It's beginning to look a lot like EPCOT at Disneyland

December 4, 2023, 12:00 PM · A new parade and a plussed version of a former fireworks show will return to the Disneyland Resort in 2024.

Disneyland this morning announced its programming line-up for 2024, led by the return of Pixar Fest next year at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. The Pixar-themed festival first ran at the parks back in 2018. Here was our coverage of that event: Pixar Fest kicks off the summer early at the Disneyland Resort. This time, Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular will return to the skies above Disneyland, with some new scenes added to plus the show.

Over at Disney California Adventure, the park will be getting a new parade for the festival, called Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! Last time, the old Pixar Play Parade moved from DCA over to Disneyland for the festival, with Paint the Night running at DCA. (There's still no word from Disneyland on when, or if, that beloved nighttime parade ever will return to the parks.)

Turning Red float
Turning Red float in Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! Concept art courtesy Disneyland

But what will be coming back is another go for Star Wars Season of the Force at Disneyland. The Star Wars takeover of Tomorrowland extends to Galaxy's Edge in 2024, with the return of Hyperspace Mountain and new adventures coming to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue in Tomorrowland and a "fresh perspective" on the Disneyland fireworks officially coming to Galaxy's Edge, where "galactic music" will play during those performances.

Here is the full festival line-up for the Disneyland Resort in 2024:

If you're thinking that's almost EPCOT-like coverage of the entire calendar, you would be right. And in addition to those events, Disneyland also confirmed that four after-hours, upcharge Disneyland After Dark events will return on select nights from January through June this year, as will the Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party at Disney California Adventure in the fall. There are no specific dates on those events yet, however.

But we do know that Fantasmic! will return to Disneyland's Rivers of America on May 24. And Disneyland announced today that the production will welcome the return of the iconic "Peter Pan" scene on the Sailing Ship Columbia. (Presumably, that means bye-bye to the Pirates of the Caribbean replacement.)

If you are wondering if Disneyland will debut any new rides in 2024, the park remains committed to opening Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the redesign of the former Splash Mountain, sometime later in the year.

Finally, in Downtown Disney, the resort confirmed that Paseo and Céntrico, serving Mexican cuisine by Michelin-starred Chef Carlos Gaytán, and SoCal favorite Din Tai Fung will open sometime in 2024, as well.

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Replies (7)

December 4, 2023 at 1:03 PM

"a "fresh perspective" on the Disneyland fireworks officially coming to Galaxy's Edge, where "galactic music" will play during those performances."

Does this mean they will relocate launch locations or otherwise redirect fireworks to be better viewed from Galaxy's Edge, or will they just pipe in special Star Wars music when the standard evening fireworks occur? In my limited experience, Galaxy's Edge is a pretty crummy place to view the fireworks, unless you like the ambiance created from the smoke wafting overhead. Simply adding some music won't make this area much better for fireworks viewing without some strategic changes in fireworks show designs (or utilizing the long-rumored drones to enhance the shows over Galaxy's Edge).

December 4, 2023 at 1:10 PM

They can't relocate launch locations, so I suspect that this will be just different music played in Black Spire Outpost. And I have been told that drones are off the table at Disneyland, per the FAA.

December 4, 2023 at 1:21 PM

They're going to update Star Tours again, but not Smugglers Run? Are we destined to have that same lame mission forever? Why not let us attack the Death Star! Yes, they'd have to rejigger the Holdo pre-show, but who cares? No one wants to fly the Millennium Flacon to *checks notes* steal boxes from an elevated subway. We want to fight the empire!

One of the more recent Star Tours updates has you go on the attack against a fleet of star destroyers, and it's the best Star Tours segment ever, in my opinion, because you're active, you're actually doing something and not just passing through.

December 4, 2023 at 1:24 PM

What's the betting line on Grogu being involved in the new Star Tours mission?

December 4, 2023 at 1:36 PM

The video game-like nature of programming Smuggler’s Run makes it less desirable to update than a movie on Star Tours.

December 4, 2023 at 1:50 PM

@James Trexen - Sure, but Fortnite (developed and run by Epic, who was the lead on MFSR) updates its gameplay/maps every 3 months or so, and has been doing major changes every year or 2.

December 5, 2023 at 7:38 AM

Disney has already said that they will incorporate characters from the Ahsoka series into the attraction, so it makes sense that other Filoni-verse characters might be included as well.

I'd love to know what the re-programming cost will be for a new Smuggler's Run mission. Guessing it ain't cheap.

Would not be surprised at all if they use some form of the "celebration music" from the end of Return of the Jedi for the fireworks. Please, no singing Ewoks, though.

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