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    17 Behind-The-Scenes Details About Disneyland’s New Parade That Are Honestly Impressive

    Moana, Coco, and Frozen...oh my!

    by Crystal Ro, Brian Galindo, Pablo Valdivia
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    1. The opening float, Mickey’s magical hat, was actually hand-painted and textured with custom iridescent colors.

    Joshua Sudock / Disneyland Resort

    It also features 300 LED lights to give it that magical touch.

    2. This is the first full-scale Moana-inspired float to be created for a Disney park.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed

    The sea of performers who lead the Moana float represent ocean waves, bringing the magic of the ocean to life.

    3. And the wave on the Moana float is inspired by koa wood carvings.

    Todd Wawrychuk / Disneyland Resort

    Koa wood is native to Hawaii. The word “koa” means “warrior” in Hawaiian.

    4. If you look closely, you can see a couple of cameos from Finding Nemo characters in the ocean flow on the Moana float.

    Best Life & Beyond / youtube.com / Disney

    And you may even be able to spot the heart of Te Fiti under the water.

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    5. Also, Gramma Tala is represented at the top of the float in her manta ray form, watching over Moana on her journey.

    Pablo Valdivia / BuzzFeed

    Maui also makes his official Disneyland Resort debut right behind the Moana float.

    6. This is also the first time Coco has inspired a float for a Disney park parade.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed

    On this float, Miguel appears in person for the first time!

    7. Miguel’s dog, Dante, can be seen transforming from his dog form into his alebrije form as he crosses the marigold bridge.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed

    FYI: More than 30,000 individual marigolds were used to decorate the bridge on the Coco float!

    8. On the back of this float, 12 unique Chihuahuas are part of the singing-dog act from the battle-of-the-bands scene in Coco.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed / Disney

    UM. ADORABLE.

    9. The large snowflake behind Elsa on the Frozen 2 float incorporates the four elemental symbols from the film, representing water, fire, earth, and wind.

    Pablo Valdivia / BuzzFeed, Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed

    This float shows Anna and Elsa exploring the mysteries of the Enchanted Forest, protected by the Nokk, the mystical water spirit, as their friends Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf tag along.

    The float also had direct input from the people behind the movie, since the parade was being designed at the same time that Frozen 2 was in production.

    10. Arthur from The Sword in the Stone also makes his official Disneyland Resort debut in the “Magic Happens" parade.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed

    Merlin going off!

    11. The two squirrels perched on top of The Sword in the Stone float serve as a nod to the sequence in the film where the characters transform into squirrels.

    Pablo Valdivia / BuzzFeed / Disney

    They're named Arthur and Hazel, for the record.

    12. The tree that stands above Tiana and Naveen on The Princess and the Frog float is modeled from an actual mangrove tree.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed

    So prettttty.

    13. Princess Aurora wears a special dress that shimmers in pink AND blue on top of the Sleeping Beauty float — a nod to the iconic final scene of the film.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed

    "Make it blue! Make it pink!"

    14. David Petruschin, aka Raven from RuPaul's Drag Race, consulted on the makeup design for "Magic Happens."

    Tasia Wells / Getty Images

    Petruschin — who is an Emmy-nominated makeup artist — was brought on to bring in a "cool and modern" perspective for the parade.

    15. Singer-songwriter Todrick Hall co-composed the musical score and new songs for the parade.

    Richard Harbaugh / Disneyland Resort

    Hall is actually a former cast member and began his career at Walt Disney World in Florida as a performer in Beauty and the Beast — Live on Stage.

    16. The finale score includes musical nods to past Disney entertainment productions, like the theme from the “Remember the Magic” parade, as well as “Wishes” and “Remember...Dreams Come True” fireworks spectaculars.

    Pablo Valdivia / BuzzFeed

    All of these have special meaning to show director Jordan Peterson.

    17. And finally, the lyrics of the opening theme song, “Magic Happens,” are actually printed on two of the costumes.

    Joshua Sudock / Disneyland Resort

    This detail is meant to represent the magic of music.

    Want to see the “Magic Happens” parade in real life? Get tickets for Disneyland from Disneyland Resort's site here.

    Crystal Ro / BuzzFeed

    And BONUS for SoCal residents: For a limited time, Southern California residents can visit the Disneyland Resort theme parks for $67 per day with the purchase of a three-day, one-park-per-day ticket. For more info or to purchase tickets, go here or visit your local travel agent.

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