Pixar Fest at Disneyland Resort

Summer Of Disney 2024

Characters
Entertainment
Dining

This was our first visit to Disneyland during PIXAR FEST (held April 6, 2024 through August 4, 2024). We prepared by re-watching most of the movies in the order they debuted. While there wasn’t much love for Wall-E, A Bug’s Life or The Good Dinosaur, the larger franchises (Toy Story, The Incredibles) and the newer movies were highlighted through entertainment, food and character meet and greet opportunities.

Entertainment

Pixar Fest, California Adventure Park, Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California, July 2024

There were two times each day for the Better Together: A PIXAR PALS Celebration. Park guests found spaces and were required to stay single file along much of the route. We were lucky to get into a pocket near the backside of the Grizzly Falls ride just before the Celebration start (which went in opposite directions between the front and back of California Adventure for each parade).

The floats weren’t as elaborate as the year-round parades at other parks, but it was fun to see life-size versions of characters from newer movies like Soul and Turning Red.

Disneyland Park doesn’t have fireworks scheduled every night, and even when they are scheduled they may be canceled due to windy conditions. During our stay on Thursday night, they offered the projection-only show, while on Friday night we saw both projections and fireworks in the Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular. Spots near Cinderella’s Castle filled very early, and Cast Members moved people along pathways in the viewing area once the show has started. The projections near the back of the castle along Main Street were immersive enough to enjoy the show even without a close-up view of the fireworks.

Characters & Photo Ops

Disneyland Park lists Character Meet & Greets in the App. In some parts of the park the characters wander around without allowing queues to form to meet them. In other places there are set backdrops and greeting areas. For Pixar Fest (and many other areas including the Marvel Avengers Campus) there was generally a block of hours and a set location, and the characters would come and go with lengthy breaks. Pixar Pals were spread around California Adventure Park while most met guests near the Storybook Theater in Disneyland Park. We were excited to meet Mei Lee and Ming Lee from Turning Red. Other characters that were offered that we hadn’t seen at any other Disney Parks or on Disney Cruises included Frozone from the Incredibles, Bo Peep from Toy Story, Barley Lightfoot from Onward, and Ember from Elemental.

Pixar Fest, Disneyland Park, Anaheim, California, July 2024

Dining

I’m a big fan of EPCOT’s festivals at Walt Disney World, so my favorite aspect of PIXAR FEST was the movie-inspired food and drink kiosks in the California Adventure Park. At least one vegetarian food option was on each menu and the drinks, while expensive, were creative and delicious.

Disneyland Park sprinkled Pixar-themed snacks and drinks into some of their quick service food locations, but we didn’t see any stand-alone festival kiosks.