Disney Junior – Live On Stage!

April 2003 – April 2017

LOCATION

Hollywood Land – If you followed the main path from Buena Vista Street, you’d find the Disney Junior theater on your right, across from Award Wieners.

BACKGROUND

When Hollywood Land opened as the Hollywood Pictures Backlot in 2001, this land was all about glitz and glamour – and the chance for guests to encounter their favorite Disney celebrities. This building was originally the ABC Soap Opera Bistro, an upscale restaurant set right in the middle of soap drama. But in the first few years of the park’s operation, guests complained that there weren’t enough attractions for small children. So in 2003, the space became a theater for the tiniest guests to meet their own celebrity heroes. Playhouse Disney Live was a show that gave kids the chance to see their favorite TV characters in the real world, all with a touch of Disney magic.

Playhouse Disney became Disney Junior in 2010, so the show went dark for a few months to revamp the theater. In March 2011, the theater reopened as Disney Junior – Live on Stage!, but the show’s original premise remained the same. Disney Junior Live was the epicenter of the Disney Junior world, and characters conducted meet and greets outside the theater throughout the day.

EXPERIENCE

Once the lights dimmed, guests found themselves right in Walt Disney’s famous Mickey Mouse Club House. The show’s host greeted his new friends, and invited them to join him/her on a journey into the worlds of Disney Junior. Along the way, guests encountered characters from Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Each cast of characters showed off their own mini special effects, and the audience helped the characters bring magic to life. Finally, guests returned to the Club House, where the host thanked the audience for joining him/her on their journey through Disney Junior.

CLOSURE

There’s a little bit of drama behind the closure of this show. According to puppeteers, Disney decided to revamp the show without puppets after a union dispute. Disney denied this claim, and instead cited the show’s age as reason for the revamp. In either case, Disney chose to make the show more interactive, encouraging young audience members to join in a dance party rather than a puppet show. The puppets held their last performance in April 2017, with the new dance party version opening one month later.

TRIVIA

My original rating: I’ve only watched Disney Junior once or twice, so I know nothing about the characters or storylines in that realm. But some Disney shows are still very entertaining even without background knowledge of the stories, so I went into the show optimistic. This show is not a “fun for the whole family event”. If you have little ones that are big Disney Junior fans, they will absolutely love it; they’ll get to see their favorite characters, and the show’s host encourages audience participation. But the show really has nothing to offer grownups. As a visitor without a little one, I thought Disney Junior Live was really boring. Each set of characters comes on stage, chats for a bit, and then leaves. The show is effectively a long string of cameos rather than a play with some kind of story. If you’ve got kids with you that love the Disney Junior characters, the show is definitely worth seeing. Otherwise, skip this attraction. (★★☆☆☆)

Disney Junior Live changes its lineup every few years to stay up-to-date with the channel’s most popular shows. Previous Disney Junior shows featured in the Disney Junior Live performance include: Rolie Polie Olie, Stanley, JoJo’s Circus, Bear in the Big Blue House, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, and Winnie the Pooh.