23 Questions With Denny Newell

10.30.09 - When Denny Newell was just a kid growing up in San Diego, he and his older sister would argue over who would get to work at Disneyland. "She thought she'd work here as a tour guide because she was interested in languages," Denny remembers. "I didn't know what I was going to do but I said I'd work here." Sorry sis, but Denny took this round of sibling rivalry. The 24-year Disneyland Cast Member is currently Senior Show Director and is the director for Celebrate! A Street Party, Disney's Electrical Parade, A Christmas Fantasy Parade, Drawn to the Magic and Pixie Hollow. Denny, 44, who now lives in Anaheim, managed to find a few minutes in his jam-packed schedule to answer 23 Questions from D23.

"I'd always been a Disney fan," Denny says. "Growing up in San Diego we would come up at least once a year or whenever relatives from back east would come visit. I always looked forward to the days when I'd get pulled out of school to go to Disneyland with an aunt or and uncle."

When did you start at Disney?
I started in 1985 in the Christmas Fantasy Parade when I moved to the area to go to college.

Had you always been a Disney fan?
I'd always been a Disney fan. Growing up in San Diego we would come up at least once a year or whenever relatives from back east would come visit. I always looked forward to the days when I'd get pulled out of school to go to Disneyland with an aunt or and uncle.

What was your favorite show or parade that you participated in?
Probably A Christmas Fantasy Parade — back when it was Fantasy on Parade with 300-plus people. It always had a special place in my heart. And getting to be a chimney sweep in the Mary Poppins unit was a highlight of my Disney career. Another highlight of my performing career was doing the Disney Symphonic Fantasy tour back in 1993. I went out as an assistant choreographer but got to line captain the show and was able to dance many roles and made many friends that I still have today.

You started by working on Christmas Fantasy and you are working on it right now as director. How as it evolved over the past 24 years? It was a lot larger when I first started in '85 but we only ran on weekends and the two weeks of Christmas with one cast. The large parade had a couple titles — Fantasy on Parade and the Very Merry Christmas Parade and then in the mid-'90s we started running five days a week and got a little smaller and became A Christmas Fantasy Parade as we know it now. I've had the opportunity to do almost every creative role — I've been in the parade, I've choreographed the parade and now I'm directing the parade.

What have some of the biggest changes been in the shows and parades over the years?
I think technology has played a big part in the parades and shows. We're always trying to push the envelope of what guests are going to see. We added stilt-walkers for the Party Gras parade, and now we have both boys and girls and the jumping stilts in the Pixar Play Parade. The Parade of Dreams obviously had a lot of technological innovations with the bungee performers in the Pinocchio unit and the web workers in the Lion King unit. We're always looking for the new angle and the new way to present classic Disney stories.

You're directing the stage show that's a part of D23's Candlelight Spectacular. What can you tell us about it?
I can tell you that we are bringing back a classic favorite that I got to direct when we first did it in the park, Minnie's Christmas Party. We're in the middle of the casting process now. We're hoping to get some returning Cast Members to reprise their roles. It's a return to classic Disney character shows. It really is a heartwarming story with six classic Disney characters, two singers and lots of Christmas songs — and snow! And there will be photo locations available for guests to pose with some of their favorite Disney character in their holiday best. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Click here to read about D23's Candlelight Spectacular!]

You've gotten to work with a lot of celebrities. Do you have a favorite story?
My favorite celebrity encounter was working with Julie Andrews. I got to work with her when we dedicated the golden carousel for the 50th anniversary and again when we dedicated it to her when we painted it back. She was just lovely. I got to sit down and chat with her about some of her favorite Disney moments and I will remember that always.

You can't leave us with that! What were they?
I can't tell you [laughs]! She liked to talk about walking through the park with Walt.

Is there a Disneyland Cast Member you worked with who has gone on to great success?
Eden Espinosa [who starred in Wicked on Broadway and on tour and was the voice of the Magical fireworks this past summer at Disneyland]. I got to work with her at many special events. She was a Cast Member in a special event we did for Disney Divas and she got to sing "Reflections." She was ill that day but she was a true professional. She came in and knocked it out of the park. That's one of the moments I knew she was going to move on to greatness.

What's the most over-the-top event you have worked on?
I think the merchandise special events we've done have been the most over-the-top. They're fun because we get to bring to a life a lot of the stories. For example at the Disney Divas event, we got to take the Disney villains and put on a concert a la the Divas Live on VH1. So all the villainesses got a moment to shine. And another over-the-top was Oogie Boogie's Boo-lesque Revue, which was tied to Haunted Mansion Holiday. And we had Ken Page, the voice of Oogie Boogie, to be the host and got to do a fun over-the-top cabaret with the characters from the film.

What's next for you?
I'm working on a new pre-Parade for the What Will You Celebrate? campaign, which will open in January. I'm getting ready for the holiday everywhere. I'm the show director for the Dapper Dans, so we just finished Halloween and we're getting ready for Christmas.

Denny with Julie Andrews. "She was just lovely," he says. "I got to sit down and chat with her about some of her favorite Disney moments and I will remember that always."

Some Disney-fied questions for you… Favorite Disney movie?
I think Sleeping Beauty. Maybe because my background is in ballet and I love the music. I love the way we told the story with the music. I also feel that Prince Phillip is one of the few characters up to his point who has a real character.

First Disney memory?
A trip to Disneyland when I was about six with my grandmother and my aunt and cousins and riding Pirates of the Caribbean with my grandfather and being scared to death because I thought everything was real.

Best Disney theme park attraction?
I'm gonna say the Haunted Mansion. It does such a good job of immersing you in the world.

Favorite Disney character?
Tigger — because there's only one.

What's the most unique Disney item in your home?
I worked on the Mulan parade and the Mushu Great Wall of China dragon has some sculpted warriors on it and I have three of them framed in my home.

Funniest moment working for Disney?
When I was on the Symphonic Fantasy Tour I was nicknamed "The Fall Guy" because at when we performed at the Met in New York I fell down twice in the opening performance. Once during the Beauty and the Beast number, two guys in front of me were doing little hops around a tea cart and they were stumbling. As the line captain, I was going to show them how to do it right. I didn't realize they were hitting the leg of the stage. So I did it and hit it so hard that I fell down. And in the same show at the end of the Mary Poppins number, I had to do a cross behind Mary Poppins and Bert, and Bert put his broom down in a way that it tripped me and I slipped and belly-flopped across the stage. But I did jump up in time for my final pose.

Best Disney villainess?
I like 'em all! Cruella! She's got a flair for fashion. And she's a real person who has those evil qualities and wants to hurt those poor little puppies.

If you could build one Disneyland park attraction, what would it be?
Would build a roller coaster themed to the Monsters, Inc. doors. It is one of my favorite movies.

Disney song title that best describes your personality?
"You've Got A Friend In Me."

Do you own any clothes with Disney characters on them?
I do. I own a retro Mickey T-shirt.

Favorite Mouseketeer?
Annette! I got a chance to meet her and I think she's a great person.

Happiest Disney moment?
I'm lucky to have had a lot of happy Disney moments. I think the happiest is once I have a show up and running, standing as a guest and seeing guests enjoy it. It makes me realize why I do what I do.



By D23's Jeffrey Epstein