Disney Destiny Unveils Solara for Halloween on the High Seas
Named for the Latin word for sun, Solara has 31 ember jewels and a feminine face carved into her trunk; the team tested sound and lighting across the Grand Hall’s three decks.
Disney Cruise Line has released details of Solara, the Enchanted Pumpkin Tree created for Halloween on the High Seas aboard Disney Destiny. The line unveiled the character in early September as the seasonal program began.
Solara’s story centers on two approaches to Halloween: “Delight” and “Fright.”
An embarkation-night introduction
Guests encounter the character in “The Tale of the Enchanted Pumpkin Tree” on the first evening of their sailing. Zayah and Gamble, the ship’s resident storytellers, debate how best to celebrate Halloween. Gamble favors a sillier approach, while Zayah is drawn to its more mysterious side. Passengers choose a side and participate in a “Delight or Fright!” chant.
Solara settles the debate by showing that both approaches can coexist. A shower of orange and green pumpkin-shaped confetti follows. After the performance awakens the tree, guests can take photographs with her throughout the remainder of the voyage.
“Her carvings are a secret until the show. She truly is a new Halloween character people want to ‘meet’,” said Philip Kelley, show director for Disney Live Entertainment, who helped develop Solara.
Designing the tree for the Grand Hall
Disney Live Entertainment built the story around Zayah and Gamble’s accounts of magical trees from around the world. Their encounter with Solara leads them to make assumptions about her origins, fate and destiny. The creative team established those narrative elements before working on her design.
Solara carries 26 pumpkins on her branches, divided equally between the two sides of Halloween, along with 31 ember jewels. Her name draws on “sol,” the Latin word for sun. Like the trees aboard Disney Wish and Disney Treasure, she has a feminine face carved into her trunk.
“We got to play with her design trying various lighting effects, some worked and some didn’t,” Kelley said.
Once the installation was in place, the team also experimented with moving sound across the Grand Hall’s three decks and incorporating the venue’s lighting into the presentation.
“Every new show is an exploration of learning and creating new things — which is so exciting,” Kelley said.
Each Disney Cruise Line ship has its own signature tree in its atrium or Grand Hall during Halloween on the High Seas. The other trees are Reap aboard Disney Magic, Bog aboard Disney Wonder, Grim aboard Disney Dream and Muckelbones aboard Disney Fantasy. Disney Wish has Boo, while Disney Treasure has Ginger.
See current Disney Destiny fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.
