Photo by Allen Huffman, 2000

You’re just in time
for a singing crustacean,
a Belle and bellringer,
a girl who’s fish,
and the wish that would bring her,
a zero to hero,
an urchin who’s searchin’ for love…

— opening lines from Animazement - The Musical

Take a seat in the Fantasyland Theatre for the show that brings animation to life—and puts characters from different animated movies onto the same stage and even into the same scenes.

Animazement begins with four singing, dancing animators working on large paintings. Animators are artists. They’re wearing vests and berets because that’s what artists wear.

Photo by Allen Huffman, 1999

Animators completing their renderings of Hercules, Ariel, Quasimoto, and Belle

The paintings on stage aren’t simple, flat paintings. They’re actually three-sided, wheeled cabinets which can be spun around and pushed aside. A character emerges from each cabinet, and other characters appear just as quickly. They sing a line or two from various Disney features.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000

Pocahontas, Hercules, Aladdin, Ariel, and Quasimoto sharing the stage with four animators

This show includes familiar songs from animated Disney features released between 1989 and 1997—and a brand new, original song, “It Starts With A Sketch,” written just for this theme park musical. It’s reprised several times during the show.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000

“Be our guest! Be our guest!
Put our service to the test.
Tie your napkin ’round your neck, chérie,
and we’ll provide the rest.”

Soon, there’s a big production of “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast. That’s followed immediately by a big production of “One Jump Ahead,” from Aladdin. During these production numbers, there’s no attempt to merge multiple movies—except that—for some strange reason—evil Minister of Justice Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame interrupts “One Jump Ahead,” with a snippet of “Hellfire.”

Photo by Chris Bales, 2000

“Under the sea, Under the sea,
Darling it’s better, down where it’s wetter,
Take it from me…”

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000

“Up where they walk, up where they run,
Up where they stay all day in the sun,
Wanderin’ free… wish I could be…
Part of that world.”

That’s followed by a big production of “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid. Next, from the same movie, Ariel yearns to be in a place where people have legs rather than fins in “Part of Your World.”

There’s more yearning ahead.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000

Pocahontas joining Hercules

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000

Quasimoto joining the duo to make it a trio

You may wonder what Hercules, Quasimoto, and Pocahontas have in common and why they’re on stage together. Actually, it makes sense—they all sing songs of hope and yearning. Ariel isn’t the only Disney star who yearns for something.

Pocahontas starts with “Just Around the Riverbend,” yearning for exciting new experiences. Hercules joins in with “Go the Distance,” yearning to achieve fame and glory. Then, Quasimoto completes the trio with “Out There,” yearning for a life among the citizens of Paris. The three of them blend their songs together, heightening and reinforcing the sense of yearning.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000

”Once a year we throw a party here in town,
Once a year we turn all Paris upside down,
Every man’s a king and every king’s a clown,
Once again it’s topsy turvy day.“

Photo by Chris Bales, 2000

“Here it is, the moment you’ve been waiting for,
Here it is, you know exactly what’s in store,
Now’s the time we laugh until our sides get sore,
Now’s the time we crown the King of Fools.”

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000

“Madames and Monsieurs! We asked for the ugliest face in Paris, and here he is.”

It’s Topsy Turvy Day for the next big production number, a rousing performance of “Topsy Turvy” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Clopin sings, as a stage full of “Gypsies” dance and sing with him.

Photo by Chris Bales, 2000

“It’s the circle of life,
And it moves us all,
Through despair and hope,
Through faith and love…”

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000

“…’Til we find our place,
On the path unwinding,
In the circle,
The circle of life.”

The final big production number before the finale is the “Circle of Life” from The Lion King.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls—from page to stage, presenting your animazing friends!”

The show concludes as it started, with the animators, the three-sided cabinets, and a reprise of “It Starts With A Sketch.” Just for good measure, they throw in a little bit of Beauty and the Beast.

Animazement - The Musical opened in Disneyland’s Fantasyland Theatre in June 1998. It was the first new show after the venue was roofed over with a translucent, twin-peaked roof.

The full name of the show was Disneyland Presents Animazement - The Musical. It’s unclear why the powers at Disneyland felt a need to include The Musical as part of the name. Did they think that someday there would be Animazement - The Book, Animazement - The Movie, and Animazement - The Ride?

It could have been worse. The show was almost called Disney Stars LIVE! - Where Animation Steps On Stage.

Although Animazement had fans who loved the show, others missed the heart and real story lines of the two prior musicals on the same stage—Beauty and the Beast and The Spirit of Pocahontas. Because of the inherent strength of the songs and the talented performers who presented them, Animazement was not without emotional appeal, despite the lack of a story. The sets were spectacular for the theme park show.

The content of Animazement came from seven Disney features from a relatively brief period of Disney animation history—The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), and Hercules (1997). With the exception of The Lion King, Alan Menken was the composer for all of them. Alan Menken also composed “It Starts With A Sketch,” the new song for this musical.

Animazement promised to bring characters and stories together from different Disney movies. At one point in the show, one of the animators even says, “It’s a daunting task bringing all these stories together. In fact, it’s Animazement.”

Perhaps the task was too daunting. The scene with Hercules, Quasimoto, and Pocahontas expressing hopes for their futures delivered on the promise (and was probably the most original and best scene in the show). Most of the show was a series of production numbers, each from a different movie. And in several cases we had seen similar production numbers in earlier Disneyland shows—Beauty and the Beast, The Spirit of Pocahontas, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fools. The production numbers in Animazement were done well, but they didn’t add up to a cohesive show.

Animazement closed in October 2001 after a long run, The next shows at the Fantasyland Theatre were Minnie’s Christmas Party (holiday season 2001), and Mickey’s Detective School - A Musical Toondunit (opened April 2002).

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Updated June 24, 2022