Love makes the garden grow!
Disney's Believe is a Disney Cruise Line live show that plays in the Walt Disney Theatre aboard the Disney Fantasy and Dream cruise ships.
The story focuses on Dr. Cornelius Greenaway, a botanist who's too focused on his work to pay much attention to his daughter, Sophia, on her birthday. Dr. Greenaway's prize flower, the Filiola Fabulae, needs to bloom in time for an evaluation, but while he thinks science is the key, Sophia is confident the answer lies in magic and love. With the help of the Genie from Aladdin and a host of other Disney characters, Dr. Greenaway must learn to believe in magic in time to give Sophia the best birthday possible and help his flower grow!
This musical contains examples of:
- An Aesop: Childhood doesn't last forever, and it's important to love your child and nurture their imagination while you can.
- Duet of Differences: "What Makes the Garden Grow" has Sophia and her father duet over their differing opinions on what makes flowers bloom—magic and love, or science.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Downplayed. While Dr. Greenaway doesn't forbid Sophia's wild tales and belief in magic, he's too focused on his work and science to make time for her or to believe in it. A lot of the show revolves around changing his mind.
- Green Aesop: The middle part of the show has Dr. Greenaway learn not to try and control nature, but to coexist with it and help it.
- Help, I'm Stuck!: At one point Dr. Greenaway gets stuck in a tree and is unable to get down, despite Peter Pan's attempt to help him learn to fly. It takes thinking of Sophia for him to get it right.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When "Friend Like Me" starts up, this exchange ensues between Dr. Greenaway and the Genie:Dr. Greenaway: You're not going to sing, are you?!
Genie: Oh yes, I'm going to sing! - Magic Versus Science: Sophia believes in magic and fairies, while Dr. Greenaway is more focused on science and fertilizers—though, as Sophia notes, love is the real magic.
- Meaningful Rename: Dr. Greenaway renames the Filioa Fabulae after Sophia at the end.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Merlin's demonstration of magic completely wrecks the garden, necessitating Mary Poppins' arrival to help clean up.
- Not-So-Forgotten Birthday: By the end of the show, Dr. Greenaway is able to properly celebrate Sophia's birthday with tons of Disney characters and gives her a fabulous cake and presents.
- The Power of Love: As the theme of the show states, love is what makes a garden grow, and nurturing the love between parent and child helps Dr. Greenaway's relationship with Sophia grow.
- Recurring Riff: The show's theme song, "What Makes the Garden Grow," recurs frequently in song and in instrumental music throughout the show.
- She Is All Grown Up: A platonic version occurs during the princess medley. Dr. Greenaway sees Sophia all grown up with a prince of her own and comments on how beautiful she is, lamenting that he missed out on her childhood.
- Shout-Out: Some of Dr. Greenaway's ad-libs when trying to get the wand to work have included "Flame on!", "Shazam!", and "Stupefy!"
