Topic summary
World of Color
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 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.
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 10, 2010, and to the public on Friday, June 11, 2010, as part of the Summer Nightastic! promotional campaign. The entire show cost $175 million to design, fabricate, and install.
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.
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.
On May 16, 2025, World of Color – ONE was replaced by World of Color Happiness! in honor of the 70th Anniversary of Disneyland.
On June 2, 2026, it was announced that the final performance of World of Color Happiness will be permanently closed on August 9, 2026 and World of Color — ONE will return for a limited time on August 10, 2026, running through the Halloween season.
On August 15, 2026 at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event 2026, it was announced that the updated version of the nighttime shows will return in February 2027, along with the classic fireworks show, Remember... Dreams Come True at Disneyland.