Chapter 14: Celebration of the Day
Weeks after the incident inside the park, the Disney characters had set to work helping Mickey and the employees to clean parts of the damage caused by the villains. All plans for the House of Mouse gathering had to be postponed until repairs were complete. Although Michael Eisner had not stepped down yet, he had spent most of his time in secret meetings, avoiding contact with the characters, in case any of the Forgotten Five might still be waiting out there to attack him at anytime while no one was watching. So he had security guards at every door and entrance at the office while the damage caused by the Five was being cleaned and repaired, not knowing how long it would take. Those five movie titles nearly cost him a fortune with this place. And he still questioned himself on why he even bothered with them in the first place during that time. The experience from the office attack and battle with the villains never opened his eyes to anything sadly.
At the Toon Town Hospital, Grace stayed there for several weeks, reluctantly waiting until her back legs recovered completely. Her friends from Patch of Heaven were allowed to visit and let her know how things were going over at the Magic Kingdom. Whether the news was good or not, their visitation always cheered her up. Even Mickey would pay a visit every now and then to let her know that she and the rest of the Forgotten Five are not alone and that he was planning something special for them once the park was cleaned up. During that time, Maggie, Mrs. Calloway, and the rest of the cast wanted to make amends with Mickey and Minnie, feeling terrible for even thinking about putting the blame on him, even when it wasn't his fault. Ever since last year, the three cows were so overcome with disappointment and anger at everything that they blindly used Mickey as a dartboard without knowing that doing so only made the pain worse for them and for Mickey. But after the battle, they admitted that it was wrong of them to do that, especially when Mickey admitted how much he cared for everyone in his family. Mickey, not being the kind to hold a grudge forgave them, understanding how hard things have been for everyone. He always showed kindness and love to every member in the Disney family, even when someone wasn't being kind back. He could never stop loving any one of them, because it was his job and everyone else's to treat others with love, kindness, and respect no matter how different they are. Grace wasn't the only Disney character to wind up at the hospital. Aladdin went in with a broken left arm, John Smith had bandages wrapped around his chest, Meg had a broken left ankle, Mulan injured her elbow during the final confrontation with Shan Yu, and several of the animal characters received injuries in their legs from either gunshots or poaching traps. Although staying in a hospital bed would be a bit boring at times, Grace did not complain.
Roy E Disney, hearing about the incident in a newspaper, rushed over to the Magic Kingdom to pay Mickey a visit and ask him some questions about it. When Mickey told him everything that had happened, Roy promised him that he would keep on working to gather enough shareholders to oust Eisner once and for all since the real war was far from over. This company was still his uncle's, even in death. And whether he liked any of the Five or not, he also promised Mickey that he would be at the Magic Kingdom for the planned celebration this summer. What the Five didn't know was that by the time the park was nearly all cleaned up by the end of June, Mickey planned to save the celebration of their heroic deeds on July 17th, during the Happiest Homecoming on Earth Ceremony; the anniversary of the park's first opening. He wanted to surprise them on that upcoming day without spoiling what he planned and who he invited. Everything had to be perfectly prepared and ready by then.
Soon July 17th finally arrived. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Pluto, Scrooge McDuck, and Hewey, Dewey, and Louie beamed with satisfaction at the sight of the park being repainted with traditional colors and sparkling glitter at the surface of each building. Walls and turrets were embellished with banners, flags, draperies, and signs draped in silver, gold, and royal blue. Everywhere, the park contained fifty golden hidden Mickey Mouse heads with the number "50" displayed in the middle. Many classic attractions had reopened after lengthy refurbishments, such as the Enchanted Tiki Room, The Jungle Cruise, and Space Mountain. The original attractions had most of their ride vehicles painted in shining gold for the celebration. The golden crowns hung at the towers of the Sleeping Beauty castle.
"Oh Mickey," Minnie said happily. She wore a radiant princess gown. "Everything looks so wonderful."
"Yep, I can't wait till the guests arrive," Mickey replied, looking up at the stage standing a few feet away in front of the castle. Then he took a close look at his watch. "This should be in about ten minutes to 7 am. But where are the Five? They should be here."
"Now Mickey I'm sure they're already on their way," Daisy assured him. "Oh look, I think I see something."
Indeed she did. Coming their way first was two painted palace guards carrying Kuzco (back in human form) riding in one of those royal carriers.
"BOOM BABY!" Kuzco shouted in excitement, jumping off the carrier. "Bring on the party!"
"Kuzco, glad you made it," Mickey greeted. "Just follow Donald and Goofy. They'll lead you behind the stage until it's time to come on out. Think you can handle it?"
"Sure I can," Kuzco stated positively. "The crowds gotta show us gratitude for something. But I'll be waiting until it's time to come out."
He followed Donald and Goofy leading him behind the red velvety curtains onstage, making all sorts of rhythmic dance moves. His groove had been revived weeks after the incident. His other pals, Kronk, Pacha and all the rest of the cast from his movie showed up and were led behind the stage. Soon afterward came the entire cast of Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Brother Bear, and Home on the Range, riding in vehicles, stone fishes, a solar surfboard, a flying ship, mammoths, and Conestoga wagons.
"Great, just in the nick of time!" Mickey shouted triumphantly. "Alright everyone, just follow my friends back stage and wait there."
Mickey watched with satisfaction and appreciation as the rest of the so-called Forgotten Five followed back stage. Almost every one of the characters had smiles on their faces, while a few such as the cows had nervous frowns. They wanted to feel excited about all this, but were worried of what would happen once they were called onstage in front of the crowds. Mickey noticed their expressions, but would later reassure them that it was going to be ok, once he got up there. He still knew the company would never have been saved without the Five.
"Hang in there girls," Mickey whispered, watching the underrated characters disappear behind the curtains. "It's gonna be alright. I know it will."
By the time the clock struck 7am, dozens of animated characters were walking their way toward Central Plaza. Mickey quickly rushed to the stage, behind the same curtain where the Five hid. He had nearly forgotten that he should stay hidden himself until everyone was outside. But Mickey and Minnie allowed themselves to peek behind the curtain. All the Disney princesses strolled down escorted by their princes and sidekicks, chatting about how fun this celebration would be to honor the Five as well as the park's anniversary. Dumbo, Peter Pan, Wendy, John, Michael, Tinker Bell the crows, Elliot, the Reluctant Dragon, the vultures from the Jungle Book, and the flying gaucho came swooping down. Peter Pan swooped over the turrets playing a flying game of Tag with Wendy and the Lost Boys. Through Adventure Land, out came Simba with Nala, Baloo, Bagheera, Mowgli, King Louie, Timon and Pumbaa, along with Tarzan and Jane riding atop Tantor with Terk tagging behind. Through the Fantasy Land gates came Alice, the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, March Hare, and the Walrus and the Carpenter. Driving a motor car at a fast speed was Mr. Toad with Rat, Mole, and Badger hanging on for life in the back until the vehicle came to a stop.
Minnie kept watching more characters coming and saw to her surprise that coming this way were…Pixar characters. She didn't remember Mickey saying that he invited them, not that she was against the idea. But how would the Five react to this? Everyone from Toy Story to The Incredibles was marching down through Main Street to Central Plaza. Sheriff Woody walked alongside Bulls eye, Jessie, the Green Army Men, Bo Peep, and Buzz Lightyear. Flik and the Circus Bugs flew high in the air. Mike and Sulley passed through waving at the guests. Soon tourists came in wearing golden Mickey Mouse hats.
"Um Mickey, can I talk to you alone for a minute," Minnie whispered to Mickey.
"Sure Minnie. Be right back you guys."
The Five stared at the two rather suspiciously, hoping that their private conversation didn't concern any of the guests out there. To have a peek for herself, Maggie looked through the small hole in the curtain and gasped, her heart pounding with fear as she stepped back.
"Maggie, what's wrong?" Grace asked.
"Whatever you do, don't look outside girls," Maggie answered uneasily.
But the Five hastily took turns peeking out of the curtain anyway and received the same uneasy feeling that she did.
"What the heck are they doing here; does anybody remember Mickey mention anything about this?" Jim panicked.
"Not that I recall," Kuzco replied. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm feeling rather obligated than excited to show myself now."
"So am I," Jim agreed, wiping his sweaty forehead. "I know exactly what's going to happen once they see us."
"Crowds booing, objects thrown at your face, insults and false accusations rising," Grace added fearfully, breathing heavily. "That's all we ever got. I can picture it in my mind. I can't go out there. I just can't do it." Sweat dripped down her face as she kept on imagining what might be waiting for them out there.
"Just what is Mickey thinking?" Mrs. C whispered anxiously. "A bunch of bigger stars are certainly not ready to accept who we are. This is outrageous."
"But we're gonna have to step out sooner or later," Kenai reminded them. "Then again, I'd rather not anymore."
The Five kept whispering nervous comments about themselves and the crowds for several more seconds until Milo Thatch decided to put an end to it.
"Whoa time out everyone, time out!"
The nervous characters looked at him surprisingly.
"Alright now, I know some of us are a little edgy and uncomfortable with who is out there, even as we speak," he said firmly. "But how do we really know the crowd is gonna turn ugly if we haven't even seen it yet?" Everyone looked at each other for a second before Milo continued. "Remember what Mickey said about us showing ourselves, even for just one family? As far as I know, isolating ourselves in the dark will not make things any better for anybody…not even for us. We helped save this company, so the least we can do now is return the favor by not letting Mickey down, after all...he is a good leader. We're going out there together to give the best performance of our lives. What do you say?" Milo held out his hand.
The Five were silent for a moment. Then Kuzco jumped up.
"You know what, you're right," he said, determined. "So what if someone starts pointing their fingers at me. They can bash me for all I care, but I'm going out there anyway."
"And I'm not gonna run off easily just because of some small talk," Jim added fiercely. "This is supposed to be a special day for all of us, so we might as well treat it like one."
The rest of the Forgotten Five came to this agreement, putting their hands, paws, and hooves together. If there really was someone waiting for the Five to show, then the characters would do this for that one person and not give in to whatever rude remark might be thrown at them. They would do it. They would bravely face that crowd all together with Mickey by their side. All Mickey wanted to do was give them a chance with a better introduction and proper ceremony in honor of their bravery, and they were not going to let him down, despite the huge crowds waiting. Although a proper introduction should have happened to them sooner, now was better than never. Even the cows no longer worried to death about the situation outside. Well Grace still felt a little nervous with her front legs shaking, but she waited patiently.
"Try to relax Grace," Maggie whispered. "Your shaking is making me nervous."
"Sorry, I can't help it," Grace blushed.
More crowds of characters and tourists gathered at Central Plaza minutes later, each of them ready for someone to appear onstage. They stood patiently chatting with one another. The news of this stage show had been put up on billboards and posters everywhere weeks before. The Five would often peek every few seconds from behind the curtains, still wondering how people would react during their appearance. They couldn't possibly be rude to them during this special celebration, could they? Well whatever happens, the Five tried to stay brave and confident above their worries.
"Looks like the shows about to start Mickey," said Minnie from behind the other curtain. "I just can't help but be concerned."
"They'll clap Minnie, I'm sure of it," Mickey replied. "I would have thought everyone knew about the Five in the papers already. Why wouldn't they be here?"
"If you say so," Minnie shrugged.
She watched Mickey sneak over to the other curtain to let the Five know the show would start any minute.
"Remember, there's no reason to be nervous," he told them. "I'll make sure that the crowd cheers once you step out. It has always been my job to make sure all Disney films are treated right, especially yours."
Now with that taken care of, Mickey came out on stage to cheers and applause. Hearing this, The Five swelled with nervousness and joy the moment when they would be called upon to present themselves. This may be their last chance at being cleared of all negativity and finally be able to stand beside the classics rather than being left in the dust.
"Hello everybody, and welcome to Disneyland's 50th Anniversary Celebration!" Mickey began. "Today we'll be doing a dedication to all the films and events that made this day possible. But most of all, we're doing this for a gang of very special and important characters. They all risked their lives to save this park from the forces of evil two months ago. Without them, we wouldn't be here right now."
Hearing the words "special" and "important" brought an amount of warmth to the Forgotten Five as they kept listening. Before this celebration, the Five would have never believed those words. But today was different. They were special and important. The Five finally understood that if they truly wanted to make this day feel any more special, they'd have to swallow their pride, and show themselves for all the fans out there that have cheered for them during the night of the battle.
"This is it gang," Maggie whispered. "We got a show to put on."
"We'll be doing this for the fans, if not everybody," Kenai added. "But we're doing this together."
Minnie still watched the crowd out there, tenser than ever. If the Forgotten Five succeeded today, they'd finally get the recognition and appreciation like they always wanted. But if their performance failed…Minnie dared not think about it. This show had to be the best.
"Mickey, I hope you know what you're doing," Minnie whispered under her breath.
"It's such an honor having you all be here for the park's anniversary. First, we're gonna start off this day and all through the night with the introduction of a couple of characters from five movie titles who some of you may be familiar with. Some of you may not. But like the rest of us, they've been going through a rough time with everything that happened. So that's why part of this celebration should be in honor of their heroic deeds. But now that I'm done talking here, let's give it up for the stars of The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Brother Bear, and Home on the Range!" Mickey exclaimed.
The Forgotten Five came out to scattered applause. Some of the tourists either looked at them puzzled or unhappy. But dozens and dozens of others smiled with satisfaction, still clapping. Even the Disney characters still clapped for them. The Pixar characters stared, not sure what to think. Minnie watched the crowd more nervously, praying that no disaster would strike at any minute. The Forgotten Five stared with unease, having never been on stage before a large crowd of tourists, stared at them with mixed feelings. But rather than walking off stage, the characters came forward anyway up to where the microphone was. Milo was the first one to take the microphone, feeling more confident than uncomfortable.
"Hello everybody," Milo announced. "Glad you could all make it today. As some of you probably don't already know, yes we're characters from the five movies that Mickey just mentioned. Even though we were not mentioned too often, Mickey has taught us the meaning of what it means to be a part of the Disney family." The crowd stared and listened with silence, making the characters edgy. "I know some of you don't like us, I know some of you have never heard of our movies, but we're not here to steal the show or take all the credit for ourselves. We came here to have fun, be thanked, and to be there for those who do know about us. Before all this, we thought nobody wanted us around at all, not even in our own home. But once we later found out that our friends were in trouble, we took the risk of returning to the company to help save the day, even if it meant facing the consequences of our earlier actions. Sure there were stronger, developed heroes to do battle, but the thing is that Mickey couldn't defeat them all without EVERYBODY in his family…not without us involved."
The crowd murmured amongst themselves with whispers of "that makes sense" or "I never thought about it that way".
"Maybe we're not the type of characters that some were hoping that we'd be. But the truth is that we don't care anymore whether or not we're popular. We have no wish to be better than anyone. We never wanted to be better than anybody. All we want is to have our names mentioned in the category and to go on doing what we do best…and that's to make as many humans happy the way that all the other classics did before. Whether it means you're a grooving emperor, a science geek, a treasure hunter, a bear, or a cow, it doesn't matter. The most important thing is what we think of ourselves…and how our movies can change someone's lives, big or small in ways we never imagined."
The crowd fell silent once more, unsure of what to say before Milo continued.
"We might not have pleased every human being in this world, but why should it matter if we pleased everybody or not. Each of our stories builds up on what this company has stood for since the beginning, whether your film is a success or a failure. That's what Mickey taught us. I guess what I'm saying is that we may not be perfect, we may not be the very best in the world, but we're proud to be who we are now. And nothing is going to take that feeling away from us...as long as there are people who still believe in the magic of Disney."
Pretty soon the tourists who weren't smiling before were already showing smiles of gratitude and appreciation. As for the Pixar characters, they were beginning to smile at them. The sound of one person's clapping broke the silence, soon followed by a growing number of clapping and applauding for Milo's wonderful speech. The rest of the Five gazed up at him, proud for what he mentioned, without overdoing it or putting anybody down. While everyone was still cheering, the Five decided to do a group hug together, listening as voices in the crowd begin to chant. Some whispered that the humor in The Emperor's New Groove almost made them die of laughter while Atlantis and Treasure Planet created an interest for them in exploration, scientific theories, and legends in treasure hunting all over the world. For Brother Bear, it made a couple of people want to learn more about the facts of Native American legends and cultures. And they adored the lovable bears. As for Home on the Range, one girl mentioned that if it wasn't for that movie existing, she would have never turned into a cow lover or sparked an interest in western activities. A couple more people mentioned that their young daughters, sons, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren couldn't resist admiring and having fun out of the songs and cute, colorful characters. They too almost died laughing. To them, the movies may not be instant classics, but they were just as good enough to bring smiles to their faces and forget all their troubles just like the other older Disney films of the past. In fact, the five movies were already classics to them in their own eyes. Other comments were so mixed together that they couldn't quite make them out, but it didn't matter.
"Did I do well?" Milo asked.
"I think you did fine," Jim answered reassuringly. "Me, I think I might have said the same thing up there…all of us I mean."
All of the Five agreed to this and continued with their group hug before taking a bow to the cheering crowd who clapped loudly than ever. No longer did the so-called Forgotten Five feel so left out, forgotten, or underappreciated as they did before. All their negative feelings were replaced with joy, gratitude, excitement, and happiness. It seemed that they were finally getting the respect they always dreamed of with this huge audience of happy tourists. Enticing aromas hung in the air and the sounds of music vibrated in their heads. Mickey walked back onstage, announcing that it was time to roll out the red carpet and let the characters walk on by to get ready for the Parade of Dreams. Walking down the stage, the Five strolled by receiving more gratitude, flowers given to them from tourists, or giving out hugs and kisses. One tourist girl handed Kuzco a red rose as she told him. "I love you because you don't have magic. In fact no one has magic, but the magic that is within all of us."
Kuzco hugged her back and thanked her happily, and then went on his way to keep following Mickey. One Hispanic girl gave each of the cows' lovable hugs, saying that they're the reason she turned vegetarian and grew more understandable of cows, farms, and western folklore. Nothing would change her opinion about them, no matter how old she would get. And to her, their movie was better than this other popular movie that she'd dare not say out loud, but only to them. The girls were struck by another unexpected surge of happiness as they took more flowers from tourists who honored their names. These people didn't hate them at all. The crowds were cheering for them. The Five were going to be in the parade with everyone else.
Later that afternoon, the Parade of Dreams had started first with a voice speaking out of the intercom to announce the introduction on the Happiest Homecoming on Earth, ending with Walt's recorded voice fifty years back: For all who come to this happy place…welcome.
First came the float of Gateway to Dreams, featuring characters like Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, the Blue Fairy, Fairy Godmother, Merlin, and the Three Good Fairies. Seven more floats continued with Dream of Enchantment, Dream of Laughter, and Dream of another World, Dream of Imagination, Dream of Adventure, and Dreams Come True. But that wasn't the end of it as it was during its first opening in May. Because coming forward were five unexpected floats, or whatever tourists wanted to call them.
The entire cast from The Emperor's New Groove were the first to come marching by, waving at guests as Kuzco did his dance moves as the same opening song from the movie played during their performance. Colored confetti showered down upon them.
Next the song changed to Where the Dream Takes You as the Atlantis crew drove slowly and carefully in their vehicles while waving at tourists who cheered for them. The Atlanteans floated in their stone fishes, as did Milo and Kida. They too were showered with colored confetti before the next stage turned to Treasure Planet.
The song I'm Still Here played when the floating RLS Legacy passed by with Jim Hawkins riding on his solar surfboard and his friends waving to the crowds below. Captain Amelia, Doppler, Morph, Silver, Sarah Hawkins, and B.E.N. were pretty much enjoying themselves for this day; especially B.E.N. who couldn't help himself from jumping with joy and catching the flowers thrown at the ship.
Next played the song Welcome, during the appearance of the entire cast from Brother Bear. The natives rode on mammoths, smiling and waving to people. Kenai and Koda rode up in front on the head of a mammoth. Rutt and Took marched down shouting hello and goodbye to the tourists, along with the other bears from the Salmon Run.
Last to come forward was the gang from Home on the Range with a few cowboys riding in Conestoga wagons. Lucky Jack rode on top of Junior, walking along next to Buck ridden by Sheriff Brown. Maggie, Grace, and Mrs. Calloway led the way in front of everyone since they were the stars of their movie, but not without the rest of their companions as they remembered. Nothing else was more important than family and friendship. The Patch of Heaven gang skipped and danced along proudly, listening to the song Little Patch of Heaven. The moment that the song came to an end, so did the parade. But the rest of the celebration was only just beginning.
The entire celebration continued all day and all through the night so that tourists and characters could see the fireworks show Remember…Dreams Come True. Everyone listened as Disney legend Julie Andrews narrated about the magic of Disneyland and how important the beauty of dreams really are. Everything throughout the event was spectacular, ending with a cavalcade of fireworks in the sky while Julie Andrews states. "Remember…dreams come true." The song Remember When played after the show ended and tourists kept right on cheering for all the characters, but most of all, for the Five that saved this park. And once the tourists were leaving around midnight, the Five were later lifted high on the shoulders by the other Disney characters, parading around the park. The Pixar characters stayed behind to do the same for them. And all that night, the park echoed for joyous cheers. Not only did it turn out to be the Happiest Homecoming on Earth, but it was to be remembered as the happiest days of their lives.
Watching the entire situation from within her glowing orb, Maleficent scowled, disgusted that those forgotten fools were being noticed and honored, even after their failure. How could this be possible?
"Isn't it odd pet," she murmured darkly. "If me and the villains were on Eisner's side all along, we'd only be neglected as well as our own enemies. I should have known that sooner than expected."
She staggered back to her throne chair to have a seat. She sat for a moment to think carefully. Then a smirk crossed her face as she stared into the orb once again.
"Well those fools might have won this round," she cackled. "But Mickey still hasn't heard the last of me. This event may even be a greater opportunity to attack them again in the future."
Her laughter was then put to a halt, by the extinguishment of the green torches in the hallway. Furious, Maleficent stood up.
"Who dares to enter my domain?" she demanded.
Something had rustled in the shadowed corner. A spider-like creature popped out from the corner. Maleficent gasped at the furious frown of Scroop. "I do believe you promised us that we'd be known as the most powerful forces this world has ever known." His expression darkened. "So that's why we're all here."
In less than a second, the rest of the villains from the five movies, Yzma, Rourke, his henchmen, the space pirates, Alameda Slim, Rico, and the Willies stepped out. They too were not happy about their defeat and still wanted to be recognized as the villains this world has ever known like Maleficent promised. So that's what they were going to show her.
Nobody had known or seen what happened inside the dark castle. In fact no one was there to see it. The sounds were mixed with roars, weapons, screeching, howling, punching, and yodeling. This day and the next were about to be the most irritating, painful, vibrant days ever.
THE END
AN: Nope, this story isn't quite the end just yet. There is one epilogue on the way so stay tuned. I have never been to the Happiest Homecoming on Earth before and I know the Five never had a chance to show themselves there or in any other parade...probably. Come on Disney! Show a little gratitude for once. I know what happened in this chapter isn't how it happened in the real world, but what else can I say other than me only wanting everyone to celebrate the Five's heroic deeds. I had to pick something. And I wanted to make sure the Pixar characters showing up for the celebration was good and decent enough, without making them look or sound like the enemy. I have nothing against Pixar; I still love watching their movies. The Five were just unsure and didn't know what to really think in the midst of the chapter. All Disney and Pixar characters do not belong to me; not even the real people like Michael Eisner, Roy E Disney, or Julie Andrews. I don't even own the songs that played during the Five's performance in the parade. But I listened to each of them as I was writing. This may have been a long chapter, but I hope it was a good conclusion to what was happening right now. Like I said before, the epilogue is on the way. I want to credit Yensid365 for helping me with the ideas and to PokeMaster93 for helping to give me the idea for the celebration. Thank you so much. And of course to TheStatue'sFollower for the tourist giving Kuzco a flower. Thanks for all the reviews for each chapter. I hope you enjoyed the story. I almost forgot to mention that the epilogue on the way will take four to five years after these events of how many changes arrive without telling too much.