On 10 February 2016, Disneyland Paris will unveil an all-new show on the stage of The Chaparral Theatre*, where Disney heroes and heroines will celebrate nature in a way that has never been seen before. This show, in the purest tradition of musical theatre, will be the opportunity for Guests to encounter the Disney Characters at the heart of an enchanted forest filled with surprises. The spirits of the forest will invite guests along on an extraordinary trip with catchy, feel-good rhythms, announcing the imminent arrival of spring.
A world exclusive, Disneyland Paris will offer its Guests the opportunity to discover The Forest of Enchantment: A Disney Musical Adventure. Created in the spirit of Broadway musicals, this all-new show will be performed from 10 February to 8 May 2016 at The Chaparral Theatre located in Frontierland in Disneyland Park.
A Disneyland Paris original creation
The Forest of Enchantment is a Disney musical adventure exclusive to Disneyland Paris. The story of this brand new musical takes place in an enchanted forest where merry spirits of nature celebrate the most wonderful Disney stories. Narrated by a storyteller and through various scenes, the show reveals the secrets of the forest through the stories of Pocahontas, the Jungle Book, Tarzan, Rapunzel and Brave.
In this show, Disney Heroes pay a heartfelt tribute to nature and the world of the forest. In turn, Pocahontas and John Smith, Baloo and King Louie, Tarzan, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, not forgetting Merida, appear on stage to give a live performance of the legendary songs from their films. A Disneyland Paris original creation, The Forest of Enchantment reunites everyone’s favourite Disney Characters on a single stage.
This enchanted forest is also inhabited by amazing and joyful creatures who guide the audience through the different stories. Singers, dancers and aerial acrobats energise this unprecedented show. The scenery also forms an integral part of the show: it changes over the course of the stories, brought to life by the spirits of the forest, encouraging the audience to discover new worlds as though they were turning the pages of a pop-up book.
Christophe Leclercq, the Show Director, wanted to create a special atmosphere where Guests will be immersed in the heart of an enchanted forest. The choice of The Chaparral Theater, in the heart of Frontierland, is therefore no coincidence: “We wanted to offer a story with strong links to nature and the forest. And the Chaparral Theater was very quickly decided on as the ideal venue”.
Music takes a prominent place in The Forest of Enchantment: A Disney Musical Adventure. “The most famous songs from the films are part of the show. But we also wanted this performance to feature original compositions, written in the spirit of Broadway musicals,” says Christophe Leclercq. Performed live, the show’s songs take the audience to a world of joy and enchantment.
A creative team combining talent from New York, Los Angeles and Paris
To put on this new musical adventure, Christophe Leclercq surrounded himself with talent from Broadway, Los Angeles and Paris. When designing the scenery with Yves Ollier, Set Designer, he was inspired by pop-up books, where each page in turn reveals new surprises.
It was therefore quite natural for him to turn to Mathew Reinhart. Based in New York, this writer and illustrator has made pop-up books his speciality. His involvement in the scenery design resulted in an open book bringing all the true glory of nature to life.
The music was wwweloped by Vasile Sirli, Music Director for Disneyland Paris, in collaboration with Gordon and Lisa Goodwin. This couple of famous American composers from Los Angeles and winners of a Grammy Award, wrote the show’s original song, faithful to their “Swing Jazz” style. They also re-arranged the better-known songs from the Disney cartoons that will be performed in the show.
The spirits of The Forest of Enchantment: A Disney Musical Adventure represent allegories of nature and move around the storyteller and the Disney Characters. Their movements have to reflect those of the animals or plants that inhabit the forest. The choreography and acrobatics were entrusted to Caroline Roelands (choreography), Florence Delahaye (aerial choreography) and Yohann Benhamou (acrobatics). These three artists have participated in Off-Broadway and Paris musicals and in Cirque du Soleil shows.
The Forest of Enchantment: A Disney Musical Adventure thus combines all the know-how of both Disneyland Paris and international artists, resulting in a truly unique show.
From 10 February to 8 May 2016, The Forest of Enchantment: A Disney Musical Adventure will be performed 5 times a day, 7 days a week at The Chaparral Theatre in the heart of Frontierland in Disneyland Park.
