For the new, full-length original show, World of Color – Winter Dreams, Disney enlisted the help of Pixar Animation Studios.
The wild idea: what if “Toy Story” characters decided to perform Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”?
In the original ballet, Clara’s Christmas tree grows and the audience shrinks to this size of a toy beneath the tree. This became the inspiration.
The winter show features the musical pieces: Miniature Overture, Trepak (Russian Dance), Tea (Chinese Dance) and Waltz of the Flowers. Special arrangements were created to match the characters; for instance, the Trepak dance became western to fit Woody and Jessie’s duet.
Another great example of putting a new spin on the classic is Tea (Chinese Dance). Pixar took their inspiration from Walt Disney’s “Fantasia” and the Mushroom scene. The studio replaced the Mushrooms with Little Green Men and the baby Mushroom with Rex in at tutu.
World of Color − Winter Dreams will debut at Disney California Adventure Park on Friday, November 15, adding even more merriment to the holiday season at the Disneyland Resort.