A summer of Disney at Hollywood Bowl – 80s/90s Disney, John Williams, and Marvel

Earlier this summer, “Disney ‘80s-‘90s Celebration in Concert” welcomed performers including Corbin Bleu, Adam J. Levy and Susan Egan along with Disney Legends Bill Farmer, Jodi Benson and others for an unforgettable evening of Disney music. The live music was performed by the Hollywood Bowl orchestra and conducted by Sarah Hicks.

I’ve attended a decent amount of Hollywood Bowl concerts through the years, including numerous Disney ones. The “Disney ‘80s-‘90s Celebration in Concert” is easily going down as one of my favorites. After seeing a lot of Disney concerts in numerous venues, I thought I knew what I would get going into it. For a concert celebrating the ‘80s and ‘90s of Disney, I assumed it would simply be full of classics from “The Little Mermaid”, “Beauty and the Beast” and other content we regularly hear.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the classics. But I was absolutely thrilled and delighted by some of the rarer content provided. As a kid of the ‘90s, hearing the theme from Disney Afternoon sung live along with a medley of theme songs from the iconic TV block was a true delight. Other surprises included performances of ‘I Put a Spell on You’ from “Hocus Pocus” and a collection of songs from “Newsies” featuring lyrics and arrangements from the film. That’s a rarity these days as the Broadway musical version often gets the spotlight now.

As a fan of the Disney theme parks, I was thrilled to hear the theme of Fantasmic! played by a live orchestra, which debuted at Disneyland in 1992. The programming for this concert was certainly out-of-the box, and I appreciated every minute of it.

Speaking of out-of-the box, perhaps the biggest shocker of the night came when the song ‘Journey to the Past’ from the Fox animated film “Anastasia” was performed. They were sure to note that when “Anastasia” was released in 1997, it wasn’t a Disney property. But with Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019, “Anastasia” now fits under that Disney umbrella, and they welcomed her with open arms at this concert.

The concert ended in grand fashion as the long-running voice of Goofy, Bill Farmer, hit the stage to take part in the hit song ‘I 2 I’ from “A Goofy Movie”. “High School Musical” star Corbin Bleu portrayed the role of Powerline as the audience ate it up. I hope to see Disney continue with more concerts featuring deep cuts along the way.

A week prior, Hollywood Bowl presented “Maestro of the Movies: The Music of John Williams and More”. Of course, the music of John Williams has been iconic for decades, but his scores from the Star Wars and Indiana Jones sagas became part of The Walt Disney Company when Lucasfilm Ltd. was acquired in 2012. On August 11^th of this year, John Williams will become a true Disney Legend as he’s inducted at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

The John Williams Hollywood Bowl concert is an annual tradition for many as they head to the venue with lightsaber in hand. The concert is typically conducted by Williams himself, but this year he was replaced, due to illness, by conductor David Newman as he led the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Williams curated music selections for the night choosing scores that are not only his own, but also included masters like Henry Mancini and Leonard Bernstein. This year’s concert felt especially Star Wars heavy with music selections including ‘March of the Resistance’ from “The Force Awakens”, ‘Luke and Leia’ from “Return of the Jedi”, ‘Throne Room and Finale’ from “A New Hope” and more. This annual tradition is highly recommended as there’s nothing like hearing these iconic scores played masterfully by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

If you’re feeling a bit left out reading about these Disney concerts at Hollywood Bowl, not to fret. I have good news for any Marvel fans reading. On August 30^th and 31^st, 2024, head to the Hollywood Bowl for “Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience”.  Join the Los Angeles Philharmonic as they embark together on a live concert and cinematic journey through the Marvel Infinity Saga—beginning with the Tesseract being hidden on Earth by the Asgardians all the way to Tony’s ultimate sacrifice—from an all-new perspective. Tickets are now on sale.

Jeff DePaoli is an event producer and voiceover artist living in Los Angeles. He can be heard as the voice of Disney Trivia on Alexa as well as the host of “Dizney Coast to Coast” podcast, where he and his special guests share honest opinions on all things Disney. Get your FREE gifts of “America’s Hidden Mickeys,” “On the Rohde Again,” “Theme Park Comfort Kit” and more at DizneyCoastToCoast.com. DePaoli’s opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent Attractions Magazine.