Yesterday we reported about the return of the (tweaked) Enchanted Fireworks and the (also tweaked) Disney’s Fantillusion parade for the summer season. However, not every entertainment offering from the past year has made its comeback. In particular smaller offerings such as “Good Morning Studios” and the “Toon Train” in the Studios are gone (as well as the “High School Musical” performance) – without replacement, even so “Stitch or friends” are supposed to pose for photos and sign autographs on the Place des Stars for 3 1/2 hours each afternoon adding to the lineup of characters usually found in Toon Plaza, on the Front Lot and at the Monsters. Inc. photo backdrop. Interestingly the visits of Jack Sparrow to the pirates’ section of the Disney Blockbuster Cafe have been stopped as well. Â The picture at the Disneyland Park is slightly different though…
Here Jack Sparrow can still be found roaming the pathways of Adventureland close to the Blue Lagoon Restaurant. As in the Studios all the scheduled meet’n'greets with the Disney characters continue in full force at the Disneyland Park. In fact just as with Stitch on the Place des Stars in the Studios a new location for a scheduled character meeting has been added in the Disneyland Park as well: various Disney characters are now scheduled to meet with guests for 2 1/2 hours in the morning and in the afternoon near the Fantasy Festival Stage. However, this seems to be considered the replacement 
for the popular “Winnie the Pooh and friends, too!” stage show that had been running each summer at the before mentioned theater but is no longer mentioned for this summer. This not only deprives guests of this popular show but also means another theater will sit mostly empty (except for those days when a “Magic Music Day” amateur performance is using it). Even so the show had not been mentioned in advertising or information materials most fans had expected it to return – as it always had in the prior years. Albeit, not this year.
The Fantasy Festival Stage thereby joins what is now the majority of theaters in the Disneyland Park as being dark – sitting unused – during the most busy season of year, when traditionally long lines formed in front of each theater long before every performance soaking up guests and offering them high quality entertainment (and a place in the cool shade). But those were the (good) old times. Now the only theater with a regular show is the huge stage that was constructed at considerable costs on Central Plaza, where the “Disney Showtime Spectacular” as the centerpiece of the New Generation Festival at the Disneyland Park is presented in late afternoon / the early evenings.
The open-air Castle Stage right next to the Central Plaza continues to function as a meet’n'greet location for the Disney Princesses only. The giant Videopolis theater sits also mostly dark since “The Legend of the Lion King” was closed, even so the street performers of the “African Tam Tams” have moved their small percussion performance from the walkways in front of the Hakuna Matata onto the (for them too big) stage on selected days. Even the originally continuously screened classic shorts starring Mickey presented as “Cinema Mickey” (which was put onto the stage when “The Legen of the Lion King) closed) are - according to the entertainment program - only showcased at 5, 6, 7, and 8 pm.
The small stage of the Lucky Nugget Saloon hasn’t seen a regular stage show for years and is not even remembered as a location for such by most fans. In the list of the park’s theaters only one main location remains: the Chaparral Theater in Frontierland. If rumors are correct originally it had been planned to keep the theater closed already during the summer season 2009 since the popular acrobatics show “Tarzan – The Encounter” had been retired at the end of the summer season 2008. However, at short notice the show “Goofy’s Summer Camp” was put on there during the summer of 2009. 
However, fans weren’t too impressed by the small show (even so the small cast did try its best) and the theater was regularly half empty. So the big question was: what would happen this summer?
A look into the theater two weeks prior to the beginning of the summer season showed some work going on on the stage but also remnants of “Mickey’s Winter Wonderland” sets from the past winter season still visible. In addition some of the stage lighting sections over the auditorium had been lowered for maintenance work. An indication that – even so no show had been officially announced – maybe a show might be set up on short notice, just as last year? 
Maybe they tweaked “Goofy’s Summer Camp” for a return?? The answer seems to be no. The first week of the summer season is underway and the theater remains closed. The entertainment program does not mention any show for it.
Also cut was the popular “Step in Time with Mary Poppins” musical performance on 
Town Square. In its place a meet’n'greet with Tiana and her prince from “Disney’s The Princess and the Frog” now takes place – without any performance. However, the performance “Once Upon a Time with Sleeping Beauty” re-telling the famous fairy tale with songs and dance from the Disney classic in the castle courtyard continues on a daily basis (while the similar Snow White performance on the Castle Stage as pre-lude to a meet’n'greet with her and her prince has not been revived after its short run during the winter season).
There is also one all new entertainment offering for the summer season if one believes the official entertainment programm: taking place on selected days only on Central Plaza at 11:45 am and 12:45 pm is “La Fanfare”. No further description is provided, so if you happen to catch it let us know the details. It seems most likely, though, that it is just a new name to descripe the musical performance by the park’s marching band (which would translate as “fanfare” into French). The marching band regularly performed on the Central Plaza stage during the first half of the day already last summer, however, these performances usually weren’t listed in the entertainment program.