Though Walt Disney World began Halloween season in early September with the first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, it wasn’t until a few nights ago that impressive improvements materialized at the special nighttime event.
The popular Villains Mix and Mingle show is performed several times each party evening, bringing together the likes of Captain Hook, Queen of Hearts, Cruella de Vil, Maleficent, and more baddies to sing and dance on stage in front of Cinderella Castle before meeting and greeting with guests. The show has had a few revisions in recent years, swapping background dancer costumes and updating musical numbers to include newer villains like Dr. Facilier. But this year, nearly a month into the Not-So-Scary parties, a major upgrade appeared with no notice, but entirely impossible to miss for those in attendance.
Featuring technology normally used for the nightly Cinderella Castle projection show “Celebrate the Magic,” the enhanced Villains Mix and Mingle show now features vibrant, animated visuals splashed across the castle’s faces. Shadow creatures fly across the castle when Dr. Facilier sings about his “Friends on the Other Side” while the entire structure bursts into bright green flames as Maleficent commands attention. And fans of The Haunted Mansion can even pick up on one of the more subtle effects, a silhouetted hand slowly creeping across the castle’s clock face.
Cinderella Castle crumbles, changes colors, and even dances to the beats of the villains’ tunes all in sync with the performers’ many movements. It’s the most creative use of the projection technology on the castle to date and can be seen in its entirety in the video below.
Video: Full “Villains Mix and Mingle” castle projections at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2013
Upon seeing this unexpected addition, many fans are hoping the idea will be carried forward into the Christmas season stage shows or even to become part of future fireworks shows. But for now Disney’s Villains are in charge of making the castle come alive.
Check back soon for a closer look at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2013.