The Disneyland Resort is bringing a new and very exciting event to guests of all ages this Halloween season, with its debut of Oogie Boogie Bash - A Disney Halloween Party, to be held at Disney California Adventure Park. On 20 select nights, beginning on September 17 and running through October 31, the separate-ticket party will include a variety of new entertainment and experiences, with Oogie Boogie (from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas) and the Disney villains at the center of it all.
Oogie Boogie Bash and the move of the Halloween party from Disneyland (where it was called Mickey’s Halloween Party) to Disney California Adventure has been in development for two years now, evolving from decorations, a change in soundtrack and a spooky lighting design, to fully taking over Halloween, as the Disney villains set the mood and atmosphere throughout the park’s trick or treat trails and entertainment elements. Collider was recently invited to check out the offerings for Halloween Time that are available exclusively at the Oogie Boogie Bash, as well as across both theme parks (Disneyland and Disney California Adventure) and Downtown Disney, watch a dress rehearsal of the new World of Color spectacular, and hear from some of the creative team behind the exciting new event, and we’ve compiled a list of what you should know before you attend.
To set the party atmosphere, every Disney party has to have a mood, with the sights, the music and the characters. For the first time ever, Carthay Circle on Buena Vista Street will have projection mapping that will continue to change throughout the night, and you’ll see everything from Maleficent’s vines growing and cracking the building apart, candy corn pouring out the windows, bats flying, and even Oogie Boogie, himself, making an appearance. There will also be a custom soundtrack with many of the favorite villain songs, re-imagined in unique ways. And like with any Disney party, guests will get to meet some of their most beloved characters, in brand new costumes, and there will also be some very rare characters that either haven’t been seen in quite a few years, or that will be making their debut in the U.S. While adults and children are encouraged to dress in costume for the party (as long as you follow the guidelines at www.Disneyland.com/HalloweenParty), employees will also have new costume designs that they’ll be wearing at the after-hours party.
The Frightfully Fun Parade (which first debuted at Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland) led by the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow, is making its debut in Disney California Adventure, showcasing Mickey and Minnie, Jack and Sally, the Haunted Mansion ballroom dancers, and a finale float that features about a dozen villains. And stepping in for Vampirina this year will be the Cheshire Cat, riding on the back of the villains’ float.
One of the new entertainment offerings is the DescenDANCE interactive dance party, which takes place multiple times a night on the Backlot area of Hollywood Land and is inspired by The Descendants hit movie series for the Disney Channel. A vibrant and colorful show with newly designed costumes and dancers who are led by an infamous DJ host, teaching some of the franchise’s best dances, participants will be able to watch and play along, in an experience that’s similar to a real-life Just Dance video game.
Another new show for guests is Mickey’s Trick and Treat, taking place at the Disney Theater in Hollywood Land and geared toward little ones, families and anyone who loves Disney characters. Mickey Mouse and his friends have decided to throw a costume party that includes scary stories, dancing and candy.
Of course, any Halloween party has to include trick or treating, and Oogie Boogie Bash will not only have the regular treat trails where guests can collect candy and other snacks, but there will also be new immersive treat trails that are ruled over by Oogie Boogie and some of the Disney villains. Those trails will be styled using lighting effects and moody atmosphere, inspired by the different characters, and you’ll be able to directly interact with those characters (including Oogie Boogie, himself, and Mad Hatter from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland) while you collect your candy.
Even the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail will be getting an overlay, renaming it Villains Grove, to represent and pay homage to the Disney villains that have leant their energy and magic to the surrounding woods and turned them into an ethereal, dreamlike environment. Transformed with lighting, projections, sounds and special effects, this series of scenes will take guests from Frollo’s Land (inspired by the character from The Hunchback of Notre Dame), with streaming lights, stained glass windows in the treetops and cool candelabras, to the world of Maleficent, where you’ll see the waterfall transformed with vines that crack the rocks apart and the water change colors, to the Queen of Hearts Garden, with hundreds of rose bushes that paint themselves from red to white and back again, to Scar’s Cave, where you’ll get the opportunity to play along to the rhythm of the Pridelands with interactive drums. From there, Dr. Facilier (from The Princess and The Frog) will guide you into a deeper and darker section of the forest, where you’ll meet the Queen from Snow White, who’s summoned a lightning storm. And then, once you feel a bit lost because you’re so deep in the dark woods, saviors known as The Wisps (the guardians and caretakers of this forest) arrive to lead you to safety through Light’s Bastian and escort you out and into the dawn itself.
The biggest highlight of the event is the new World of Color show, Villainous!, which is exclusive to Oogie Boogie Bash. This nighttime spectacular is a linear storytelling piece that features an all-new character (created by Disney animator Eric Goldberg), a 9-year-old girl named Shelley Marie (named after Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, and inspired by the work of Tim Burton, Edward Gorey, Ronald Searle and Charles Adams, among others). A bit of an odd child, Shelley dresses differently than everybody else and doesn’t look like she belongs in the surburbia that she calls home. When her mother presents her with a choice, to either be a princess or a villain for Halloween, Shelley goes on a journey through the mirror that belongs to the Queen from Snow White, where she evolves from 2D to 3D, as she learns about what it means to be a villain from the rock stars that she thinks are cool. As she sees Ursula (whose “Poor Unfortunate Souls” creatures are now a singing boy band), Dr. Facilier, Hades and Maleficent, Shelley realizes that she can be whoever she wants to be, and as long as she’s true to herself, she’ll be happy.
The one feature that all of the entertainment offerings and experiences at Oogie Boogie Bash have in common is that there is something for everyone to enjoy. While the event is intended to be appreciated, enjoyed and loved by the littlest guests, there will also be a touch of the spooky for tweens and upper teens, and enough of a variety of things to do that Disney fans, of all ages, will have a great time. And if you don’t choose to attend the Oogie Boogie Bash, the Disneyland Resort (both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure) will feature decorations, ride overlays, merchandise, and food and drink offerings, while celebrating Halloween Time from September 6th through October 31st.
Check out more images from the event below!
Oogie Boogie Bash
Halloweentime Food, Drinks, and Merchandise
Oogie Boogie Bash Parade and Villainous Light Show
