Monday, July 17, marks both the anniversary of the 1955 grand opening of Disneyland and the premiere of a newly enhanced Fantasmic!, the popular nighttime spectacular, and beginning on July 29, the Disneyland Railroad will once again take guests on a Grand Circle Tour of Walt Disney’s original Magic Kingdom. Classic Rivers of America attractions – the Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia and Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes – will also relaunch July 29, bringing new adventures and breathtaking new views. Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island is now open.
“Fantasmic!,” which tells the story of Mickey Mouse and his vivid imagination, returns to the Rivers of America in Frontierland with its classic theme song and engaging storyline guests have treasured for 25 years. Mickey’s exploration now features new scenes with characters from “Aladdin,” “Tangled,” “The Lion King” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” One newly imagined sequence finds Aladdin and Jasmine discovering “A Whole New World” as they float on their flying carpet over a bed of fog on the Rivers of America.
Thes “Fantasmic!” adventures come alive with new mist screens and innovative, state-of-the-art projection technology to create visuals that are brighter and more vibrant than ever before.
The Disneyland Railroad, one of the park’s original attractions, returns with its iconic steam-powered locomotives for new adventures. The Disneyland Railroad will now travel across the rocks on a trestle that extends out into the Rivers of America, and for the first time ever it will make a left-hand turn on its tour of the park. Along the way, guests will enjoy a view of Walt Disney’s legendary Dioramas of the Grand Canyon and Primeval World, which have been carefully restored to their original splendor with a bit of new magic added to both.
Guests on board the Disneyland Railroad also will discover a breathtaking new view along the north bank of Rivers of America. A new Columbia Gorge section highlighted by five new picturesque waterfalls can be seen from the trains as well as from the Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia and Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes. This new adventure complements the scenes guests have come to know and cherish through the years. Landscapes inspired by four of America’s majestic rivers–the Mississippi, the Columbia, the Missouri and the Rio Grande–are carefully recreated, complete with indigenous rock formations, natural forests and wildlife, and the waterfalls.
