric that was sewn together.
Malika: We are always looking for new suppliers. For example, to create the piece of Plexiglas that covers a part of the Queen of Hearts’ costume, we stepped out of the fashion world and called upon the services of a company that designs architectural models using very specific materials. This company was referred to us by our partners from the Bas et Hauts workshop, with whom we collaborated for TOGETHER: a Pixar Musical Adventure. This collaboration was totally unexpected, both for them and for us, but we all enjoyed discovering new things. I found this opportunity to expand our knowledge and work together really fascinating. I strive to involve local companies in our projects as much as possible.
Isabelle: We are very fortunate to be working in such a creative field. For the characters’ hats, we used materials that we had never used before. We worked alongside the Blin & Guilhem workshop that developed unique ways of sculpting some types of foams, allowing us to create the White Rabbit’s incredible helmet-shaped hat and the Caterpillar’s headdress. Through these methods, we were able to give volume to the hats, creating amusing and highly innovative headwear!
Guests will take part in a never-before-seen experience at Disneyland Paris!
Malika: Disney experiences must be accessible to everyone. As such, we always have to find new ways to tell stories. Being open-minded is essential. To me, Alice & the Queen of Hearts: Back to Wonderland is bound to become a successful show that all generations will be eager to come and see.
Isabelle: Matteo embarked us on his creative journey and invited us to challenge the status quo. He allowed us to give free rein to our wildest ideas! I totally agree with Malika – this show pushes the boundaries of entertainment at Disneyland Paris.