How Disney brings America’s Halloween traditions to the world.
In the same way Walt Disney Parks and Resorts introduced Main Street, U.S.A. to Asia and Europe, they’re now inspiring guests from all around the world to experience something else as American as apple pie — Halloween. From a dancing zombie chorus line at Hong Kong Disneyland to a bewitching parade in Tokyo, each year the parks scare up nightmarish spectaculars, wicked parties and hair-raising attraction overlays. These holiday haunts are prompting a global interest in the American celebration, and we think this is the perfect time to catch up with a few Disney cast members from around the world to see how Disney’s fairy-tale landmarks are helping to turn Halloween into an international tradition.
Ten years ago, China had barely heard of Halloween. But when Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005, a ghoulish fall event with haunting effects and shadowy characters arrived with it, one that has continued to grow each year. “Celebrating Halloween in Asia is a relatively new phenomenon and therefore doesn’t follow the longstanding traditions seen in America,” says Laurie Jordan, vice president, Entertainment, Hong Kong Disneyland. “The Hong Kong market definition of Halloween tends to be the ‘scarier the better.’ Trick-or-treating is catching on in Hong Kong and is something our guests enjoy in Fantasyland. However, our Haunted Halloween plays largely to Asian sensibilities with an emphasis on dramatic, ghostly offerings.” A mob of zombies and a treacherous, towering dragon summoned by the evil Maleficent on Main Street, U.S.A. are just a few of the unforgettable spectacles that the park has created to introduce locals to the holiday. And now, the Haunted Halloween celebration has become their most successful and anticipated annual event.
A scene from the new fireworks spectacular Nightmare in the Sky, at Hong Kong Disneyland.
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At Tokyo Disneyland, guests are invited to wear their own costumes inside the magic kingdom for 14 special days in October. Guests parade through each themed land donning their favorite Disney or pop-culture character costumes and creating a park-wide masquerade. The costume party celebration continues at its sister park, Tokyo DisneySea. There, the Mysterious Masquerade, a Broadway-style revue at Waterfront Park, wraps everyone up in the spirit of Halloween with a dazzling performance from Mickey, Minnie, Donald and the rest of the gang.
Disneyland Paris also pulls its skeletons out of the closet once a year. “We wanted to take ownership of a celebration that’s bright in color, packed with fun and creates a reason to visit the resort at a specific period of the year,” says Vicki Schooley-Simon, director, Marketing, Disneyland Paris. While Halloween is not really celebrated in France, Disneyland Paris’ popularity has helped raise the holiday’s profile in the country. “Our celebration has all the same core Disney elements the other parks have, including the character meet-and- greets, decorations and the shows,” Vicki says. “There is, however, one special ticket-only event called Terrorific Night 2 which only takes place at Walt Disney Studios Park.”
Terrorific Night 2, one of the three hard-ticket event soirées created only for Disneyland Paris, conjures up a real scare. Attractions are bathed in ethereal lighting and macabre music as gruesome creatures and monstrous characters haunt the corridors and darkened alleyways of the park. “This unique party [not advised for those under 12 years old] has been developed to offer a scary experience to young adults and adults alike,” Vicki says. She adds that Halloween is becoming more widely recognized in France. “You don’t see the same volume of merchandise in stores or as many decorations around people’s homes,” she says. “But guests know that when they visit Disneyland Paris during the Halloween festival that they’re in for a big surprise.”
And what would Halloween be without trick-or-treating? Each year, Disney Magic and Disney Wonder transform their decks into wicked wonderlands with spooky décor for costumed scavenger hunts, Walt Disney World welcomes little ones for the annual Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and at Disneyland, guests have dozens of ways to eat, drink and be scary. Domestically, Disney Parks’ Halloween offerings continue to grow and extend for longer time periods each year.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse at one of the ticketed Halloween soirées at Disneyland Paris.
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Just as Disneyland Paris added a terrorific night to please its thrill-seeking visitors, Disneyland has also created an experience for a specific set of guests — the local Latino audience. “The Entertainment team has decorated Frontierland with a Dia de los Muertos motif for years,” says Karlos Siqueiros, project manager, Food and Beverage, Disneyland Resort. “And now we are featuring Dia de los Muertos cookies at Rancho del Zocalo using a traditional Mexican cookie recipe. When I first bit into one I was quickly reminded of many happy memories from my boyhood days in El Paso, Texas.”
Anyone who’s ever visited a Disney destination during the fall season has brought back countless memories of costume masquerades, trick-or-treat hunts and howlingly good fun. As spiders, ghosts and celebrations of orange and black creep into Walt Disney Parks and Resorts sites around the world, America’s Halloween traditions, too, crawl into the hearts of millions.
By D23′s Billy Stanek.
