Two PassPorter members who had the good fortune to witness the debut of the new Disney Festival of Fantasy parade at the Magic Kingdom yesterday have already sent in photos for us! The new parade has many of our favorite classic characters as well as some of the recent Disney animation stars! Mickey, Minnie, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Belle, Beast, Tinker Bell, Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook, Ariel, Pinocchio, Maleficent (as a Steampunk Dragon!) join Anna and Elsa from “Frozen,” Merida from “Brave,” and Rapunzel from “Tangled.”New special effects (Maleficent breathes fire, flaps her wings, and moves her tail) and a new musical score make for an exciting parade, according to PassPorter members Pris and mandyindiana (Amanda). “Absolutely amazing parade!” says Pris, who adds that “I’m not a big afternoon parade person but this is now on my must do list.”  Amanda says, “The floats were so beautiful.”

Since I have the advantage of studying all of Pris and Amanda’s photos from the comfort of my chair (as do you!), I couldn’t help but notice some fun details among the seven floats of the parade that might have been missed had you been watching excitedly in person. Be sure to watch for the details when YOU see the Disney Festival of Fantasy parade yourself! It’s performing at 3:00 pm  at the Magic Kingdom daily.

1. Flynn Rider Wanted Poster

Rapunzel’s float has not one, but two Wanted posters for Flynn on it!

2. Merida’s Empire Biscuits

Merida has a LOT of those yummy Empire Biscuits that show up in “Brave” just piled on top of her float. Yum!

3. Cinderella’s Pink Dress “Hides” Something

On the first float, “The Princess Garden,” the birds and mice are working on Cinderella’s pink dress. But when it turns around, hidden behind it is the lovely Princess and her Prince Charming. I thought this was a fun idea!

4. Skull Rock Has a Map!

It’s easy to miss, but the side of the big skull rock on the front of the Peter Pan float has a map of Neverland, complete with Indian Camp, Cannibal Cove, and Mermaid Lagoon.

5. Anna and Elsa are hiding behind Tiana and Naveen

The “Frozen” princesses are on a revolving stage at the END of The Princess Garden float, and if you’re not looking for them and the stage is turned away from you when you glance its way, you could easily miss them. Behind their flowery stage is Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. So when you see the Princess Garden float, watch the back carefully!

6. There’s an amusement park within the parade!

The last float begins with Pinocchio perched on a wind-up Monstro, and just behind him is an entire amusement park complete with roller coaster, Ferris Wheel, and swing ride!

7. Hippos Instead of Sandbags

The finale of the Disney Festival of Fantasy parade is Mickey and Minnie in their airship. Not content to simply use sandbags to keep their airship from floating away, the balloon is being held down with ropes tied to the arms of plump, pink hippos wearing tutus who are balancing on balls with just one foot! Love it!

See Pris and Amanda’s photos from the Disney Festival of Fantasy here!

Next up … a list of all the floats and characters in the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade!