The uplifting and triumphant new “Wondrous Journeys” that leaves you smiling one moment and crying the next is everything a Disneyland fireworks show is meant to be.
Disney hosted an employee and media preview of the new “Wondrous Journeys” on Thursday, Jan. 26 ahead of the nighttime spectacular’s public debut on Friday, Jan. 27 as part of the Disney100 celebration that pays tribute to 100 years of Disney animation.
The new “Wondrous Journeys” looks at artistic expression through the lens of Disney animators from the past 100 years. Scenes play out from every stage of the animating process through the ages, from line drawings and background illustrations to computer-generated imagery and special effects.
Standing mid-block on Main Street USA, the fireworks seemed much more focused on the Sleeping Beauty Castle with fewer skyrocketing blasts than past shows. The pyrotechnics appeared more layered in both depth and height.
From that distance, the castle was bathed in saturated colors and images that were a little hard to make out — but the imagery playing out on the park icon was usually replicated on the Main Street buildings as well. Show imagery was also projected on the façade of It’s a Small World and the mist screens and buildings along the Rivers of America.
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The show begins with hand-drawn sketches of familiar Disney characters such as Bambi and Snow White that transform into color illustrations and eventually stir to life. The infectious new song “It’s Wondrous” has an oh-oh-oh chorus that’s easy to hum along to.
Soon, everywhere you look on the Main Street USA façades there is a new character popping up and springing to life. The Hunchback of Notre Dame leaps from one level to the next along the front of the Main Street ice cream parlor. A rapid succession of familiar faces flash on the walls of the shops — from Stitch and Alice in Wonderland to Peter Pan and Raya.
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Ultimately, “Wondrous” races through 18 songs in 13 minutes while paying tribute to every Disney animated movie ever made.
Try as you might, there’s virtually no way to catch a glimpse of all 62 Disney animated films in one showing. The show takes some deep dives into Disney flops like “Treasure Planet” and “Atlantis” that have developed loyal fan bases in the ensuing decades. It also offers nods to the latest film “Strange World” as well as the upcoming November release “Wish.”
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The highlight for the audience during the preview was the aerial appearances of the iridescent Blue Fairy and the smoke spewing Baymax high above Sleeping Beauty Castle.
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My favorite moment was the low point in the hero’s journey when all hope is lost and the artist is filled with self doubt. The soundtrack suddenly goes silent and the images on the walls turn to rubble. The only thing that can shake the funk: Loving encouragement from the hero’s supporters. The poignant moment left me choked up and teary eyed.
A driving beat and trumpet blasts help raise the hero up from the depths to rousing music from the “Lion King” and then “Encanto.”
By the end of the show, Winnie the Pooh captures the sentiment of the audience with a request to go back to page one and do it all over again.
“Wondrous Journeys” has the makings of an instant classic that will keep audiences coming back for more.