Pandemonium Cartoon Circus

The Island of Adventures attraction *Pandemonium Cartoon Circus* at the Toon Lagoon was a short-lived circus show at Universal Studios from 1999 to 2000 featuring outdated cartoon characters. The show was a live-action circus show in a 2,000-seat amphitheater and was produced by Tom Garrick and Scott Helmsteader.

The show is said to have flopped because there were not that many people in the audience and people of that generation were more accustom to newly created fictional characters of that era that would air on Disney, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

It only lasted less than a year before being replaced by *Xtreme Xventure*, a BMX stunt show which featured a cameo by Woody Woodpecker.

The show was not planned on being temporarily and the continuation depended on its popularity. The show is opened by Popeye and Olive Oyl, and the other cartoons singing.

Betty makes her appearance by balancing on a crescent moon while descending from the rafters, she is portrayed in person by an acrobat. Since opening in 1999 the Toon Lagoon amphitheater today is used for special and private events which includes *The Incredible Hulk* and *Harry Potter*.

In 2004 old materials and songs were reused for the *Toon Party* show at Universal's Islands of Adventure.

In 2021 the YouTube channel Storybook Amusement did a video explaining the history of the show and uploaded footage of the full show recorded by a cast member making the show public for the first time since February 2000 then in 2023 he uploaded a video called "Pandemonium Cartoon Circus: REILLUSTRATED [Full Soundtrack]" (which was a collaboration video with internet artist JWCartoonist) is a full video with the shows audio soundtrack with art representing scenes of the show made by people online.

## Characters

* Rocky and Bullwinkle
* Boris and Natasha
* Dudley Do-Right
* Nell Fenwick
* Snidely Whiplash
* Betty Boop and Bimbo
* Popeye and Olive Oyl
* Bluto
* Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead
* Woody Woodpecker
* Broom-Hilda
* Beetle Bailey
* Private Zero

## Cast & Crew

The masked characters and in-person actors and actresses were portrayed by Universal Studios character impersonators. The voices however were pre-recorded by voice-over artists.

* Billy West as Woody Woodpecker (Voice-over)
* Keith Scott as Bullwinkle, Boris, Bluto, Popeye and Dudley (Voice-over)
* June Foray as Rocky, Nell Fenwick and Broom-Hilda (Voice-over)
* Corey Burton as Snidely Whiplash (Voice-over)
* Marie Danielle as Betty Boop and Olive Oyl (Voice-over)
* Tom Garrick (Producer)
* Scott Helmsteader (Producer)

## Music

The music for the show was produced by the Bay Entertainment Group. They were founded in 1992, and grew into one of the most imaginative and technical production companies in the industry. They specialize in audio design and production and they provide audio, video, special effects, show control, and have produced a lot of theme park based entertainment, including TV, film, marketing and advertising.

## Pandemonium Cartoon Circus Acts

### The Circus Is Coming To Toon:

Popeye and Olive Oyl lead the showtunes-style song "The Circus is Coming to Toon". Toon Lagoon's cartoons made a big entrance. The characters all joined in on the singing and dancing, but their good time was cut short when the villains Boris, Natasha, Snidley Whiplash, and Bluto crashed the circus. They took the stage and sung along with the characters from Toon Lagoon, setting up a magic trick-style unveiling of Woody Woodpecker and the show's ringmaster, Bullwinkle, who was shortly joined by his helper, Rocky.

### Bury The Hatchet:

Dudley Do-Right and Nell Fenwick marched out to a beautiful soundtrack, setting the stage for an axe throwing stunt. After Nell blindfolded Dudley Do-Right, their nemesis Snidely Whiplash kidnapped Nell and placed her on a rotating table, despite Dudley's knowledge. Dudley Do-Right was duped by his adversary into throwing axes that came within inches of striking Nell and popping the balloons around her. Nell escaped from the rotating table and ran to do a dance routine with the still-blindfolded Dudley, but Snidley Whiplash hindered the act and took Nell hostage to tie her to a railroad track—a plot the show would follow through its end.

### Funny Business:

Rocky and Bullwinkle performed a magic trick prank before announcing the following number, a song called Funny Business performed by the characters of Toon Lagoon. Natasha deviously released helium during the bit, and all the vocalists squealed with high-pitched voices until Broom-Hilda snapped them out of it.

### Starstruck:

Snidley Whiplash took Nell Fenwick onto the stage, while Dudley Do-Right came to her aid on a hobby horse, colliding with Bullwinkle. The ringmooster and Rocky put up Betty Boop's song, "Starstuck," by balancing plates on sticks. She was perched on a crescent moon falling from the rafters. She acrobatically swung about while belting out the melody in a soigne fashion. Four Bimbo figures climbed lampposts and performed gymnastics to accompany her. The air was filled with bubbles as the lovely melody shifted to Snidley and the captured Nell being pursued by Dudley Do-Right. Rocky and Bullwinkle introduced the following performance, which included Blondie, Dagwood, Beetle Bailey, and Zero on rollerskates. Boris and Natasha dashed out the door to apprehend Dagwood, and Boris struck him with a large boxing glove mechanism as the skit ended.

### The Balancing Bumsteads:

Olive Oyl, led by Rocky and Bullwinkle, performed the following act: a tightrope stunt. The huge, terrible Bluto took the stage to a chorus of boos from the audience. Popeye stepped in to help and challenged Bluto on the tightrope. Bluto lighted a match and dropped it beneath Popeye and the tightrope, starting a fire below, but Olive Oyl arrived just in time to deliver the knockout punch that sent Bluto plunging. Popeye saved Olive Oyl from the flaming tightrope to the chorus of "Go Popeye Go."

### The Last Laugh:

Snidley Whiplash then dashed onto the stage with the damsel in distress, Nell, and laid down a railway track to bind her to. Dudley Do-Right was able to save her from the Toon Lagoon Special performed by Woody Woodpecker. The characters sang a song called The Last Laugh during jubilee. They performed circus tricks before the curtain rose to reveal the show's spectacular conclusion. The villains disrupted the show by bringing an active bomb onto the stage. The caretaker, who was cleaning up the site, somehow managed to save the day with their hoover. The music proceeded until it reached its final note, at which point the curtains closed on Pandemonium Cartoon Circus. The clumsy caretaker, or hero, appeared one last time to thank everyone for attending. That's all there is to it. Guests were able to snap pictures with the characters following the show.

## Songs

* "The Circus is Coming to Toon"
* "Funny Business"
* "Star stuck"
* "Go Popeye Go"
* "Last Laugh"

## Trivia

* The show was promoted by *The Rosie O'Donnell Show* at Universal Studios Orlando. O'Donnell sings a musical sequence with the characters from the show.
* The circus theme was designed by Piper Productions and Bob Harris.
* The character costumes were created by the USC Costume Shop and John David Ridge.
* Characters were played by character impersonators in person but their voices were recorded by voice-over artists, some of which that had previously worked for Universal Studios.
* Blondie's original name was Blondie Boopadoop, a reference to the "Boop-Boop-a-Doop" craze. After she married Dagwood she became Bumstead.
* June Foray explained her voice for Nell Fenwick in this show was her take on a proper Jeanette MacDonald type character.
* Marie Danielle impersonates characters originated by Mae Questel, which includes Olive Oyl and Betty Boop. Danielle was given the role because she had previously worked for Universal Studios as a Betty Boop character impersonator. Though Melissa Fahn was the official voice of Betty around this time, she was not offered to record lines for Betty for this project. Mae Questel, the originator of Betty Boop's voice had died in 1998, a year before this musical made its debut.
* Like Danielle, Australian comedian Keith Scott a known impressionist does a perfect impression of Popeye, sounding identical to William Billy Costello and Jack Mercer.
* Natasha Fatale dresses somewhat identical to Betty but looks more sinister.
* In this show Betty barely has any speaking dialogue.

## Links

https://twitter.com/StorybookAmuse/status/1396878255790170118?s=20

https://forums.insideuniversal.net/threads/the-lost-pandemonium-cartoon-circus.14714/

https://storybookamusement.com/pandemonium-cartoon-circus-islands-of-adventure-history/

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/pandamonium-cartoon-circus.915638/