Disney celebrates Chinese New Year as 'Year of the Mouse'

Carla Carlile, show director for creative entertainment at Disney resort, started working on the Lunar New Year Project many years ago at Disneyland and then it moved across the street to Disney's California Adventure Park and expanded dramatically.

"I love working with all the Asian community groups and on the Mulan procession," she told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Friday. "And having authentic Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese performers. We've mixed our Disney magic with authentic culture so for our Lunar New Year's celebration, our Disney characters are dressed up."

And she's not kidding. Alvin and the Chipmunks, Goofy, The Three Little Pigs are part of the New Year's celebration and of course Disney's Chinese heroine, Mulan, leads the Mulan Procession with her friendly dragon guardian, Mushu, by her side.

Mulan's procession includes Asian drummers, exotic fan and ribbon dancers, martial artists, a large rippling lucky dragon, and the musical stylings of The Melody of China, a premier Chinese musical ensemble performing in the park during the Chinese New Year holidays.

Six-year-old Sophia gleefully told Xinhua, "I loved the dragon the best!" But her sister, four-year-old Jessica, protested, "No, no, I loved the dancing ribbons best."