Disney’s Melinda – An Enchanting Storybook Adventure

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“DISNEY’S MELINDA: FIRST LADY OF MAGIC,” AN ENCHANTING STORYBOOK ADVENTURE, SPOTLIGHTS THE WORLD’S TOP FEMALE MAGICIAN IN HER FIRST SPECIAL, WITH GUESTS SHELLEY LONG, KELSEY MULROONEY AND AL UNSER, AIRING FRIDAY, MAY 30, ON CBS “Disney’s Melinda: The First Lady of Magic,” highlights the prestigious talents of the world’s top female magician in her very first television special, airing on Friday, May 30, 8:00 PM (ET/Fr) on CBS. Shelley Long and Kelsey Mulrooney are Melinda’s special guests who weave a bedtime tale about the enchantress and her adventures. Champion race car driver Al Unser also makes a brief appearance before he and his Lamborghini, traveling at 180 MPH, are spirited away by Melinda’s powers.
The mysterious mademoiselle will also be featured in her signature illusion, a stunning feat in which she is pierced by an enormous drill and carried aloft as the machine raises itself perpendicular to the floor.
Emmy Award-whiner Steve Binder (“Disney’s Beauty and the Beast On Ice”) directed from a script by Stephen Pouliot (“Disney’s Greatest Hits On Ice”). Binder also serves as executive producer. Portions of the show were shot before a studio audience while the remainder were shot on a soundstage, all at The Disney/MGM Studios at Walt Disney World Resorts in Orlando, Florida.
Women have never been very far from the world of magic and illusion. However, they are usually being sawed in half, or having little sharp knives thrown at them.
Melinda has gained fame as the world’s first female magician. Growing up in Las Vegas, she was introduced to show business at the age of three. Her fascination with entertainment and magic began there, and came together when she performed as a dancer with the famous and long-running duo, Siegfried and Roy.
“Magic is believing in your dreams,” she says. “For me to become a lady magician, I had to really believe in myself to make it happen. That’s what I love about this special. The little girl dreams about a lady magician. Maybe that’s her dream for herself.”
The story unfolds much like a fairy tale, in the world of “Once Upon a Time…” It’s a dark and stormy night, and the thunder claps and lightning flashes awaken a little girl (Mulrooney). The girl’s screams bring her mother (Long) to her bedside. To quell her fears, the mother begins telling a familiar story. But her daughter wants to hear a new story about a lady magician. Thus the mother’s story is interwoven with Melinda’s special brand of magic.
We first see Melinda astride her winged horse, entering a mythical world reminiscent of the “Pastoral” segment in the classic Disney feature, “Fantasia.” While performing in front of a studio audience, Melinda makes the horse disappear.
In addition to the aforementioned illusions, other highlights include a sensational levitation act with one of her male assistants, as well as Melinda being fired from a cannon on stage and reappearing in the middle of the audience, “Disney’s Melinda: First Lady of Magic” is produced by Rodan Productions in association with Buena Vista Television, Steve Binder is the executive producer and director. Gary Ouellet and Stephen Zadrick are the producers. The script was written by Stephen Pouliot.