by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 3:15 PM ET, Tue April 30, 2024
After a hiatus since 2018, PixarFest is back at Disneyland with a full slate of thoughtfully imagined offerings including a parade full of Pixar favorites, a dance party, nighttime spectacular, and chef-created food all based on some of the most popular Pixar movies of recent years and classic favorites.
The festival, which is a massive undertaking for the creative forces at Disney, kicked-off on Friday, April 26, and runs through August 4. Over a year in the making, the festivals many elements are the result of a dynamic collaboration between the talented team members at Disney and Pixar Studios.?
Pixar Fest is a huge project for us, Tasha Sounart,? Pixar Animation Studios creative director for theme parks, said at a media briefing last week.
We thought this was a really great time to bring back Pixar Fest because its been awhile (since 2018) and weve come out with a lot of films since then." Sounart added. "Weve come out with Luca, Turning Red, Soul, lots of fun stuff that hasnt been seen in the parks before. So, this was an opportunity to celebrate some of those really great films.
With related activities and offerings spread across both Disneyland and Disneys California Adventure, if youre a Pixar fan or theres a young Pixar fan in your family, you wont want to miss all that this special festival has to offer.
Heres a breakdown of what to see and do during the festival.?
Better Together Pixar Pals Parade
Lets start with the new Pixar-themed parade - which is all that a Pixar fan could hope for - and then some...
The parade features colorful floats and more than two dozen favorite characters from Pixar Animation Studios film history. Its a celebration of Pixar films that spans decades - dating back to 1995s Toy Story and running through 2024 Pixar releases.
In fact, there are more Pixar characters represented in the new parade than any other Disney parade ever, Disneys Robin Trowbridge, show director and choreographer, told the media last week.
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The crowd-pleasing line-up kicks-off with the Pixar lamp, (which has become a character in its own right) and then continues with a float featuring Red Panda Mei and some of her friends from Pixars 2022 hit film Turning Red. Youll also see Joe Gardner from Pixars 2020 film Soul on a float of his own and not to be overlooked, the buddies Luca, Alberto, and Giulia, from Luca (2021) on yet another float.
And thats just the beginning. There are also floats featuring characters from the 2009 movie Up and 2015s Inside Out. The parades finale features some of Pixars most beloved favorites including The Incredibles, Miguel from Coco, and of course the ever-popular Mike and Sulley from Monsters, Inc.
The final moments of the parade showcase Woody, Jessie, and Buzz Lightyear from 1995s Toy Story.
The innovators at Disneyland went all out to update the parade from the last Pixar fest back in 2018 and make it extra special. The theme this year is Better Together and during last week's media event, Disney executives explained why they settled on that message.
We wanted to go into this parade with a message from the Pixar stories we helped to bring to life, explained Trowbridge. The truth about life is friendship matters and friendship is a great thing and that when we have friends we are better togetherFriends will accept us or help lift us up no matter what were going through, no matter what stages of life were in. And Pixar fest is an opportunity to celebrate friendship and beyond.
Three of the parade floats are brand new - those featuring the films Turning Red, Soul, and Luca - and each is a unique work of art.
The Turning Red float features 10 characters from the film. This [float] is May in her full panda life with all of her friends around, it combines architecture and digital media, Trowbridge said.
The Luca float, meanwhile, showcases the movies main characters swimming together as the float navigates down the streets of Disneylands California Adventure.
Weve brought Luca, Alberto, and Julia together at the local swimming hole. They are celebrating their friendship, Trowbridge explained. They are sea creatures and humans. Luca and Alberto have their sea creature legs and tails and feet and then they bring them up out of the water and we wanted that transformation to be shown.
The parade takes place twice daily at Disneys California Adventure Park (4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.)
As with any parade at Disneyland, be sure to get to the parade route early and secure a viewing spot because by the time the parade starts moving, every inch of the sidewalks are packed with people.
Together Forever - A Pixar Nightime Spectacular?
Fireworks and Disneyland are practically synonymous. But the Together Forever - A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular is no simple fireworks display.
Here too, the creative forces from Disney and Pixar went all out to produce a show that's truly representative of the spectrum of Pixar movies that have been released over the years. The show was designed to celebrate the heart of Pixar storytelling, while also taking viewers on an emotional journey of friendship.
Similar to the Pixar Pals parade, new elements have been added to the night time spectacular, updating it from its 2018 incarnation. Elements from Toy Story,?Inside Out, Coco, The Incredibles and more are now joined by new scenes that feature characters and music from Turning Red, Luca, Soul, Onward and Elemental.
Once we knew we were going to bring the show back and wanted to feature new films, we dove into all of those new films, K.C. Wilkerson, principal media designer for Disney Live Entertainment at Disneyland Resort, told the media. We decided to bring all of those? new characters into the show and the music from those films into the show as well.
The show can be viewed each evening from locations across Disneyland Park, including along the Rivers of America, near Its a Small World in the Central Plaza and along Main Street, U.S.A.
Pixar Pals Playtime Party?
If you have young ones in tow, be sure to make a point to visit the Pixar Pals Playtime Party. It is truly a party, a dance party, with plenty of Pixar character favorites. And it allows young ones, and visitors of all ages for that matter, to get their wiggles out dancing and singing.
The parties happen at Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland Park, which has been transformed into a Pixar-themed fun zone for all ages.
Activities include a reading and coloring area with a Luca-themed wall; picture-perfect backdrops from the worlds of Monsters Inc., Cars, Onward, Up and A Bugs Life, and theres also interactive games and activities based on Pixar films.
The shows take place at 11:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. each day.
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Pixar Fest Food
What Disney extravaganza would be complete without special food and sips? There are fantastical and inspired treats on offer across Disneyland. And starting May 10 there will also be six marketplaces throughout Disney California Adventure Park featuring tasty menus - all of which have been inspired by Pixar films. (Of course.)
Chef John State is the creative force behind this years food offerings, which include all manner of sweet and savory treats. Theres a pizza inspired by Ratatouille, a pasta dish inspired by the film Luca, a kid-tastic Mac n Cheese creation inspired by Inside Out and far, far more.
Tried and true Disneyland visitors, for instance, will be thrilled to note that the fried balogna sandwich is back in circulation for PixarFest 2024. Inspired by the film Up," the sandwich is served with Monterey Jack cheese,
mustard, and mayonnaise on white bread. It is served with house-made chips, cinnamon
apples, and a pickle spear.
"This is a fan favorite, a returning fan favorite," State told the media. "I remember taking this through tasting and how many people were excited."
The Sea Monster Friends Parfait will be available during Disneyland's upcoming Pixar Fest (Photo Credit: Courtesy Disneyland)
Those who have a sweet tooth will want to be sure and sample some of State's dessert creations, which range from a brand-new?Sea Monster Friends Parfait?at?Disneys Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe?from Luca to an Adventure is Out There! Sundae?at?Clarabelles Hand-Scooped Ice Cream?from Up.?
These are savory, these are desserts, these are candy confections and these are novelties to tell the [Pixar] stories in different ways, State said.
And rest assured, these are just a few examples of all the creative options State and his team came up with for this year's festival.
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