On February 7, 2026, D23 hosted a special event that was a tribute to the past, present, and future for Disney California Adventure. The event was held at the Disneyland Hotel and is a part of the D23 Spotlight Series. The event included imagineers past and present who shared about Disney California Adventure from their own perspectives. Ahead of the start of the panel, there were photo ops to be found and a slideshow that shared memories from 25 years of Disney California Adventure. Music from the past was also played, including music from Eureka and the soundtrack to Superstar Limo.

There were a lot of magical moments that were shared during this panel, which felt a lot like something from D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Here are a few of the highlights:

• Both Incredicoaster and Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! were born from the Imagineers listening to music from the movies randomly while riding the previous version of those rides. This inspired them to do the overlays. When ideas were brought to management, they were like “Perfect, there’s also a sequel coming out next year so can you have it done in 12-18 months?”
• Joe Rhode is a huge fan of Guardians of the Galaxy.
• Once the idea for the Incredicoaster came to life, it birthed the idea for expanding the Pixar influence at the pier and have it transform into Pixar Pier.
• The original Imagineers working on California Screamin’ intentionally designed some of the infrastructure for future expansion (which the team behind Midway Mania found out when they started working on that attraction).
• With every project and change that has been done at Disney California Adventure, the current teams have gone back to the original team to get their blessing before moving forward.
• Whoopi Goldberg told Imagineers that Golden Dreams was one of the most important projects she on which she worked at the time.
• Avengers Campus was one of the most emotional projects for Imagineering in recent history because it was the first project to open after the pandemic and it signified that things were going to be alright.
• Steve Davison teased that a future LuminAria could return to Disney California Adventure in some form.
• Construction that is currently underway for the future Coco attraction is focused on preparations for the attraction.

This was a very special event that celebrated the 25th anniversary of Disney California Adventure the day before the park turns 25. There have been many changes to the park through the years but as is always the case, Disney keeps moving forward with new ideas and innovations as they continue to tell stories at The Happiest Place on Earth.

Attendees were also given a commemorative pin that was specific to the event as well:

What is your favorite memory from Disney California Adventure through the last 25 years? Did you attend this special D23 event? If so, what was your favorite part of it?

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