Two Zeuses — Hercules “ Zero to Hero ” Victory Parade
Rip Torn was a hard-living acting legend whose career wound through the works of Tennessee Williams to Men in Black to The Larry Sanders Show . He was also the voice of Zeus in Disney ’ s Hercules . There were two separate Zeus floats of size , one at then- Disney-MGM Studios and the other at Disneyland . At Disney- MGM Studios , the god held a stage from which The Muses belted “ Zero to Hero ”; Disneyland ’ s version of the parade featured a Zeus float made of a multicolored mosaic , with the god wielding a lightning bolt . An impressive showing for an actor most fondly remembered for throwing wrenches at Vince Vaughn in Dodgeball .
Shan Yu Float — Mulan Parade
This surrealist gem was that rare midday parade float celebrating a villain ’ s imminent death , also appearing at Disney-MGM Studios ( now Disney ’ s Hollywood Studios ) and Disneyland . Shan Yu could easily have been a face character , bouncing sadly to the beat . But no . Parade designers made him into a float the size of a bus and strapped a rocket to his back . Bless you , nameless Disney parade designer , for this bold choice we still remember more than 25 years later !
Genie — Remember the Magic / Disney ’ s Magical Moments Parade
Magic Kingdom in the late ’ 90s was a strange yet magical place , during which Cinderella Castle was temporarily redecorated as a very , very , very pink cake . That said , the Pepto Bismol hue provided a beautiful contrast to the ginormous Genie float : big blue arms crossed , watching over Aladdin and Jasmine in their “ A Whole New World ” finery . Typically , Genie is waving , dancing , carrying on . Here , he was large enough to block the sun .
The Fab Five — ‘ Party Gras ’ Disneyland ’ s 35th Anniversary Parade
In 1990 , Disneyland threw a Mardi Gras-themed bash featuring 45-foot tall versions of The Fab Five . Pluto and Donald were perched on drums . Minnie was dressed as Carmen Miranda , complete with be-fruited headwear . Goofy wore an aloha shirt . Mickey kept it classic in his Sorcerer ’ s Apprentice duds . There was also a wildly unnerving jester puppet that rolled its eyes and sang along to hits like “ Hot , Hot , Hot .” If you prefer your dreams unpolluted by motleys , I recommend not looking up his picture .
Maleficent — Festival of Fantasy Parade
All floats bow to her majesty Maleficent , with belching fire , steampunk wonder , deep emerald eyes , and talons . Humans have innate survival instincts , primarily to hunt and gather . I also like to think we have a vestigial fear of big things that could crush and / or eat us . While there may no longer be mastodons with which to contend , I suspect this is why guests stare in awe when Maleficent cranes her neck and lets loose a jet of flame . I stop whenever she crosses the bridge from Liberty Square . My hometown dates to the British Colonial Era ; when she appears , backed by 1770s brick and blue shutters , I ’ m suddenly a child again , waking from a nightmare , needing to peek between the curtains to see if , outside , giant beasts stalk and roam .
PREVIOUS : Maleficent is one of the scariest ( and largest ) Disney parade floats : a 53-foot-long , 26-foot-tall , fire-breathing dragon — but make it steampunk . PHOTO BY JUDD HELMS