It’s time for dreams and imagination to soar. With astounding floats, colourful costumes and joyous sounds, Flights of Fantasy parade is an uplifting spectacle that is guaranteed to delight park guests at Hong Kong Disneyland. This is Hong Kong Disneyland’s current regular day-time parade, and was first unveiled as part of the park’s 5th Anniversary campaign – “Celebration in the Air”.
The parade combines classic and new Disney characters, with many segments relevant to the park’s attractions. The seven parade floats are: Mickey’s Magical Airship, Caught Up in Daydreams (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh), Romance Takes Wing (Disney Princesses), Jumpin’ Jungle Jam, The Magic of Pixie Dust (Tinker Bell), Hangin’ Ten and Ridin’ High (Lilo & Stitch), To Infinity and Beyond (Toy Story).
After the 5th Anniversary Celebration in the Air festivities, Flights of Fantasy continues to be performed daily at Hong Kong Disneyland. Elements referring to the 5th Anniversary (The number “5”) have been replaced with a “D” in Disney’s iconic typeface.
Flights of Fantasy feature vibrant and impressive floats – there are of course, an abundance of balloons, and balloon-like characters top off most of the floats. The parade also begins with a flying Dumbo (what else, really?) which is quickly accompanied with Mickey’s Airship. Everything is visually impactful – quite punchy colours and interesting forms.
The parade also has an infectious soundtrack, with a catchy theme song that is very memorable and easy to sing along. The theme song has numerous variations to blend with the accompanying Disney classic songs, making the parade a musically (and quite magically) seamless experience. This is the main reason why I love this parade, because the music is very well executed. “Flights of Fantasy” is sung in both English and Cantonese, and the song switches between the two languages throughout the entire parade. Disney park fans will recognize this theme song, as it is shared with Mickey’s Soundsational Parade at Disneyland (Anaheim).
I guess the theme song is so good that it has to be used in two park. It’s a huge step forward from than the previous parade, which was actually titled “Disney on Parade”. That doesn’t even sound exciting!
The parade stops twice throughout its route (near castle hub). During the stops, the cantonese version of the Jonas Brothers’ “Fly With Me” (mash-up “You Can Fly” from Peter Pan) is performed by the parade cast – once again emphasizing the theme of flight.
Overall, this is currently my favourite parade in a theme park and I feel is one of Disney’s best. It’s just arresting, entertaining and memorable.
As a special feature on dejiki.com, this Photo Tour update will cover most parts of the parade, with accompanying lyrics – strictly for the parts in English. The lyrics are definitely not perfect as they are transcribed from live recordings, so please be aware that there may be some inaccuracies.
General Tips for park guests watching Flights of Fantasy
Click to expand- Familiarize yourself with the parade route, as some paths will be blocked before/during the parade and guests may not move along or across the pathway for obvious safety reasons. The Parade passes through Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Main Street, U.S.A..
- Check the park’s Time Guide and plan your day to accommodate the parade in your schedule. While the parade lasts 20+ minutes (actually, the parade is about 7 minutes long excluding the parade stop), some paths will still be blocked. Be sure that your Fastpasses can work around the parade’s timing, or you’d waste it.
- Find a good spot to watch the parade and arrive and settle down EARLY. If you want to be completely immersed in the parade, the Castle Hub would be one of the best locations, as the parade stops there.
- Please don’t push through and bulldoze other guests who are already seated or waiting. The parade viewing areas (if I could even call it that) are already horribly packed. The worst thing you can do is to cause even more inconvenience for others (or even ruin their day). Disney-style Karma will bite back.
- Guests are not allowed to use bags, strollers (!!) and other personal belongings to “mark” reserve their “space” along the parade viewing areas. Also, please don’t leave your belongings unattended to buy popcorn, visit the washroom, etc. Do everything way before the parade and once you are ready to settle down, settle down.
- If you miss the parade from Fantasyland, try to make your way to Main Street, U.S.A. (moving to back of the castle, path towards Adventureland, then walk against the castle hub and try to get into the Emporium and Main Street and exit on the other end, towards the direction of the park gates). You might still be able to catch parts of it, but be warned that that entire stretch is going to be crowded or even impassable.
- If you wish to avoid the parade and its crowd entirely, these themed lands are not affected by the parade at all: Adventureland, Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point, Toy Story Land. You might even experience very low wait times for the rides in those areas.
- Sometimes the parade time goes well with The Golden Mickeys (e.g: Parade at 3:30pm, Golden Mickeys show at 4:00pm). This makes viewing the Parade near the entrance to The Storybook Theatre worthwhile, as you can quickly get into the line for The Golden Mickeys once the parade passes through that section of Fantasyland. You will have to miss the parade stop performance though (you’ll only be able to watch the Toy Story segment only, from that site anyway).
In my opinion, the last tip is quite useful because the queue for the 4pm show was really empty (if you move fast enough) and I was easily able to get to the center/front section of the theatre. The photos in this entry are taken near the entrance to the queue for The Golden Mickeys.
“And now – Let your imagination soar, as we present Flights of Fantasy!”
The opening unit has an animated Dumbo character, complete with blinking eyes and moving ears.
Flights of Fantasy – Chorus A
It’s a sky high celebration,
So come on! come on! come on!
Let’s fly away!
Take a flight on imagination,
So come on! come on! come on!
It’s a brand new day!
We’re chasing rainbows,
Wherever the wind blows.
So come on, come on,
on Flights of Fantasy!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Hey! Hey!
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah & Mickey Mouse March
Zip-a-dee (Zip-a-dee)-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee (Zip-a-dee)-doo-dah
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!
My oh my what a wonderful day!
Plenty of sunshine headed my way.
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!
Who’s the leader of the club!
That’s made for you and me?
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!
Mickey Mouse! (Mickey Mouse!)
Forever let us hold our banner high! (High! High! High!)
Come along and sing a song
And join the jamboree!
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!
Flights of Fantasy – Verse
Into the sky of flawless blue
We’ll sail away just me and you.
See all our wondrous dreams come true
Flying high, sailing free!
Flights of Fantasy – Chorus B
It’s a sky high celebration,
So come on! come on! come on!
It’s time to soar!
Take a flight on imagination,
So come on! come on! come on!
What’re you waiting for!
We’re chasing rainbows,
Wherever the wind blows.
So come on, come on,
on Flights of Fantasy!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Hey! Hey!
Winnie The Pooh medley: Heffalumps And Woozles, Tigger’s Song, Winnie The Pooh
A heffalump or woozle,
is very confuzle.
A heffalump or woozle’s very sly (sly! sly! sly!)
They come in ones and twoozles,
but if they so choozles
before your eyes you’ll see them multiply (ply! ply! ply!)
The wonderful thing about Tiggers,
is Tiggers are wonderful things!
Their tops are made out of rubber,
their bottoms are made out of springs!
They’re bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy
fun, fun, fun, fun, FUN!
But the most wonderful thing about Tiggers
is he’s the only one!
Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh
Chubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff,
He’s Winnie the Pooh,
Winnie the Pooh!
Willy nilly silly old bear!
Flights of Fantasy – Chorus (Princess)
*Lines in Brackets = Alternate lines, Chorus B
It’s a sky high celebration,
So come on (come on ~ fly away ~)
It’s time to soar. [Let’s fly away]
Take a flight on imagination,
So come on (come on ~ fly away ~)
What’re you waiting for? [It’s a brand new day]
We’re chasing rainbows,
Wherever the wind blows.
So come on,
on Flights of Fantasy!
Princess medley
Someday my prince will come,
someday we’ll meet again,
And the birds will sing and wedding bells will ring,
Someday, when my dreams come true.
I know you,
I walked with you once upon a dream.
I know you,
the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam.
Tale as old as time.
Song as old as rhyme.
Beauty and the beast.
Medley: Trashin’ the Camp / I Just Can’t Wait To Be King / I Wan’na Be Like You
Zabwe dap dooby doo zap a da dee dop zwe bop
Zabwe dap dooby doo zap a da dee dop zwe bop
Zabwe dap dooby doo zap a da dee dop zwe bop
Zwe dap zwe doo
Everybody look left!
Everybody look right!
Everywhere you look I’m-
Standing in the spotlight!
Let every creature go for broke and sing,
It’s gonna be King Simba’s finest fling,
Oh, I just can’t wait to be king!
Oh, I just can’t wait-
To be king!
I wanna be like you.
I wanna walk like you (too).
You’ll see it’s true,
I can learn to be human too!
Fairies join in the parade with Tinkerbell in her flying cotton float.
Flights of Fantasy Theme – The Magic of Pixie Dust version (vocalization, no lyrics, blends with “You Can Fly!” motif) plays at this segment.
Hangin’ Ten and Ridin’ High medley: He Mele No Lilo / Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride
Mahalo nui ia Ke Ali`i wahine (Ke Kuini o Hawai`i)
`O Lili`ulani Wo ka `O hi ku (Ke Kuini o Hawai`i)
Aloha e aloha e!
There’s no place I’d rather be,
Then on my surfboard out at sea.
Lingering in the ocean blue
And if I had one wish come true.
I’d surf till the sun sets
Beyond the horizon.
A wiki wiki mai lohi lohi
Lawe mai i ko papa he’e nalu
Flyin by on the Hawaiian roller coaster ride.
Toy Story medley – You’ve Got A Friend In Me (and a hint of I Will Go Sailing No More)
You’ve got a friend in me.
You’ve got a friend in me.
When the road looks rough ahead,
And you’re miles and you’re miles,
From your nice warm bed.
You just remember what your old pal said.
Boy, you’ve got a friend,
you’ve got a friend in me!
You just remember what your old pal said.
Boy, you’ve got a friend in me!
At the end of the parade, with cast members dressed up as cowgirls and cowboys hold onto the rope, leading young guests to walk along the parade route.
And that concludes the 2012-2013 Hong Kong Disneyland Photo Tour on dejiki.com.
Hong Kong Disneyland - Photo Tour series
Mystic Point (under construction) | Main Street U.S.A. | Toy Story Land (Day)Toy Story Land (Night) | Adventureland | Fantasyland | Grizzly Gulch
Grizzly Gulch: Big Grizzly Mountain | Tomorrowland | Flights of Fantasy parade
NEW: Mystic Point | Mystic Manor (Pre-show) | Mystic Manor (The Ride)
Disney's Hollywood Hotel | Frozen Village (Summer 2015)
The parade looks so good! I have to see it again next time!
Excellent post. I was checking continuously this blog and I’m impressed! Very helpful info specially the last part 😀 I care for such info much. I was looking for this particular info for a very long time. Thank you and good luck. For me this kind of information is very important because I am not a regular traveller, as a traveller I have only experience of Indian Tiger Tour.
I saw this parade in 2012. I thought it was all right. Seems very similar to “Mickey’s Soundsational Parade” at Disneyland in California, as in the audio.
Perhaps they could add Ariel, Mulan, Rapunzel and Pocahontas. Maybe some “Nightmare Before Christmas”?
Yes, it sounds the same because Disneyland adapted the song from Hong Kong Disneyland.
I believe the creative team intended to feature the more prominent and popular characters. Nightmare Before Christmas characters were part of the Halloween Night Parade.