Disneyland and Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom aren't just America's two most-visited theme parks. They are also siblings that share similar design and attraction line-ups.
But Disney fans know that these two parks have plenty of differences, too. With this month's debut of Disney Starlight, we again can add to that list, different nighttime parades.
At the Magic Kingdom, fans can enjoy Disney Starlight [Read our review]:
While at Disneyland, it's Paint the Night [Our review]:
These parades don't just offer different names and themes, they offer different vibes. Subtitled "Dream the Night Away," Disney Starlight offers a more subdued, dreamlike vibe than Paint the Night, which delivers the disco-driven party vibe that its name implies.
So which do you prefer? I understand that relatively few people have had the opportunity to see both of these productions in person at this point. The POV videos above can help give you a sense of these shows, but let's rely on vibes here with this vote. Which is the vibe that you are looking for from a parade at the end of your Disney day?
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It really depends on the park. At the Disneyland/Magic Kingdom style parks, I would expect something "dreamy". At California Adventure/Hollywood Studios, it needs to be more upbeat.
@MWN83
I completely agree. Starlight could be much more engaging with better music. I hope they revise the soundtrack to either lean into the beauty and lyricism of the floats (maybe more orchestral and with a clear motive or tune that holds the show together), or else to have a catchier disco beat like PtN.
Neither ?
It doesn't need to be a full on party but it needs to have energy. To me, Starlight feels like a procession of current IPs with little else going on, which is kind of boring unless you really want to see the characters. Paint the Night, on the other hand, is extremely energetic to the point that it might be a little too much for someone worn out after a long day at the parks. Dreamlights over in Tokyo (which is essentially a modernized version of the Electrical Parade) is what I consider to be the perfect balance for a Disney parade, as it's very kinetic and engaging yet not over the top stimulating.
I think this is a great addition to MK, which went far too long without a nighttime parade. The fact that the MK night parade was part of a random mid 2010s entertainment purge and the #1 park in the world went 9 years without one of its signature things that its known for, says a lot about the state of modern Disney.
Its good to see MK get something completely original instead of a hand me down like Paint the Night or (god forbid) the Electrical Parade AGAIN. At least kids will actually recognize and identify with all the characters unlike the Electrical Parade where all the characters were from the 1920s-1970s.
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Starlight has such a boring/mediocre soundtrack. Paint the Night wins with just the soundtrack alone. I also like how PtN has more color and fun choreography.