Steps In Time

Source: Disneyland Gazette

February 2001 – October 2001

LOCATION

Hollywood Pictures Backlot – Steps In Time was the original show in the Hyperion Theater, at the end of Hollywood Blvd on the Backlot. Today, this space is part of Hollywood Land, and the theater houses Frozen Live at the Hyperion.

BACKGROUND

A Hollywood-themed land certainly had to have a big theater – and Hyperion was shaping up to be a headline attraction for the new California Adventure park. Disney designed a show called Disney’s On The Record, which would consist of four singers performing Disney songs from different films. Unfortunately, the original show was so bad that after seeing a preview before California Adventure’s opening day, Michael Eisner and his executive team asked the entertainment department to create a new show as soon as possible.

So Disney quickly went back to the drawing board, expanding the concept to include a narrative. This version would follow a fairy godmother on a quest to help children follow their dreams, singing Disney songs along the way. After a few months, the new show (with the same name) had a completely different plot, cast, and lineup.

EXPERIENCE

Steps In Time opened with a scene of a child fighting with his brother and being scolded. With a burst of light, a fairy godmother arrives, right on queue. She’s disgusted to find the child has no dream, and guides him through a fantasy world of song and dance to help him understand the power of his dreams. The lineup included:

• A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes (Cinderella)
• I Wan’na Be Like You (The Jungle Book)
• A Whole New World (A Whole New World)
• Under the Sea (The Little Mermaid)
• Hakuna Matata (The Lion King)
• I Can Go The Distance (Hercules)
• Step In Time (Mary Poppins)

In the end, the boy learns to follow his dreams, and the fairy godmother magically vanishes, perhaps headed off to the next child in need of magical inspiration.

 Source: YouTube

CLOSURE

The On the Record turbulence was a sign of what was to come. Steps In Time was just…weird. Despite their best efforts, Disney never managed to draw much of a story out of the concept, and the dialogue between songs did nothing to help audiences understand what was going on. You can see a full video of the show’s final performance, and it’s definitely not a showcase of Disney’s best work. Honestly, the single weirdest moment of the show was the fairy godmother singing “A Whole New World” with the child. It’s creepy and confusing.

Unsurprisingly, the show was not a success. Almost immediately, Disney went back to square one for a third time, trying to create a show worthy of the impressive theater. And with the success of Epcot’s “The Power of BLAST!”, Disney finally saw an opportunity to bring a popular show onto the west coast. The new show was ready to debut in the fall, officially ending Steps In Time’s mediocre run in October.

TRIVIA

This is the only show at the Disneyland Resort to ever feature child actors as main cast members.

The show’s title comes from its final number, “Step in Time” from Mary Poppins.

 Source: The Disney Blog