World of Color – Season of Light Brightens Up the Holidays at the Disneyland Resort

The newest incarnation of World of Color has arrived at the Disneyland Resort. World of Color – Season of Light was unveiled as Holidays at the Disneyland Resort kicked off last night. This newest version of the show is a collection of holiday music woven together in both traditional and some newer sounding arrangements. Over its feel is very nostalgic and very Disney as it incorporates many Christmas and holiday songs with many Disney moments and characters.

The Show

The show began with fountains shooting into the shape of a Christmas tree while the music had a very classical fanfare Christmas classics before changing pace. Then Mickey Mouse and the crew gather together to decorate a Christmas tree as Nat King Cole sings Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.

After a moment of which looked like it might turn into a Frozen segment, the music went into a snowy segment that led into Bing Crosby singing Let it Snow as several wintery scenes were projected on the water screens and Goofy attempted to ski… for better or worse. Baby it’s Cold Outside was next with Michael Bublé and Idina Menzel singing as the fountains showcased a montage of Disney couples. The song ended with a very cute moment, but let’s not spoil that here.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas showcased many tender Christmas moments showcased, some of them moments that aren’t frequently seen just about anywhere. Next, the show pivoted to Hawaii with a Lilo and Stitch segment coupled with Bing Crosby singing Mele Kalikimaka. This was followed by the Three Cabelleros with their antics to the tune of Feliz Navidad. The music then transitioned to O Christmas Tree with the water actually creating the Christmas Tree, it was a beautiful and brief moment.

Pentatonix then sang music from The Nutcracker.  Next came a crowd favorite moment in World of Color – Season of Light as Goofy did his best with Christmas lights as the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Wizards in Winter played. This was also where fire was brought to the show and it received a very positive reaction from the crowd for both the fire AND Goofy, who was joined by Max. As Elvis sang Blue Christmas, Sadness joined from Disney-Pixar’s Inside Out as the audience laughed.

There’s So Much To Be Thankful For was sung as scenes of love and thanksgiving were portrayed that led into a very powerful and beautiful rendition of Let There Be Peace on Earth. The song harnessed the beauty of the music, the fountains, the lights, and even floating hearts as it shared the message of peace and love. Following this, the show transitioned to a little lower key version of the song that almost could have been exit music. However, the  song built to a climax of Joy to the World before finishing.

World of Color – Season of Light Thoughts

Coming into see World of Color – Season of Light was an interesting experience. There was no press preview. There wasn’t a lot of hype for it. Because of that, there weren’t as many expectations. The show began in a very classic way with a very traditional musical fanfare that turned into a short medley and set the tone.

For the most part, this is a show that builds of Christmas nostalgia and partners it with Disney moments that evoke similar feelings. This was a very smart choice by the powers that be at Disney. There were moments of beauty and also humor. The music, for the most part, stayed within this stream of nostalgia. There also was not a story being told but instead a collection of Christmas memories and feelings put together to Disney moments. This was also a good choice.

World of Color – Season of Light moves at a nice pace and builds to the big Let There Be Peace On Earth.  That moment is worth the effort of seeing this show in itself (other moments are too but this was the best). At no point did I feel bored or feel like something was completely out of place. The little girl next to me, who was dressed as Elsa, was clearly hoping for Let it Go to continue its run in Disney performances but this did not happen. I will admit that I wasn’t disappointed.

Throughout the show, I was very pleasantly surprised at the amount of Disney characters that were used. There were many of the more popular characters that one would expect to be used, but there were also some that aren’t seen as frequently. One brief moment popping into my head at the moment was between baby Hercules and baby Pegasus! I didn’t do a comprehensive count but it seemed like they might have given a moment to every Disney couple. I’ll leave that for someone else to confirm. I was also pleasantly surprised that the show didn’t showcase the same popular Disney moments that seem to appear in a lot of Disney shows in recent years.

Festival of Holidays at the Disneyland Resort will now continue in Disney California Adventure through January 8, 2017. Definitely stop by, grab a fastpass, and see World of Color – Season of Light. It easily gets a hat tip from me and I look forward to seeing it again before the season if is over.