The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (197 page)

During the week leading up to
World of Color
’s June 11, 2010 public premiere, test runs were conducted to fine-tune every aspect of the show, and the press and celebrities like
Desperate Housewife
and
Disney Give-A-Day
sponsor
Teri Hatcher
were treated to early premieres of the extravaganza.

Those who attended the private premieres gave
World of Color
enthusiastic thumbs-up in the media and online, whipping Guest anticipation into an ecstatic frenzy.  Footage hit the internet and intriguing anecdotes traveled by word of mouth–the revelation, for example, that audience members near the edge of the
Bay
could expect to be grazed (in some cases soaked) with water and mist; a water-logged
Ms. Hatcher
was spotted after the show.

On June 10, 2010, the day before the public premiere, Guests visiting the
Paradise Pier
district saw a large chunk of real estate between
Mulholland Madness
(now
Goofy’s Sky School
) and
Pizza Oom Mow Mow
(now
Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta
) walled off and protected by security guards; “Media Center” read signs posted on the walls.  It was within that secure compound that media personalities like
Sam Champion
of
ABC
’s
Good Morning America
prepped for and unwound after their
World of Color
news reports.

Stage platforms, light towers, speakers
, and banners were already deployed throughout the
Paradise Bay
area. 
World of Color
merchandise (light-up bracelets for $4.50, keychains or pens for $8.75, T-shirts in navy, aqua, pink, or white, e.g.) were already on the shelves of
Paradise Pier
shops, and resort eateries offered
WOC
-themed baked goods like the gold-dusted
World of Color Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake
. 
WOC
Cast Members and resort brass scrambled throughout the
Bay
area with clipboards and walkie-talkies and smiles on their faces—the smiles because they knew they had a hit on their hands.

As June 11, 2010 dawned, thousands of Guests, the author included, descended upon
DCA
.  The park turnstiles were opened well before the then-usual 10 am opening and while most of the park was roped off, Guests were allowed to proceed to
Grizzly River Run
in the
Golden State
(now
Grizzly Peak
) district to queue in 20-to-30-minute long lines wrapping around the
GRR
FastPass
dispensers.

The lines moved quickly and efficiently; when Guests reached the dispensers, they handed their park ticket or
Annual Pass
to a Cast Member who inserted the ticket into one of the dispensers, then handed the ticket back along with
FastPasses
for the first (9 pm) or second (10:15 pm)
World of Color
show.  Each
FastPass
clearly indicates the window of time during which the Guest has to arrive at their viewing area–at the very least, a half hour before show time.  Viewing areas are color-coded:  Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, and Red.

Those of us who received
FastPasses
on
WOC
’s opening day secured them safely, treating them like precious gold, and all Guests are well-advised to do the same; a cornerstone of
Disneyland
’s fabled efficiency is that Guests without proper tickets or passes are
not
admitted to events.

Due to its popularity,
FastPasses
for
World of Color
run out early (at which point the
GRR
dispensers begin providing
GRR FastPasses
for the day).  Therefore, if you plan to see a nightly
WOC
show with a
FastPass
, arrive at the park early and head to
GRR
as soon as possible.  It’s first-come-first-serve, and you have no control over whether you receive a pass for the early or late show.  The earlier you arrive at
GRR
, the more likely you’ll get a pass for the first performance. 
DCA
now opens at 8 am, like
Disneyland
, during summer and holiday seasons.

Guests who can’t or don’t want to arrive at the park early
to grab
FastPasses
used to be able to visit the
World of Color
link at
www.disneyland.com
to reserve a boxed picnic meal (about $16.50 each, including kids’ meals).  Picnics were picked up at the
Wine Country Trattoria
’s
Sonoma Terrace
between 2 pm and 8 pm on the day of the performance.  Each meal contained a reserve-viewing ticket for the
first
WOC
show of the evening, and the kids’ meals contained a plastic light-up
World of Color
bracelet.  You ate your meal whenever you liked
prior
to the show; the
WOC
viewing areas aren’t fitted for picnicking.

Of course, these meals s
old out fast online; according to a
Wine Country Trattoria
Cast Member, by late morning on June 11, 2010
five days
of
WOC
picnic meals had already sold!  Guests also had the option of placing in-person, same-day picnic orders at the
Sonoma Terrace
and returning between 11:30 am and an hour before the show to pick up their meals, and inside each was a reserve-viewing ticket for the
second
show.

However, the
World of Color
picnics were discontinued in June 2013.  Your only options now are the aforementioned
FastPasses
; views from other areas along the bay; or special reservations obtained via
World of Color
dining packages at restaurants like the
Wine Country Trattoria
.

The most expensive way to reserve space for a
World of Color
performance is to call the
Disneyland
dining hotline (714) 781-DINE and make reservations at the
Carthay Circle Restaurant
or
Wine Country Trattoria
.  Be sure to specify that you are making
WOC
meal reservations.  It’s relatively pricey (for example, at the
Carthay Circle
,
WOC
viewing packages cost $39 adult/$22 child per lunch, and $59 adult/$24 child per dinner;
Wine Country Trattoria
prix fixe Adult Lunch is around $29.99, the Adult Dinner $41.99, the Children’s Lunch $18.99, and the Children’s Dinner $21.99) but it’s all worth it if you can swing it; you enjoy not only a delicious, graciously served meal at
Carthay Circle Restaurant
or
Wine Country Trattoria
, you also receive reserved spaces at premium viewing spots for
WOC
.

Within the time-
window indicated on your
WOC
FastPass
or reserved-viewing ticket, gather at the appointed area and follow all Cast Member instructions.  You’ll be directed to the appropriate viewing spot along the western edge of
Paradise Bay
, between the bridge and the
Golden Zephyr
.  You’ll be standing in either the Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, or Red section, with Red being furthest south, closest to the
Zephyr
.  Some zones close to the water will be clearly marked as possible
Wet Zones
–you might get splashed if you stand in them.  In fact, if you’re right on the water, you’re guaranteed to become rather soaked.

As darkness falls across the park and Guests gather along the western shore, some of the attractions and shops along the
Bay
are closed and dimmed.  Guests are unloaded from
Mickey’s Fun Wheel
, the
Silly Symphony Swings
, and the
Golden Zephyr
.  Even
California Screamin’
closes by 8:30 pm.  Guests without
WOC
FastPasses
or preferred-viewing tickets are allowed to stand in approved spots around
Paradise Bay
(the observation deck on the lower level of the
Swings
, for example) to see the show.

This might seem like an awful lot of work and planning and, possibly, expense, to see a show on
Paradise Bay
.  Is it really worth it?  Resoundingly,
yes
!

In the early days of
WOC
, there was a mesmerizing pre-show called
Carnival of Color
.  A half-hour before show time, enthusiastic hosts addressed the crowd over loudspeakers, keeping spirits and anticipation high.  Music played and five enormous, larger-than-life puppets, controlled by dark-clad master puppeteers within, walked along the viewing areas so all Guests could see them, and then served as mascots for the area they matched: 
Genie
for the Blue section,
Mike Wazowski
for the Green,
Tigger
for Orange,
Lumiére
for Yellow, and
Sebastian
for Red.

A twenty-minute pre-show unfold
ed, with the hosts encouraging Guests in each section to shout, or bounce, or even to “shake their booty” while their mascot cheers them on.  As show-time drew nigh, all of the lights dimmed … and
World of Color
began!

World of Color
is a brilliant water-and-light show loosely based on the television program
Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color
.  First in film and later in television,
Walt
was one of the first entertainment moguls who understood that color television was going to supplant black-and-white television as the medium of choice for audiences.

Walt
’s 1932
Silly Symphony
short
Flowers and Trees
was released in full color.  Much of it had already been shot in black-and-white, but
Walt
knew color productions were the future and he wanted to be at the front of the new wave.  He had
Flowers and Trees
reshot in color before it was released. It was popular with critics and audiences and won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons). 
Walt
had wisely made a deal so that
Disney Studios
would have exclusive use of the superior new three-strip Technicolor process that was used for
Flowers and Trees
; rival cartoon studios had to make do with the inferior two-strip process or continue to use black-and-white film.

In 1961
Walt
showed the same prescience regarding television programs when he had his series,
The Wonderful World of Walt Disney
, which had premiered on
ABC
in 1954, moved to NBC.  Unlike
ABC
, NBC was prepared to broadcast the show in color.  New programs could be filmed and shown in color, and, having seen the color phenomenon coming from far away,
Walt
had already had many earlier programs shot in color even though
ABC
aired them in black-and-white.  Now they were rebroadcast on NBC in their full-color glory.

When the series jumped to NBC, the show’s title changed from
The Wonderful World of Walt Disney
to
Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color
, putting the emphasis on the rich hues that
Disney
’s television audiences could now enjoy.

Cut to the end of the first decade of the new millennium. 
Walt
has long since passed away, but modern
Imagineers
have crafted a dazzling, colorful show on
Paradise Bay
.  What is its theme?  Color and light, of course!  An outdoor spectacle that delights Guests the way the vibrant tints of
Disney
’s color films and television shows always have.

Guests
with preferred access (
FastPasses
or preferred-viewing tickets) gather on the
Paradise Park Plaza
, a tiered viewing area built on the western shore of
Paradise Bay
that can accommodate 4,000 Guests, to watch 1,200 high-tech fountains shoot jets of water 30 to 200 feet in the air.  These water jets have been choreographed as intricately as any ballet, and drive water straight up into the air and in multiple directions, projecting columns, spirals, and undulating waves of varying heights, lengths, and motions.