Pixar Fest brings light, color and food to summer at Disneyland Resort
You and your kids probably have a favorite moment from a Pixar film you can think of right now. It made you laugh, it made you cry or it made you think.
Pixar Fest has returned to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as a way of bringing those moments to life. Running through Aug. 4, the celebration of friendship and beyond features new food, parades, shows and nighttime fireworks all based on, or including characters from, Pixar films.
And if you think it’s been a while since the last Pixar Fest, you’re right. The last one was in 2018. Since then, the studio has also released the films “Coco,” “Turning Red” and “Soul,” and is about to release “Inside Out 2.”
If you’re an annual pass holder or just looking for a reason to get back to the park and discover new things, here’s our guide. … Oh, and did we mention Fantasmic! is back?
A Festival of Friendship
In recent years, Disney has celebrated a more inclusive world full of cultures, traditions and people, implying that perhaps it is a small world after all. With Pixar Fest, Disney and Pixar have built a three-month party around the simple idea of friendship using the characters from films like “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Coco.”
“I always think of coming to the park with family and my friends, so for me that’s what is so meaningful about it,” says Tasha Sounart, theme park creative director at Pixar. “That sense of appreciating your friends and family and having fun together.”
But timing is everything, Sounart says.
“We thought this was a really great time to bring back Pixar Fest because it’s been a while and we’ve come out with a lot of films since then. Lots of fun stuff that hasn’t really been seen in the parks before and this is an opportunity to celebrate some of those. We’ve got some really awesome decor, and the music is really awesome how it blends with the parade, Better Together. In Together Forever, the fireworks show, we were able to add some original animation and improve that show. There is a very small cameo of ‘Inside Out 2’ at the end of the fireworks show. Keep an eye out for that.”
A Taste of Pixar
Chef John State, Disneyland’s culinary director, says the food will be mostly different from 2018, based on inspiration from the newer films. “These are savory. These are desserts. These are candy confections,” State says. “These are beverages for both adults and kids, and there are novelties to help continue to tell the stories in many different ways.”
State lays out some highlights and personal favorites:
At Disneyland’s Rancho del Zocalo, celebrating “Coco” is the marigold bridge cupcake. “It’s a little understated because hidden inside there is tres leches-soaked, tricolored cupcake. It has a cinnamon crunch, a cinnamon mousse and then to top it off is a buttercream frosting.”
On Main Street, at Jolly Holiday Bakery, celebrating the film “Luca,” the parfait. “It’s a cheesecake layered with a graham cracker crust with berry gelatin, and then you can see the friendship between Luca and Alberto with the decoration.”
At Carnation Cafe, inspired by the film “Up,” the returning favorite is the fried bologna sandwich. “I remember taking this through the tastings and how many in the room were excited about this. This isn’t a fried bologna sandwich you’ve ever had before. I know I didn’t have one this great growing up. I think of my dad and his generation eating bologna sandwiches and he’d be pretty excited and Carl [from ‘Up’] would too. It’s served with this warm, cinnamon-apple compote. Perfect.”
At Alien Pizza Planet, celebrating “Toy Story,” the cheeseburger pizza. “I think the aliens did their best to create a cheeseburger, but it just happened to be in the form of a pizza. I think when you take the first bite, you’ll notice there are two different sauces, there is seasoned ground beef, there’s pickles, there’s two different type of cheeses, then of course the sesame crust. You’ll know you’re eating a great cheeseburger.”
At California Adventure, at what State calls “a hidden gem,” Paradise Garden Grill celebrates the film “Coco.” “The huarache, the word for sandal. This masa cake at the bottom is fried and it’s in the shape of a sandal. It’s layered with a seasoned beef, two different salsas, one of the salsas is nopales, which is a cactus plant. And the entire dish is plant-based.”
At Schmoozies, celebrating “Monsters, Inc.” is Shake 2319. “If you watch the film, you know where you were when that phrase came out, and poor George wasn’t having a great day, but this would have made it a great day. This shake is layered with coconut, guava, pineapple, orange, toasted coconut over the top. This takes you to your happy place.”
At Flo’s V8 Cafe in Cars Land, celebrating “Cars” is Dinoco Blue cheeseburger. “Yes there’s some crumbled blue cheese, there’s a blueberry compote, there’s smoked bacon, but what really makes this burger quite interesting is that the patty is a blend of beef and mushrooms,” State says. “There’s a lot of benefits to why the mushrooms are in there. But from just a flavor profile, it is exceptional. I think you should give it a shot.”
At Gusteau’s To Go, celebrating “Ratatouille,” the Ratatouille Pizza. “With some Camembert cheese, I think even Anton Ego [from the film] would have been open-minded about trying another version of ratatouille.”
At Elemental Table, celebrating the film “Elemental,” a smoked firewood barbecue-spiced Impossible chicken tenders. “With charred onions, fried pickles and a hot mustard sauce. I believe our element Fire would be happy eating this.”
At The Spark, celebrating the film “Soul,” “This is an interpretation, or a riff, on chicken waffles. If you know anything about jazz music, you just can’t define jazz by one style. So this chicken and waffles is actually popcorn chicken potato waffles and then it leans into the savory with a peach cobbler sauce, and a cinnamon herb crumble. You could see this as appropriate for a New York-style jazz supper club.”
Parades and Fireworks and Fantasmic!
With sound and fury, the streets of California Adventure and the skies above Disneyland will be filled with music, dancing, color and light.
The Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! is the updated parade through California Adventure featuring Pixar characters. Club Pixar takes over the Hollywood Backlot area with a DJ-led live show.
At Disneyland’s Fantasyland Theatre is the new show, Pixar Pals Playtime Party where a daytime fun zone allows kids to meet and dance along with the characters. At night, Together Forever — A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular brings a fireworks show including new projections, new animation and music. And finally, Fantasmic! returns to the Rivers of America, with a slightly altered and improved show after the 2023 fire shut the event down.
The return of Pixar Fest offers fans and families a new reason to party at the parks, and when you do, bring a friend.
Written by Shawn Price, Photographed by Jessica Peralta
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