By ERIC HAYASHI and GWEN MURANAKA
With a choir of singers in robes, trumpeters, an orchestra and emotional narration, a holiday tradition continued at Disneyland with their annual “Candlelight Processional.”
In 1958, Walt Disney created the show, which tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The event was held Dec. 2-3 with two showings.
Staged in Town Square at the entrance of the park, the show has all the pageantry that only Disney can bring. People line up for hours to catch a glimpse and listen to the music performed by a live orchestra conducted by Nancy Sulahian, Caltech’s director of choral activities. This year, Brie Larson (“Captain Marvel”) was the celebrity narrator and joined the ranks of Molly Ringwald, John Stamos, Dick Van Dyke, James Earl Jones and many others.
Larson was at the base of the Disneyland Main Street Station as hundreds of singers walked down Main Street and filled in the station platform to perform. The colors of the robes each singer wore along with their candles add to the spectacle and pageantry. One of the choirs is positioned like a tree with their green robes.
The singers are composed of local choirs from around the area, including a Disney Employee Choir. The choir sings some of the most beloved holiday classics, including “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Deck the Halls,” and “Silent Night.”
Leslie Naritoku, a former Disneyland employee, performed in the choir four times. She explained that rehearsals begin in October each year. When she performed, the choir director was Joanne Mikuni.
“The experience is amazing and I was very fortunate to participate four times,” Naritoku recalled. “One of the memories I have is on the day of Candlelight, we were in the entertainment warehouse practicing and they brought in the narrator, who was Robert Urich, and he was so handsome.”
Naritoku noted that employees have to audition and the shorter singers are placed at the top of the tree. The view down Main Street and an opportunity to perform are a highlight of the season.
“Because I’m short I was always near the very top of the tree. I was always on the second row below the one person who got to be the top,” she said.
Disney has already released a schedule of events for 2024. This includes Celebrate Gospel (Jan. 23-Feb. 18) and Season of the Force (April 5-June 2) at Disneyland. Lunar New Year festivities (Jan. 23- Feb. 18) and the Food & Wine Festival (March 1-April 22) will be held at Disney’s California Adventure Park. Pixar Fest will run April 26-Aug. 4 with different festivities happening at both parks.