Disney Parks Blog Readers Join Special Celebration of ‘Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular’ at Disney California Adventure Park

Erin Glover

by , Director, Publicity, Walt Disney Animation Studios

Last night, hundreds of Disney Parks Blog readers gathered at the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure park to celebrate “Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular”. The evening began with a private performance of the show, followed by a panel discussion with performers and those who work behind the scenes.

Disney Parks Blog Readers Join Special Celebration of ‘Disney’s Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular’ at Disney California Adventure Park Disney Parks Blog Readers Join Special Celebration of ‘Disney’s Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular’ at Disney California Adventure Park Disney Parks Blog Readers Join Special Celebration of ‘Disney’s Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular’ at Disney California Adventure Park

Fans were excited to celebrate the show and its cast!

Disney Parks Blog Readers Join Special Celebration of ‘Disney’s Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular’ at Disney California Adventure Park Disney Parks Blog Readers Join Special Celebration of ‘Disney’s Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular’ at Disney California Adventure Park

The panel discussion included Shelby Jiggetts-Tivony, creative executive with Walt Disney Imagineering, who oversaw the creation of the show; David Carriero, stage manager; and performers Jim Gruessing (Genie), Billy Kametz (Aladdin) and Cassie Murphy (Jasmine). The panel shared personal memories from their roles in the show and expressed gratitude to the show’s loyal fans.

Don’t miss your chance to see “Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular” now through January 10, 2016, at Disney California Adventure park. And stay tuned to Disney Parks Blog for updates and information on the all-new theatrical production coming to the Hyperion Theater, which will immerse guests in the world of Disney’s award-winning blockbuster, “Frozen”.

Comments

  • Both Aladdin and Frozen are princess movies, and both movies have male characters. I personally know people in reaf-life who believe that Frozen is enjoyable for everyone, not just girls. Like most Disney-animated films, Frozen appeals to all ages, not just little girls. Many people believe this.

  • I agree with Melissa and definitely disagree with Fred. Frozen is not enjoyable for everyone.

  • As far as the movie itself, Frozen is enjoyable for everyone, not just girls. John Lasseter (chief creative officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation) certainly believes this.

    There is plenty of Aladdin merchandise (the focus being princess Jasmine) that is primarily aimed at girls.

  • Primarily, not exclusively. A look at merchandise shows the primary audience. Nearly all the products I’ve seen are meant for girls or sometimes women. I haven’t seen anything meant exclusively for boys or men, though there are a few gender-neutral products such as the hug and hide Olaf.

  • Melissa– Frozen appeals to everyone, not just girls.

  • Thank you for the anectdotes Hubert.

    It’s a shame this amazing show with appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds is going away to be replaced by something that appeals primarily to girls. We were able to finally make our first trip to Disneyland recently and we were blown away by the sets and performances.

  • Thanks to Erin and the Parks Blog Staff for giving us a great event and inside peek into one of the best long-running shows in Disney Parks history. I will miss it – but am excited for new things too. Thanks to the great Aladdin cast, show creators and staff for wonderful entertainment.

  • Can you tell me when and how this opportunity was advertised? I try to be a loyal reader of the blog but did not see the notice. Thank you.

  • Thank you so much for a wonderful and informative evening.

    I wanted to share some interesting anecdotes (mostly from Ms. Jiggetts-Tivony) from the panel discussion about the development of the stage show :

    It was a challenge to cut the story down from a 100-minute movie to a (originally) 20 to 30-minute stage show. Early on, it was decided to focus on the “buddy” aspect of the story between Aladdin and the Genie. The script was designed to bring the two characters together as quickly as possible.

    It was necessary to cut the non-talking animal characters from the story. This included Aladdin’s monkey friend Apu and Jasmine’s pet tiger Rajah. Iago was kept because most of Jafar’s dialog with other characters was false, and the dialog between Jafar and Iago helped show the villain’s motivations.

    Jasmine originally had a larger role in the story. Although her part was cut down, she did gain a new original song (“To Be Free”) written by composer Alan Menken. It was felt that the song was necessary to help audience sympathize with Jasmine’s situation/character. The Carpet character in the stage show was played by a female actor to help balance a cast that was felt to be too male-dominated.

    Originally there was not supposed to be a lot of ad-libbing by the Genie character. Like in the movie, much of the ad-libbing took place in the early Cave of Wonders scenes. As the Genie’s role became larger, the length of the show was extended.

  • I was not able to attend, but it sounds like it was a really fun event! I hope everyone had a good time.

  • Thank you Erin and Disney Parks Blog. My Friends and Family had an amazing time. I know our pictures were taken that night… Would love a copy of some of them with all of us dressed up for the event if possible. Thank you so much for the fun night!

  • This show shouldn’t go away. It’s a fantastic show that has stood the test of time.

  • Thank you Erin and Disney Parks Blog for organizing this amazing event! It was such a treat to attend our own private screening of the show, and then to get to see the panel discussion! My favorite memory of the night was during the show, when Genie cracked a “Disney Parks Blog” joke and said that he would have attended the Meet Up, but he had to work. Thanks again for an unforgettable event!

  • This was a wonderful opportunity to see the show one last time. It was a special night and I was happy to attend it with my parents, as we were also celebrating my dad’s birthday. They had the best time and loved the genie especially. Thank you, Erin!!

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