Hey howdy hey, pardners! Southern California Pixar fans gathered at Disney California Adventure last Thursday for the extraordinarily energetic Pixar Nite, inspired by all the popular characters and films from Pixar Animation Studios.
The evening was chock full of entertainment, character experiences and photo ops, “Remy-approved” cuisine, and fantastic event merchandise, but for us Disneyland After Dark: Pixar Nite really kicked off with the impressive “Colors of Pixar” Fountain Show on Paradise Bay, location of DCA’s regular “World of Color” nighttime spectacular.
Watch "Colors of Pixar" Fountain Show at World of Color during Disneyland After Dark: Pixar Nite:
Upon entering the park, guests of Disneyland After Dark: Pixar Nite received a credential with a special lanyard and a guide map for the event. There were also signs informing other guests that tickets were still available, and even an advertisement for future DaD events.
The big character debuts at Disney California Adventure for that evening were Ian and Barley from Pixar’s Onward (now playing in theaters). The two elf brothers posed for photos in front of their trusty van Guinevere at the Pixar Pier bandshell.
Another highlight of Pixar Night was the brief but informative guided tour of Lamplight Lounge, the recently reimagined restaurant (formerly Cove Bar) at Pixar Pier.
Outside Lamplight Lounge, Nemo and Marlin swam around greeting guests, while Green Army Men patrolled the area and attendees lined up for the opportunity to purchase Pixar Nite souvenirs like t-shirts and tumblers from the Knick’s Knacks gift shop.
In the Toy Story Boardwalk section of Pixar Pier, guests could pose with most of the Toy Story gang including Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Bo Peep, and Bullseye– what a treat!
Roaming around near Paradise Gardens was Kevin, the huge bird from Up.
Other Pixar Nite character meet-and-greets and photo ops included Tow Mater, Lightning McQueen, and Cruz Ramirez (all at once) in Cars Land, Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation, Miguel from Coco (in puppet form), the Fredrickson house (complete with “Carl & Ellie” mailbox) from Up, plus Carl, Dug, and Russell (all together), Geri’s Game, Mickey and Minnie Mouse as Woody and Buzz, For the Birds, Wall-E and Eve, a flowery Luxo ball, Flik and Princess Atta from A Bug’s Life, Red the firetruck in front of Flo’s V8 Cafe, Remy and his brother Emile from Ratatouille, Joy and Sadness from Inside Out, Merida from Brave, and a backdrop promoting this year’s upcoming Pixar film Soul.
The Monsters, Inc. Dance Party and Incredibles Party Zone kept guests moving with fun character interactions.
And of course, the Pizza Planet Truck was parked near Soarin’ for another (very popular) photo opportunity.
Specialty foods around Disneyland After Dark: Pixar Nite included the Bear Club Churro, Pixar Ball Dome, Groovy Churro, Orange Confection, Tractor-Tipping Burger, Luigi’s Tower of Tires, Grizzly Churro, Lava Dog, Space Chase Churro, Boo’s Eye-Scream Shake, Scare Bar, Unforgettable Bread Boule, COCO Churro, Hawaiian Vacation Corn Dog, Hot-head Macaron, Cowgirl Cookie, and Happy Go Ducky Churro.
Finally, guests found a place to wind down inside the Disney Theater, which hosted the Pixar Shorts Festival, presented by Disney+.
The next Disneyland After Dark event will be Villains Nite, taking place on Thursday, April 30. For more information be sure to visit the official Disneyland website.
