Our little-known facts series continues, in spite of underwhelming demand!
It’s a spectacle of Christmas spirit like no other at Epcot and Disneyland! The Candlelight Processional combines an orchestra, massive choirs, and a celebrity narrator to celebrate the true meaning of the holiday season. (At least until Disney’s current bent toward political correctness / inclusiveness / cultural sensitivity / etc. gets hold of it and turns it into a Kwanzachristmachanukafestivus show, led by Olaf singing “That Time of Year.”)
But do you know everything there is to know about the Candlelight Processional? Of course, we at Uncle Walt’s Insider know everything about it. (Some of us have even seen it once or twice!) So read on for some incredible, newly -written -discovered trivia about the Candlelight Processional!
The event is named for the famous explorer, Dr. Albert Candlelight.
And his rarely-discussed pet dog, Processional.
Starting this year, at the end of the Processional the narrator will stomp on a glass and the audience will yell “Mazel Tov!”
Guess the Kwanzachristmachanukafestivus-ication has already started.
The singers are color-coded by flavor.
Red and black for licorice, green for spearmint, and gold for banana. Yum!
The Candlelight Processional stage accelerates from zero to 60 in 2.8 seconds.
Making it the second-fastest attraction at Walt Disney World, after Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Hundreds of celebrities have narrated the Candlelight Processional.
Not all at once.
Notable past narrators include James Earl Jones (The Star Wars Holiday Special, 1978), John Wayne (The Conqueror, 1956), and Charlton Heston (Solar Crisis, 1990).
But by far, the most celebrated celebrities to narrate the event were LeVar Burton (host of Jeopardy!, 2021) and Groot (Tales to Astonish #13, 1960).
When deaf actress Marlee Matlin uses sign language for her narration, she will only sign the King James Version of the scriptures.
Watch for the finger-spelled “E-T-H” at the end of many signs.
Christmas caroling has been an event since the earliest days of Disneyland.
Much before that the non-existence of the park made the event nearly impossible.
You can purchase a Candlelight Processional dining package starting at around $70 per person, tip not included.
It includes an overpriced meal, and a souvenir sticker that lets you wait in line for the event for only one hour instead of two.
Guests choirs are often instructed just to mouth the words and let the Voices of Liberty carry the whole thing.
Not a bad idea. Those folks can sing.
The first Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World took place in 1972, in a swampy field.
Because EPCOT Center had not been built yet.
While audiences at Epcot only see the choirs process in from the back of the American Gardens Theatre, the processional actually begins at the Main Street USA train station.
The singers then run a full marathon through all four parks before ending on stage.
Several celebrities are currently boycotting the event.
For example, Gary Sinese was so distraught at being removed from the Mission Space preshow that he will no longer narrate the Candlelight Processional. Phylicia Rashad was so distraught at being removed from the Countdown to Extinction preshow that she will no longer narrate the Candlelight Processional. John Michael Higgins was so distraught at being removed from the Test Track preshow that he will no longer narrate the Candlelight Processional. Wayne Brady was so distraught at the closure of the Comedy Warehouse that he will no longer narrate the Candlelight Processional. Gilbert Gottfried was so distraught at never being invited to narrate the Candlelight Processional that he will no longer narrate the Candlelight Processional.
The players of the herald trumpets are all named “Harold.”
It’s a requirement, like the servers at Victoria & Albert’s all being named “Steve.”
After 6pm, the American Gardens Theater becomes an adults-only venue.
So catch the early showing if you want the family-friendly version.
Walt, Ub, X & Marty all contributed to this article, so we have plausible deniability about any particular item.
Do you know any facts no one else does? Let us know in the comments below!
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