As Walt Disney World is once again sharing an update from the night parade that is set to debut at Magic Kingdom this summer, it may be a good time to summarise what we know and still don’t know about Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away.
The parade was announced last summer at a gathering of D23, Disney’s official fan club. “Starlight” is the first night parade at the theme park since October 2016, when the main street electric parade rapped a WDW run.
“There’s something very special about the nighttime shows in Disney Parks. Michael Handing of Walt Disney Imaginerling, portfolio executive producer at Walt Disney World, said at the D23 session held in Brazil last year:
“This new show, ‘Disney Starlight’, will add to that legacy,” he said. “We use the latest technology to tell all the new stories and characters that everyone absolutely loves.”
Judging from the Disney’s “Starlight” illustrations provided by “Starlight”, the parade appears to be inhabited by an old-fashioned princess and characters from modern animated films.
The parade’s recently released “official poster” features nine characters, including Elsa, Cinderella, “Miguel” from “Frozen”, and the winged Pepita from “Coco”. (The poster will be located under the train station at the entrance to Magic Kingdom, Disney says.
Disney shows “Monsters, Inc.”, “Cars,” smugglers are running the details
The fairy has been announced as the lead in the parade, and her star-tip wand represents a magically illuminated throughline through the procession. A recent Disney Parks blog post stated that it was “the first star you’ll see tonight.” This is easily tied to the song near the beginning of Magic Kingdom’s magnificent “Wish.”
The brightly colored “Coco” float features Miguel (Plus Pet/Spirit Animal Dante) who rocks his guitar on the Marigold Bridge, with land of the dead, “large than life” Pepita and Mariaci music.
The “encanto” float rendering, according to Disney, spotlights “swaying flowers just like they do in the movie,” in addition to the huge, large candles that include Mirabelle, Bruno and Isabel.
As the character in the title is accompanied by her pet pig and heihei, we see the waves and sea creatures of “Moana” floats.
The new Princess Float artwork shows Tiana and Naveen, Cinderella and Charming, Aurora and Philippe Plus Bell and Beast. There is a centrepiece fountain that Disney says is inspired by the original concept artwork of Cinderella artist Mary Blair. The lineup looks flexible, and Disney says the unit will include “Royal Court Dancers.”
A recent update points to the construction of floats nationwide, with designs and choreography in Florida, and music recorded in London.
While the date of “Disney Starlight”‘s debut remains a secret, the parade has recently been added to the official website and the My Disney Experience app. However, there was no step-off time until at least May 10th. The park continues to create daytime “Fantasy Festival” parades.
Other Disney attractions coming this summer include The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure and Disney Villains: Fullairly Ever After, which will be on display at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Their debut date has not been announced. Epcot Watchers expects to resume its test track this year.
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Disney’s 2025: New Show, Magic Kingdom Parade, and more changes
Original issue: March 12, 2025 8:37am EDT
