From State-of-the-Art to State-of-the-Heart

From State-of-the-Art to State-of-the-Heart; Behind
the Transformation of the Hyperion Theater at
Disney California Adventure
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Within minutes of the opening act of Disney California Adventure park’s new“Frozen – Live at the
Hyperion,” audiences realize there’s another important headliner in this musical theater production – a headliner so
integral to the telling of this adaptation that its name shares the production’s title: Live at theHyperion.
Opened in 2001 as part of the new Disney California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, Calif., the grand Hyperion
Theater is fully equipped to host major theatrical presentations. With the opening of the new“Frozen – Live at the
Hyperion” show, Disney’s creative team is utilizing the theater’s full creative capabilities. New technology combines
with classic theatrics to immerse audiences in a story that feels both fantastic and familiar.
“This production is very emotional,” explains Dana Harrel, creative portfolio executive with Walt Disney Imagineering
Creative Entertainment. “We take our audiences to a place that we’ve never gone before, so the environment for this
journey becomes vitally important to the telling the story.”
The scale of the nearly 2,000-seat Hyperion Theater means the theatrical effects in this production play a very large
role. For example, it took approximately 45,000 square feet of custom-dyed fabric to create the “Aurora” curtain that
envelops the interior of the theater, almost completely surrounding the audience and providing a surface for large
format projection and lighting effects.
An enormous turntable was installed on the stage to allow an elegant movement of set pieces from scene to scene
and to accommodate Elsa’s breathtaking and intricate staircase of ice, which juts out over the audience. To adapt the
thrilling wolf chase from the film, Kristoff’s sleigh was built upon a motion base platform similar to a flight simulator,
providing an incredible kinetic energy to the scene for performers and audience alike.
Another impressive enhancement to the theater involves the scene in which Elsa’s emotions generate a sudden
explosion of ice spikes from the stage. Each of the realistic shards of ice is independently controlled and the natural
look of the effect is remarkable.
“We are using theatrical technology that simply wasn’t available when the theater opened in 2001, and some of it
wasn’t even around five years ago,” explains the show’s producer Jennifer Magill. “This is especially true of the large
amount of video projections.”
Magill notes that the show has more than 20 video “canvases” upon which eight ultra-high-definition projectors are
used. A precision mapping technology turns 8,000 square feet of scenic surfaces into living backgrounds, transporting
the audience into the worlds of Arendelle, pine forests and sparkling ice castles. The custom, curved 2,200-squarefoot onstage video screen itself weighs 44,000 pounds and required special stage reinforcing to accommodate its
installation.
Page 2 of 2 - From State-of-the-Art to State-of-the-Heart; Behind the Transformation of the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure
Many of the scenic elements are wirelessly controlled. In fact, two pieces representing mounds of snow actually move
about the stage autonomously, using laser scanners and reflectors as their guide.
“Of course, it snows frequently in the story, so our stage and house are equipped for theatrical changes in the
weather,” says Magill. “For example, we’re using eight snow machines to create a wintry look for some sequences.”
All of the technology used at the Hyperion is in the service of the story, Magill emphasizes.
Since opening, the Hyperion Theater has been home to several of the park’s major entertainment productions. Most
notably, the Hyperion Theater recently completed its 13-year run of “Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular.”
“We are quite fortunate to have a theater like the Hyperion,” says David Duffy, executive producer for “Frozen – Live
at the Hyperion” and director of Creative Entertainment for the Disneyland Resort. “Guests in our parks are already
immersed in a vast amount of storytelling, so there is a natural expectation to be magically taken away from reality
and dropped – quite believably – into the very center of a compelling story. A theater like the Hyperion allows us to
deliver and exceed that expectation.”
“Frozen – Live at the Hyperion” is based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios’ film “Frozen,” which is the No. 1
animated feature of all time and among the most critically acclaimed animated films. It is the winner of two Academy
Awards® (2014), for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.
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About the Disneyland Resort The Disneyland Resort features two spectacular theme parks – Disneyland (the
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Disneyland Resort opened July 17, 1955. Open daily, year-round.
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