Louisa Kriouche on Designing Disneyland Paris's Disney Music Festival

Show Design and Creative Freedom

• 💡 Louisa Kriouche, a show director with 28 years at Disney, discusses her work on the Disney Music Festival at Disneyland Paris.
• 🎯 A key challenge was creating something new and accessible for the festival, as many concepts had already been explored in other Disney parks.
• ✨ The goal was to recapture the feeling of live music touching people and creating shared experiences with friends and family.

The Grand Orchestra Finale

• 👏 The Grand Orchestra Finale is highlighted as Kriouche's favorite activation, designed for everyone to be part of the show.
• 🚀 It features 50 musicians, singers, and dancers performing live in front of the castle, a concept initially met with skepticism.
• 📍 The best viewing spots for the finale are described as being on the corners of Main Street leading into the hub.

Innovative Show Elements

• 🎭 Kriouche explains the decision to have characters like Mickey and Goofy make natural, unscripted-feeling entrances into the hub, aiming for a more intimate connection with the audience.
• 🎶 The choice of music for the finale, including pieces from Zootopia and Red, was driven by Kriouche's personal favorites and a desire to build a rhythmic crescendo.
• 🎨 New outfits for characters like Chip and Minnie were designed to fit the festival's story and futuristic aesthetic.

Rehearsal and Production

• 🎧 Rehearsals for the Grand Finale involved four teams for each musician group, requiring extensive studio time both with and without instruments.
• 🧩 The process was so enjoyable for the musicians that they often stayed long after rehearsals ended, highlighting the fun and engaging nature of the production.
• 🎤 Kriouche emphasizes the detailed planning, including using Lego models to visualize the placement of performers and elements within the hub.