The Candlelight Processional is an annual live Christmas event held in Disneyland Park in California and EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The event was created by Walt Disney himself, and has become an annual holiday tradition for many guests.[1] The processional is currently performed for only two nights only at Disneyland, and throughout the holiday season at EPCOT.
For the first holiday season at Disneyland in 1955, Walt Disney and Disneyland entertainment director Tommy Walker enlisted the help of Dr. Charles C. Hirt, director of choral music at USC Thornton School of Music, to hire and train a group of traditional Christmas carolers for atmosphere entertainment.[2] Guest choirs and performing groups were also brought in to play at a small bandstand near Sleeping Beauty Castle, which was renamed the Christmas Bowl.[3]
On the opening day of the park's Christmas festivities in 1955, the carolers, guest choirs, and school bands scheduled to perform that day formed a 300-person mass choir on the steps of the Main Street Station. The mass choir returned the following year, this time accompanied by the Disneyland Band.[3] In 1957, the guest choirs formed a procession for the first time and followed the Christmas Around the World Parade from the castle to the Central Plaza (or Hub).[3]
The carolers and choirs were a hit with guests. Hirt suggested to Disney that a candlelight procession and ceremony would play well in the park. Disney agreed, and the first Candlelight Procession took place in 1958. The choirs moved north from Main Street to the Hub and performed facing Hirt, who was conducting in the center of the massed choir.[3] But the ceremony was difficult for the audience to view outside the circle.[2]
In 1960, the ceremony was moved back to Town Square and bleachers were constructed to form a temporary stage on Main Street Station so the choirs were more visible.[2] As a visual centerpiece for the stage, a "living Christmas tree" was created by Western High School choral director Alexander Encheff, whose a cappella choir students populated the tree risers.[4] Encheff and the living Christmas tree had been part of the previous two Candlelight performances near Sleeping Beauty Castle.[3]
Another important addition to the ceremony in 1960 was the celebrity narrator, who would read the Nativity story directly from the Bible. Actor Dennis Morgan was the first narrator, and began a long tradition of people from stage, screen, and sports lending their talents to the ceremony.
Walt Disney continued to support the event until his death in 1966, and last attended the processional in December 1965 with Dick Van Dyke as narrator.[5] Disney saw the event as a "thank you" for the cooperation of local dignitaries and other government officials for their cooperation in the operation of the park. Seats for the event were by invitation only.
Hirt continued to conduct the Candlelight ceremony (whose musical accompaniment had evolved over three years from the 16-piece Disneyland Band to a full orchestra) until his retirement in 1981, sharing duties with other music directors such as James Christensen, who also contributed music arrangements.[6] Sheldon Disrud, director of choral music at Fullerton College in Fullerton, California, conducted and wrote music for the Candlelight Procession during the 1980s.[7] Nancy Sulahian has conducted the Disneyland version most recently. She is currently director of choral music at CalTech in Pasadena, California.[8]
In 1981, Alexander Encheff retired and the living Christmas tree was taken over by the newly-formed Disney Employee Choir the following year. The choir, which is made up of volunteer employees from all over The Walt Disney Company, still perform as the living Christmas tree to this day.[3]
In 1998, the Candlelight Procession was moved to the Fantasyland Theatre at the northern edge of the park. It performed at that venue for the next four seasons, until it was moved back to Main Street Station for the 2003 edition.[9]
Since its inception, Candlelight had been performed over a weekend during the holiday season at Disneyland with no more than two shows a night. In 2012, the park experimented with a multi-day format similar to that of Walt Disney World, complete with dining packages.[9] 20 nights of two showings each were offered, however many were cancelled due to inclement weather. Tickets were all offered free of charge by lottery to Annual Passholders. The show returned to its traditional two-night schedule the following year.
In 2015, new music was recorded by the Disney Employee Choir to accompany the processional down Main Street.[10]
Walt Disney World opened in October 1971, and the Candlelight Procession was transferred over to the new Magic Kingdom theme park. Actor Rock Hudson served as the first narrator and Frederick Fennell was conductor of the Candlelight Orchestra.[11] At the beginning, the event was staged in front of Cinderella Castle, and then alternated with Main Street Station, similar to the Disneyland version.[2]
By the 1990s, the event at Walt Disney World was being performed over two days each holiday season, like Disneyland. At Walt Disney World, the event was growing in popularity and demand, and it was decided to move Candlelight to EPCOT, which had opened in 1982. James Earl Jones was the final narrator at Magic Kingdom.[2]
The event then began being performed from Thanksgiving weekend to New Year's Eve. Derric Johnson became conductor of the event at Walt Disney World. Johnson had previously developed Re-Generation, a professional a cappella singing group that performed nationally as well as at the Magic Kingdom during the 1970s. The group eventually evolved into the Voices of Liberty when EPCOT opened in 1982.[12] Johnson, a composer, offered Disney his own custom arrangements of classic holiday songs, many of which were recorded for the Re-Generation Christmas recording Christmas In Velvet.[13][14]
Phylicia Rashad became the first narrator for the EPCOT version in 1994, and the show has been performed every year since with exception of 2020 when it was cancelled on both coasts due to COVID-19.[15]
In 2022, Dr. John V. Sinclair, director of music at Rollins College, was honored for conducting over 1,000 performances of the Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World.[16]
Each performance is narrated by a guest narrator, typically a celebrity, often who has been previously affiliated with The Walt Disney Company. At Disneyland, the narrator of the event is kept secret until the day of the first performance, with two shows per evening and two nights only. Walt Disney World announces their narrator lineup ahead of time so guests can plan their vacations accordingly to which narrator they would like to see. Dining packages are available to purchase that guarantee a seat inside the America Gardens Theater at the American pavilion at EPCOT.[17]
Chita Rivera narrated the event on multiple occasions at Walt Disney World.
The term processional refers to the choir entering one by one, typically wearing traditional choir robes, while holding a candle. The term "processing" refers to entering the stage, and "recessing" is the process of exiting the stage. Performers are lined up based on height and voice part (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass).[5]
The event is one of the many seasonal entertainment offerings located at Epcot during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays.[18] At Disneyland, the event is held on Main Street, U.S.A. with a stage setup around the train station in Town Square. At EPCOT, the Voices of Liberty are utilized in the show as featured singers and soloists.
Whoopi Goldberg has been a frequent narrator at Walt Disney World.
The songs are custom composed and arranged for Disney to retell the nativity story, with orchestrations performed by a large orchestra. For several decades, the poem One Solitary Life by James Allan Francis was recited by the celebrity narrator, however this was cut from the program beginning with the 2013 season.[20]
Disneyland musicians work under contracts with the Orange County Musicians Union, Local 7.[21] Musicians in the orchestra in Florida are contracted through the Central Florida Local 389 chapter of the American Federation of Musicians union.[22] The Disneyland version includes a handbell choir and both feature trumpetfanfares. The celebrity narrator tells the story in short passages mixed with songs. The show typically has stayed the same year to year, but it continues to be updated. It uses guest choirs, primarily youth choirs, referred to as a mass choir. The show is performed three times each night at EPCOT, with youth choirs performing in the first show and Disney Cast Members in the second following shows.
Disney Cast Members (employees) are selected to perform in the show based on auditions that are held prior in the year, with rehearsals being held weekly leading up to performance time, on a volunteer basis. Guest choirs also submit auditions and are selected to perform, traveling from around the country, although many are local school choirs located near the parks.
The event gives young performers the opportunity to perform in a large-scale professional setting, facilitated by Disney Imagination Campus. One of the long running participant choirs since the 1970s at Disney World has been Seminole High School from Sanford, Florida under the direction of Bob Maguire.[23]
2009: Isabella Rossellini, John O’Hurley, Steven Curtis Chapman, Anika Noni Rose, Andy Garcia, Abigail Breslin, Brian Dennehy, Edward James Olmos, Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance, Whoopi Goldberg, Chita Rivera
2011: Mira Sorvino, Geena Davis, Isabella Rossellini, Neil Patrick Harris, Chita Rivera, Marlee Matlin, Blair Underwood, Trace Adkins, Edward James Olmos, Susan Lucci, Michael W. Smith
2012: Geena Davis, Lea Salonga, Jodi Benson, Neil Patrick Harris, Whoopi Goldberg, Blair Underwood, James Denton, Alfre Woodard, Amy Grant, Gary Sinise, Trace Adkins, Andy Garcia, Marlee Matlin
2014: Jodi Benson, Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Groff, Whoopi Goldberg, LeVar Burton, Edward James Olmos, Joe Morton, Chita Rivera, Ana Gasteyer, Marlee Matlin, Isabella Rossellini, Blair Underwood, Steven Curtis Chapman
2016: Steven Curtis Chapman, Neil Patrick Harris, Whoopi Goldberg, Edward James Olmos, Anthony Mackie, Robby Benson, Meredith Viera, Jim Caviezel, Joe Morton, Ming-Na Wen, Cal Ripken Jr., Jodi Benson
2019: Ming-Na Wen, Neil Patrick Harris, Whoopi Goldberg, Isabella Rossellini, Alton Fitzgerald White, Gary Sinise, Pat Sajak, Geena Davis, Steven Curtis Chapman, Edward James Olmos, Marlee Matlin, Lisa Ling
2021: Auli’i Cravalho, Chita Rivera, Jodi Benson, Alton Fitzgerald White, Bart Millard, Lisa Ling, Andy Garcia, Ana Gasteyer, Blair Underwood, Pat Sajak, Courtney B. Vance, Steven Curtis Chapman
2024: Josh Gad, Nico Santos, Chrissy Metz, Whoopi Goldberg, Titus Burgess, Brendan Fraser, Ralph Macchio, Gary Sinise, Neil Patrick Harris, Pat Sajak, Gloria Estefan, Edward James Olmos, Sterling K. Brown, Jodi Benson
The EPCOT Candlelight Processional was first recorded and released in 1997, with Louis Gossett Jr. as narrator.[26] In 1999, the EPCOT Candlelight Processional was recorded again and released on Walt Disney Records cassette and CD with Phylicia Rashad as narrator.[27]
In 1987, the Disneyland Candlelight Processional was recorded and released on VHS, with Howard Keel as narrator. This performance also aired on The Disney Channel.[28] The performance was conducted by Sheldon Disrud. In 2018, the EPCOT Candlelight Processional was live-streamed on YouTube via the official Disney Parks channel, with Neil Patrick Harris as narrator.[29]
^ abcdeRichter, Scott (Winter 1993). "Candlelight in the Kingdoms: A Holiday Tradition Lights Up the Disney Parks". Disney News Magazine. Vol. 29, no. 1.
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