Disneyland Band to Disband After 60 Years

The band — an institution at the Anaheim theme park since it opened in 1955 — were served an "end of run" notice as "reimagining" will add a new sound and high-energy choreography.

This story first appeared in the May 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

The Disneyland Band has been an institution at the Anaheim theme park since it opened in 1955. But on March 31, musicians were served an "end of run" notice, as "reimagining" will add a new sound and high-energy choreography. Longtime members of the 16-person group -- one has been in it for 44 years -- were invited to reaudition at dancing and acting tryouts.

"Some members are trying to put their kids through college," says a source. "It is wrong to ask these beloved seasoned professionals to audition for the band they are already in," adds Orange County Musicians' Association president Robert F. Sanders. (Musicians who don't make the new band will be integrated into other smaller bands in the park.) To add insult to injury, the band's final performance will be July 16, one day before the park's 60th-anniversary celebration.