In Mickey and the Magical Map, our hero, a mischievous Mickey Mouse, gets into a spot of trouble when he tries to be more than just an apprentice. The sorcerer has been working on a magical painting of a special map that will take dreamers to wherever they can imagine and it’s almost finished. Mickey decides that he can just fill in that one last spot and that’s when he starts his magical journey.
Mickey and the Magical Map takes the audience through a series of Disney films. First we meet King Louie from The Jungle Book. Next was a trio of princesses: Pocahontas, Mulan and Rapunzel. From there we are whisked under the sea with Sebastian. We come back to shore for an animated song and dance from Lilo & Stitch. Then Princess Tiana and her riverboat close the show.
The story structure is similar to Mickey’s Philharmagic across the country at Magic Kingdom, but unlike that attraction, this is a live show. Don’t worry, it’s still in 3D. Rounding out the cast of Disney characters is an ensemble chorus of singers and dancers and a live trumpet player who joins Louis and Tiana.
MMM is a nice addition to the Disneyland park, giving guests an opportunity to see a live show during the day. The only other daytime main stage show currently running is Aladdin at DCA. With this show, Disney also brings a diverse cast, showcasing four princesses of different ethnicities. Whereas Aladdin could have a small audience based on their taste, MMM reaches out to a greater range of viewers.
The Magical Map is the great technology winner of the show, with 35,000 square inches of LED screen surface. The choreography of live action and animation were perfectly in sync, especially as Mickey descends into the painting. To get the best view of the entire map, don’t sit in the front section. Be sure to grab a seat on one of the many rear benches. The close seats are slight obstructed due to the design of the map’s platforms. You won’t miss any of the live performance, but the map won’t line up perfectly between its sections.
Magical Map isn’t intended to be nighttime spectacular. If you’re looking for effects and fireworks, you’ll need to wait until the sun goes down in Anaheim. This show is just a wonderful mix of some of the greatest hits from Disney history.
Magical Map is shown in the newly renovated Fantasyland Theatre. Prior to this show, this area was used as the Princess Fantasy Faire for a Disney Princess meet and greet. You can now meet the princesses over at the new Fantasy Faire, open now and located just to the left of the Sleeping Beauty’s Castle on the old location of the Carnation Plaza. You can also see the tales of Belle and Rapunzel at the Royal Theatre in Fantasy Faire.
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Also nice to see Jungle Book characters get some permanent air time at the park!
And it's cool that the 4 princesses are all diverse, didn't even pick up on that till the end!
Good to see Disney using that theater for an actual show now.
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Thanks for the review!