Ultimate Guide to Disney Junior Live On Stage
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is currently undergoing some major construction, reconstruction, and refurbishments all set to be finished for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary in 2021. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a new Star Wars themed hotel, and the first-ever Mickey Mouse themed attraction will join the brand-new Toy Story Land, completing a long-awaited overhaul of the tiniest and least-attended theme park. If you visit the park tomorrow, unfortunately none of these amazing refurbs will be complete, and like me, the current lineup of somewhat dated attractions are what will fill your day. On my most recent visit, a little tired of the same old same old, I challenged myself to find an experience I’d never done before. Enter: Disney Junior Live On Stage.
Come Join the Party!
Since childhood, I’ve been a religious Disney Channel watcher. I even remember when Disney Channel split and a Disney Junior channel was formed, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has been my Saturday morning go-to since I discovered the stellar combo that is a massive bowl of cereal and cartoons. Since I’d never seen the show before, I headed into the theatre and was ready to experience Disney Junior Live On Stage!
Everyone is invited to sit on the floor in front of the stage as a host comes out and introduces the sensational 6- the members of Mickey’s Clubhouse. The plot is immediately identified: it’s Minnie’s birthday and the gang needs to pull of a surprise party…and fast. Without further ado, we are off on our first adventure! Sitting in the theatre, I looked around at my fellow audience on the first break to find that most were under 3 years of age.
The audience was a tad louder than what you’d expect at a traditional show, yet the pacing and spacing of the musical numbers with the dialogue succeeded in holding everyone’s attention so well that I quickly forgot I was in a room of toddlers. At this very early stage in the show, I knew that any child 6 or younger should not miss this show.
Puppetry
Before we go on, a rundown of the show’s set up is in order! While the host is a human, every other character in the show is portrayed in puppet form! Trained puppeteers sit below the stage and masterfully control the puppets’ interactions and movements through the show. Have you ever seen Jake and the Neverland Pirates or Sophia the First?
The design of the puppets is so in line with their animated counterparts that the preschoolers and children that made up most of the audience were convinced from the get-go that they were looking at the actual characters! Though the overall tone of the show was…shall we say…a little ‘young’ for me, I honestly enjoyed watching the great puppetry work!
Off to Neverland
After the initial set-up at the Clubhouse, the scene quickly shifts to Sophia the First’s kingdom, and it was then that more adorable and energetic puppets are introduced to the audience! Sophia and her friends all look exactly like they do in the famous cartoon, and the kids all around me were absolutely enthralled by the magical indoor snowfall made possible by Sophia in Central Florida.
After we used a mousekatool to help Sophia and her friends, we set off to Doc McStuffins’ office for a quick hello before jetting off to Neverland to join Jake and his band of Neverland Pirates.
At this point, the host had practically disappeared and left the storytelling to the puppets. The quick peeks into the worlds of Jake, Sophia, and Doc McStuffins paced the show nicely and certainly succeeded in keeping the attention of hundreds of toddlers- I’m sure plenty of parents would like Disney’s recipe for quiet!
The special effects in each section elicited the apopriate oo’s and ahh’s like when bubbles rained on the audience in Doc McStuffins’ office and when gold doubloons flew down from the sky in Neverland. The familiar songs kept the kids singing and dancing along, and the parents too! I saw plenty of adults moving and grooving to the tunes…even I sang along to the Clubhouse tunes I knew!
After the show culminated and I stepped back out into Hollywood Studios, the smile on my face made me wonder why I hadn’t seen the show sooner! I had let myself be deterred by the stream of infants that are always pouring into the queue line for the next performance and assumed that a show with “Disney Junior” in the title was reserved specifically for pre-K aged guests.
Hey, I’m not at all embarrassed to admit that I loved the show just as much as the little girl next to me- I even beat her to her feet when the gold doubloons fell from the ceiling! Have you ever seen Disney Junior Live On Stage? If not, you don’t know what you’re missing- will you check it out on your next visit?
Are you planning on booking a Disney vacation for you and your family? I’d love to help! You can find me over on Facebook, or contact me directly at msalerno@mickeytravels.com, or 800-308-6257