#11 "The Not So Scary Mickey's Boo to You Halloween Parade...It's Really Not So Scary"

The Magic Kingdom hosts a Halloween party for the entire family each year. The event celebrates the spooky Halloween season and encourages everyone to dress up in costumes. One favorite of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is the "not so scary," fun parade that occurs twice during the party. This centerpiece of the Halloween party, is one of the best parades that Disney hosts throughout the year at any of their parks. 

Be sure to arrive early to the parade, as the Headless Horseman from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad will make an appearance and open the parade. When the lights are dimmed and the music begins, everyone lining the streets is welcomed to the parade:

"Ladies and gentlemen, bats and ghouls, 

Mickey, Minnie, and all their friends have come together at the spookiest time of year

to say boo to you,

as they proudly present the Not So Scary Mickey's Boo to You Halloween Parade."

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/magic-kingdom/mickeys-boo-to-you-halloween-parade/

The parade features floats and brings together characters dressed up in Halloween costumes from each of the lands in the Magic Kingdom. The costumed characters include:

• Mickey and Minnie Mouse (Main Street, U.S.A) 
• Donald and Daisy, Goofy and Pluto
• Winnie the Pooh and friends
• The Hitchhiking Ghosts, bride and grave diggers from the Haunted Mansion (Liberty Square)
• Peter Pan and Captain Hook, and the Pirates of the Caribbean (Adventureland)
• Clarabelle Cow and the Country Bears (Frontierland)
• The Disney Villains over Fantasyland

This year, the parade added floats for Tomorrowland with The Incredibles, Buzz Lightyear and Wreck-It Ralph.

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com

The parade is meant for the entire family and is very enjoyable. As the music says: "Boo to you and you. It's not so very scary. It's really not so scary." The only part of this parade that may be scary is the Headless Horseman. The younger kids could be a little scared by the Headless Horseman coming down the street without, well, a head on his shoulders.

This is a must-do during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. If you are attending the party, you should not miss this parade - even if you have seen it multiple times. As you leave the parade, you will see children and adults singing "Boo to You" for the rest of the night and on their way back to their hotels. It is a very catchy, fun song that will stick with you. 

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com

If you happen to miss the first parade because you are meeting characters, trick or treating throughout the park or you are on an attraction, do not worry because you will have one more chance to see it. The second parade during the event tends to be less crowded and have better viewing options down Main Street, USA and through Frontierland and Liberty Square.

The next time you are in Disney World in August, September or October, take the time to attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It is completely worth it for the whole family. And when you do attend, look at the parade schedule so you know when to line up to view the No So Scary Mickey's Boo to You Halloween Parade. Remember, the parade is really not so scary. 

"Boo to you and you and you and you.
Happy Halloween!"

TRIVIA

Q: What year did The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad premiere?

https://d23.com/haunting-imagery-from-the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow/

A: 1949

#10 Looking Back: HalloWishes

Celebrating Halloween at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in the Magic Kingdom is unlike any other event. This after-hours, specially ticketed party on select nights in late August through Halloween is a fan favorite. The party includes some of your favorite Disney characters in Halloween costumes, special music and lighting effects, trick-or-treating, access to the rides, and Halloween themed shows, parades and dance parties. The Halloween party would not be complete, however, without a nighttime firework show.

Debuting in 2005, HalloWishes lit up the sky over the Magic Kingdom until 2018. This firework show, hosted by the Haunted Mansion's Ghost Host and the 999 haunted haunts, brought together some of the most memorable Disney villain songs for a spooktacular celebration. 

The show started with 'This is Halloween' from The Nightmare Before Christmas, followed by "scary-oke." The Ghost Host and the 999 haunted haunts dug up these "scary-oke" songs and invited everyone to join along. Some of the villainous tunes included:

• Poor Unfortunate Souls (from The Little Mermaid)
• Cruella de Vil (from One Hundred and One Dalmatians)
• Never Smile at a Crocodile (from Peter Pan)
• The Skeleton Dance (from Silly Symphonies)
• Trust in Me (from The Jungle Book)
• Heffalumps and Woozles (from Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day)
• Pink Elephants on Parade (from Dumbo)
• Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf (from The Three Little Pigs)
• Be Prepared (from The Lion King)
• Court of Miracles (from The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
• Arabian Nights (from Aladdin)
• Oogie Boogie's Song (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)
• Hellfire (from The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

During the show, some of Disney's most notable villains stopped by to join in the celebration. The sea witch, Ursula, had a spell to put everyone in the Halloween mood, Jafar treated everyone to sorcery in the sky, Oogie Boogie kicked it up a notch and no Halloween party is complete without the dark queen, Maleficent, to show everyone how spirited the celebration can be. 

The ghostly gathering ended with a "scream-along," which is their favorite Halloween tradition according to the Ghost Host. 'This is Halloween' kicked off the "scream-along" and the magic began. Perimeter fireworks light up all of the Magic Kingdom, spanning from one end of the park to the other. It was an amazing sight to see and was impressive every time you saw it. 

From the beach at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

No matter where you were in the park, you would see the perimeter fireworks surrounding the Magic Kingdom. They could also be seen from the beaches at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa or from Disney's Contemporary Resort. Many guest staying at these resorts would wait outside for HalloWishes to begin. 

From Disney's Contemporary Resort

The lighting effects on the castle, music and fireworks in the sky were perfectly aligned to this spooky celebration. It was the one night where villains were celebrated in the Magic Kingdom. The show was one of the best and probably one of Disney's top nighttime shows. 

HalloWishes had it's final show in October of 2018 but will never be forgotten. It was a one-of-a-kind show at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Just as HalloWishes ended, so will this post: "Everybody scream! Happy, Happy Halloween!"

TRIVIA

Q: What year was the animated short The Skeleton Dance released as part of the Silly Symphony series?

https://d23.com/this-day/the-skeleton-dance-premieres/

A: 1929

#9 "A long time ago in galaxy far, far away..." - Review of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

The day finally came when you could enter into your own Star Wars story and explore the remote outpost on the Outer Rim of the galaxy. At the end of August, visitors were welcomed into Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios. This immersive land transports guest from Disney's Hollywood Studios to the Black Spire Outpost on the planet of Batuu.

While walking by Star Tours and Muppet Vision 3D in Grand Avenue of Hollywood Studios, you see a large towering concrete wall. As you continue walking up to this wall and through it's tunnel, you are slowly removed from the hot, humid weather of Florida and transplanted into the Black Spire Outpost on the other side of the wall. Once you enter Galaxy's Edge, the rest of the park has been removed from your view. All that can be seen from anywhere in this outpost is the Star Wars land you have immersed yourself into.

Throughout the land there are life-sized ships to see and experience firsthand. These ships will make various sounds, making them feel real. If you take your time looking at these ships throughout Galaxy's Edge, you may see a member of the Resistance sneaking around and trying not to be caught by the First Order. These members of the Resistance will try to fit in with the crowd to lay low and not draw attention from the First Order. There are even instances where you will see Chewbacca or Rey walking throughout the land.

As you make your way past all of the ships, you will enter the Black Spire Outpost. This outpost on the planet of Batuu has shops, interactions with the characters living on this galactic planet, and places to eat and drink. They did a wonderful job creating this area and making guests feel like they are entering a small outpost with characters actually living on this planet. Take your time walking through the outpost to take in the full immersion of the land. Go into the shops, have the food and drinks, and talk with the characters. The more time you put into experiencing this land, the more you will feel like you are living out your own Star Wars story.

The Black Spire Outpost also includes Oga's Cantina, Savi's Workshop where you can build your own lightsaber and the Droid Workshop where you create a droid. While we did not have time to visit Oga's Cantina due to timing, you can hear the music being played inside. It made you feel like you were walking by the Cantina from Star Wars. From what has been said about Oga's Cantina, there are galactic drink and food options specific to Star Wars and the whole experience is immersive. The characters interact with the guests and one another, and members of the First Order will sometimes come through.

If you do not have a reservation for Oga's Cantina, you can still taste the blue or green milk from Star Wars. Right past the cantina is the Milk Stand where you can purchase the legendary blue or green milk that Luke Skywalker has himself. You have the option to get this with or without alcohol, so they are great for the entire family to share.

After making your way through the Black Spire Outpost and enjoying your blue milk, you have finally made it. It is time to set your eyes on the Millennium Falcon! It is truly amazing - the Millennium Falcon is right in front of you. Being able to see the size of the ship with the mountains surrounding it, is everything a Star Wars fan has dreamed of experiencing. When you walk around the ship, every angle is a visual masterpiece created by Disney's Imagineers.

The queue line for the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run provides you with more close up views of the ship. In the line, you will see unique views of the back and top of the ship. Everything in the queue, from the crates to galactic parts being worked on to the Millennium Falcon, makes the time waiting go by extremely fast. As you approach the end of the line, you enter a room where Hondo Ohnaka tells you what is in store next.

It is time to step on board the Millennium Falcon. You are able to walk around the ship while you wait for your turn to complete your mission. When it is your group's turn, everyone will be given a one of three functions: pilot, gunner or engineer. Each of these jobs has a different function to complete while on the ride.

The Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run was a fun, interactive experience as a whole. The queue was spectacular and boarding the ship was breathtaking. However, the ride itself left more to be desired. While it was a lot of fun, the buttons for the gunners and engineers are on the side of the Millennium Falcon. For first time riders, you are constantly looking back and forth between the buttons and what is happening in front of you. It took a little away from the experience. There is a lot of potential that can come from this ride with updates to the scenes and various endings. At this point in time, I may prefer to go on Star Tours because they have multiple ride sequences, that make every ride different. I am not taking anything away from Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run, as it is a great ride, but my expectations going into it were just a little to high.

After completing the ride and experiencing all there is to do in Galaxy's Edge, you can exit the land through it's other entrance into Toy Story Land. But before you go, make sure you walk by the entrance for the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride. At this time the queue has been created and the area looks massive. From everything that has been rumored and said, this is going to be the ride of rides. When this ride opens to the public on December 5th, Disney will have changed the bar for amusement parks rides in not only their parks, but every other park as well.

Disney

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is being touted as the most immersive ride every created. Disney will typically open a land and market that land on all of there park materials. While they are doing this for Galaxy's Edge, they are at the same time promoting Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, building up anticipation for it's opening. This is an unprecedented approach and is building up excitement for every Star Wars fan out there.

Go experience the galactic outpost on Batuu. Take your time walking around the Black Spire Outpost, take in all the sights, sounds and characters. Visit Oga's Cantina and the Millennium Falcon and take a ride on Smuggler's Run. Enjoy the land and immerse yourself in your own Star Wars story. And buckle up because the Rise of the Resistance ride is coming and it will forever change the landscape of rides of Disney Parks.

Trivia

Q: When did Star Tours first open in Disney's Hollywood Studios, formerly Disney-MGM Studios?

A: December 15, 1989