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Credit: @じょま散歩 on YoutubeThere’s a hot new dance craze hitting the Disney Parks — and it all started with one Mickey Mouse.
Over in the Tokyo Disney Resort’s theme parks, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, hundreds of “Disney Adults” have been spotted lately unashamedly dancing along to an addictive song and dance called “Jamboree Mickey” — led by the Mouse himself.
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Now, it seems that every day, outside and around the Jamboree Mickey! Let’s Dance!’s Dockside Stage at Tokyo DisneySea’s American Waterfront Port of Call, swarms of “Disney Adults” in the hundreds congregate to dance in unison for 15 minutes straight, along with two energetic dancing Cast Members, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and friends.
Twitter user @vBZmqCzYqTu7JUM shares the following video:
(translated) I’ve heard rumors, but this festival is irresistible 🤟✨
#TDR_now
噂には聞いていたけど、このフェス感たまらないね🤟✨
#TDR_now pic.twitter.com/E1VshirTAa— ねっち＊* (@vBZmqCzYqTu7JUM) August 12, 2022
This is in fact, a video of the infamous “Jamboree Mickey” phenomenon that occurs almost daily at the Tokyo Disney Resort, now.
What is Jamboree Mickey, and why are adults dancing?
Jamboree Mickey actually arrived to the Tokyo Disney Resort as a children’s entertainment program within the theme parks in 2019. Currently, it is performed 3-5 times a day on live stages at both Tokyo Disneyland (Theatre Orleans) and Tokyo DisneySea (Dockside Stage), after a hiatus due to COVID-19. The catchy tune features a remix of the iconic Mickey Mouse Club theme song, and started off on the parade route, a “street party” not unlike those found at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
When it debuted, the song and dance were even performed on Japanese national television, in a collaboration with popular Japanese pop girl group, Nogizaka46, where they danced alongside little kids, as well as Mickey and Friends from the Disney Parks:
However the infectious quality of the song and dance has, over time, ingrained itself into public consciousness, and many “Disney Adults” have begun turning up to the Tokyo Disney Resort live shows — perhaps for a couple key reasons:
The first reason could be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic that kickstarted an increase in health-focused activities in Japanese schools — especially in preschools and kindergartens. The Walt Disney Company had begun sending “Jamboree Mickey!” videos schools, encouraging kids to learn the dance. Over time, it seems like the earworm-y song and repetitive dance successfully spread to parents and older generations.
The second reason could have been this adorably excitable Pinocchio who went viral after being spotted in Tokyo Disneyland, enthusiastically dancing to Jamboree Mickey! around the Park and comedically engaging the Park Guests:
After Jamboree Mickey! returned in April 2022 after a hiatus, again due to COVID-19, the show had begun growing a steady following of Guests dancing at the cordoned off areas beyond the provided seating, several dedicated souls — who all knew the choreography by heart:
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Now, the daily Tokyo Disney Resort stage show’s “Disney Adult” phenomenon is known to locals as “Adult Jamboree Mickey” (the title of the following video), and regularly boasts overflowing crowds of people who’ve all learned and prepared the dance in advance of their big day out at the Disney Parks, spilling even behind the buildings into the Land’s walkways:
Overall, it truly seems like the craze isn’t set to wane — instead it’s growing bigger and more prolific by the day. The simple and catchy Mickey-themed song and dance burrow into people’s brains, which has turned watching Jamboree Mickey! at the Tokyo Disney Resort into a truly unique experience.
What do you think about this new Mickey Mouse dance craze? Would you dance this if you could? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Unlike other entirely Walt Disney Company-owned Parks like the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan exists as the Walt Disney Company’s first-ever international Disney Park and is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company. Located just beside the JR Maihama Station, Tokyo Disney Resort comprises two theme parks – Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, connected by the Disney Resort Line monorail. The other two Disney Parks in Asia are the Hong Kong Disney Resort and the Shanghai Disney Resort.
Tokyo Disneyland resides just a short distance from the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel, and features a similar castle to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, with their own Cinderella Castle. Tokyo Disneyland offers more than one unique attraction, including the Tokyo-exclusive, trackless Winnie the Pooh ride, Pooh’s Honey Hunt, plus Monsters, Inc. “Ride & Go Seek!”. Familiar favorites from other parks include Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, It’s a small world and Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blaster.
Tokyo DisneySea is a truly unique Disney Park themed after the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (S.E.A.), it boasts seven themed lands, or “Ports of Call” – the Mediterranean Harbor, American Waterfront, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, and Mysterious Island. Equally unique are DisneySea’s exclusive and one-of-a-kind attractions – Soaring: Fantastic Flight, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull, the S.E.A. storyline-themed old New York-style hotel Tower of Terror: Hotel Hightower, Jules Verne-inspired 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and star attraction, Journey to the Center of the Earth, located within the Park’s looming icon — giant volcano Mount Prometheus. Most unique of all is the on-property official Disney Hotel (that basically redefines “on-property”) — the luxurious Hotel MiraCosta, built right into the buildings of Tokyo DisneySea’s Mediterranean Harbor itself.