As the year comes to an end, Daps Magic is taking a look at the top five stories of 2025. There was a LOT of news this year, and a lot of changes. As Daps Magic sifts through all of this, there are a few things that are rising to the top. As is always the case, many factors are taken into account when picking these five stories. This includes the impact of the story on the past, present, and future of The Walt Disney Company, how it impacted the Disney community, and how it impacted the world beyond Disney. These are just a few of the big-picture thoughts that were taken into account when picking the Top 5 Stories of 2025. Yesterday, the announcement about a new Disney resort in Abu Dhabi was chosen as #5 of the Top 5 of 2025 stories. Today, the story is a little bit closer to home (well, at least for those of us in California).
#4 Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration
On May 16, 2025, the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration began. The celebration saw the return of the Paint the Night parade and Wondrous Journeys. It also saw the arrival of World of Color Happiness, Walt Disney – A Magical Life, new character costumes, and a cavalcade during its run. A few things from this celebration make it notable.
First off, Walt Disney’s arrival in Audio-Animatronic form for the actual 70th birthday of Disneyland on July 17th marked a significant point in time. Not only is this an incredibly Audio-Animatronic figure, but it is also the first time that Walt Disney has been memorialized in this way. It is also leading to at least one more Audio-Animatronic Walt Disney that will be coming to the Carousel of Progress. At the Main Street Opera House, Walt Disney can now be seen as the same type of technology that was used to bring to life his own hero, President Abraham Lincoln. This creates a circle of events where a new generation of Walt Disney Imagineers and Disney fans get to see their own hero, Walt Disney. As the company continues to move forward with new ideas and innovations, it is showing that it also continues to value its founder and his legacy.
The Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration has seen the Disneyland Resort enter a new era of growth as well. While the DisneylandForward proposal was approved by Anaheim the year before, the reality of DisneylandForward really began to take shape in 2025. This includes announcements made, permits filed, and work being done throughout the Disneyland Resort. This year saw the back side of Avengers Campus come to life with cranes lifting pieces of future attractions and buildings into place. Over in the Southwest end of the Disneyland Resort, work has begun on space that will become a future attraction based on Pixar’s Coco.
Walt Disney once said, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” The Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration is a point in time where this is proven to be true. If the Ken Potrock presidency at the Disneyland Resort was about selling a new vision for the Disneyland Resort to the city of Anaheim, the Thomas Mazloum presidency (which began this year) looks to be about making that vision come to life.
The Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration is just one of the top five stories of the year that were covered by Daps Magic. In the coming days, we will work our way up to the top story of the year! Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media so as not to miss any of the other four.
What do you think the top five stories of the year should include? What would you put at number five? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
