Disney on Parade (partially found Disney multimedia arena shows; 1969-1974)

Poster for the First Edition, 1969-70.

Status: Partially Found

Disney on Parade was a series of touring live arena shows based on Disney's popular films and characters. The shows were produced by NAWAL Productions, a joint venture between NBC (National Broadcasting Company) and Walt Disney Productions, with Disney being the creative partner. The first edition of Disney on Parade premiered in December 1969, with subsequent shows touring the U.S. until 1974, and internationally until 1976. These shows are generally seen as the forerunners of the popular Disney on Ice shows.

Information

Each "edition" of Disney on Parade, four in all, was a multimedia show that toured in arenas throughout the United States and around the world. They utilized a blend of costumed characters on a stage, film clips of Disney movies and cartoons projected onto a circular movie screen, and pre-recorded music and voices. The shows' major acts were extravagant productions based on beloved Disney classics, with minor acts in between them being musical or comedy bits featuring characters like Donald Duck, Goofy, and Herbie the Love Bug.

Productions

Name	Toured from	Major Acts	Leads
First Edition	1969-1970	Alice in Wonderland The Jungle Book Cinderella Dumbo There are two different versions of this production; the during the U.S. tour, changes were made to shorten the runtime and reduce the number of props to be shipped between cities, yet retain quality control; these included recasting performers and rearranging or removing some of the acts, including one based on Peter Pan.	Partially Found - A one-hour television special, taped during the Australasian tour, was broadcast on NBC in 1971, and two recordings from Disney Channel reruns have surfaced. Black-and-white newsreel footage from the U.K. tour also exists.
Second Edition	1970-1972	Pinocchio Fantasia Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	Partially Found - The aforementioned TV special was modified in 1998 to include a promotional film of highlights from this edition. A reel of news footage promoting the show's run at Madison Square Garden (Aug. 3-29, 1971) has also surfaced.
Third Edition	1972-1973	Winnie the Pooh The Aristocats Sleeping Beauty The Three Caballeros	Partially Found - A commercial for the show has surfaced, though it's incomplete and plagued with artificial zooming. The opening number was staged live during the 1972 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but the only known footage is very brief due to having been recorded during an instance of "channel surfing".
Fourth Edition	1973-1974	The Further Adventures of Pinocchio Bedknobs and Broomsticks Mary Poppins	Partially Found - A commercial for the show has surfaced, as has a promotional film featuring highlights from the show.

Gallery

A commercial for the Fourth Edition, 1974.