Disney on Parade was an ongoing series of touring arena shows produced by Nawal Productions, a joint venture between NBC and Disney (National Broadcasting Company and Walt Disney Productions).
Launched on December 25, 1969, each show features a variety of Disney characters played by costumed actors who mime to a recorded soundtrack. The show also used a mix of light, special effects and film clips of Classic Disney Shorts and animated features. The show ran until around 1975, while international tours in Australia and South America ran until at least 1977.
There were numerous editions of the show:
- 1969-70 (Version 1): How Do You Do and Shake Hands, Merlin's Magic, The Dog Catcher, Cinderella, The Three Little Pigs, The Dumbo Circus, The Jungle Book, Rollerantics, Alice In Wonderland, Goofy's Comedy Car, Peter Pan and The Grand Finale
- 1969-70 (Version 2): How Do You Do and Shake Hands, Merlin's Magic, The Dogcatcher, Alice in Wonderland, Mickey Mouse, The Jungle Book, Cinderella, Goofy's Comedy Car, Toy Soldiers, The Three Little Pigs, The Dumbo Circus and The Grand Finale.
- 1971: Welcome to the Laughing Place, Mickey's Band Concert, Pinocchio, Goofy and the Love Bug, Villains Comedy Act, Barnyard Bash, Fantasia, Goofy on the High Wire, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Small World and the Finale.
- 1972: How Do You Do/Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, Mickey's Revue, Sleeping Beauty, There's a Family, The Aristocats, Winnie the Pooh, The Sorcerer's Apprentice The Three Caballeros and the Finale.
- 1973-76: How Dee Do/It's Whacha Do with Whacha Got, The Further Adventures of Pinocchio, Bear Band Jamboree, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Used Car Lot, Mary Poppins and the Finale (It's a Small World)
Here is a "Wonderful World of Disney" TV show from 1971
(which contains videotaped footage of the 1969-70 show and filmed highlights of the 1971 show) and a commercial from the 1973-76 show (circa 1974).
These theatrical shows contains examples of:
- Adaptation Distillation: Some segments do this. For example, the 1970 adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs had the dwarfs first meeting Snow White passed out after her scary experience in the dark forest, unlike the movie, where she finds the dwarfs' cottage and they meet her in there.
- Audience Participation: The 1969 edition had the characters singing "How D'ye Do and Shake Hands" and personally greeting the audience.
- Breather Episode: After an extravagant and elaborate segment, there would usually be a small segment with characters like Donald and Goofy while the next big production was getting ready.
- Goofy Print Underwear: In "The Dogcatcher", Pluto lets loose dogs that harass the dogcather, including pulling his pants down to reveal red-spotted underpants.
- Massive Multiplayer Crossover
- Named by the Adaptation: The nameless prince from Cinderella is named here as Prince Otto August Ferdinand.
- Suddenly Speaking: Gideon is able to speak full sentences in this show (mainly the 1971 version.)
