In recent years, Tokyo Disneyland parades have been the gold standard by which all Disney resort parks are measured. The sheer scale and spectacle amaze millions of guests, who line the performance corridor daily. For much of TDL’s two-decade history, the park has used clones of other Disney theme park parades, such as Mickey Mania and Disney Party Gras as the main 3pm performance. However, in recent years, TDL has established itself as the Magic Kingdom with the best live entertainment. Japanese guests, particularly the annual passholders are huge fans of Disney live shows and parades and used to camp out all day to secure the optimum position (this has recently been outlawed by park management and guests arriving too early are quickly asked to move on). Even specific performers have their own fan base!

The previous incarnation was Disney on Parade: 100 Years of Magic, which was retired late in 2002. Although enjoyable, I found this parade to be lacking in direction and a focused theme. However, Disney’s Dreams on Parade is superior in every department.

Continuing the park’s twentieth anniversary theme, each character has been assigned a “dream�?. Each in turn invites guests to an experience that beautiful dreams are made from, encouraging them to dream their own dreams. The parade opens with Fauna, Flora and Merriweather on a float of Cinderella Castle, welcoming guests into the Kingdom of Dreams and Magic. TDL staff writer, Gregory Smith has written a bouncy, upbeat theme song that is enjoyable, but is recycled constantly, ensuring that it is repetitive in nature.

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