Worst to Best Ranking & Review of All Disneyland 70th Anniversary Offerings

The Disneyland 70th Anniversary just kicked off. This is over a year-long celebration of the original Disneyland Park, which is the heart of the Disneyland Resort, turning 70 years old. The featured aspects of the event include new and returning entertainment, but there are also tons of new, smaller offerings that are worth reviewing.

Here, I’ve broken out each of the different, distinct aspects of the celebration in order to rank them from worst to best additions to the park. In addition to ranking them, I’ll also provide my perspective on what is worth your time and how these offerings stack up against previous celebrations. At Mickey Visit, we constantly cover the newest Disneyland offerings.

READ MORE – Hidden Details on Disneyland Rides That You Will Completely Miss if You Don’t Know Where to Look

Worst to Best Disneyland 70th Anniversary Rankings

Before I dive fully into the rankings of the different elements, it is important to view the 70th anniversary in the context of broader Disney celebrations. Disney relies heavily on anniversary years as marketable events to give meaning and purpose to new additions. These celebrations add motivation for guests to come out and celebrate the milestone at the park.

We’ve had a lot of milestones to celebrate recently. At Disneyland, we just recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company in 2023 with Disney100, and at Walt Disney World, the 50th anniversary of that resort in 2021-2022. Someone in my life who is not up on the latest theme park celebration quipped to me, didn’t the park just turn 100 years old, why are you celebrating 70 years? The confusion is real, which is why there is a far bigger need for an anniversary celebration to have substance today. You can’t just put a lot of numbered signs everywhere and some colored bunting every time the park is celebrating something new.

The Disneyland 70th anniversary celebration seems to be formed within this context. Clearly, someone at Disneyland considered that there have been a lot of anniversaries celebrated in recent years and that there will be another big celebration in five years at Disneyland with the 75th. This event needed to stand on its own with substance in order to stand out.

Ever since Disneyland first announced the celebration, they have added more and more different elements. To a point where now, there are so many different offerings that make this event stand out as something distinct. Beyond the number of elements, the tone of the event is far more celebratory than reverential. They made a great choice by bringing in a very pop-style Jonas Brothers song as the anthem of the celebration. The song is used throughout the entertainment offerings. That song and others from World of Color even earned their own Spotify album release.

Looking back on previous celebrations, this is much more the colorful birthday party feeling of “What Will You Celebrate?” than the emotional 50th anniversary or “Year of a Million Dreams” campaigns. I think that the tone of this works and sets it apart from the recent 100th anniversary celebration at Disneyland.

Disneyland Esplanade Additions

Disneyland added this static Esplanade statue that appears to be inspired by a music box. With the statue came simple music box versions of songs that would typically be heard in the Esplanade.

The new music here does not work for me. The shrill notes and slow tempo bring down the energy in a space that has traditionally had upbeat music that builds up excitement for the day. The music here should serve as almost the overture to your day at the resort. It builds emotion and anticipation for a fantastic day at the resort. The new loop does not do that. The loop is also a jarring switch for those walking from Downtown Disney, which still plays the same upbeat music.

There have been plenty of different music tracks in the Esplanade throughout the last couple of years – the normal loops, Disney100, the holidays, Halloween, and Pixar Fest. They all correctly delivered on the heightening of emotion. I listen to these constantly when working. I love the energy it brings to my day. Disney knows what this area should sound like. This new music loop should be removed swiftly. If there is some strong push to keep it because of the money spent on the orchestration, then I would suggest that they only play it from 9:30 pm onwards, when the majority of the people are leaving for the day instead of coming in. It’s fine for an exit when people need to be put to sleep, but it does not hype you up for an adventure as this area should ahead of an exciting day at the parks.

UPDATE – This worst addition has now been removed from Disneyland. See details on that change here.

1/10 Rating – I like it as a lullaby from the parks, if the track were only played later in the night. There’s nothing wrong with the music, but the placement doesn’t work.

With this item out of the way, the rest of this list is quite positive, and the ordered ranking gets more difficult. Frankly, I almost broke this item out to be its own article title, “the worst thing about Disneyland’s 70th anniversary,” but thought more people might get the message if I included it in my overall review. Perhaps I will still include it as its own article if this doesn’t change.

“Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!” Parade

The Better Together parade is a cute addition themed to Pixar that first debuted as part of Pixar Fest last summer. I am just happy to have both a daytime parade in Disney California Adventure and a nighttime parade in Disneyland Park.

The parade doesn’t do anything very notable and doesn’t compare to any of the other recent non-Pixar daytime parades, but the characters are all very fun, and the song has grown on me quite a bit. We love having the energy in the middle of the park day and getting to see a parade in Disney California Adventure. It’s great to have this running once again. Follow the parade to the end for a moment, where all of the dancers come out for a final moment.

6/10 Rating

“The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade”

As you can see by the naming conventions at this point, they are really leaning into the “Celebrate Happy” theme of the show. The new cavalcade at Disneyland is a slightly longer cavalcade that is more parade than a normal cavalcade.

There are lots of characters here, and the energy will be a great addition to the general park atmosphere. I am glad that, since they are not having a daytime parade in this park, they are still using the parade route to deliver some characters for guests. I ranked this higher than “Better Together” but these two are pretty interchangeable for me. Both are easy to walk up and see with minimal waiting.

You can read more about the parade and the specific hype around two characters added to this show in our dedicated review of how Disneyland’s new Celebrate Happy Cavalcade is more parade than drive-by. I appreciate that they did this and put effort into making it more substantial than a standard parade.

6/10 Rating

World of Color Happiness!

This is the seventh World of Color show to have ever been created. I’ve seen all of the other shows over the years. My review is typically the same. The World of Color “canvas” is still so impressive to me each time that I see it. The combination of water, lights, lasers, projections, and fire makes the bay come to life in a way that is so mesmerizing. However, the new shows have never quite lived up to the original show for me in pacing. I really like elements of World of Color Happiness but wish that it had used some of the elements from the original World of Color show instead of pushing it all off for a new setup.

This show definitely beats World of Color One (the show from the Disney100 celebration) across the board for me, as well as the 60th anniversary version of the show. Where that show leaned reflective, this one goes celebratory. The music is louder, more fun, and something you want to start dancing to.

What I loved about this new show – The Muppets do the introduction “safety” video and are featured in World of Color for the very first time, the show brings in “I2I” from A Goofy Movie and “Nobody Like U” from Turning Red, and rather than playing the full “Let it Go” from Frozen the show plays just the introduction as a lead in to the villains segment.

Though there are certain elements of the show that could have been tighter, just about any new World of Color show would land closer to the bottom of the list for me than the top. This is still a must-see for new guests visiting Disneyland. That said, I would still pick Disneyland Fantasmic! over World of Color even in its current diminished form – note to Disneyland leadership, bring back the Fantasmic! dragon and debut new show elements as part of summer #2 of Disneyland 70th – if you only have time for one thing.

7/10 Rating

Disneyland’s New 70th Food Items

The new Disneyland 70th food items are plentiful (there are over 70 new items) and very tasty. We have already started to try a number of different food items and have been very pleased with the execution of all the concepts that were first revealed in the Disneyland 70th food guide. CLICK THAT LINK to get our FREE printable of all the new foods just released.

Click here to see a review of all the cute Disneyland 70th food items we’ve already tried.

In addition to the taste of the new treats, I have enjoyed the historical angle that they’ve brought into a number of different treats. On the menu, there are 16 items marked as “inspired by the past” that lean into Disney history in their creation. They reference old Disneyland locations or favorite foods of Walt Disney. I like what they are doing there and hope to dig deeper into the history of each of these items as I try them. An example is the Hook’s Galley Tuna Melt, which is based on the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant that was located in Fantasyland when Disneyland first opened.

8/10 Rating

Merchandise

The new Disneyland merchandise successfully caters to those who want a subtle reference to Disney or classic Disneyland-inspired merchandise. I was thrilled with the items that we found during the kickoff of the celebration, and I am excited to see what else they roll out next.

Yes, there are still the bright colors in some pieces, but there are also great clothing pieces with classic logos for Disneyland and Mickey Mouse designs. Those who want a more unique design will find it there.

You can see a look at the new Disneyland 70th merchandise items that we saw in the stores here.

8/10 Rating

Disneyland 70th Decor and Costumes

The understanding that this anniversary needs to stand out carries forward into the decoration as well. Beyond the mandatory anniversary bunting in the parks, there are also lots of other decorations that have popped up and little details that I am sure I’ll continue to discover.

My two favorite decoration details that I spotted were new hats for the Disneyland band and new banners on the Golden Horseshoe building in classic western style. A note on the Disneyland band – please make time for the Disneyland Flag Retreat. It’s moving and an important tribute to our country that makes Disneyland feel like much more than an amusement park.

The characters are also in great costumes. You should read our full look at the new character costumes and decorations across the parks for a full look and to see my two favorite decoration elements.

8/10 Rating

Ride Changes – Toy Story and Small World

Disneyland made ride changes to Toy Story Midway Mania and “it’s a small world”. See details on the change to Toy Story Midway Mania and the changes to “it’s a small world” here. There is also another substantive change coming to “it’s a small world” this July as well.

The changes to Toy Story Midway Mania were far more substantive than I was expecting. They really brought something new into every aspect of the attraction. I was thrilled with the effort here. When Toy Story Midway Mania first opened, there were promises that the ride would continue to change with different scenes introduced for holidays. Since the ride first opened 15 years ago, I believe there’s only been one other change. I am pleased to see them use that capability here.

8/10 Rating

New MagicBand+ Experiences

Generally, MagicBand+ at Disneyland has not been that much of an unlock. The band is far more useful at Walt Disney World, where it can also serve as your hotel room key and a way to pay across the resort.

Disneyland just introduced four new MagicBand+ experiences across Disneyland Park that are very cute. The experiences include a couple of different freebies and a very intricately designed wooden musical reveal. You need to see these new MagicBand+ additions for yourself in our full review.

After seeing the coolest of these new offerings in Fantasyland, I walked away with a smile on my face, knowing that someone at Imagineering had spent the time designing and delivering this whimsical element. They are still capable of this compact Fantasyland dark ride style design. Small, worthwhile additions like these give me confidence in the teams leading the new Disneyland rides and additions in the coming years.

9/10 Rating

Wondrous Journeys

Wondrous Journeys is the returning fireworks show that previously ran during the Disney100 celebration. The show encompasses all of the Walt Disney Animation Studios films in some way or another. This is the second-best era fireworks show that Disneyland has ever done. The show doesn’t miss a beat as it emotionally builds using beloved and some little-heard songs from the animated films. This was a favorite when it first ran, and it’s fantastic now too.

When the show first debuted during Disney100, it was my top-ranked experience that year. Now, since it is returning, I won’t give it the top spot. The show was also perfect for a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the entire Disney company. I would have preferred that Disneyland bring back a different fireworks show – my top pick for Disneyland fireworks show modernized with projection effects. More on that below.

10/10 Rating

Key to Disneyland

The “Key to Disneyland” is a new interactive offering that combines scavenger hunt, collectible toy, and “blind” reveal Disney pin. Guests insert their purchased key into special locks in each land of Disneyland Park to unlock their key. The results, thus far, have been very positive. On the first day of the 70th anniversary, the lock stations across the park had massive lines, and the keys that were stocked sold out. See details on the “Key to Disneyland” scavenger hunt, including pricing and photos of all key spots in the article linked.

I knew the concept of the “Key to Disneyland” would be popular when it was first mentioned in their releases. The Disney merchandising team took every single interesting hook they could think of and put it into this new game.

I am curious to see how this new offering normalizes after this first weekend that they have been available. The new offering reminds me of the small plastic “magic” key offered at Fairyland in Oakland, California, and other regional amusement parks that unlocks the telling of classic fairy tale stories. In those cases, it was a small plastic key sold for a few dollars, but the unlock concept is the same. It’s fitting that Fairyland in Oakland was an inspiration for Walt Disney when he originally designed Disneyland.

This new offering will surely remain popular. I am curious to see how Disneyland can make this experience repeatable for Magic Key Annual Pass Holders and if they will find a way to bring this experience to Disney California Adventure next.

10/10 Rating

Paint the Night

After years of waiting and predicting that this show would be the anchor of a major summer celebration, we finally get to experience the Paint the Night parade again. I love this nighttime parade. The high-energy song, technological floats, and general positive vibes from this parade really bring the parade route to life.

This parade stands out from the Main Street Electrical Parade as being faster paced and more modern. The parade is the perfect mix of nostalgia for the Electrical Parade and new technology.

Check out our top tip on how to see the parade and then have the best spot for fireworks. You can also see all of the Paint the Night parade changes made since the parade last ran.

10/10 Rating

Small World Projection Show “Tapestry of Happiness”

My top-rated item from the anniversary celebration is smaller in scale than the big new shows and entertainment additions. This top listing is only five minutes long, but it packs a big punch. The new “Tapesty of Happiness” projection show takes place on the “it’s a small world” facade and takes guests through different attractions and moments from Disneyland history.

The show is filled with a surprising amount of easter eggs ranging from a feature of the Sherman Brothers who wrote the iconic “it’s a small world” song to the short-lived Rocket Rods attraction. The entire show is done in a Mary Blair art style that mimics the style used inside the attraction. The show uses the new Jonas Brothers “Celebrate Happy” song in different styles, plus other great iconic audio from Disneyland to lead viewers through the different scenes. You can see a snippet of the show here.

Earlier, I mentioned my desire that, instead of Wondrous Journeys, we have my number one Disneyland fireworks show back for the celebration. That show is “Remember…Dreams Come True,” and it ranks as my number one because of its effective use of Disneyland nostalgia throughout.

This new projection show carries on the same delightful legacy of honoring the park. If we couldn’t have “Remember” as the fireworks show for the celebration, I am happy that we get this projection show.

Somewhere out there, I am sure a member of the Disney team pitched these new projections as what should go with a return of “Remember…Dreams Come True”. Maybe we will get some version of that in the future. Great job to the team that worked on this new projection show! I am glad to have it as my top new addition from the 70th anniversary. Keep Disneyland history front and center.

11/10 Rating

More 70th Anniversary Additions Coming

In addition to all of these great Disneyland 70th anniversary offerings that debuted with the celebration start date on May 16, there are also some more anniversary additions coming later this summer for Disneyland’s actual anniversary date on July 17!

A major new addition is a new show coming to the Main Street Opera House called “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” which will feature the first-ever Walt Disney animatronic. The show will tell the story of Walt Disney’s life through remastered footage and audio recordings, then guests will see the “most-lifelike Audio-Animatronic ever” of Walt Disney in his office, where he will share stories and words of wisdom. You can see my separate article from my trip to Imagineering detailing why Disney chose to do this project now and thoughts on an early version of the Walt Disney figure.

A new gallery experience, called “Evolution of a Dream,” will open alongside this attraction, featuring images, art, and artifacts that show Disneyland before, during, and after Walt’s dream became a reality. There will also be another special exhibit in the lobby showing the history of Audio-Animatronics technology, featuring attractions including Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, “it’s a small world,” Pirates of the Caribbean, and more. For these lobby experiences, Disneyland is collaborating with the Walt Disney Family Museum, which is loaning over 30 artifacts, including some original items from Walt Disney’s private Disneyland apartment that have never been publicly exhibited at Disneyland Park before.

Also on this date, a new song verse will debut a new “it’s a small world” song verse honoring Disney Legend Richard Sherman, who wrote the iconic “It’s a Small World” song for the original ride with his brother Robert Sherman. This third song verse was Richard Sherman’s final Disney contribution. This new addition debuting for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary will be a heartwarming and emotional addition to this classic attraction. You can see more details about this change and read the lyrics of this beautiful new verse in our separate article.

I attended a media event for the kickoff of the Disneyland 70th Anniversary, but that didn’t influence any opinions on the coverage. We are constantly in the parks on our own, making sure that we cover the latest Disneyland news.

READ MORE – 3 Disneyland Single Rider Lines You Should Definitely Use and 2 You Should Skip