Disneyland is preparing for a 70th anniversary celebration in 2025 with year-round 50th and 60th anniversary parties featuring a new attraction, an updated water show, a character cavalcade, two returning parades and a fan-favorite fireworks display to be able to keep up.

The original Disney theme park’s 70th anniversary celebration begins May 16 and runs through summer 2026 at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

The big birthday celebration starting in 2025 will span more than a year – on par with the epic 50th and 60th anniversary celebrations in 2005 and 2015 at the Anaheim theme park.

We have all the details about the new and returning entertainment and attractions planned for the 70th anniversary celebration. Let’s take a look at the gifts Disneyland plans to unwrap for its big 7-0 birthday bash.

“Walt Disney – A Magical Life”

The world’s first Walt Disney Audio-Animatronics character will debut at the Main Street Opera House on May 16 as part of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration.

Disneyland visitors can take a seat in Walt Disney’s office and listen to the park’s visionary founder talk about his beginnings, his thoughts on his career and his dreams for the future.

The new animatronic show “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” will initially run on its own before alternating with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”

“World of Color Happiness”

The Happiest Place on Earth will explore the theme of happiness with a new water show, “World of Color,” hosted by Joy of “Inside Out,” and inspired by Walt Disney’s dedication speech on Disneyland’s opening day in 1955.

“World of Color Happiness” promises to explore a kaleidoscope of emotions with cameo appearances from “Inside Out” characters Sadness, Anger, Fear, Disgust, Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment and Boredom.

The new water show will also project moments from the films “The Lion King,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Frozen,” “Tangled,” “Encanto,” “Turning Red,” “Wish” and “A Goofy Movie.” Water screens in DCA’s Paradise Bay.

“Wonderful journeys”

The “Wondrous Journeys” fireworks show that formed the 2023 Disney100 celebration featured glimpses of all 62 Disney animated films – including recent releases “Strange World” and “Wish.”

Of course, not every Disney film could have a starring role, as “Wondrous” raced through 18 songs in 13 minutes.

Storytelling highlights included scenes from “Peter Pan,” “Frozen,” “Princess and the Frog,” “Moana,” “Encanto,” “Big Hero 6” and “Hercules.”

The nighttime spectacle will take place on select evenings in pure projection mode without fireworks.

Paint the night

The fan-favorite Paint the Night night parade, featuring 1.5 million LED lights, debuted a decade ago to mark Disneyland’s 60th anniversary before moving to Disney California Adventure in 2018.

Previous versions of the parade have featured floats depicting The Incredibles, Peter Pan, Monsters Inc., Cars, Little Mermaid, Toy Story, Frozen and Disney Princesses were dedicated.

Better together

The lackluster Better Together parade last took place in the spring and summer during Pixar Fest 2024 at Disney California Adventure.

“Better Together” drew on elements of the Pixar Play Parade, which ran at Disney California Adventure for a decade before moving to Disneyland during the original Pixar Fest in 2018.

In the “Better Together” parade, roller skaters, cyclists and dancers accompanied seven parade units – including floats with the themes “Turning Red”, “Soul”, “Luca”, “Up” and “Inside Out”.

A new parade soundtrack featured familiar songs from three Pixar films – “Nobody Like U” from 4*Town in “Turning Red,” “It’s Alright” from “Soul” and a song sung in the style of a 1960s beach movie in Italian for “Luca”. .”

Both the Better Together parade and the “Wondrous Journeys” fireworks show will temporarily pause during the Halloween and Christmas seasons in 2025 to make way for holiday shows before resuming in January 2026.

Mickey and his friends celebrate happily

That’s a lot of entertainment – but the packed program still leaves a gap in the daily calendar, where Disneyland usually offers a parade during the day.

The natural candidate would be Magic Happens – but that parade will not be held again in 2025 during the 70th anniversary celebrations.

Instead, Disneyland is offering the “Mickey and Friends Celebrate Happy” character cavalcade featuring Mickey, Minnie and their friends in new anniversary outfits.

A “cavalcade” is Disneyland’s way of setting expectations below what fans expect from a full-fledged parade. Expect something like the rainy day cavalcades of characters aboard Disneyland’s double-decker bus and other Main Street USA vehicles.

Disneyland will debut a new upbeat theme song called “Celebrate Happy” for its 70th anniversary, which will likely be played during the daytime character cavalcades and nighttime projection shows on the facade of It’s a Small World and on the exterior of the Carthay Circle restaurant.