Countdown to Disney Starlight: A Look Inside the Final Hours

Magic Kingdom as they make their final preparations before opening night.

“With just one week until its debut, I couldn’t be prouder of what our incredibly talented cast, crew and leaders have achieved,” said Entertainment Leader Frank. “We stand ready to bring Show Director Tara Anderson’s inspiring vision to life — a parade that gives a nod to the past with eyes firmly set on the future.”

For a parade of this magnitude, the choreography process started months before rehearsals began. Choreographer Cindy Wilson began creating her vision last year. After that, she brought together a group of performers and maintenance choreographers to workshops, where they fine-tuned the details, changed movements that didn’t quite work and tested different props.

Once workshops were complete, and the opening team performers were selected, unit rehearsals began. Each “unit” performs alongside one of our Disney characters — Elsa or Mirabel for example.

Here, you see performer Soso practicing with fans representing the waves of the ocean. She will perform alongside Moana when the parade debuts.

 “Though Costuming cast members work behind the scenes and may rarely interact with guests, their contributions are absolutely vital to the magic of Disney Starlight,” said Costuming Leader Danielle. “They do far more than manage laundry and inventory — their attention to detail and care helps ensure every costume on the parade route dazzles night after night.”

Cosmetology is another key team in bringing the Disney Starlight to life. They support the performers in a variety of ways include creating makeup and face painting concepts, building wigs and more.

“As a dancer, the focus is usually on you as the art,” Kelsey explained. “But in parades, you get to get up close and personal with the guests.  I like being able to make eye contact and connections with them from the street. That’s my favorite part.”

Kelsey started her career at Disney as a performer for “Main Street Electrical Parade.” She explained being part of the opening team for Disney Starlight felt very “full circle” for her.

Disney Live Entertainment worked closely with operational leaders to create the costumes for Disney Starlight. The designs had to be both beauitful and functional. They found solutions for common conundrums like how to get the costume on easily and quickly, or how to keep the garments lightweight and comfortable; they also found solutions to unique challenges like how to light up the costumes safely and how to create pieces that can sustain high volumes of wear.

 “Getting outside and practicing is super important,” performer Fiona said. “Not just to test our training but also to understand how the parade naturally travels over the course of 30+ minutes of performing.”

When Main Street Operations Trainer Danielle was a little girl, she visited Walt Disney World with her family. She remembers walking behind the “Main Street Electrical Parade” with her older sister, dreaming out loud about how incredible it would be to one day work the nighttime parades at Disney.

“On my very first day out of training, I couldn’t help but call my sister and cry,” Danielle said. “I got to live the dream we created as little girls.”

“I hope there is another little girl in the crowd who is inspired by Starlight and grows up to become a parade cast member just like I did,” Danielle added.

In total, Disney Live Entertainment created over 75 new garment designs for Disney Starlight, which translates to more than 10,000 costuming pieces created.

“Seeing the performers bring the choreography to life has been incredibly rewarding,” said maintenance choreographer Brandon. “We’ve watched them take what we’ve given them and make it their own — creating their own stories along the way.”