Since the show debuted – and closed – almost nine years ago, you may not have been able to see it or capture it on video.

If you've wanted it on DVD, then you're in luck.

In what essentially amounts to a home video without the personalization - Junior is never identified or made the focus of the camera – "Light Magic: A Spectacular Journey" (Purchase at The Laughing Place Store) is an unpolished but adequate look at this brief moment in Disneyland nighttime entertainment history.

There is a "Done in the Dark Digital Presents" intro, and then the menu… with the sole option of "Open the Window to You Dream" appears.

The video starts in the middle of Paul Pressler's address to the crowd, poised to witness the dawn of a new era in Disneyland entertainment. The camera's point of view is center of Main Street, from the east side, and it is a mostly steady, handheld shot. There are some brief moments when it loses focus. The sound is apparently unsweetened.

Paul finishes, the lights go out, the show's theme music starts up ("We can dream our dreams forever…"), and the rolling stages, made to look like trees, leaves and flowers and storybook fairy homes, make their way to their marks.

There is a brief moment of narration, and then previously unknown fairies – apparently an effort to capitalize on the enduring popularity of Tinker Bell, but considered scary-looking to some - emerge to the sounds of "Little April Shower". After that, a blast of the horn awakens the traditional Disney characters, who join the party in their pajamas. They are welcomed with "Be Our Guest". All of the music during this portion of the show is strictly instrumental, and the clogging on the part of the fairies is reminiscent of a hit stage show of those days – Riverdance.

The pixies show the Disney characters their pixie dust, which leads to more recognizable Disney music, until the arrival of rain threatens to put a damper on everything. This is when projection screens rise on the float, on which animated images are presented, accompanied by a medley of classic Disney songs, starting and ending with "When You Wish Upon a Star."

Live action shots of kids you don't know, smiling and looking up for some reason (supposedly to the stars), take over after that, to the strains of the show theme again ("Dream our dreams…"). The screens go back to where they came from. Suddenly, the show starts imitating the Ewok village celebration from the original version of "Return of the Jedi", building up to…

A fairly long sample of the Baroque Hoedown, thereby reminding everyone of what Light Magic replaced… no doubt meant as a tribute. Audience members (kids) are picked to help throw "pixie dust" at the crescendo, and Mylar confetti comes raining down on everything. This takes us back to the show's theme music, with the pixies attempting to use sign language in their choreography.

As the floats roll away, the camera gets a good shot of the neat fiber optics that were added to the Main Street buildings for the show. Light Magic is also the show for which the entire "Small World Mall" area was changed from a wide, flat slurried expanse to a terraced area with light towers. So, Light Magic physically changed the park as well as the relationship of the frequently-visiting online-active annual passholders with Disneyland management. However, despite Paul's stated hope that Light Magic would become a long-running tradition and unlike its influence, Light Magic was gone after just one season.

As for the Electrical Parade – obviously, it did eventually return to the Resort to become a regular part of DCA's offerings, where it is still performing. Aside from a missing float or two, it is essentially the same parade as it was in 1996. At least, that's what I've been told. I've never actually seen it since I saw the "last" performance as it disappeared behind the Small World gate.

If you've never seen Light Magic, here's your chance to see it as well as a fateful night that was a snapshot of Disneyland history. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your interest, the post-show negative reactions are not included in this video. If you like Light Magic and never got around to getting decent video, your wish has been granted. If you hated Light Magic partly because it made the MSEP "glow away", watching it now on DVD shouldn't be nearly as difficult since the MSEP ended up in DCA in slightly altered form. If you were a Disney number cruncher, Light Magic is probably still painful to even think about.

The DVD case has the show logo on the front, and pictures from the show on the back. The artwork on the DVD itself also features the show logo and a picture from the show.

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• Purchase Light Magic: A Spectacular Journey at The Laughing Place Store
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