When Disney’s California Adventure opened back in February of 2001, one of their visions was to have a land dedicated to celebrating the Golden Age of Hollywood, the 1930s. They were able to achieve this when they executed the design of Hollywood Pictures Backlot. Here, they would have Superstar Limo, Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Play It!, Muppet*Vision 3D, and the Hyperion Theater. The Hyperion Theater has remained a part of California Adventure, unlike the other 3 attractions. It still sits in Hollywood Land, on the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Blvd. It mimics the entrance to the Los Angeles Theater, to bring that old Hollywood glamour touch to it.

The Hyperion’s First Premiere

The Hyperion wasn’t only built to hold Disney shows, but also to be a space where premieres could be held. It gained traction with being the location of the world premiere of Spy Kids. Though Spy Kids wasn’t distributed by Disney, it was the perfect spot for celebrities, children and families to gather to watch it for the first time. The premiere was on March 18th, 2001.

Disney’s Steps in Time

The first regular musical to ever be held in the Hyperion Theater was Disney’s Steps in Time. It opened the day of the opening of the park, on February 8th, 2001. It starred Eden Espinosa in a storytelling musical using various Disney music. The show began with an older brother tormenting his younger brother, and a Fairy Godmother appears to help the situation. She then breaks out into a pop remix of “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes”. They continue the show singing songs such as “A Whole New World”, “Under the Sea”, “Hakuna Matata”, and “I Can Go the Distance”. The storyline was to have the Fairy Godmother explain the importance of dreams to the boy, but the story often got lost in the compilation of music. It didn’t go over very well with critics and guests, and the show closed on October 14th, 2001.

“Life without a dream is an empty place.”

— Fairy Godmother

Steps in Time. Photo by: Jeff Keller. Image from: https://jeffkellerphotography.com/disneyland/california_adventure/hollywood/hyperion.html

The Power of Blast!

Blast! was a Tony-award winning Broadway musical that opened in April of 2001. Just a few months later, Disney adapted it into a musical called The Power of Blast!, shortening it and adding their own music into it. The show was regularly watched in EPCOT, and was fairly successful through the year. Once DCA executives realized they needed a replacement show for the Hyperion, they opened The Power of Blast! there too in November 2001. It was about a 30-minute show that didn’t have a specific storyline, but was rather a musical experience with instruments and talented artists. The reception was fantastic, but Disney was getting slack for not having enough Disney-related attractions in California Adventure. Thus, the show closed in September 2002.

Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular

After The Power of Blast! closed and Disney took the feedback that guests wanted more Disney related elements in the theme park, they opened their longest running show to date: Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. It was a Broadway-esque adaptation of the 1992 film Aladdin. The show was slightly longer than it’s predecessors, running at 45-minutes per show. According to The OCR, it had an estimated 13 million guests over the course of its run. The show featured the original music from Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, with a new additional song called “To Be Free” by the both of them.

Genie and Aladdin. Photo by: Loren Javier. Image from: https://www.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/the-life-changing-experiences-of-playing-genie-in-aladdin.html

The original cast included Michael K. Lee and Miles Wesley as Aladdin, Deedee Magno Hall as Jasmine, Lance Roberts as Jafar, and Nick Santa Maria as the Genie. The Genie was one of the most memorable and beloved characters not only in the original film, but also in this show. The lines were constantly updated to be current, the actors had a bit more freedom with improvisation, and it was overall a larger than life character. The Genie was also played by Orville Mendoza, Dylan White, and Danny Stiles. Stiles was the last actor to reprise the role on the day of its closure.

“It was the excitement of bringing a Broadway-caliber performance to Southern California from its inception. It wasn’t a tour; it wasn’t a remounting of someone else’s vision. We were the first to bring ‘Aladdin’ to the live stage – and it was thrilling.”

— Michael K. Lee

The Hyperion Theater for Aladdin. Image from: https://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-aladdin-musical-disney-california-adventure-20151221-story.html

It opened in January 2003 and was a major hit with guests throughout it’s entire 13-year run, officially closing in January 2016. Back in March of 2010, the Disney Parks Blog put out an announcement that Aladdin would be closing that year, to make room for Toy Story - The Musical, in 2011. Just 2 months later, they put out another announcement saying Aladdin was here to stay, and the opening of Toy Story Mania would remain the focus. Though Aladdin continued to play for the next 6 years, it did eventually close.

The Disney Classics photo of the Hyperion Theater.

Frozen: Live at the Hyperion

In May 2016, the theater was officially opened again with the premiere of Frozen: Live at the Hyperion. Frozen was and still is one of the highest grossing box office films to date, so opening an attraction for it only made sense. The 1-hour long show featured the same story that follows Anna and Elsa on their journeys to discovering themselves. Some of the songs were slightly changed to fit the stage musical. The original cast includes Chelsea E. Franko as Elsa, Travis Leland as Kristoff, and Gizel Jiminez as Anna. The show ran until March 2020, when the whole park was shut down due to COVID-19.

What’s Next for the Hyperion Theater?

Since the closing of Frozen, guests have been speculating what will replace it once venues like that can be opened once again. I’ve seen guesses that the Aladdin show may come back, they may bring another already established Disney musical in such as the Hunchback of Notre Dame or The Lion King, and I’ve also seen guesses that they will bring in a Marvel show. With the opening of Avengers Campus, I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to implement the theater into it, though I personally hope they don’t. I feel as though the theater would be a great place to try a new film-adapted Disney musical, or one that’s not already big on Broadway.

Reference list:

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Aladdin:_A_Musical_Spectacular

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Hyperion_Theater

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Theater

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Land

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNQst-0AnwI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYLoAmfe4fY

https://www.laughingplace.com/w/blogs/disney-extinct-attractions/2017/02/23/disney-extinct-attractions-steps-time-power-blast/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCGGfvPEVz8&t=132s

https://duchessofdisneyland.com/park-history/steps-in-time/

https://www.ocregister.com/2016/03/14/the-cast-of-aladdin-looks-back-on-the-shows-13-year-run-at-the-disneyland-resort/

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/05/your-wish-has-been-granted-genies-run-extended-at-hyperion-theater/