'I cried': Disneyland performers stun fans with heartwarming video from isolation

A former Disneyland Paris performer — and almost 200 of his ex-colleagues — is helping to transport Disney fans in quarantine to the ‘happiest place on earth’ through the power of technology.

With the beloved theme park temporarily closed due to COVID-19, Mat Davies, 33, of London, was inspired to create a special ‘lockdown edition’ video of the iconic The Wonderful World of Disney Parade, an all-singing, all-dancing musical phenomenon.

“Feeling nostalgic, I started reminiscing about old times working at Disneyland Paris and looking through old photos,” Mat — who worked at Disneyland Paris from 2005 to 2007 and again from 2008 to 2009 — tells Yahoo Life.

After reaching out to his former colleagues in a private Facebook group in late April, Mat’s idea to compile clips of everyone performing the choreography to “Dancin’ (A Catchy Rhythm)” took off.

“The group has over 1,200 members, all ex-Disneyland Paris parade performers reliving happy memories, sharing stories and photos and reconnecting with old friends.”

Even though parade ran from 1998 to 1999, and then again from 2001 to 2007, the dance steps and music remained the same meaning all the ex-performers were able to pick up where they left off all those years ago.

“You can't help but remember the routine when you hear it,” he says of the memorable tune he performed six times in a row during the duration of each parade.

“As the parade was on for almost 10 years, there were a lot of people who came and went during that period, so many of the people in the group I had never worked with,” Mat continues. “But being a former cast member – this is the name that Disney gives to their employees – you have a unique and special bond that is like nothing else.”

Mat received over 160 video submissions of former cast members dancing at home, some in costume and others joined by their children or other family members pirouetting in the background.

The completed four-minute clip took him one week to edit together and was shared on YouTube on May 11. According to one commenter, it’s “absolutely amazing”.

“Oh my god I cried, this brings back so much [sic] good memories of my childhood,” wrote another.

One of the dancers included in Mat’s video is David Mitchell, 39, of Brighton, England, who met his wife Alice while they both were performing at Disneyland Paris. The couple married in 2015 and true to the magic that brought them together, celebrated their honeymoon at Disney World in Florida. The couple has two children, 3-year-old Henry and 1-year-old Albert, who are growing up to love Disney as much as their parents do.

“Not many things bring me to tears, but seeing all my old Disney family and seeing everyone’s effort and what Disney means to people, you can't help being moved,” David tells Yahoo Life of participating in the video.

“Disney plays a big part of my family,” he continues. “I owe everything I have to Disney. If it wasn't for Disney I would never have met my wife or had my children. So I will always love Disney and will always believe in that Disney Magic.”

“Getting to dance down the parade route, passing the iconic Disney Castle is like no other job,” Mat says of his Disney past. “It's an amazing feeling, dancing along seeing children and adults all smiling and waving back at you. Getting to relive those happy memories and get that feeling again...even dancing in my living room has been wonderful.”

Mat says he has received messages of gratitude from former castmates for his idea, but he is just as thankful.

“I have had so many lovely messages from the performers thanking me for reconnecting them with friends they haven't spoken to for 20 years and lifting spirits during this lockdown time which has been really overwhelming,” he says. “Most don't realise that I am just as thankful to each of them for agreeing to be part of the video, doing it with such enthusiasm, and allowing me to flex my creative muscles which has ultimately made my time in lockdown a lot better.”

Yahoo Life’s attempts to contact Disneyland Paris for comment were not immediately successful.

Additional reporting by Hannah Kramer.

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