New Coco Scene Coming to Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Walt Disney Imagineering has announced that a new song and animated scene based on Disney and Pixar’s Coco will soon debut at Mickey’s PhilharMagic in Magic Kingdom, Disney California Adventure, and Disneyland Paris. In this post, we’ll share details, concept art, and some thoughts. (Updated September 21, 2021.)
For context, Mickey’s PhilharMagic debuted at Walt Disney World in the Fantasyland Concert Hall back in 2003, replacing Legend of the Lion King. To my knowledge, the newest film represented in PhilharMagic up until now was Toy Story 2, thanks to a brief cameo by Wheezy. The main scenes were all Disney Renaissance or earlier era films.
A couple of years after Mickey’s PhilharMagic opened in Magic Kingdom, the 3D film debuted with Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005. Following that, it opened at Tokyo Disneyland in 2011, replacing Mickey Mouse Revue. Then for reasons still unclear to me, Mickey’s PhilharMagic opened at Disneyland Paris and Disney California Adventure in 2018-2019, when you otherwise might’ve assumed the film was nearing the end of its lifecycle…
The decision to add PhilharMagic to Disneyland Resort and Paris now makes a little more sense today, as the film is being refreshed with a new scene from Coco. Per Imagineering, the musical number “Un Poco Loco” will anchor the new scene.
Walt Disney Imagineering was able to tap one of the film’s original composers–the world-renowned Germaine Franco–to produce a Coco score unique to Mickey’s PhilharMagic. Per Disney, “guests will enjoy this new scene alongside all of the show’s current fan-favorite musical numbers.”
The enhanced version of Mickey’s PhilharMagic debuted to guests at Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Paris over the summer, and will be coming at the start of Christmas 2021 at Walt Disney World…
September 21, 2021 Update: Magic Kingdom’s version of Mickey’s PhilharMagic will close for refurbishment on October 11, 2021 and reopen with the new scene on November 12, 2021.
During the closure, the Fantasyland Concert Hall will receive an upgraded new digital projection system for improved visuals. (Other attractions around Walt Disney World have had their projectors upgraded in recent years and it has made a huge difference in crispness and quality.)
This new Coco scene was originally expected to be added to Mickey’s PhilharMagic at Magic Kingdom in time for the Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary on October 1, 2021. Instead, it’s debuting a little over a month later for Hispanic Latinx Heritage Month, the kickoff of Christmas, and/or Disney+ Day.
In terms of commentary, I’m not sure what needs to be said–this is unequivocally great news. A Coco scene is being added and nothing else is being removed?
Even without seeing the above concept art, my reaction would’ve been positive. Coco is a colorful and fantastical film, with the type of vivid scenery that lends it perfectly to an immersive 3D movie. Beyond that, the music is beautiful and a great change of pace from the other films in PhilharMagic.
Now, after seeing the concept art, I’m even more sold on the idea.
I also like the above art, which appears like it could be a fun “scene with a scene” theater gag. But honestly? I just want to fly through the vivid land of the dead with Pepita and Miguel. (On a tangentially related note, I’d be totally on board with a Flight of Passage style attraction that put guests on the back of Pepita or other spiritual guides.)
Personally, I think adding more scenes (and it might be heresy–but swapping out some older ones) is just what Mickey’s PhilharMagic needs. In our Rankings of All 94 Attractions at Walt Disney World, we specifically called out how our opinion of PhilharMagic had declined over the years, which is why the one-time 10/10 attraction only ranked #47.
There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with PhilharMagic–it’s a strong story conceit and even though 3D films have fallen out of favor with guests, it’s still a great attraction. However, some of the early aughts CGI is showing its age, and the attraction could use some new scenes.
In addition to that, Mickey’s PhilharMagic could be a great showcase for movies that aren’t otherwise featured at Walt Disney World. We’ve found that a common question among parents of kids obsessed with whatever movie is “where can I find characters from ____ movie at Walt Disney World?”
If that blank is Toy Story, we have great news. If it’s a newer film, the best case scenario is usually a cavalcade character or bus wrap. As Disney and Pixar have enjoyed a decade-plus run of excellent and critically-acclaimed films, but not always ones that do sufficient box office or toy sales numbers to justify standalone attractions, a scene in Mickey’s PhilharMagic might be a great middle ground solution.
Ultimately, this is some great news for Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris fans. It has been a busy week for Disney news, and every single story up until now has felt like “good news with a catch.” Maybe I’m just being overly cynical or skeptical, but part of me wonders what that is here.
Hopefully that’s not the case here. Updating, plussing, and swapping out scenes in 3D films and screen based attractions is something I’d love to see happen more often in the parks. It’s a great way to keep things refresh, incorporate underutilized characters and movies, and encourage repeat visits. We’ve seen this a couple of times with Toy Story Mania and even more with Star Tours–let’s hope this is the start of that trend with other attractions. Next up, Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run?! (Wishful thinking, I know.)
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of Coco being added to Mickey’s PhilharMagic at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Disneyland Paris? Other movies you’d like to see Donald Duck “visit” in the 3D film? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I saw Philharmagique when it was quite new, and thought the 3d animation was poor. I hope they retcon those old scenes.
And it has no business being in Discoveryland in Paris, they have ruined my once favourite land between Phil and the Star Wars overlay of the Jules Verne inspired Space Mountain (even though I love Star Wars)
What absolutely needs to happen is that Disney needs to upgrade the projectors at WDW. It’s the worst 3D experience I’ve ever had, but one of the best 4D ones. Shrek 4D has better 3D but worse 4D, my theatre shows Disney films in clearer 3D, and my 3D Vision monitor (2011 tech) has clearer image than a projector owned by a multi billion dollar corporation. I don’t blame people for disliking 3D on this attraction. I would too if this were my first experience with it. If Universal owned this ride it would’ve been upgraded to 8K by now.
This is fantastic news! I’m a huge fan of Philharmagic, and of Coco, so I see nothing but positives here. I agree with all these Moana comments. Moanna is my favorite princess movie, (I know, I know, she’s NOT a princess), and I’d love to see her pop up in an attraction and elsewhere in the parks.
As long as they don’t retcon Jasmine’s outfit in the show, all is good. Great idea and one that should’ve been done a long time ago.
I love the idea of adding Coco! It is so vivid and I love the songs! It goes well to add a Mexican storyline in Donald’s adventure as he is also in Mexico at Epcot. I actually wouldn’t mind having the Grand Fiesta Tour revamped to Coco….can you imagine a “real world” start, then as you enter the city of the dead …black lights and beautiful colors….and end back I. Mexico where Donald can greet you back! I love the Three Cabellos but I can imagine a Coco themed ride to be amazing
Shannon I agree! I speeder ride would be awesome!!!!
Are they going to update the rest of the film quality wise? When we visited in Feb 2020 we found the PhilharMagic film to be really blurry and combined with the 3D, it honestly kind of hurt our eyes. Would love to see the image quality updated to bring it in line with modern resolution standards.
Semi-related daydreaming: I know the film didn’t make quite enough money to justify it but I was really on board with the rumors the Gran Fiesta Tour would get a Coco overlay a few years back. It was pretty much perfect as the film isn’t just set in Mexico but is a direct celebration of Mexican culture and traditions.
@Andy Wheezy is on one of the posters: https://www.flickr.com/photos/partyhare/3254783168
I like Philharmagic.. it’s a great short break from the heat or elements and is entertaining and fun for kids and grandkids as well as the whole family. The addition without taking away is great.
Yes! to updating screen-based attractions. I would love to see Smuggler’s Run become randomized scenarios. One question about Philharmagic: Will the new scene be jarring with updated animation in comparison to 20-year old animation? Of course, we won’t know the answer to until the new scene debuts.
I love this news. I hope they keep adding and changing film scenes. That is exactly what Walt wanted to do with Fantasia.
To me PhilharMagicI is one of those overlooked under appreciated gems. Would there even be a Disney theme Park without all those wonderful films? I would love PhilharMagic if it was just in 2D.
Unpopular opinions here. Although I like Donald’s character in PhilharMagic, I generally skip this attraction on my WDW and DL visits just like I do most of the 3D shows (with exception of Muppets 3D which I love). Also, I found Coco overrated therefore I am in no rush to see PhilharMagic on future trips. I would rather have Mickey Mouse Revue over PhilharMagic even though my only experiences of MMR are through YouTube. I like the use of the audio-animatronics plus the film choices in MMR since I prefer the animated movies from Snow White thru Robin Hood plus I love physical sets over screens.
Hi Mike. Moana is part of the recent Magic Kingdom cavalcades and social distanced character greets in Disneyland Park.
This is not a common opinion, but Coco might be my favorite Pixar film and it’s certainly top 5 (with some of Tou Story and finding Nemo). And i love the mhsiv from the film so im very excited to see this addition.
I agree that updating some older segments (Moana for Little Mermaid or the like) would be nice. And I hadnt thought about it before your star tours comment. But having mutiple scenes syiched together so that each was different would be really neat.
“To my knowledge, the newest film represented in PhilharMagic up until now was Toy Story 2, thanks to a brief cameo by Wheezy.”
Huh? Is that one of the posters in the queue/lobby, or does Wheezy actually appear somewhere in the film? If so, when, and how have I never noticed that?
Aside from the very quick Peter Pan & Sorceror Apprentice transition segments, all the main Philharmagic scenes are from the renaissance films (Beauty & Beast, Little Mermaid, Lion King, Aladdin).
This is great. Coco is a wonderful film, but I didn’t want to lose Gran Fiesta Tour, so this seems like a lovely compromise.
Of all the films that don’t have parks representation, Moana is the one that surprises me. It’s a brilliant film with some of Disney’s best-ever songs, has the Rock (one of the world’s biggest movie stars) in it, and whilst its worldwide gross ($700m) wasn’t groundbreaking, it has had huge staying power. It’s five years old now and I still see Moana merch everywhere.
A half-hearted attraction like Journey of Water will probably be isn’t enough. It should have a top-tier attraction IMO; it would’ve been the perfect thing to replace Splash Mountain on the inside I think, but the theming wouldn’t fit the land sadly. It should have a great water ride elsewhere, it could easily be the basis of a great Epcot World Showcase country expansion.
And no meet and greets! It’s so bizarre to me that you can’t meet Moana anywhere outside of one of the Magic Kingdom parties, and you can’t meet Maui anywhere – surely they could do him as a face character with a bodysuit, like Hercules back in the 90s? I would bet good money that a Moana/Maui double meet and greet would have some of the longest lines in any park.
Our twins who just had a Coco-themed 4th birthday party are going to be thrilled!
A bit off topic, but I would love to see a flight of passage style ride in Galaxy’s edge riding a speeder bike being chased by storm troopers!
As long as they keep Donald as the main character they can change it anyway they want!
coco is one of pixar’s most stunningly beautiful films. the detail is beyond compare.
i vote to just change flight of passage to your coco idea instead. done.
shout-out to legend of the lion king. loved that show.