The Fantasy Faire Theatre , while not known by name to many, has been home to some of the most famous and technically advanced attractions that Walt Disney World has offered.

October of 1971 marked the grand opening of the Magic Kingdom and the Walt Disney World Resort. The Imagineers development of the audio-animatronics figures led to the creation of some of the most advanced rides and shows to date. After showcasing their talents at the 1964 New York Worlds Fair, the Imagineers put their full potential into creating a theme park that would be full of memorable moments and unique attractions.

The Fantasy Faire Theatre was first home to Mickey Mouse´s Musical Revue . This attraction was one of the original E Ticket rides but gained distinction as one of only a few attractions to be downgraded; ending its run in the park as a D Ticket ride. (America Sings and the Mine Train were downgraded in Disneyland from E Tickets to D Tickets. )The Revue was designed by legendary Disney Imagineers John Hench, Bill Justice, and Wathel Rogers. They developed this show from an idea Walt Disney had i n 1962 when he was trying to bring Walt Disney World to life.

There were three phases to the Revue: a waiting area, a pre-show, and the Revue itself. The waiting area was painted in pink hues and featured statues of Mickey and Minnie in their most famous roles including "Steamboat Willie," and the Sorcerer from "Fantasia. "After waiting in this room guests were taken into the pre-show area which consisted of several tiers of viewing platforms separated by handrails. As soon as the platforms were filled an eight minute movie was shown featuring classic scenes from Mickey´s movies and highlighting the evolution of sound in Disney´s cartoons. Guests were then escorted into the theatre which had thirteen rows of seats facing an 86 foot long stage.

What made this attraction both unique and revolutionary were the 81 animatronic figures that made up the show. 73 characters were represented in the revue with the other eight figures portraying another character a second time. A 35 foot section featured a cast of 23 permanent characters who made up the orchestra. The other characters were sectioned off in different scenes which were only shown when their portion of the show was highlighted.

Imagineers showed the full range of their talents as the show called for complicated figures to be created. Characters ranged from 12 inches tall (Dormouse) to 6 feet tall (Baloo). While most consider the Abe Lincoln figure to be the most complicated of all animatronic characters, Imagineers at the time considered the Revue´s Mickey Mouse to be the most complicated. Both figures were capable of 33 functions but the Mickey figure was only 42 inches tall which meant less space for the designers to fit the necessary parts.

When the show began the orchestra played an overture of classic Disney songs. After this part was done vignettes were shown featuring classic Disney movies and cartoons ranging from "The Three Caballeros" to "Song of the South. "Newer movies such as "The Jungle Book" and "Alice in Wonderland" were represented by characters in the orchestra. When specific movies were featured different areas of the stage were lit to show backdrops representing memorable scenes from the movie.

In September of 1980 the attraction was closed, as crowds tended to overlook this attraction. Planners in Tokyo Disney were impressed by the Revue and wanted a version of the attraction in their upcoming park. Imagineers decided to ship the entire attraction overseas instead of duplicating it. The Revue is currently still running in Tokyo Disney´s main park.

The Fantasy Faire Theatre would remain empty until the 3-D movie "Magic Journeys" was relocated to the building in 1987. Journeys was an opening day attraction in the EPCOT park but was removed from the Imagination Pavilion when Captain EO needed a home. The pre-show area was kept and featured a Chip and Dale cartoon entitled "Working for Peanuts. ""Magic Journeys" was 16 minutes long and ultimately closed in 1993 when the theatre was designated for a future Lion King attraction. For more about Magic Journeys see the World History: Imagination Pavilion article.

"The Lion King" challenged the Imagineers to create a major attraction based on the yet-to-be-released animated movie. What resulted from this was a new musical show called "The Legend of the Lion King," which opened on July 8, 1994, just a few weeks after the animated film was released in theaters. Once again the theatre was divided into a pre-show and the main attraction. The opening act was a costumed Rafiki character who gave an overview of the Lion King story. When this portion ended guests were taken into a 500 seat theatre to see the story acted out by a mixture of live actors and newly developed puppets, some of which required 5 people to operate. The theatre featured climate control technology which allowed for mist and wind to be pumped in to recreate the African environment depicted in the show.

"The Legend of the Lion King" was incredibly popular, which led the Disney Company to recreate the show on Broadway. The stage version featured larger and more advanced versions of the puppets created by the Walt Disney World version. The show has recently moved from the New Amsterdam theater to the Minskoff theater to make way for Disney´s newest Broadway venture, "Mary Poppins. "With both the Broadway show and a successful stage show in the Animal Kingdom entitled "Festival of the Lion King," it was decided that "The Legend of the Lion King" was obsolete. The show was closed on February 23^rd, 2002

The latest attraction to be housed in the building carries on Walt´s Legacy to develop the newest and best technological advances in modern theme parks. The result was a new 4D attraction entitled "Mickey´s PhilharMagic. " A 4D attraction is a 3D movie with extrasensory features added; i. e. smells, lights, sounds in addition to the movie itself. Popular throughout Walt Disney World, 4D is utilized in "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience," "Muppetvision 3D 4D," and "It´s Tough To Be A Bug. "PhilharMagic debuted on October 3, 2003.

Unlike the attractions that came before it, PhilharMagic does not have pre-show entertainment. In the queue, waiting guests are treated to movie posters advertising fictional musical performances by Disney characters such as Wheezy from "Toy Story 2" and Hades from "Hercules. "There is also a mural depicting musical notes and instruments, which contains multiple hidden Mickeys. Then guests are admitted into the waiting area based on the number of available seats. Outside the main auditorium guests are given their 3D glasses and wait in an opera-house like lobby until the show is ready to be seated. The auditorium seats 486 with room for an additional 10 handicapped patrons.

Upon entry into the show area guests are treated to a stunning visual display. A gold proscenium stage faces the audience, with another Hidden Mickey concealed within the gold instrument designs. As the show beings it is revealed that the stage is merely an illusion and a screen is uncovered that measures 150 feet wide by 28 feet high covering nearly 180 degrees of the arena. This screen is the largest screen ever built that is solely used for 3D movies.

PhilharMagic is notable because it is one of only two Disney attractions that were developed jointly by the Walt Disney Imagineering and the Walt Disney Animation departments, the other being "Fantasmic!" in Disney-MGM Studios. The movie features the largest cast of Disney characters assembled in a 3D movie, most of these characters being animated by computer programming for the first time ever.

The story revolves around an orchestra of instruments which come to life when Mickey Mouse channels his sorcerer powers from Fantasia. Donald Duck, who is relegated to assisting Mickey, is anxious to try to run the show by himself. When Mickey leaves Donald dons the famous sorcerer´s hat and tries to bring the orchestra to life. At first Donald seems to have everything under control but soon the instruments rebel against his reckless spell casting. A whirlwind engulfs the orchestra and the sorcerer´s hat is swept into it leaving the nightly show in jeopardy. Donald then begins a voyage through famous Disney scenes in an attempt to find the hat. At the end Mickey appears to restore order but not before Donald is shot out of a tuba only to reappear in the back of the auditorium as an animatronic figure stuck in the wall.

PhilharMagic is known as a 4D movie experience. Besides the three dimensional visual effects, the attraction features smells unleashed in the audience along with bubbles, water effects, and other surprises during the show. The interactive lighting system developed by Disney for the Tokyo DisneySea resort makes its U. S. debut in Mickey's Philharmagic. The system runs on its own, with a series of cyber lights, while synchronized with the film through computerization. Smoke effects enable guests to see the lights, casting shadow elements that are integrated into the performance.

A few interesting points worth mentioning about the human performers who give life to the animated characters. Glen Keane, a famous Disney animator famous for his work on "The Little Mermaid," was brought in to re-render Ariel in three-dimensional animation. Donald Duck´s dialogue was pieced together from existing performances from Clarence Nash. Donald´s current voice, Tony Anselmo, only had to record two new lines for the movie!

The Fantasy Faire Theatre has always been a showcase for Disney´s newest developments in theme park technology. In the thirty plus years it has housed attractions, the theatre has been home to the latest in the fields of animatronics, puppetry, and three-dimensional films. After PhilharMagic enjoys a long run in the Theatre, it will be exciting to see what new wonders Disney´s Imagineers will treat us to!