As iconic as attractions like Space Mountain, The Matterhorn and It’s A Small World are, Disneyland isn’t just about the rides and seeks to also cater to those who just like a good show. From parades to live music to fireworks, Disneyland invests a lot in its live entertainment as well as the decor that is displayed around the park and in the Downtown Disney shopping district.
During the first-look press days leading up to the official start of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration, some of the park’s producers and creative directors shared some insight into how they aimed to make the celebration special.
The overarching theme for the 70th anniversary celebration is “Celebrate Happy,” referencing the theme park’s moniker as the “Happiest place on Earth.” David Caranci, Manager of Creative Development for Disney Imagineering said that his team tried to distill what “happy” means while crafting the look and feel of the park’s decor, which he said was used to “honor the past, our history and culture as we look toward the future.”
“We wanted this to be the best birthday party ever,” Caranci said. “We know from guest polling that decor is in the top five things that people look for, and one of the thins we wanted to bring is decor that you can really get into and take pictures with.
“It goes back to tradition in Imagineering, and we honor Walt and still talk about Walt as if he’s with us here today,” he added. “We look at the philosophies of Walt when we decorate the park. We wanted a sophistication that only Disney can do but also in honor of Disneyland and 70 years.”
The festivities and decorations extend outside of the parks as well and into the shopping district of Downtown Disney, which is celebrating its 25 year anniversary. While tickets and reservations are needed to get into Disneyland and California Adventure, the public can go to Downtown Disney for free. Originally designed as a thoroughfare between the parks and hotels, Lindell Skinner, General Manager of Downtown Disney, says that the area has become a “place to be,” and the focus has been on bringing as much of the parks experience as possible out for the public to enjoy.
“You see all the decor and we have Magic Band opportunities with our icons in each of the planters with the characters,” Skinner said. “All of our food concepts are featuring a 70th item, for example Jazz Kitchen has a blueberry beignet and Ballast Point brewed a special beer just for the 70th.”
The concept of happiness is also reflected in the celebration’s theme song, appropriately titled “Celebrate Happy” and sung by Disney Channel alums the Jonas Brothers. Susana Tubert, Creative Director of Disney Live Entertainment, said that the theme song is like “a needle in a thread that weaves across the resort and keeps the theme of the celebration top of mind for our guests.”
“People come here to celebrate their happy with their memories of coming here to celebrate birthdays, graduations, proposals and we wanted to make sure that we had a song to underscore those moments,” added Disney Music executive Tricia Holloway. “Who would be the perfect partner to work with us on this song? The Jonas Brothers rose to the top of the list every time. Bringing the Jonas Brothers and Disneyland back together is really special.”
During the year-long celebration, Disneyland guests can watch new shows like “World of Color Happiness,” “Tapestry of Happiness,” the “Celebrate Happy Cavalcade,” and “Celebrate Happy: A Little Bit of Magic Every Night.” Returning multimedia shows include “Wondrous Journeys,” “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!” and the “Paint the Night” parade.
“World of Color Happiness!” is the seventh full-length “World of Color” show, and like the rest of the celebration was inspired by the different ways people experience happiness.
“We realized very quickly that our friends at Pixar had created the perfect team to tell that story with the cast of Inside Out,” said Jennifer Magill, Executive Producer for Disney Live Entertainment. “You can’t have happiness without all the emotions.”
Additionally, the preshow for “World of Color” will feature The Muppets, commemorating their 70th anniversary as well. Musical collaborators for the show include “Makes Me Wanna Move” by Fitz and the Tantrums, and a cover of “The Rainbow Connection” by Boyz II Men.
“Music has always been an integral part of ‘World of Color,’ but this show really takes it next level,” Magill said. “If you don’t leave that show humming, dancing, moving, feeling all the wonderful emotions I’ll be very surprised.”
Brand new for the 70th anniversary is the “Tapestry of Happiness” projection show that will play on the side of It’s A Small World three times a night. The five minute show pays homage to different Disneyland attractions inspired by Disney artist Mary Blair.
“It’s basically a love letter to all these iconic Disneyland experiences seen through the eyes of the child within all of us,” Tubert said.
Tubert also highlighted the return of the “Wondrous Journeys” nighttime show that debuted two years ago for the Disney 100 celebration. The show highlights 60 animated films by the company through music, projected images and fireworks. The show can be seen in different locations around the park including Sleeping Beauty Castle, Main Street and It’s A Small World, but Holloway said that the best place to enjoy it musically is at the Rivers of America.
“What I thinks makes it so popular is this interplay that is so joyous between amazing fireworks in the sky, unexpected special effects and of course those beautiful, vibrant scenes and images from the films we love so much,” Tubert said.
Also previewed was a new show for kids, “Disney Junior: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live,” which officially premiered on Friday (May 16) with the beginning of the 70th celebration. The show’s director David Underwood said that he wanted the show to be exciting for the whole family and to feel like a mini musical.
“The music is one of the most crucial things for me in this show,” Underwood said. “We have five new songs that each further the story. It allows the kids to be interactive, get up and dance and shout. All five of these pieces of music are completely different styles of music, and that’s what makes it fun.”
As part of the media weekend, I was able to view the shows. As an annual pass/Magic Key holder, I go to Disneyland fairly frequently and in general, I don’t often watch the live shows with the exception of fireworks and the “Fantasmic!” nighttime show, which I think is a lot of fun. However, I was generally impressed by what I saw.
Starting off with the one show I wasn’t as impressed with, the “Celebrate Happy Cavalcade” was a little too short. The whole mini parade lasted just over three minutes, and having to sit in the hot sun waiting to have a clear view did not feel like proportionate. The parade featured the classic characters like Mickey, Minnie, and friends in special outfits for the anniversary, along with several princesses and the Disney Bears Duffy and ShellieMay. If you’re with children or a group that loves parades and wants to see the characters, and if you can find a shady spot rest while waiting, then it might be worth the wait. However, if sitting in the sun is your only option, then I would say that there are other opportunities to see characters throughout the day.
“Paint the Night!” by contrast is a much better show. Featuring several lighted floats and dancers, every aspect of the parade is eye-catching and entertaining. On top of that, the parade is at night so no long waiting in the sun and it lasted roughly 20 minutes during the media preview. This was my first time seeing “Paint the Night!” so I didn’t notice any difference, but some aspects of the parade have been updated like costumes and music.
I particularly enjoyed the projection shows. “Celebrate Happy: A Little Bit of Magic Every Night,” which is a two-minute show featuring Tinker Bell that plays several times at Carthay Circle in California Adventure, and “Tapestry of Happiness” are both beautifully animated and quick enough that you shouldn’t have to wait too long to get a good spot and watch the show, therefore not requiring you to take too much time that would otherwise be spent in line for a ride. “Tapestry of Happiness” is a particularly fun show and I enjoyed seeing the stylized representations of different rides and elements of the park.
Both of the main nighttime shows “World of Color Happiness!” and “Wondrous Journeys” are both spectacular to watch and worth setting aside some time to get a good spot. “World of Color,” which is shown at California Adventure, is projected on mist/water and also features lasers, fire effects and fountains to highlight scenes from movies like Turning Red, The Little Mermaid, Toy Story, Lilo & Stitch and A Goofy Movie. Though I’d seen some of the water projections before during shows like “Fantasmic!”, it was a visual delight to see a whole show done like that. Plus it’s always fun to see The Muppets, and the preshow was refreshingly silly. Sometimes it can be hard to make out some of the projections since they’re a little fuzzy from using mist as a screen and it can also be hard to see if there is a large crowd in front of you, so I would recommend getting a seat early. It is worth the wait.
I always love watching fireworks, and the combination of dazzling and creatively choreographed fireworks with iconic scenes from Disney movies made “Wondrous Journeys” so much fun to watch. I don’t think the theme song is particularly good, especially compared with the energy of “Celebrate Happy.” It feels a little generic and the poor low energy and mumbly enunciation doesn’t match the air of excitement and joy the rest of the show seeks to embody. However, the booms from the explosions, the catchy music and nostalgia from the projected scenes are at the level of pure showmanship that you would expect from Disney.
Last, but not least, the media preview weekend included a look at the “Disney Junior: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live” show. The show features Mickey and Minnie Mouse trying to locate their friends Goofy, Daisy and Pluto after they fail to show up to a party. Since it’s geared toward younger children, this is normally not a show that I would have gone to see during a trip with my friends. I am glad that I got to see it because it’s actually pretty entertaining. The story is simple enough to keep the attention of young children and to be resolved in a 20 minute show while also leaving plenty of room for children to be engaged with dancing or call and response moments. The music was surprisingly catchy and, like Underwood said, had a healthy variety of styles ranging from bossa nova/latin jazz to gothic dance music to funk. If I were to go to the parks with young children, I’d definitely add the show to my list.