Spectacle of Decorated Balconies

The facades on the Streets of America backlot at Disney's Hollywood Studios are just that, movie sets intended to be decorated differently depending on the needs of each production. For The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, everything from store windows to front stoops is dressed for the holidays. When it comes to the apartment balconies and fire escapes on the street, the Set Designers have taken the opportunity to use props and decor to tell a richer story about the people who might live in these places.

As it turns out, they're all celebrating something, even if it isn't necessarily Christmas. In the example above, a musician (see the trombone, music stand and tambourines) who happens to be Jewish is in the middle of enjoying Hanukkah. His neighbor below is either channeling Roy Rogers or has relocated to the big city from somewhere out west. The rope and saddle are obvious. More subtle are the pieces worked into the garland, everything from little stick ponies and boots to horseshoes and paisley bows.

The downstairs family below has kids (and apparently a thing for Hula Hoops). Upstairs from them lives a fisherman who must be looking forward to December 26 and the beginning of Kwanzaa. He already has a kinara made of lights, affixed to his balcony and ready to go.

The corner apartments below are occupied by definite showbiz types. One is a Dancing Queen with a gold lamé tree and disco balls, while the other is a comedian who has chosen to decorate with toys, feather boas and rubber chickens.

The next pair of balconies has a fan of ice skating and sledding living above overall sports fanatics. The athletic equipment stored outside their apartment includes skis, a basketball, tennis rackets (arranged in a particularly mouse-like pattern), hockey sticks, a baseball bat... even the chairs, grill and pom-pons they take to tailgate parties.

Finally, we come across two neighbors who may enjoy the Christmas holiday, definitely pine for warmer weather. The gardener's garland is composed of dozens of "fresh" flowers, along with the occasional pink flamingo. The surfer above has fish, turtles, pineapples, butterflies and orchids in the garland, with Tiki torches set up along the railing. Most fun, though, is the message he's created in lights on one of his boards: Peace, Love & Mickey Mouse. Isn't that just about all we need this holiday season?

A Few of My Favorite Things

Naturally, the only good time to really experience The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is after dark... when the lights are on... right? Of course it is... if Christmas lights are all you're looking for. Admittedly though, when the light show is going on, it can all be a bit overwhelming. It's easy to overlook some of the more subtle details. Here are just a few of my favorite things about the Spectacle of Lights by day.

For starters, did you ever notice that Disney swaps out every trash can on the Streets of America for the holiday season? Call me crazy, but I'm a fan of trash can design, and these little beauties with the snowflakes are lots of fun.

I also really enjoy seeing the elves dancing their way up from the subway station, and the toys on display around the street.

Over in the San Francisco area, even Chinatown gets into the Christmas mood. There's a kitschy blue and silver tinsel tree stuck in the window of the China Bowl Restaurant and a snowman using the phone booth.

A little further afield, Santa Claus can be seen climbing the outside of the fire station facade, and the decor in the area of Muppet*Vision 3-D has been appropriately Muppet-ized.

Back on the brownstone side of San Francisco is perhaps one of the most clever details of all. It's a large ball ornament made to look like Jack Skellington from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, and it's placed just outside the office of a Funeral Director. Brilliant.

Making a Spectacle of Themselves

In 1986, Arkansas businessman Jennings Osborne granted his daughter Breezy's wish to have their home covered in red Christmas lights. It was the beginning of a tradition that grew year after year. By the early 90s, Osborne had purchased the homes on either side of his and was decorating them, too. People came from miles around to see the display, but the Osborne family's neighbors were not fans of the lights, the noise or the traffic. They took Osborne to court and won, shutting down his holiday display.

At the same time, Disney was searching for just the right holiday feature to add to Disney's Hollywood Studios. The Osborne family's lights seemed a perfect fit. On November 24, 1995, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights made its grand debut on the Residential Street backlot set.

When Residential Street was retired for the addition of Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, the Spectacle of Lights moved to the Streets of America, where it continues to delight Guests.

Since coming to Florida, the display has expanded in scope from 3 million lights to nearly 5 million. Although none of the original lights remain (they've all been replaced with energy-efficient LED lights), all of the main features of Osborne's creation are still here. Believe it or not, everything from the 40-foot tree and flying Santa to the angels and giant earth globe were part of the display at the Osborne home in Arkansas.

Other enhancements to the show over the years have included the addition of a nightly snowfall and the dancing lights effect, added in 2007.

Like most kids, Breezy was a Disney fan, so images of Mickey Mouse were always part of the Christmas light display. Once the show moved to Walt Disney World, though, the Mickey factor increased considerably... all at the direction of the Osborne family. Today, Guests enjoy seeking out hidden images of Mickey in the lights. One of my favorites (although not particularly "hidden") is the toy soldier with mouse ears:

Aside from finding Hidden Mickeys, another popular challenge for visitors to the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is to seek out the cat. The story goes that when all the Christmas lights were shipped to Florida back in '95, a Halloween decoration got slipped in by mistake. The team putting the show together at the Studios that first season were on a tight schedule and didn't have time to question it. They put the cat up anyway.

Today, the cat has become a traditional element of the Spectacle of Dancing Lights, with the Show Director and Technicians placing it in a different spot each year. The next time you're at the Studios during the holidays, see if you can spot the Halloween cat. You never know where he'll be hiding.