On paper, the new 45 Years of Magic procession at Disneyland might look like just another gala parade. The real thing, however, is closer to kinetic art. That, at least, is the vision of Jean-Luc Choplin, the creator of an extravaganza opening on February 18 as part of the park's yearlong forty-fifth birthday celebration. An old hand on the parade route (he was responsible for Disneyland's Mulan entry), ...

It's a typical scene in Anaheim: 18-wheelers shake up Fantasyland, the boats of the Jungle Cruise run the river backwards, and the Main Street sound system blares tunes by the Wallflowers. Disneyland in a parallel universe? Not exactly. More like the overnight flip side of the theme park when crews tweak, polish, paint, scrub, and fine-tune the place to perfection. It's a job for an army that includes ...

Disneyland fan Robb Alvey took in the Light Magic parade this summer, and for the Westminster resident, ``Once was enough.'' Alvey, a former Disneyland employee, wasn't suprised to learn that the theme park has pulled the plug on Light Magic to make way for next summer's ``Mulan,'' a nighttime parade based on the animated film opening next summer. ``You watched the faces of kids and they seemed to be ...