By: InspireDiva
One of the many great things that I love about Disneyland is all of the different forms of entertainment. They have a little bit of everything. Everyone knows about the parades and the fireworks shows- which are absolutely amazing! But they also have live music and some really awesome shows.
One of the things that our family has done the last few times that we have visited Disneyland, is to try and do something that we have never done before every day that we are there. This is how we ended up seeing Mickey and the Magical Map.
We have never really been interested in going to the shows, we would just try and cram as many rides in as we could into our day.
We found ourselves seated in the Fantasyland Theater with some popcorn and some cotton candy, not sure what to expect. Within minutes we were completely sucked in. The show centers on Apprentice Mickey who wants to become a map maker. You get to tag along as he goes on his magical adventure as he tries to paint a dot that doesn’t wish to be painted.
You meet Mickey the Apprentice Map Maker who wants to become a map maker. He wants to prove himself so he decides to finish the map. What could go wrong? Right? As he tries to paint the unfinished spot on the map it comes to life and jumps off the page. The map is of course magical and starts swirling and it takes you off into the jungle. Where you meet King Louie the king of the swingers as he sings “I Wanna Be Like You”.
Before you know it you are back from your jungle adventure. Mickey continues trying to paint the spot and the spot continues to evade him as they try painting each other the spot and Mickey again travel by map to another amazing place.
Here you meet Pocahontas as she sings “Just Around the River Bend” and she is joined by Mulan who sings Reflection’s. They stand on a backdrop that starts with a flowing river and as flows it is joined by a blossoming cherry tree and as the blossoms gently fall, they are suddenly beautiful floating lights as they are joined by Rapunzel singing “I See the Light” she is shortly joined by Flynn and they continue the duet together. (This is easily my favorite part of the show.)
During this part of the show my 16 year old daughter got so excited, she absolutely loves both Pocahontas and Mulan and she hasn’t been able to meet them since she was really young. But when Rapunzel and Flynn came out she was so happy she burst into tears. Magical.
Mickey and the spot are again transported back. As Mickey continues the chase the spot eludes him and again they are transported and this time they go “Under the Sea” with Sebastian and friends. (This song never fails to make you want to join in I think it might be required and of course we couldn’t help ourselves.) The best part of this adventure are the loads of real bubbles that fall from the ceiling and the dancing bubbles. That’s right dancing bubbles! They have 2 dancers that dance with and inside of a giant bubble like balloon. It is really cool and definitely something I have never seen before.
They are back again and Mickey is more determined than ever. He finally traps the spot and then realizes that the spot just doesn’t want to be painted and as he learns this lesson they take another trip to Hawaii and you get to go on a Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride with Stitch and friends. Riding and tumbling trough the crashing waves.
This part of the show brought the biggest smile to my 13 year old boys face since Stitch is his number one favorite character and has been since he was about 2 years old. We were singing and dancing along with the familiar songs and having so much FUN!
They return in time for Mickey to get caught red handed but he has learned that the magical map will never be finished and that it will always change. There are endless possibilities when you use your imagination.
Mickey finally gets his wish and the show concludes with a final number that takes you down to New Orleans and Tiana sings “Dig a Little Deeper”. Then as ribbon confetti falls from the ceiling the show ends and you think to yourself maybe we should watch it again.
Diva Tips:
- If you want a seat close to the front get there 30-40 minutes early. The best seats always fill up fast.
- If you want snacks you can get them from the Troubadour Tavern which is right outside or make a stop along the way and grab whatever mouthwatering Disneyland snack you’re currently craving.
- Keep your iPad to yourself. Just enjoy the show. Everyone else wants to see it too!
- Get into the show, sing and clap along. You get the experience you choose. The more you get into the more fun you and your family will have.
- Hang on to the magic. There is nothing in the world better than watching your child’s eyes shine with pure joy. Magical moments are what Disneyland does best. Whether you capture it on camera or just hold that memory close to your heart. Take the time to make some while you’re there and just enjoy.
