Disneyland Resort's Pixar Fest Celebrates Friendship

From now until Sept. 3, Disneyland Resort is inviting guests to Pixar Fest, the biggest celebration of Pixar stories and characters ever at a Disney park. Even Disneyland’s iconic monorail fleet is joining in the fun with “The Incredibles” and “Finding Nemo” overlays. With new entertainment and themed merchandise and food, Pixar Fest celebrates the friendships between our favorite Pixar pals. 

“Pixar stories unite us through the depictions of unlikely and endearing friendships,” said Josh D’Amaro, president of Disneyland Resort. “What better way to celebrate the characters and their friendships than by inviting all our guests further into the heartwarming worlds of Pixar.”

Playful marquees at both park entrances welcome guests to the celebration, and once they’re inside, new entertainment will bring Pixar stories to life in fun new ways. One of the most unique is the “TripleDent Gum presents The Pixarmonic Orchestra” show at California Adventure’s Paradise Garden Bandstand. This kooky concert features seven talented musicians, including the amazing Mallets Mahoney on the “Xylophone Ridiculi.”

“I wanted this to be entirely family-friendly,” said Christopher Utley, show director for Disney Parks Live Entertainment. “We’re playing all the favorite Pixar tunes, so grown-ups are going to love it, and kids are going to be jumping up and down with the music.”

Two fan-favorite parades are returning for Pixar Fest, but with a few twists. First, the parades are trading routes, with “Pixar Play Parade” — a high-energy celebration of all things Pixar — making its debut in Disneyland, and the “Paint the Night” parade taking to the streets of Disney California Adventure. Plus, new Pixar-themed elements are being added to both parades.

“One of the new story units to the ‘Pixar Play Parade’ is our brand-new Kevin,” said Robin Trowbridge, show director for Disney Parks Live Entertainment, referring to the tall tropical bird from “Up.” “She is amazing, she’s colorful, and she’s almost 10 feet tall. I think it’s going to be one of the more dynamic new additions to the parade.”

The dazzling “Paint the Night” parade already features Mike and Sully from “Monsters, Inc.,” Buzz Lightyear and Woody from “Toy Story” and Lightning McQueen and Mack Truck from “Cars,” but Randy Wojcik, creative director for Disney Parks Live Entertainment, promises that a new story element based on “The Incredibles” will be added to the parade on June 15 that features new innovative visual technology to showcase the entire Incredible family.

In addition to the two parades and live entertainment throughout both parks, “Together Forever — A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular” will light up the skies over Disneyland. 

“Together Forever is Disneyland’s ode to the heart of Pixar,” said Susana Tubert, creative director for Disney Parks Live Entertainment. 

This all-new nighttime spectacular celebrates the friendships between Pixar characters through music, projections, sound, lighting, special effects and, of course, fireworks. The show begins with Buzz Lightyear soaring 100 feet in the air above Sleeping Beauty Castle.

“We wanted to make sure everyone knew that Pixar is in the house, so we put Buzz Lightyear flying high over the castle greeting everyone,” said John Addis, show director for Disney Parks Live Entertainment. “He even says, ‘To friendship … and beyond,’ which fits perfectly with Pixar Fest.”

The show then takes guests on a journey through memorable encounters between Pixar pals. The immersive display also envelops viewers in Miguel’s adventure in the land of the dead from “Coco” and Lightning McQueen’s exciting race from “Cars,” all enhanced by new surround sound along Main Street. Then, accompanied by the theme song from “Up,” the Fredrickson house takes flight above Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Pixar-themed entertainment is not the only way park guests can celebrate their favorite Pixar friendships. New merchandise includes pairs of mix-and-match friendship charms, where guests can keep one charm and share one with someone else. In addition, Pixar pal socks can be purchased in sets of two.

When it’s time for a snack, there are plenty of Pixar-themed treats, such as grape-jelly-filled eclairs and chocolate-hazelnut-filled “Up Tarts” to celebrate “Up”; sour apple macarons shaped like the aliens from “Toy Story”; and five different churros, including a carrot-cake churro for “Presto,” a Pixar short featuring a magician’s uncooperative rabbit, and a chocolate churro for “Coco.”

There are also inventive Pixar-themed dishes, such as a pizza that looks like the Pizza Planet logo from “Toy Story” at Alien Pizza Planet in Tomorrowland (formally Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port), and a chilled noodle salad with sweet and spicy vinaigrette in California Adventure. The blue noodles in this delicious Asian-inspired dish could have come straight from the menu at Harryhausen's — the sushi restaurant in “Monsters, Inc.” — and turn pink when mixed with the vinaigrette, just like Randall, the color-changing monster in the movie.

“Since 1955, we’ve been bringing Disney magic to families around the world,” said Bob Chapek, chairman of Disney parks, experiences and consumer products. “Now, as we launch Pixar Fest, we’re taking what Disney does best — creating magical experiences — and combining it with some of the greatest stories of all time to give guests something new.”

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