There’s nothing quite like a Disneyland Resort birthday party. I once interviewed Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt on my birthday at Disneyland, and it’s hard to top that, but lots of people know Disneyland and anniversaries go together. Disneyland’s own birthday is always a big deal, and 2025, the 70th anniversary of the Disneyland Resort, is certainly no exception.
I’ve been looking forward to the 70th Anniversary of Disneyland Resort for quite some time. The event was set to see the return of many popular attractions from the last decade of entertainment, but there were also some new additions. Going into the preview Disneyland 70, I felt quite sure which part of the show I would love the most, but things didn’t go quite the way I thought they would.
Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Is The Greatest Hits Of Modern Disneyland
Anniversaries are all about celebrating milestones and, in doing so, looking back at how far you’ve come. Disneyland is doing that in a big way, as most of the special entertainment on tap for the celebration consists of some of the most popular shows from previous years.
Disneyland debuted Wonderous Journeys for the Disney 100 celebration. Fans instantly embraced the fireworks spectacular. Last year’s Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration brought a daytime parade to Disney California Adventure for the first time in many years. It only had a brief run as part of last year’s Pixar Fest, but now it’s back and will run throughout the 70th celebration.
But there’s one returning show that I was especially looking forward to as part of the 70th anniversary celebration, that I expected to be the highlight of any night.
The Paint The Night Parade Is An All-Time Disneyland Classic
10 years ago, when Disneyland Resort celebrated its 60th anniversary, it debuted a new parade and completely blew me away. Paint The Night was one of the most incredible things I’d ever seen. The lights and foats, set to an arrangement of Owl City’s “When Can I See You Again” from Wreck-It Ralph, fit perfectly. It lit up the night and connected to me in a way that only the best theme park experiences have.
It’s been nearly a decade since we last saw the parade at Disneyland Resort. I had been advocating for the return of Paint the Night to the parks, and so I was thrilled when Disneyland announced that Paint the Night would be part of the 70th anniversary celebration.
And to be sure, its return was everything I hoped it would be. From the moment the lights at Disneyland dimmed and the first notes of that electronic music began to play, I was the man I was 10 years ago, standing in the same park seeing that same parade, and just being wowed by what I saw.
As a pure magical spectacle, it’s still pretty hard to top Paint the Night. However, while there may not be anything bigger at Disneyland’s 70th, there may be something even more beautiful.
Disneyland’s Tapestry Of Happiness Is Beautiful in Its Simplicity
I came to Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Preview Event with all my focus on Paint the Night. It was what I was most excited to see. It’s what I was here for. It was everything I hoped for, but what came before it is what surprised me.
Tapestry of Happiness is a simple show projected onto the facade of It’s A Small World. It’s only a few minutes long, much shorter than any parade or fireworks show, but it packs the entire 70 year history of Disneyland in those few minutes, and so as a fan who not only loves everything Disneyland is, but everything it used to be, the show was everything I could have wanted.
Nearly every Disneyland attraction in history is featured. Not just the ones that currently exist, but even closed rides and shows get moments to shine. The Sherman Brothers' “It’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," the theme song of the iconic Carousel of Progress, can be heard. The Peoplemover has been missing from Disneyland's Tomorrowland for decades, but it’s here.
The entire thing is done in an art style that harkens back to the incomparable Mary Blair. The veteran of both Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering designed the look of It’s A Small World. Seeing essentially all of Disneyland through a similar artistic lens is a thing of true beauty. Yeah, I might have cried a little.
And of course, Walt’s voice can also be heard here. It wouldn’t be a proper celebration in the one park Walt actually stood inside without him. Of course, in a couple of months, Walt will take the stage himself in the form of an audio-animatronic show. It will be one of the biggest swings we’ve ever seen at Disney Parks.
The show isn’t pure nostalgia, however, it also includes “Celebrate Happy,” the official theme song of the Disneyland 70th Anniversary. The song is performed by the Jonas Brothers, and be forewarned, the song is an earworm of the highest order. It will get stuck in your head. I heard at least one person humming it in a bathroom.
Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Is The Perfect Blend Of Old And New
Paint the Night was still incredible. Maybe it was more incredible because I was already somewhat emotional thanks to Tapestry of Happiness. The two shows happened with almost no break between them. Paint the Night felt like a finale to the Tapestry of Happiness, which was maybe exactly the point.
Alongside the new Tapestry of Happiness at Disneyland is the new World of Color: Happiness at Disney California Adventure. Along with the return of Paint the Night, we get the return of the fan favorite, Wonderous Journeys nighttime spectacular.
And that’s Disneyland, summarized. A combination of the new and the old. The pleasant nostalgia blended with the excitement that comes with experiencing something for the first time. If the point of an anniversary is to celebrate not only all that came before, but also where things are going, I can’t think of a better way for Disneyland to celebrate than this.
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