For the celebration of the 100th anniversary of The Walt Disney Company (which is actually on October 16, 2023), two new nighttime entertainment offerings recently debuted at the Disneyland Resort. One of the things I really liked about both shows is that characters and films that aren't generally included in park entertainment are either referenced or featured in the shows. And even in cases where a more familiar character is shown, it's not necessarily the most famous song that's used. For the 100th celebration, it's nice of the company to recognize that it's not the same handful of characters that has gotten the company to where they are now.
(Note that my initial comments do not contain any spoilers about either show. At the end, I do post spoilers about each of the shows, but you'll get plenty of notice so that you can avoid them if you choose.)
"Wondrous Journeys" is the fireworks show at Disneyland, which is a celebration of Walt Disney Animation Studios and includes a new song called "Wondrous".
Disneyland is known for their amazing fireworks shows, and this one fits right in. As with recent Disney fireworks show, this show is heavy on projections that go along with the music and the fireworks themselves. This one is especially heavy on the projections since it includes something from each of the Walt Disney Animation Studios films. I've seen the show with a view of Sleeping Beauty Castle, and I'm looking forward to seeing the show from Main Street, it's a small world mall and the Rivers of America to see how the projections and fireworks look from those areas.
At Disney California Adventure, the celebration continues with a new version of World of Color, called "One". I've always been less enthused about World of Color than some of the other nighttime entertainment at the resort, but I've come to appreciate different aspects of World of Color. The theme of this show isn't as obvious as Wondrous Journeys, pretty much because before the fireworks, they tell you exactly what you're going to see and what they're celebrating.
With "One", it's a little more subtle, as the show is a celebration of inspiration. For the various featured characters and vignettes, we see either what they were inspired by, what provided inspiration to them, or what they inspired others to do, what they became the inspiration for, and in many cases, we see both. That's why the show is called "One", because it only takes one to be the inspiration, starting with Walt Disney himself, and it only takes one to be inspired to create something magical, like all of the people who have contributed to the legacy of The Walt Disney Company for the past (almost) 100 years. (And yes, "One Little Spark" definitely came to mind as I was watching this show.)
In addition to the beauty of the show, there are some really cool new effects, in the play of the lasers in the water screens / fountains, as well as the effects on the roller coaster, which is used to great effect to enhance the show.
I don't think they've announced how long the celebration is going to run, but I expect it will last at least 18 months, which has traditionally been the case for big celebrations. In this case, since they started the celebration so early, it might actually run two years or even longer.
I hope folks get a chance to visit to see these wonderful shows.
Following are spoilers regarding both Wondrous Journeys and World of Color: One, so if you don't want to read spoilers, stop reading here. Thanks.
SPOILERS for "Wondrous Journeys" fireworks at Disneyland.
During the segment with "When You Wish Upon a Star", it was incredible for the Blue Fairy to come out over the castle at that point. Traditionally, Tinkerbell flies during the Disneyland fireworks, but this was a nice substitution instead. I also appreciated that the customary hidden Mickey fireworks went off on the "true" of "your dreams come true".
My favorite segment of the show is the combination of the "want song" from each of Hercules, Belle, Moana and Quasimodo. The inclusion of Quasi and "Out There" has personal significance for me, so it especially hits.
Another segment I really like includes the song "Immortals" from "Big Hero Six", and Baymax flies over the castle! I'd known that Baymax was in the show, but I had no idea he had rockets on his feet. It's incredible to watch.
Most of the time, the fireworks show only includes the happy moments, so I really appreciated the inclusion of Judy Hopps and Moana, who are both at moments where they are questioning themselves. Disney animated films aren't just about happy times, but almost always include some kind of obstacle to overcome, so I was glad that they included those moments in the show. We all struggle sometimes.
I'm not necessarily a fan of Winnie the Pooh, but the inclusion of his segment about wanting to do it all over again from the beginning is absolutely perfect, because that's exactly what you want to do after you've seen the show - you just want to see it again!
The only thing I wish they had included in the show is a villains segment, with some of the villains that we don't see all the time. The villains are just as much a part of Disney animated history as the princesses and other heroes.
SPOILERS for "World of Color: One" at Disney California Adventure.
I loved the light and water effects during the Ratatouille segment - creating the Eiffel Tower with water and light was amazing!
Being a big Star Wars fan, I might be a little biased, but I loved the light speed segment.
The effects to enhance the avalanche segment in Mulan were incredible. That was truly an amazing sight to see.
My favorite part of the show was the Moana segment, in her fight with Te Kā / Te Fiti. That's where the giant fireball is unleashed, and it's a perfect accent to the segment. Unfortunately, for various reasons, the fireball isn't always a guarantee, either the one during this segment, or the reprise of the fireball at the end of the show.
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