Maleficent Returns to Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade at Walt Disney World Resort 2019
In a signature style befitting one of the most iconic Disney villains, Maleficent makes her triumphant return to Disney’s Festival of Fantasy parade at the Magic Kingdom. And the big rumor is that she’s had some work done – although she would never admit it.
Still sporting her classic Steampunk style, Maleficent returns in full dragon form, complete with new features to keep her in check while on show.
Also making their return to the parade are Prince Phillip; the Fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather; and the mischievous “Ravens” who fly around Maleficent just waiting to do her bidding.
Maleficent brings all of her villainy back to the Disney’s Festival of Fantasy parade – just one part of the daily spectacular where enchanting stories and characters from Fantasyland come to life for Magic Kingdom guests.
The fanciful tribute to Fantasyland highlights several new and classic Disney and Pixar stories on a grand scale. There’s nearly 100 performers – on stilts, swings and flying rigs – donning vibrant costumes in this lively mini-Broadway cavalcade soaring to new heights on Main Street, U.S.A.
The parade features beloved characters from favorite Disney stories – both newer treasures like “Tangled” and “Frozen” to classics like “Peter Pan” “Cinderella” and – of course – Maleficent’s story “Sleeping Beauty.”
Disney Festival of Fantasy parade is part of a new generation of parades for Disney Parks featuring never-before-used technology on eye-popping floats adorned with Disney characters from more than a dozen fairytales. Set to an all-new musical score, the dazzling parade floats soar up to three stories tall with spirited performers donning dramatic costumes crafted at ten different design houses across the country.
The Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade continues a long tradition of classic parades in the Magic Kingdom dating back to opening day more than 45 years ago. Some fun facts:
Parade features a cast of more than 100.
Disney characters from more than a dozen classic stories are represented among nine parade floats
40 additional characters are presented in animated or sculptural form
Performers appear on stilts, swings and pendulums, bringing a kinetic energy to the procession
The Princess Garden lead float stretches more than 50 feet long
The Jolly Roger atop the Peter Pan float flies 28 feet above the parade route
Mickey’s Airship finale float is the tallest float topping out at 32 feet
The trio of finale floats span more than 90 feet along the parade route
Elaborate costumes were crafted by 10 different costume houses, in eight cities, in two countries — including Creative Costuming facilities in both Florida and California.
Some 27 separate custom designed fabrics were designed by costume designer Mirena Rada in collaboration with Creative Costuming Graphic Artist Paul Jordan.
Counting interfacings and trims, it takes 28 separate fabrics to make up one Swing Thug #1 Costume (Tangled unit). His vest requires vinyl to be cut into 75 separate diamond shapes and then stitched onto cool max fabric.
Some pieces, including the Seashell Girl (The Little Mermaid unit) headpiece, were digitally sculpted and then grown to size with a 3D printer.
It takes 30 yards of fabric to make one Seashell Girl costume which includes 12 different colors of Nitex Mesh.
The coral pieces for the Coral Twins (The Little Mermaid unit) were custom designed. They are being hand poured in three separate colors by the artisans of the Creative Costuming Craft Team and baked and finished for 16 hours each in an oven.
The socks worn by the Lost Boys (Peter Pan unit) are custom designs that were knitted to order in Hong Kong.
Minnie Mouse’s Dress and Hat (finale unit) uses 95 gold lame dots that are cut out, “blinged out,” and then sewn on.
The Bubble Girl (finale unit) headpiece is made from three separate clown wigs that are blended together by the Creative Costuming Millinery Team.
Cha Cha Girl (finale unit) – Her wig was designed with 148 yards of horsehair in four colors, that is then rolled, pressed and curled by hand.
The Steampunk-inspired Maleficent Dragon stretches 53 feet from snout to tail and reaches 26 feet in the air.
Disney Parks Live Entertainment team members partnered with Tony Award-winning designer Michael Curry on the development of the Maleficent Dragon.