PHOTOS - Putting a modern spin on classic elements with costume design for 'Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade'

Feb 10, 2014 in "Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade"

Posted: Monday February 10, 2014 2:09pm EST by WDWMAGIC Staff

This March, Walt Disney World Resort guests will feast their eyes on some of the most extravagant and elaborate costume designs in Disney Parks history when the cast of Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade dance through the streets of Magic Kingdom.

A new daytime parade, Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade is a celebration of New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom. The parade will bring beloved characters found in this enchanting land to Main Street, U.S.A. with innovative parade floats; a new soundtrack featuring classic favorites from Disney films and an original theme song; and an impressive array of stunning costumes.

From first sketch to final stitch, the production process took almost a year to complete. The creations transpired in 10 different costume houses across eight cities and two countries, with the Creative Costuming facilities in both Florida and California among the mix.

Costume designer Mirena Rada is no stranger to Disney Parks, as her body of work includes design projects for Disneyland Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. But when she was brought on to create costumes for Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade, Rada reached a new milestone – designing for a Walt Disney World Resort theme park.

“This was a personal first and it turned out to be a very different experience from other projects,” said Rada. “Everything here at Magic Kingdom is done on a considerably bigger scale and the resources are aplenty. I took every opportunity to avail myself of these specialties.”

From the Swing Thugs aboard the “Tangled” unit’s massive longship to the troupe of Scottish dancers announcing Merida’s arrival in the “Brave” unit, Rada carefully planned and executed the detail of each piece. Visual cues such as color and texture choices were taken from each float and incorporated in the costume designs. Additionally, she closely studied the style guide of each film for whimsical details and fabric patterns to capture the essence of each story.

Putting a modern spin on classic elements is a theme that resonates throughout Rada’s designs. From the swan neck collar and iridescent feathers on the Princess Garden unit’s Swan Court ball gowns to the sculpted conch shell headpiece and shimmering pastel dress that comprise “The Little Mermaid” unit’s Seashell Girl, the old and new are blended seamlessly – a trend that is ever present in today’s fashion world.

The production process mirrors current fashion trends, utilizing new technology to design and print custom fabrics in house. Rada partnered with Walt Disney World Resort costumers to select fabrics that would withstand the central Florida climate while also accommodating the needs of each performer.

After gathering the materials, she and a Creative Costuming graphic artist worked together to create almost 40 custom fabric prints. This includes the spandex swirls on the Finale unit’s bright and beautiful Bubble Girl, expansive fins of “The Little Mermaid” unit’s regal Lion Fish and furry plaids and tweed stripes worn by the “Newsies inspired” Lost Boys of the “Peter Pan” unit.

An innovative 3D printing technology brought to life even Rada’s most intricate concepts, with the hauntingly elegant beaks of the Ravens in the “Sleeping Beauty” unit being a prime example. Using a 3D origami program, a paper beak was created and placed on a performer’s head to obtain the initial scale and shape. A digital sculptor then worked on the filigree beak design, which was printed, fitted and refined to produce the final shape. Each piece was base coated, bronzed, lacquered and gilded with fiery Swarovski stones to complete the finished look.

In the true spirit of fashion, each look was not considered complete until complemented by the perfect hair, makeup and accessories. The Finale unit’s Cha Cha Girl is the queen of head-to-toe ensemble with her big top inspired fit and flare dress, bolero jacket embellished with sequins, star spangled tights and hair reminiscent of pulled taffy exuding the essence of Storybook Circus in New Fantasyland. However, simple touches that might elude guests, such as the elegant gold tones incorporated into eyelashes on the female Swan Court members, and in the custom socks worn by the Lost Boys were not overlooked – a testament to Disney’s attention to detail.

When the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade steps off this spring, Rada will see her creations truly come to life. This perfect collaboration between artists, craftsmen and engineers is what she calls “a designer’s dream.

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SpectroBroMay 09, 2018

I can say for a fact that the costume with the expandable wings WILL be back. The wings are currently being repaired. They went 4 years with out being replaced so these repairs are much needed.

DisoneMay 08, 2018

bummer.

SquishyMay 08, 2018

Haven't seen this said by anyone yet but, The raven costumes in the festival of fantasy parade seemed to have change for permanently. The costumes currently in use we're temporary in 2017 and only used in windy days but for the past 3-2 months it looks like this is a permanent change. Apparently the wings of the old costumes broke too many times because of the wind. Old costume: New costume:

CrazydisneyfanlukeNov 16, 2015

I haven't seen any in a recent search, could you link one?

riorizNov 16, 2015

There's videos of the 5pm on YouTube

TTA94Nov 15, 2015

Oh I do agree fully that the garland is very much missed! I do hate those stupid wreaths! Im just saying, regardless of the Christmas decor, that FOF is even more awesome at dusk!

JoeCamelNov 14, 2015

Oh Please, I have to whine that they took the garlands down for this parade. How could it possibly be great with the lights when the garlands are missing. This is a travesty that must be rectified by cutting the floats down to size or erecting risers for the garlands at once TIC...

Cesar R MNov 14, 2015

and noone took photos? HERESY!

cjk0318Nov 14, 2015

It's definitely pretty :)

TTA94Nov 13, 2015

Just saw FOF at 5pm because of the Christmas parade taping today.. I still wish they would run it at this time more often! 6 or 7pm would be even better! Seeing FOF with the Main Street lights is really cool!

JoeCamelJun 18, 2015

Uh - no, the idea is to have you pay to come into the park not sit and watch it on your phone?

jrhwdwJun 18, 2015

WDW just Periscoped FOF and it was awesome!!!! Someone PLEASE tell management that they need to do this or set up a Live Cam MUCH more often!!!

dstrawn9889Jun 02, 2015

fridays' show, apparently the parade controls were misbehaving -- wrong audio ques for the floats, onstage effects offline(not triggered)

mm52200Jun 02, 2015

Already an ongoing discussion about this in the thread titled "Mess-tival of Fantasy". It was just one of those days where everything that could have gone wrong happened. I saw the parade in person that day, and I saw it the day before. It was in perfect working order the day before, every single effect was working. So this was definitely a fluke of some sorts.