Walt Disney introduced fireworks to the skies above Sleeping Beauty Castle way back in the summer of 1956, and the tradition has continued to grow into a cornucopia of year-round nighttime spectaculars. From the original Fantasy in the Sky to today’s projection-filled shows, Walt’s beloved “Kiss Goodnight” has become an essential piece of the magic for millions of park guests. 

Since we’ve just experienced the premiere of the new Wondrous Journeys spectacular to honor the 100th Anniversary of Walt Disney Animation, we thought it might be fun to dive into the history of fireworks at Disneyland by way of ranking them from least to most magical.

The Full List of Disneyland Fireworks Spectaculars

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

There have been a lot of different Disneyland fireworks shows over the years, but it didn’t start that way. For the first 4 decades, a single show dominated the nighttime sky. But, in time for a new millennium, Disneyland’s entertainment team began crafting ever more complicated and creative shows to delight modern audiences. 

  • Fantasy in the Sky (1956* – 1999)
  • Believe…There’s Magic in the Stars (2000)
  • Imagine… A Fantasy in the Sky (2004)
  • Remember… Dreams Come True (2005)
  • Magical (2009)
  • Disneyland Forever (2015)
  • Together Forever (2018)
  • Mickey’s Mix Magic (2019)
  • Wondrous Journeys (2023)

But that’s not an exhaustive list as there are also many seasonal shows:

  • “Fantasy in the Sky” New Year’s Eve Edition
  • Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky
  • Believe…In Holiday Magic
  • Halloween Screams

So come along with us as we explore over 65 years’ worth of fireworks spectaculars at “The Happiest Place on Earth!” You’ll find them listed here in reverse order of how much we liked them. But don’t worry, you’ll get a chance to rank them for yourself as well. 

#13: Imagine… A Fantasy in the Sky

It’s ok if you don’t remember this short-lived production. In 2004, Disneyland Management was hard at work preparing the park for its milestone 50th Anniversary, which would herald in Remember…Dreams Come True, which required the most ambitious tech upgrade in the park’s fireworks history.

Imagine could be performed in several variations, including a version that took place on the Rivers of America while Sleeping Beauty Castle underwent refurbishment. This allowed for upgrades to be made for Remember, while not leaving guests feeling empty-handed.

One of the upgrades completed during the run of Imagine was the installation of Disney’s new patented compressed air-launch system, which drastically reduced ground-level pollution by eliminating the need to use any black powder.

#12: Magical: Disney’s New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations

In 2009, Disneyland debuted a new summertime firework show to succeed the immensely popular Remember…Dreams Come True. Magical was billed as a tribute to Disney ‘Magic Makers’ such as the Blue Fairy, Mary Poppins, and the Fairy Godmother.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Disney cast Broadway star Eden Espinosa as the show’s lead vocalist, who sang a re-arranged version of the title song “It’s Magical” from Tokyo Disneyland’s 10th Anniversary Celebration.

It would mark a milestone as Dumbo became the first character in decades to fly over the Castle other than Tinker Bell, opening the doors for more characters in future productions.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Disney also installed new searchlights to enhance the show, with three large beams installed on each side of the castle. This effect would be expanded for future fireworks spectaculars.

Following in the footsteps of Remember was a difficult task, and Magical lacked many of the other fancy tech upgrades that Guests were now coming to expect. Gone were the Castle’s fire effects, firework effects in the park’s hub, and numerous specialty pyro pieces.

Magical is arguably one of the lesser-loved shows among Park Guests, and not one that many are asking to see returned anytime soon. It last appeared in the skies back in 2014.

#11: Mickey’s Mix Magic

Mickey’s Mix Magic was developed by Disneyland’s in-house entertainment team to celebrate the 90th Birthday of Mickey Mouse in January of 2019, using the aesthetic of the new Mickey Mouse shorts as its primary guide along with an EDM soundtrack and a focus on non-firework elements such as projections, lighting, and special effects.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Two versions of Mickey’s Mix Magic were offered to Guests, the full show with fireworks on the weekends and a projection-only weekday version with no fireworks at all. This helped to bridge a longtime experience gap where those visiting on non-peak days would not get to see any nighttime entertainment offering.

To keep the show engaging without fireworks on the weekdays, the design team worked to combine special effects elements in new ways. For example, they ran the well-known snow effect paired with upgraded lasers, the snow allowing the lasers to cut more distinct and far-reaching patterns.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Guest’s reaction to this spectacular has been polarized, particularly due to its soundtrack, with many either loving it or hating it. While the fireworks version of Mickey’s Mix Magic has only been reserved to weekends, the ‘projections only’ version continues to be the park’s go-to alternate offering anytime a fireworks spectacular is canceled due to high winds.

#10: Fantasy in the Sky

From 1956 thru 1999, this was Disneyland’s only fireworks show, and for the first several years of its existence, every firework shell was lit by hand! The shows were infrequent at first, but by 1958 they were a staple of the park experience. In the 1960s an electronic method to launch the show was introduced, allowing for the shells to be better timed to the music.

Fantasy in the Sky is structured with an opening fanfare, opening announcement and then a medley of Disney Classics tied together with the same fanfare theme. This allowed for songs to be swapped in and out over the decades.

The most well-known version to current Park Guests concluded with “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” up until this past year. Other finale songs included a special Patriotic Finale of ‘This is my Country,” which can be heard on 1997’s Official Album for Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

In 1961, Tinker Bell began flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle to open the show. The role was initially performed by circus performer Tiny Kline, who was personally recruited by Walt Disney.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Fantasy in the Sky continues to make guest appearances, getting a special run during Spring Break 2005 and then again for Disney’s Limited Time Magic promotion in 2013.

#9: Together Forever

Created for 2018’s summertime ‘Pixar Fest’ promotion at the Disneyland Resort, Together Forever was the first Disneyland Fireworks show to feature exclusively Pixar properties, and the fourth show to not feature music from a single Disney Film Property.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Together Forever utilized all the new effects featured in Disneyland Forever and the third show to feature character flyovers that didn’t include Tinker Bell – in this case Buzz Lightyear and the home from Up.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

The spectacular was charming, touching upon many of Pixar’s most heartwarming and heart-wrenching moments. Its shelf life as a show in Disneyland’s overall repertoire was limited due to its thematic exclusivity to Pixar. It ran for less than a year from April to September of 2018. 

#8: Believe…There’s Magic in the Stars

Believe…There’s Magic in the Stars is the catalyst that truly launched the modern era of fireworks spectaculars for all Disney Parks. It was the first new fireworks spectacular in forty-four years, premiering in 2000 as part of Disneyland’s 45th Anniversary Celebration. It would still be another three years before Walt Disney World would retire Fantasy in the Sky for Wishes (which would itself become a long-running and beloved show).

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Steve Davison, who had initially garnered attention for his creative leadership on ‘It’s A Small World Holiday’, led the creative charge on this production – introducing the groundbreaking new storytelling structure of bookending a show with an original signature song and character narrations throughout the piece.

Tinker Bell’s flight became a finale element rather than an opening element – the product of ‘believing hard enough’. This would also be the last time that Tinker Bell would fly as a face character at the end of the show due to her proximity to firework embers (though, she still does at Magic Kingdom).

Believe was also Disney’s first major dive into a larger catalog of music, including numerous songs from the incredibly popular Animation Renaissance films of the 1990s – including two songs from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and two songs from Tarzan, which was released that year.

Despite being retired after just four years, Believe continues to be fondly remembered by park guests who visited in the early 2000s.

#7: “Fantasy in the Sky” New Year’s Eve Edition

This annual version of Fantasy in the Sky was created for New Year’s Eve at Disneyland. The show is quite a departure from the original of the same name, enough so that it deserves its own ranking in our list.

Opening with a traditional countdown and rendition of “Auld Lang Syne”, the show then follows the same musical pattern as its standard edition, with the addition of many more fireworks shells.

Its rarity makes it a very special show – and it continues to be the primary reason guests choose to celebrate New Year’s Eve at Disneyland. In fact, it’s so popular that in recent years, park management has opted to present the same show twice, once at 9pm (to celebrate Walt Disney World ringing in the new year) and again at midnight.

December 31st has a tendency for inclement weather. Over the years, there have been performances where fireworks were invisible due to fog or canceled due to high winds. When high winds prevail, Disneyland still plays the show’s soundtrack and marks midnight with a small round of low-level pyro. Take a look at what happened on New Year’s Eve in 2022 when Dusty Sage got rained out!

In 2019, Fantasy in the Sky was shelved, and instead, a special edition of Mickey’s Mix Magic was presented. There was no performance in 2020, but in 2021 the show returned with a reworked finale.

#6: Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky

Fireworks are synonymous with the Fourth of July, but for the longest time, Disneyland only marked the occasion with a special post-show encore, or simply with the standard nighttime show.

It can only be presumed that Guests commented frequently about this surprising omission because in 2008, Celebrate America became the first new fireworks show to premiere both at Disneyland and Walt Disney World simultaneously.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

The show centers on the folk and patriotic music of the United States, laced together with a narration that celebrates the diversity of people who make up the country.

In 2009, Disneyland expanded performances of Celebrate America to run July 1 thru 4, but with one caveat – the version which played from July 1 to July 3 was missing about four minutes of music – making it feel short. Over the years Disney’s research team conducted guest surveys on its length and in 2022 the show returned to playing on just July 4th in its full version.

The most recent edition of Celebrate America featured a new female narrator and some revised dialogue.

#5: Believe…In Holiday Magic

In 2000, Disneyland was ramping up its efforts to become Southern California’s ultimate holiday destination and Believe…in Holiday Magic was the first major addition since the creation of ‘it’s a small world holiday’ back in 1997.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!
Believe in Holiday Magic

Country singer Kellie Coffey, who had lent her voice earlier that year to “We Go On” and “Promise” for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at EPCOT was cast as the lead vocalist for the show, performing a revised arrangement of “Remember the Magic”, originally written for Walt Disney World.

The fireworks portion of Believe is just over nine minutes. Its official duration is listed at slightly over thirteen when including its iconic ‘snowfall finale’, which introduced the element of faux snow to the park for the first time. It also marked the first show in Disneyland history to not use a single piece of original Disney Film music.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Though it has taken a break for special celebrations, such as the holiday season of the 50th and 60th Anniversaries of the park, Believe continues to be a holiday tradition for Disneyland guests and is regularly plussed with new technologies.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

#4: Disneyland Forever

Created for Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary (in 2015), Disneyland Forever successfully replicated the awe factor that its predecessor Remember…Dreams Come True created back in 2005  (Remember was a wildly new concept for the medium that has influenced every new show that has followed it).

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Disneyland Forever introduced full-scale immersion to fireworks spectaculars with the addition of projection mapping, a kaleidoscope of searchlights throughout Main Street and the Central Hub, and inflatable props that appeared up and down the Main Street roofline.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

While its introduction harkens back to the nostalgia and origins of the park, this spectacular goes in a more traditional direction, pulling from Disney Film Properties, but with more emphasis on storytelling, aided primarily from the projections rather than the fireworks themselves.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Forever also marked the first time that Disneyland’s iconic holiday snow effect would be used in a summertime spectacular, a move that Mickey’s Mix Magic would also mirror.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

The production resonated strongly with Guests young and old alike, particularly its contemporary musical arrangements and the first-ever original song to be written for Disneyland’s fireworks, “Live the Magic.”

Disneyland Forever returned for the summer season in 2022 and hopefully will return in future years for more limited runs.

#3: Halloween Screams

Halloween Screams is the spectacular that broke Disneyland Park Operations when it premiered in 2009. It was so popular that guests arrived in droves hours early and clogged Main Street well before showtime – something management had never encountered before during the Fall season.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

This spectacular is created using musical pieces from the incredibly popular HalloWishes fireworks spectacular at Walt Disney World – but with a new opening and closing featuring Jack Skellington and Zero from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

This was the first production to utilize projection mapping in the form of an inflated “full moon” rising above the side of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Projected on the full moon was the face of Jack Skellington and iconic Disney Villains such as Ursula, Oogie Boogie and Maleficent. Equally as spectacular is the flyover of Zero, the ghost dog reindeer, at the opening and finale of the show.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Halloween Screams was an overnight success thanks to its dynamic energy and strong execution. Sadly, it would be hidden behind a paywall the following year, becoming a Mickey’s Halloween Party exclusive up until 2019, when Halloween parties moved to Disney California Adventure.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Today it appears as an “effects-only” presentation on weekdays with fireworks added on the weekends, following in the steps of Mickey’s Mix Magic.

#2: Remember…Dreams Come True

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Remember…Dreams Come True was the centerpiece of Disneyland’s massive 50th Anniversary Celebration (2005), narrated by its incomparable host, Julie Andrews and celebrating not only Disneyland, but Walt Disney himself. It was a return to roots that honored the past, present, and future of the original Magic Kingdom.

This milestone piece remains a nostalgic favorite for many to this day as it’s one of only two fireworks shows in Disney Parks history to pay tribute to Disney’s theme park attractions, past and present (the second being Epcot Forever at Walt Disney World).

Remember fully realized the concept of “Storytelling thru Fireworks,” with shells coming together to paint “pictures” of theme park attraction scenes in the sky (such as the Haunted Mansion Stretching room rising, bullets hitting targets in the Frontierland Shooting Exposition, the jump to lightspeed in Star Tours, and the iconic battle between the Wicked Wench and Puerto Dorado in Pirates of the Caribbean).

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!
Photo courtesy of Suzanne Lee

Tinker Bell received an upgraded flight system allowing her to change levels, turn around and even hover. New pyro launch sites were added around the Hub, isopar flame units were installed on Sleeping Beauty Castle, and projectors could cast imagery onto both the Matterhorn and Sleeping Beauty Castle (such as a skull and crossbones for Pirates of the Caribbean).

As the 50th Anniversary drew to a close, Guests were worried that Remember would disappear as well, like its parade counterpart Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams, but it continued to perform year after year. After Magical took the slot of summer nighttime spectacular in 2009, Remember continued to play weekends in the Spring and Fall, consistently receiving upgrades and adjustments.

It was also in 2009 that the bulk of the Frontierland portion was cut from the show, as Remember in its entirety clocked in at a whopping seventeen minutes long – a record that’s yet to be beaten with any subsequent spectacular.

The last time Remember…Dreams Come True played at Disneyland was 2019 and it is unknown if this great spectacular will ever return. As the years rolled by, more and more of the soundtrack pieces contained within the show have gone to Yesterland – including dialogue from Star Tours, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the audio from The Main Street Electrical Parade, making it more of a museum piece.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!
Tinker Bell in shadows awaiting her big moment.  Photo courtesy of Suzanne Lee

One thing is for certain, it remains to this day Steve Davison’s magnum opus – opening the doors to the unlimited storytelling possibilities for Disneyland’s nightly fireworks. Until a few weeks ago, this was my favorite fireworks show of all time. 

You can watch this show in its entirety from 2017 in the video below:

#1: Wondrous Journeys

For a decade and a half, fans have waited for a new nighttime spectacular to achieve the level of enthusiasm that Remember…Dreams Come True has held for so long. Now, at long last, it’s possible we have received that show.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Wondrous Journeys encapsulates the century-old history of Walt Disney Animation in just thirteen minutes, featuring imagery from every Disney Animated Feature, including the yet-to-be-released film “Wish”.

The show represents the most extensive collaboration between the Nighttime Spectaculars team at Walt Disney Imagineering and the team at Walt Disney Animation to date. Special care was taken by the animation team to truly showcase a diverse breadth of moments from their film catalog in incredible detail and projected clarity. Care has been taken to make this show more viewable over a wider area, with the best spots at Sleeping Beauty Castle, ‘it’s a small world’, and Main Street U.S.A.. There’s far more visual content than in previous shows, requiring multiple viewings to discover it all. While at its best when fireworks are offered on the weekends, the show is still a step above other Disneyland projection shows. 

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Unlike previous shows such as Disneyland Forever and Magical, whose individual segments are limited to just one film, such as a Frozen segment or Lion King segment, every sequence in this new show is a medley of moments focusing on themes connected by the motif of butterflies – a physical manifestation of wonder.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

Since this show clearly opens as a tribute to Disney Animation, the flow of content just makes more sense than Disneyland Forever, which opens as a tribute to Walt’s Theme Park but then goes on to feature a random selection of film properties instead.

Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!

It’s a very special production with the right energy and message for the milestone celebration of Disney’s 100th anniversary.

You can watch an amazing 4k video of Wondrous Journeys from in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle below:

Just as Wondrous Journeys references the next “turn of the page” we remain as enthusiastic as ever as to the possibilities of future fireworks spectaculars at Disneyland and tip our hats to the teams who have worked to bring this “Kiss Goodnight” to life!


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Disneyland Fireworks, “A Kiss Goodnight,” An Explosive Look at Disneyland Fireworks History!
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Let’s Hear From You

Picking favorites is subjective. By no means will my favorites be yours as well. But how did I do? Do you remember all of these fireworks spectaculars? And which shows stand out in your memory? Please share your thoughts and vote in our poll below!

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