A Gloomy Happiest Place on Earth

It’s been raining on Mickey’s parade lately.

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To the chagrin of Disneyland officials, the unusually wet weather has canceled four weekend Main Street processions this year. The crowd-pleasing spectacle, which features characters from the movie “The Lion King,” was again threatened by Thursday’s downpour, but went on as scheduled when the weather cleared late in the afternoon.

“It seems like we have been dodging rain clouds all this year,” said Disney spokeswoman Pam Espinosa. “It’s a huge deal to cancel a parade, and we hate to do it.”

As it has so many times this season, Thursday morning’s rain cast a strange spell over the Magic Kingdom, transforming the normally sun-drenched theme park into a darkened, wet and sparsely populated play land. Tom Sawyer’s Island shut down, the PeopleMover ground to a halt, and lines at big outdoor attractions like Splash Mountain began to evaporate.

“The park really slows down when it rains,” said David Bogas, 39, of El Paso, warming himself with a hot cup of coffee in a Main Street market. “But rain or shine, I have a good time whenever I come here.”

The morning cloudburst also sent the world-famous mouse and other Disney characters scurrying for cover. The rain would ruin their expensive costumes, park officials said.

“We don’t like having to send Mickey indoors,” said Espinosa. “He’s a sunshine mouse.”

Most guests, expecting friendly Southern California weather, were forced to splash their way to a nearby Disney store for protection Thursday. There, they purchased $5 yellow Mickey ponchos, which become ubiquitous on rainy days.

“I was bummed when it was raining this morning,” said Oregon resident Brett Cunningham, 11, who waited an hour in the rain to get on the new Indiana Jones ride. “But (the poncho) helps while I wait in line.”

While tourists may have been caught off guard, the 40-year-old theme park merely switched into its well-established “rain mode.” At the park entrance, guests were handed index-sized cards apologizing for the inclement weather, explaining: “Into each life a little rain must fall . . . it looks like today is our day.”

Inside, workers stocked stores with umbrellas and ponchos, while maintenance workers donned plastic rain gear before wiping benches and sweeping away puddles. The latter task can be as taxing mentally as it is physically.

“It gets monotonous,” said Don, who, in accordance with Disney policy, gave only his first name as he worked on a big Frontierland puddle. “And it’s dreary too.”

The bad weather even prompted a canned response from wisecracking skippers on the Jungle Cruise. Protected just by an overhead tarp, the seats on the famous ride often are soaked during rains.

Like other Jungle Cruise skippers, Rich told his reluctant passengers Thursday morning: “When you sit down, the seat will be dry.”

Some guests, however, didn’t allow the rain to dampen their spirits at the Happiest Place on Earth. In fact, they enjoyed the shorter lines and less frenetic atmosphere.

Bruce Clark, his wife, Sharon, and their daughter, Kimber--all in yellow ponchos--waited only 20 minutes to board Splash Mountain Thursday morning. On sunny days, the wait for the popular thrill ride can endure for an hour.

“When it was raining this morning, we thought: What a great time to go to Disneyland because the lines are going to be smaller,” said Bruce Clark, a highway patrolman from Spokane, Wash. “Where we come from, we are used to rain anyhow.”

Still, the rain didn’t sit well with everyone. A group of teen-age girls from Augusta, Ga., didn’t appreciate their wet welcome to Disneyland. The dozen youngsters were there to perform in an afternoon dance competition.

“It’s icky out here,” said Megan Elliott, 14, standing in the drizzle by the Haunted Mansion. “It’s sticking to my hair spray and messing up my hair.”

Her classmate, Wilba Dunn, 14, also gave a thumbs down to the rain.

“You’re cold and wet and you’re walking around in a big old poncho,” she said. “You feel like a big banana.”