The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (29 page)

Fantasy Faire

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FastView:
 
Enchanting fun.  With princess meet-and-greets, tasty food and beverages, and interactive family shows, there’s a little ye something-or-other here for everyone.  Saturday night swing dancing returned in summer 2013.
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Hear ye, hear ye!  The
Disney Princesses
and
Princes
now have their own mini-land, a suburb of
Fantasyland
named
Fantasy Faire
.  Huzzah!

Replacing
and improving upon the
Disney Princess Fantasy Faire
, which in recent years occupied the
Fantasyland Theatre
near
Toontown
,
Fantasy Faire
looks and feels like an organic extension to the west of
Sleeping Beauty Castle
, a pleasant–if
petit
–principality (princessipality?) with elements of fun for the whole family, particularly girls of all ages.  Dads and brothers, never fear–there’s something for you too.

Heralds and their entourages really
do
roam around
Fantasy Faire
calling out medieval-ish things like “Huzzah!”–that’s part of ye fun.  Kids savor it all un-ironically, enchanted beyond words.  Teens and adults catch the self-aware twinkle in the Cast Members’ eyes; the performers are emoting on multiple levels, and grown-up Guests can enjoy it all as good high-camp.

Guests who viewed the
Fantasy Faire
sneak previews at
DCA
’s
Blue Sky Cellar
in late 2012 and early 2013 had a fair idea of what to expect. 
Imagineers
put their hearts and souls into designing and building this enchanted mini-land.  One thing that worried some was how slight the footprint was. 
Fantasy Faire
replaced the
Carnation Plaza Gardens
–essentially a covered stage and dance floor, and a small plaza.  How much could you
really
build in that constricted space?  As it turns out, since the
Imagineers
were building it, quite a lot.

Fantasy Faire
doesn’t have room to sprawl, so
Imagineers
built upward.  The storybook neighborhood is a colorful marvel of steeply pitched roofs, vertical lines, and slender towers pointing toward the sky.  The eye is constantly drawn upward.  The slim verticality of the architecture creates the illusion that
Fantasy Faire
is broader and deeper (and taller) than it really is.  The small stones of the courtyard, set flush in flowing patterns, and the lean stone statue of
Rapunzel’s Tower
at the courtyard’s center, also contribute to the sensation that this area is more spacious that it truly is.

The architecture is
inspired by European fairy tales, incorporating the plaster-and-timber façades, shutters, shingles, and carved, painted wood that are prevalent in the
Fantasyland Courtyard
, especially in the
Pinocchio
district.  This storybook charm, along with the golden spires that echo the décor of adjacent
Sleeping Beauty Castle
, make
Fantasy Faire
feel like an organic extension of
Fantasyland
.  It’s brand new, but seems like it has been (and should have been) here forever.

My sister and I attended an
Annual Passholder
sneak preview of Fantasy
Faire
on March 9, 2013.  After a summer of sneak previews at
DCA
, we knew the drill.  We arrived early, joined a long but fast-moving line, received our color-coded wrist bands, and, at the appointed time, entered
Fantasy Faire
for the sneak peak.

The crowd was varied, including Guests of all ages, both men and women, boys and girls, from silver-haired retirees to babies in strollers.  There were, naturally, many little girls sparkling in their princess gowns and tiaras, eyes bright, smiling radiantly at the opportunity to visit the district where the princesses now live.

Because that’s the focus of this new district:  The
Disney Princesses
and their tales.  No longer banished to the rather remote
Fantasyland Theatre
at the border of
Toontown
, the princesses have taken up residence near
Sleeping Beauty Castle
.  It makes so much sense, you wonder why this didn’t happen decades ago.

Guests are able to enter and exit
Fantasyland
from several directions, including
Frontierland
,
Fantasyland
, and the
Hub
.  This is the usual savvy
Disney
design; providing multiple entry and exit channels encourages a free flow of Guests and avoids stress-inducing bottlenecks.  Parents will be pleased to know that rest rooms are close at hand, conveniently located in the corridor connecting
Fantasy Faire
and
Frontierland
.

The layout of
Fantasy Faire
is beautifully clear.  An open courtyard, containing only the lovely statue of
Rapunzel’s Tower
, is edged by a handful of clearly labeled, high-quality attractions, anchored by the
Royal Hall
to the north and the
Royal Theatre
to the south.

Ah, the
Royal Hall
.  “Huzzah!” say parents.  No longer do little girls and their guardians need to queue among cardboard cutout-looking backdrops and chain-link barriers.  The exterior queue is charming, all winding brass rails and exquisite little lanterns.  The
Royal Hall
is posh, all beautiful carved wood and plush red drapes.  At last, the princesses have a suitable space in which to greet their loyal fans and subjects.

Although lines remain long
at peak times, Guests wait in splendor, protected within the hall from any heat or chill outside.  Eventually Guests reach their goal, an opportunity to meet, pose with, and obtain the autographs of three A-list
Disney Princesses
.  Will you meet
Snow White
? 
Giselle
? 
Jasmine
? 
Tiana
? 
Merida
?  A sign out front announces the estimated wait time and which three princesses are holding court within.

The
Royal Hall
exit deposits Guests near the rest rooms, the corridor into
Frontierland
, and
Fantasy Faire
’s only shop,
Fairy Tale Treasures
.  In this sweet little chamber, with its crooked storybook ceiling and cozy lights, young princesses shop for gowns, wigs, hats, and accessories like the ever-important tiara so that they can dress like their favorite
Disney Princesses
.

What are dads and brothers doing if they don’t want to meet princesses or browse shelves of princess merchandise?  The courtyard certainly has its charms.  Guests explore the interesting corners of this new land, the balconies, staircases, corridors, and little suprises. 
Outside the
Royal Hall
you find a colorful hand-cranked puppet show featuring
Clopin
of
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
.  On a nearby balcony,
Figaro
, the cat from
Pinocchio
, slumbers, waking from time to time to entertain Guests below. 
Figaro
is, of course,
Audio-Animatronic
, as is the bluebird in the cage next to him.

The architecture is layered with all sorts of whimsical touches.  Can you find the
three-leaf clover?  The hearts?  The golden acorn?  There’s also a hidden tribute to the
Carnation Plaza Gardens
, which
Fantasy Faire
replaced.  Can you locate the golden crest bearing the initials
CPG
(for
Carnation Plaza Gardens
)?

The courtyard encourages Guests to mill about, to keep moving; there’s only one bench in the courtyard, tucked away out of sight near the
Royal Hall
.  Weary Guests can be seen sitting on the steps at the base of the
Rapunzel Tower
statue.

Periodically, costumed Cast Members appear to perform pop-up shows that are fun for the whole family.  Hammy, tongue-in-cheek
shows entertain Guests of all ages, and they’re interactive.  During one performance, kids were invited to say which princess owned the items being held aloft (for example, a glass slipper clearly belonged to
Cinderella
).

And speaking of performances,
Fantasy Faire
’s second major attraction is the
Royal Theatre
, anchoring the south side of the district.  Under a pink and purple tent, topped with gold crenellations resembling a royal crown, Guests sit on simple wooden benches and enjoy
Disneyland
theatricality.  Two brief plays rotate throughout the day.  One recounts the story of
Rapunzel
, the other the story of
Beauty and the Beast
.  Girls will identify with
Rapunzel
and
Belle
, boys with the swaggering
Flynn Rider
(aka
Eugene Fitzherbert
).

There’s nothing like the electricity and unpredictability of live theater, and it’s lovely to see Guests (especially children) being exposed to that experience at
Fantasy Faire
.  Costumed Cast Members—especially
Mr. Smythe
and
Mr. Jones
—take on multiple roles and emote for the back row; there are sound effects, live piano music, and songs from the beloved films.  Audience members are encouraged to interact with the performance, crying “Huzzah!” when something good happens, and “Fie!” when the villains are up to no good.  The
Royal Theatre
provides fast-paced, exuberant
Disney
fun for the whole family.  Tip:  Even when you can’t get a seat, you can see and hear most of the action from just outside the open tent.

The theater’s terrazzo floor is the same floor Guests danced on for decades during
Disneyland
’s weekend
Jump, Jive, and Boogie Swing Parties
.  Fans of the dances were unhappy when they learned
Carnation Plaza Gardens
would be converted to
Fantasy Faire
.  Would the jumpin’ and jivin’ good times ever return? 
Disneyland
promised they would, and
Disneyland
kept its word.  The dances returned–but at first, not at
Fantasy Faire
.  Saturday nights in
Downtown Disney
, between the AMC theaters and
ESPN Zone
, were swingin’ as fans of fab 1940’s fun danced to the musical stylings of the likes of
Stompy Jones
and the ever-popular
Doc Anello and the Swing Machine
.  But by summer 2013, swing dancing was back in the park as
Fantasy Faire
presented the
Royal Swing Big Band Ball
on Saturday nights.

Fantasy Faire
wouldn’t be complete without some type of snack, and
Disneyland
put its best princess slipper-shod foot forward with the flaky sweet and savory bread twists, and unique
Boysen Apple Freezes
, at
Maurice’s Treats
.  A humble but efficient and relatively inexpensive snack cart across from the
Royal Theatre
,
Maurice’s
is destined to become a Guest favorite. 
Chocolate Bread Twists
and foaming, berry-laced apple freezes may rank with
Disneyland
’s churros and
Dole Whips
in time.

Come one, come all, to
Fantasy Faire
, for the pageantry and princesses, the treasures and surprises, the shows and the snacks!  Within a very slight footprint, the
Imagineers
have artfully hand-crafted a pocket-sized world that will delight the queen or king, princess or prince, in all of us.  Huzzah! 
Did You Know?
  What does “Huzzah”
actually
mean?  It’s just an exclamation with unclear origins.  Modern versions include “Hurray!” or the more formal “Hurrah!”
Did You Also Know?
  One
Disney
Princess
you
won’t
find at
Fantasy Faire
is
Star Wars
’
Princess Leia
.  The formidable galactic princess is part of the
Star Wars
universe, which became
Disney
property with
Disney
’s 2012 purchase of
Lucasfilm
.  But
Leia
doesn’t fit the fairy tale theme.
Night Vision:
  At night, this enchanting little land glows and twinkles with lights, especially
Rapunzel
’s hair carved on the
Rapunzel’s Tower
statue in the center of the courtyard. But be forewarned that this area closes early. 
Fantasy Faire
shuts down just before the nightly fireworks, and doesn’t reopen until the next day. 
FastPass:
  No.  The attractions of
Fantasy Faire
don’t lend themselves to the FastPass format.