Image belongs to Blake's family.
Magic Kingdom’s high-energy street cavalcade brings classic characters and today’s music to Main Street.By Blake
Originally posted January 1, 2010.
The new Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party debuted in February 2009 in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida. An addition, rather than a substitution, to the regular 3pm afternoon parade, Move It! Shake It! certainly isn’t the traditionally-styled precession that Disney veterans are used to. Similar to Block Party Bash over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Move It! Shake It! incorporates current music with favorite characters and giant parade floats to give off a celebratory mood and invite guests to celebrate all sorts of occasions.
The parade begins in Town Square and proceeds directly down Main Street (rather than circling around the flagpole like other parades), heads towards Cinderella Castle, and stops in the “Hub” (the plaza at the end of Main Street, where the Partners statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse is located). As the floats roll down the street, the Hannah Montana song “Pumpin’ Up the Party” fills the air, which ordinarily probably isn’t the first song that comes to mind when thinking of a Magic Kingdom parade. Here, though, it works very effectively to set the mood for what’s to come.
The parade includes one lead float consisting of oversized party hats and four additional floats that are shaped like huge gift boxes. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and an energetic performer who acts as our host for the show ride aboard the opening float, while other favorites (such as characters from
The Jungle Book,
Toy Story,
The Incredibles, and more) are on the following floats. Dancers and stilt-walkers proceed down the street between floats.
Chip and Dale join in the party. Image belongs to Blake's family.
Once the parade stops up at the Hub, the host begins a celebration roll call, listing different types of festivities (such as birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, first visits, etc.) and inviting guests celebrating those occasions to cheer. After that, a few surprises are in store and the show’s opening number comes to a climax as another Miley Cyrus tune, “Breakout,” begins playing.
For the duration of the show, guests are invited to fill the street and dance along with the characters to fairly-current pop songs, including “I Like to Move It,” “Move It Like This,” and others.
If you want a guaranteed chance to dance with the characters, make sure to pay attention to the host. As soon as he says it’s ok to head into the street, GO. (Just remember to be safe, WALK, and make certain that it IS indeed ok to leave the sidewalk.) Once everyone else catches on, it can get pretty hectic; tracking down one particular character in the crowd could get pretty difficult. That being said, the characters are sure to move around a bit, so as to not stay in one place for the entire show and attract a large crowd of fans. Also, know that they aren’t there to take pictures and sign autographs, they’re there to dance with guests. If you want to dance with Mickey, you might be out of luck; I noticed that he didn’t get off his float until the very end. (Smart move – he would’ve been mobbed!)
As far as seating goes, it’s not necessary to stake out a spot super-early like it is for the regular 3pm parade. Arriving 5-10 minutes before showtime should allow plenty of seating options. I would recommend watching from “inner” part of the Hub, right near the Partners statue. To be specific, if the Hub were a donut, find a spot in the donut hole. This decision will go in your favor for several reasons: first off, since the parade surrounds the “donut hole” in a complete circle, you’ll be able to take it in all at once, resulting in an extra-immersive experience. Additionally, being on the inside of the Hub will allow you to move quickly to a different float area if you want to. You’ll be able to shift to a different spot if you’re not initially around characters you’d like to dance with.
Something very unique about this parade is that because its location is in the circular area of the Hub, it really does feel like one huge party. The characters frequently talk to each other across different floats, something that isn’t possible when the entire parade is in a long straight line. The con to being in a circle is that it might seem more crowded than it really is once guests begin to fill the street.
This party-themed atmosphere is so effective that almost everyone in the area can’t help but join in on the fun. As I waited for a family member to finish receiving a magical haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop (located just outside of Main Street’s parade gate) and Move It! Shake It! began, nearly half of the guests waiting patiently in the Barber Shop rushed outside to see what all of the commotion was about. Soon enough, everyone was clapping along with the beat and ready to party. Looking around, nearby Cast Members were enjoying the fun, too. Even the characters greeting guests in Town Square got in on the act – Pluto waved to his pal Mickey, while Daisy blew a kiss to Donald.
Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! begins in Town Square. Notice how the performers are all-smiles and dancing from the moment the parade gate opens. Image belongs to Blake's family.
A factor that might not be a major issue now but could spell the end of this parade in the future is its song choice. Although the tunes are current and hip now, many of them are likely to become very dated very fast. Move It! Shake It! is expected to remain at Magic Kingdom through 2010 as the “Celebrate Today” theme continues with the
volunteering promotion, though after that it might be time to say goodbye. Some shows, however, have lasted beyond their initial themed years, such as
Dream Along with Mickey (which was introduced as part of the Year of a Million Dreams in 2006 and is still performing daily), so we’ll just have to wait and see how long Move It! Shake It! lasts.
The Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party, although quite drastically different from a typical Disney parade, is a fun, immersive experience that adds even more celebrating to a party-filled day in the Magic Kingdom. Although many people, including me, thought that Disney was implementing another cutback when the Main Street Family Fun Day Parade (the predecessor to Move It! Shake It!) was discontinued in September 2008, now I can embarrassingly and quite happily say that I was quite wrong. Move It! Shake It! is a major upgrade to the Family Fun Day Parade rather than a cutback, and is a very welcome addition to the Magic Kingdom’s lineup of entertainment. Although the show can get a bit hectic at times as guests crowd the streets and dance along with the music, if you keep track of everyone in your party and enjoy the celebration, you’re in for quite a fun time.
How do I rank Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party? (
Bolded is my choice.)
- Aaah!
- Blech
- Not good
- Good
- Very good
- Brilliant
Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party will most likely please: Kids (ages 5-7) - Older Kids (ages 8-10) - Tweens (ages 11-13) - Teenagers
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By Blake; posted January 1, 2010. All images belongs to Blake's family.
