Everything you need to know about the Disney Electrical Sky Parade drone show

Have you seen videos or photos of drone shows at Disneyland Paris and would like to know more? Would you like information about the Disney Electrical Sky Parade pre-show? Then you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, I’m going to tell you all about the Disney Electrical Sky Parade show, including the dates when it’s on, and where and when you can catch it in the park. What’s more, I’ll be sharing with you a number of technical secrets about the design of this magical show. Get ready to go behind the scenes of this bright and captivating experience at Disneyland Paris!

Presentation of the show

Disney Electrical Sky Parade is a new night-time drone show at Disneyland Paris. This show is actually a pre-show, in other words it’s a show that precedes another one. In fact, it precedes the final show, which takes place every evening when the park closes. This performance is an innovative tribute to the Main Street Electrical Parade, which delighted visitors to Disneyland Park from 1992 to 2003.

This unique reinterpretation combines the emblematic elements of the original parade with modern technology: instead of floats, drones light up the sky, accompanied by the famous electro-synthetic-magnetic music revisited especially for the occasion.

The story of the show

This show does not follow a specific storyline or thread, but captures the essence of the Main Street Electrical Parade. It showcases a series of light tableaux featuring various iconic characters from the Disney universe. These include the Fairy Godmother floats, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Swan Lake, Snow White, Peter and Elliott the Dragon, Cinderella and references to It’s a Small World. Each painting brings its own touch of magic and reference, creating a rich visual experience for spectators and parade fans alike.

Some technical data

Number of drones: 500
Number of scenes: 11

Course of the show

Table 1:

History: The pre-show begins with an evocative phrase to put all visitors into the context of the show: ‘In 1992, a magical parade celebrating Walt Disney’s heritage came to life, bringing joy and imagination to light up our hearts. Today, the parade returns!’ With this announcement, the castle and the sky lit up to the sound of a special fanfare that echoed throughout Main Street. A mysterious voice with an ‘electro-synthetic-magnetic’ tone announces the arrival of a colourful procession in the sky. Then the Blue Fairy appears, lighting up the castle with her magic wand.
Characters: The Blue Fairy

Table 2 :

History: A giant luminous head appears, inviting us to join Pinocchio and Jiminy as they appear on the castle’s Pleasure Island.
Characters: Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket

Table 3 :

History: Casey Junior, the little circus train, descends from the castle’s highest turret before soaring into the sky, while Mickey and his friends dance merrily on the castle.
Characters: Casey Junior, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald

Table 4 :

History: Alice invites her insect friends to join the show, taking them both into the air and onto the castle.
Characters: Alice, Cheshire Cat

Table 5 :

History: Then it’s Fairy Godmother’s turn to join the show, transforming a pumpkin in the sky into a magnificent carriage, much to the delight of Cinderella’s mice.
Characters: Fairy Godmother, Cinderella, Jack, Gus, Perla, Suzy

Table 6 :

History: A majestic mother swan, glittering with a thousand lights, accompanied by her cygnet.
Characters: Swans

Table 7:

History: The shadows of Peter Pan, Wendy, Michel and Jean fly off to join Captain Hook’s boat in the air.
Characters: Prince John, Peter Pan, Wendy, John, Michael

Table 8:

History: The 7 dwarfs arrive to work in their mine and collect the precious stones hanging in the sky.
Characters: Snow, The 7 dwarfs

Table 9 :

History: Eliott the Dragon enters the scene, spitting fire into the night.
Characters: Eliott, Peter

Table 10:

History: It’s the turn of the greatest Disney characters in their childlike form to come to life on the castle, to the sound of the It’s a Small World theme.
Characters: Aladdin, Rebelle, Tiana, Vaina, Miguel, Mulan, Mirabel, Raya, Maui, Woody

Table 11:

History: This is the final scene, starting with a map of the world showing the location of the various Disney parks around the world, and ending with the parade logo coming to life in the sky, bringing the night show to a close in style.
Characters: Hidden Mickey

My opinion of the show

I’m always delighted by the introduction of drones into Disney pre-shows, and once again Disney Electrical Sky Parade is no exception. I admire their clever integration with the mapping on the castle, creating a striking visual experience.

Overall, I thought the staging was a success: the scenes flowed harmoniously and the environment between the castle and the sky was well exploited. However, I found some of the scenes a little heavy-handed, with numerous references that can be difficult to grasp at first glance. Despite this, the show remains enjoyable to watch.

As for the retro music, although perfectly adapted and reworked for the show, I sometimes found it a little loud and saturated on some of the park’s loudspeakers.

Despite this, I’d still strongly recommend everyone to see this pre-show, especially those who were lucky enough to attend the parade between 1992 and 2003. Although I was too young to remember, my father, who was Cast Member at the time, confirmed that he took me there several times. So I still feel a touch of nostalgia for those days when I watch this great show!

Official video of the show

Photos of the show