As my family and I made our way down Main Street, U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom a couple weeks ago, we saw the park’s old-time trolley stopped and performers dancing on the pavement. There’s nothing unusual about that, if you’re in the Magic Kingdom before lunchtime.
What was different, though, was the music and the show itself. I expected to hear “The Trolley Song” (“Clang, clang, clang goes the trolley “¦”), but instead unfamiliar, less peppy music blared from the speakers. Apparently, with little fanfare, Walt Disney World introduced a fall trolley show — and it may be one of several new seasonal trolley shows.
The new show featured two alternating songs: “Harvest Moon” at the first and third stops and “Autumn Leaves” at the second and fourth stops. (The trolley’s current schedule has stops planned for 8:20, 9:15 and 10:10 a.m. and noon.)
The performances still featured the six couples, but in this Main Street Trolley Show, they were dedicated to the season with choreography that shows them mimicking falling leaves and kissing a scarecrow, while singing about the “magic of autumn.” New costumes reflected the rich seasonal hues of orange, gold, brown, purple and green.
But with Main Street, U.S.A. now trimmed for the holidays, the Trolley Show changes again to its Christmas version. The performers don their green and red attire, the props are holiday-inspired and the trolley car is decorated with greenery, ornaments and bows.
This is one holiday performance that is included in regular admission to the park and cannot be found at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. In fact, those who enter Magic Kingdom in the afternoon will miss it.
Not so long ago, my husband and I — both night owls — would drag ourselves out of bed, pack up two small children and drive the 45 minutes from our home to Walt Disney World earlier than we are accustomed to because our son loved the Main Street Trolley Show. He won’t admit it now, but he was fascinated by the performances and the unusual mode of transportation. (In between performances, the trolley ferries guests from one end of Main Street, U.S.A. to the other.)
My son’s interest forced me to slow down and appreciate another layer of entertainment at Walt Disney World that I might otherwise have bypassed on my way to my favorite rides.
To read more about the Main Street Trolley Show and see a video that includes four camera angles of the traditional show, see Jack Spence’s blog.
Your trolley story is absolutely endearing. When I was little, I had a VHS tape of the Parks that showed the trolley and the performers. I always wanted to ride, but I thought it was just some kind of urban publicity myth! Nice to know it really does exist.