General History 1998

Last update: March 11th, 1999.

30^th March 1998:
The Wonderful World of Disney Parade commences. Twelve new or modified floats and more than 140 dancers recreate the magic of classic Disney full-length animated feature films. Around 500 children each day are invited to participate in the parade as it makes four or five stops and the dancers seek out children to take part in specific scenes. The full parade consists of the following floats: Steamboat Willie, The Princesses' Float, Pinocchio, Dumbo's Circus Train, Peter Pan (Captain Hook's Ship), Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Hercules.

5^th April 1998:
"Winnie the Pooh and Friends Too" show premieres on the Castle Stage. This 20 minute bilingual musical show, featuring Christopher Robin, Pooh bear and all their friends from the Hundred Acre Wood, replaces "Le Livre Magique de Mickey" (Mickey's Magic Book) which had been running there seasonally since the park first opened.

1^st May - 28^th June 1998:
Disneyland Paris again present its "Festival of Flowers" around the park.

24^th June 1998:
A number of parade and show cast members (mainly costumed roles) strike over pay and recognition. Their main concern is that they should be recognised as performing artists, rather than simply theme-park workers, resulting in substantially higher rates of pay. The strike impacted somewhat on parades, shows and character greeting sessions at the park. The strikers returned to work mid-July, apparently without achieving their goal.

22^nd August - 27^th September 1998:
Disney's California Dream mini-parade and celebration again appears in Discoveryland.

3^rd October 1998:
"Mickey et la magie de l'hiver" (Mickey's Winter Wonderland) opens at the Chaparral Theatre in Frontierland, a winter and Christmas show which temporarily replaces the summertime Pocahontas spectacle.

2^nd, 4^th and 6^th November 1998:
Guy Fawkes celebration at Disney Village, with special fireworks display over Lake Disney.

28^th November 1998:
"Mulan the Legend" debuts at the newly-enhanced Videopolis Stage in Discoveryland. Featuring live acts including acrobats, dancers and musicians, the show tells the story of Walt Disney Pictures' latest animated feature film, Mulan, and replaces the "Disney Classics: the Music and the Magic".

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