World of Color

Disney's World of Color
A view of the show in 2013
Disney California Adventure
AreaParadise Pier (2010–2018)
Paradise Gardens Park (2018–present)
Coordinates33°48′19.69″N 117°55′17.96″W / 33.8054694°N 117.9216556°W / 33.8054694; -117.9216556
StatusOperating
Opening dateJune 10, 2010 (June 10, 2010)
ReplacedDisney's LuminAria
Ride statistics
Attraction typeHydrotechnic show
DesignerDisney Live Entertainment
ThemeDisney's animated and live-action films and television series
MusicArrangements by Mark Hammond and David Hamilton (Original version)
DLS Music (Winter Dreams & Season of Light)
John Debney[1] (Celebrate!)
Duration27 minutes (Original version)
21:30 minutes[2](Celebrate!)
30 minutes (Winter Dreams)
25:10 minutes (Season of Light)
21:06 minutes (Villainous)
23 minutes (One)
Number of fountains1,200+

World of Color is a nighttime show at Disney California Adventure in the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Conceived by Vice President of Parades and Spectaculars Steve Davison, and designed by Disney Live Entertainment, the show has 1,200 water fountains[3] and includes lights, fire, lasers, and fog, with high-definition projections on mist screens. The show is inspired by Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color anthology television series, as evidenced by the use of its eponymous theme song written by the Sherman Brothers.[4]

The process of assembling, installing, and testing the show's numerous components and equipment in Paradise Bay spanned a period of approximately 15 months. The original version of World of Color premiered at a media-only event on Thursday, June 10th, 2010 and to the public on Friday, June 11th, 2010 as part of the Summer Nightastic! promotional campaign. The entire show cost $175 million to design, fabricate, and install.[5]

The show transpires at the lagoon of Paradise Bay, while the audience watches the performance at Paradise Park, located in front of The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure attraction, as well as on the Pixar Pier bridge. Other nearby attractions such Pixar Pal-A-Round and Incredicoaster become part of the performance as they undergo various forms of lighting and projections throughout the show. The effects utilized in World of Color (water fountains, mist screens, fire, lasers, lighting, and fog) are choreographed to work in synchronicity with the featured music and image projections.

In June 2018 during a refurbishment, a submerged electrical equipment vault flooded and resulted in a reopening delay of several months. Also, a portion of Table 3 collapsed and caused major damage.

In 2021, World of Color went under an extensive refurbishment following the reopening of the parks from the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, the Foley buildings that house projectors, lasers and lights in Paradise Bay were upgraded.

On January 27, 2023, a new iteration of the show called World of Color: One debuted, which is part of The Walt Disney Company's centennial celebration.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Official60 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference OCCelebrate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Innovative Entertainment Technology Drives 'World of Color' – the Next Milestone in Expansion of Disney's California Adventure" (Press release). Disney. July 16, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  4. ^ "1964 Opening to "Walt Disney's The Wonderful World of Color"". YouTube. November 16, 2007.[dead YouTube link]
  5. ^ Barnes, Brooks (June 10, 2010). "Disney Hopes to Revive Park With a Fountain Display". The New York Times. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  6. ^ DoneWithDisney (2022-10-06). "New Details Released for 'World of Color - One' & 'Wondrous Journeys' Nighttime Spectaculars at Disneyland Resort's 100 Years of Wonder Celebration - WDW News Today". wdwnt.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.