Tokyo Disneyland Halloween
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The purpose of the tour was to enlighten the small group about the history of the festival itself, whilst pointing out the true meaning of the various decorations. The Tour winded its way through the castle, where another Host appeared with a rolled-up scroll. The English manuscript was translated and read out loud to the group. It was an invitation from the Pumpkin King himself to see his latest handiwork in the Haunted Mansion at the end of the tour.The Host repeatedly pointed to my teeshirt, which was emblazoned with Jack and the Disneyland Haunted Mansion Holiday image.

Next, we took a turn towards Frontierland. Here, every porch and roof was festooned with those playful ghosts, this time in various Western outfits (including cowboys and indians). My personal favourite was the wooden carving of Henry, the immaculate host of the Country Bear Jamboree above the marquee, whose head was encased in a similarly shaped pumpkin! The figures convey a considerable amount of action, humour and emotion by becoming fixed in highly expressive positions. The sheer whimsy of the decorations cannot but help bring a smile to your face. As we ambled towards the Mark Twain dock, another Host was waiting.

This time she had a special giant sack, but she was not prepared to open it and distribute the contents until each guest had answered a question about Halloween. Upon completion of the task, we each received what appeared to be a black cloth, imprinted with the TDL Halloween logo in garish orange in a plastic bag. Ripping them open like kids at Christmas, a few gasps were expelled as the cloths transpired to be giant black capes! We were instructed to put them on around our necks, despite the sweltering heat.

Continuing on, our party reached the gates to Toontown. Instead of the cartoonish pillars painted in primary colours, three giant carved pumpkins had enveloped the supports, looking much like totem poles.

Each has a particularly mischievous expression on their face as they welcome you to this land. Just inside the entrance, another display is planted in the soils. This sculpture sees three vagabond pumpkin men singing from a music stand. Throughout Toontown, cheeky ghosts and some rather unusual scarecrows could be found. Embedded in the front lawn of each of the 4 homes is a scarecrow closely resembling the property owner. Mickey’s scarecrow is complete with sorcerer hat whilst Minnie’s crow chaser is complete in her trademark polka-dot dress (and it even strikes a remarkably accurate pose).

Our Host led us towards the exit to Mickey’s House, where another Host was present, this time with another magic sack. This time, the group had to practice their greeting to Jack. The men had to make a sweeping low bow and the women a graceful curtsey. On this occasion, the contents were another accessory to our costume, being black hats. Now fully dressed, it was time to finish the tour with that infamous Halloween attraction. Suffice to say, the attraction has some new Steve Davison-designed features for this Walt Disney World clone. However, that is for another time.

Although the tour was over, there was still one special gift left. This was a special shaded parade viewing area opposite the Jamboree in Frontierland.

This perk has become a treasured benefit to the seasonal tours, as on most days towards the end of the year, the 1 hour wait policy for the parade is firmly parked, as guests flood into the park at opening and race through World Bazaar to find their spot. Disney enthusiasts will even stay in that same location all day in order to see the five daytime performances (namely 2 Halloween Parades, 2 mini-parades called Trick or Treat and sandwiched in between the former 20th anniversary offering, Disney Dreams on Parade).

The parade itself only changes fundamentally every few years and so the 2004 version is nearly identical to that presented last year, except for changes to costumes. This year, Mickey and Minnie are dressed in the traditional orange and purple that is so dominant at TDL in October, but the theme is that of Trick or Treat. Mickey’s pockets are actually partially unwrapped chocolate bars and his bowtie has morphed into a boiled sweet wrapper! Donald is a snake charmer, replacing his traditional sailor hat with that of a colourful turban and Goofy takes on the image of a scarecrow, with straw and corncobs poking out from his sleeves and a smiling pumpkin on his head!

The parade is kicked off with refrains of “This is Halloween�? from Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, as a nod to the Mansion makeover. The only new float for 2004 sees a giant marionette Jack and Sally greeting the audience. The Mayor holds court over the front of the vehicle, his head ever revolving. The performer costumes were particularly stunning this year, with comical bats as bowties and highly exaggerated masculine lines for all, with the men and women decked in coattails. Our viewing area was directly alongside the Nightmare and Mickey/Minnie floats for the requisite show mode.

For this season, the show mode is particularly interactive, with dancers vigorously encouraging all guests to participate in various movements. The music is more light-hearted and high camp than in previous years, but still suffers from the same problems as all TDR themes, namely being highly repetitive. Overall, the parade is vastly entertaining and typical of the high quality expected from Tokyo Disneyland.

Due to an approaching typhoon, Lindsay and I also experienced the rainy day version of the parade, led by dancers in orange raincoats and umbrellas. Only the giant Mickey pumpkin float is used, providing shelter for a handful of the Fab 5. A selection of performers and the ubiquitous monkeys follow behind in the covered comfort of the omnibus. In addition, the park performs a short Trick or Treat parade, featuring Mickey in a vampire costume, peering down from an elevated platform. The presentation recycles the 2003 Halloween theme.

Although there are no specific shows at the park for Halloween, a ticketed Trick or Treat show is presented on the small stage that is nestled in the trees between Central Plaza and Adventureland. In addition, the World Bazaar band is adorned in bright orange uniforms for their performances.

In conclusion, I find it no surprise that Halloween is rapidly catching Christmas as the most popular season at either Paris or Tokyo. The enthusiasm from the guests is contagious and seeing kids and adults alike dressed as their favourite Disney characters (all to receive a special sticker that reads “Special Disney

Guest�?) is a sheer delight.

In future articles, Lindsay and I will be covering Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare at Tokyo Disneyland, Style!, the parade for the Tokyo DisneySea festival entitled Dramatic DisneySea and both Halloween and the new Christmas season at Disneyland Resort Paris. Happy Halloween to all our LP family!