Attraction: La Parade Du Monde Merveilleux Disney
Park: Disneyland Paris
Debut: March 30, 1998
Parades have been a part of the Disney Parks experience since day one. When Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955, it was a massive event that included a television special featuring personalities such as Art Linkletter and future president Ronald Reagan. A grand parade was part of the ceremonies, starting a tradition that remains a keystone of the Disney experience some 70 years later.
One of the mostly fondly remembered parades of Disneyland Paris was La Parade Du Monde Merveilleux Disney (The Wonderful World of Disney) which opened in the spring of 1998. In it’s original incarnation, it featured a wide range of characters from films like Steamboat Willie, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, Aladdin, and many more.
The parade was anchored by the theme song “Dancin’ (A Catchy Rhythm)” composed by Vasile Sirli and Jay Smith.
Born in Romania, Sirli began playing piano at an early age before attending the Music and Plastic Arts Lyceum of Timișoara before going on to the National University of Music Bucharest. He later became the editor of Editura Muzicală, and then moved into a career scoring incidental music as well as film scores.
In 1986, he moved to Paris, France, where he continued to work in music, composing for radio, television, and film.
“One day I was called by the Artistic Vice President of Disneyland Paris,” Sirli said. “He said, ‘I want to meet you tomorrow, and if you have any ideas for the music for a new parade for Disneyland, let me know!’”
As he recalled, the park was nothing but a field at the time. He provided a sample of his music and even played a demo for the Artistic Vice President of the park, at which point he was offered a job for Disney.
Speaking of “Dancin’ (A Catchy Rhythm),” he says that Jay Smith approached him about a song for the parade, and requested that he specifically compose it. He has been very happy with the song’s longevity and how it has become an essential part of many Guests memories when it comes to Disneyland Paris.
The lyrics for the song were provided by Jay Smith, who had studied at Butler University and worked as a choreographer and show producer for Walt Disney World from 1983-1989. After that, he became the Manager of Show Development at Euro Disney (now Disneyland Paris). He later assumed the role of Director of Show Operations at the park, before moving onto VP of Entertainment for the park, which is the position he held when working on La Parade Du Monde Merveilleux Disney.
Though the parade closed in 2007, its theme has remained beloved by every fan who got to experience it live. It’s such a staple of the Disneyland Paris story that it resurfaced again during the COVID-19 epidemic. With parks around the world closed, over 160 different Cast Members contributed video from home performing the parade’s dance routines to “Dancin’ (A Catchy Rhythm).”
Mat Davies, a former Cast Member at the park recalled, “Seeing photos of me dancing in the parade with so many great people, I decided to set up a Facebook group to see if there would be any interest in creating a lockdown version of ‘The Wonderful World of Disney Parade’ which ran at Disneyland Paris from 1998 to 2007.”
The result was like a dose of happiness in dark times, as reflected by the fact that his “Lockdown Edition” video of the parade has been viewed over 37,000 times.
Make Mine Music 