Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular

January 2003 – January 2016

LOCATION

Hollywood Land – To find the Aladdin show, which was housed in the Hyperion Theater, guests followed the main path through Hollywood land from Buena Vista Street. The theater stood the end of the main road, just before the turn toward the Tower of Terror.

BACKGROUND

The Hyperion Theater in Hollywood Land originally housed a show called “Steps in Time”, a dance journey through different Disney worlds and songs. The show bombed, and the theater shut its doors in October, less than a year after California Adventure opened. In November 2001, the Theater played “The Power of BLAST!”, a Broadway show that had just completed a limited run in Walt Disney World’s EPCOT. BLAST was an instant success, bringing new life to an otherwise fairly quiet Hollywood Land.

However, as a non-Disney show, BLAST became a burden for the park. The cost of cast, crew, special effects, sets, and rights to the songs made for an incredibly expensive attraction, and Disney ultimately wanted one of its own productions in California Adventure’s largest theater. So despite its success, BLAST only ran for nine months, closing in June 2002.

After an extensive six-month overhaul, the Hyperion Theater reopened for a third time with a brand new show: Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular. The scaled-down version of the film included all of the original songs, with an added solo by Jasmine not featured in the movie. From 2003 to 2016, Aladdin was one of the most popular live shows in either park, drawing crowds of up to nearly 2,000 guests per performance.

EXPERIENCE

Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular told the story of the title character, a “street rat” living on the streets of Agrabah. Like in the 1992 film, Aladdin and his monkey Abu got tangled up in a plot involving villainous Jafar, the princess Jasmine, and a fast-talking Genie. The 45-minute show was fast paced, exciting, and featured huge dance numbers. Genie and friends were known for improvising, and Genie almost always incorporated current events into some of his dialogue. No matter how many times you saw Aladdin, you’d never experience the same show twice!

CLOSURE

Regardless of a show’s popularity, Disney tends to update and change its lineups in both parks frequently. Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular managed to escape this trend for thirteen years, but in 2015, Disney announced its intention to close the show for good. Instead, the Hyperion Theater will open a Frozen show, ending Aladdin’s reign as the longest running show in California Adventure. Aladdin’s closure came with much scrutiny from Disney fans (myself included), who are hoping the Frozen show will only run for a little while before Aladdin comes back.

TRIVIA

My original rating: I absolutely LOVE the Aladdin show. The musical numbers are well choreographed, the Genie is hilarious, and the special effects are very cool. I’m especially fond of the “A Whole New World” sequence and the flying magic carpet! Aladdin is the longest show at the resort, clocking in at around 45 minutes, so it will take up a decent chunk of your day. But if you’re looking to incorporate a live show into your visit, Aladdin is definitely worth your time. (★★★★★)

The Hyperion Theater’s exterior pays tribute to the Los Angeles Theater on LA’s Broadway.

Jasmine’s solo was called “To Be Free”. Alan Menken, composer of the original Aladdin (and tons of other Disney classics) wrote the song especially for the California Adventure show.