MK All-New Nighttime Parade Disney Starlight Set to Debut at Magic Kingdom in 2025

[Disney Analyst]

The Share a Dream Come True Parade and the "Remember the Magic Parade" was one of the last times the MK actually had parades that had tons of performers. Look how energetic the performers and characters looked in Remember the Magic Parade.


Besides WDW, Disneyland's Parade of Dreams had tons of performers.

I’m not sure the actual count but Magic Happens didn’t feel lacking at all.

Speaking of magic happens….. that reminds me! I think it’s an odd choice to have Miguel in skeleton form - I much prefer him in traditional Mexican attire representing his country!

Found a presser:

"Magic Happens" features floats and characters from many classic and modern Disney stories. There are over 90 performers in the parade, and more than two dozen of them are Disney and Pixar characters.

I think even Better Together has nearly 70 performers.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

I disagree on Everest. It's more thrilling but rather basic compared to BTMRR, the Matterhorn, Grizzle Gulch....

Agree on Pandora

Soaring? Well that was an exceptional attraction in a non-exceptional theme park that very much was built with with the "better than nothing" mindset. But Soarin is also over 20 years old so how far back do we want to go. Are we going to throw pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion inn on this mix?

Rise is excellent But should have opened with the rest of the land and by splitting it apart they made the entirety of Galaxy's edge somewhat underwhelming in that while it may be more than better than nothing, galaxies edge was definitely over-promised and under-delivered.

Skyliner is transportation so not a whole lot of imagineering there but I'll agree it's definitely more than better than nothing and same for Hollywood's fantasmic but not disneyland's. I used to swear by Disneyland's Fantasmic, calling it vastly superior to the one at DHS, but now I don't even bother watching it. Sad how the mighty have fallen.

Guardians comes in as a genuinely fun attraction but I don't know that it blew me away.

Here's one you didn't list but I genuinely like it a lot, Mickey and Minnie's runaway railroad. I think that's a great attraction. But others.....

Tiana's bayou adventure is underwhelming.
Test track 3.0 was underwhelming.
Walt Disney a magical life is underwhelming
Starlight Dreams is underwhelming

How is Test track 3.0 underwhelming? It looks like the best version to date and i was a major fan of both versions!

 

[JohnD]

My best way of judging is seeing it in person. Short of that, I agree the parade color palette definitely leans blue. There are multiple colors in the floats but the majority is different shades of blue. By contrast, I saw Paint the Night in DL in May. The colors are vibrant and all shades.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Pandora was budget cut and should have included another e-ticket, same with Galaxy's Edge (which was inconceivably set in the sequels and not the OG trilogy). On top of that their headlining e-ticket rarely works in full A mode anymore (and the canon blasters still don't work they way they are supposed to based on the last time I rode).

Everest was in development well before 2005 and was so far along it could not be cancelled - it, like Soarin' (which opened in 2005 and was basically done by the time Iger became CEO) were not products of the Iger era of the Walt Disney Company.

The Skyliner is nice, but once again was a value engineered decision because the long-term cost was cheaper than buses - it wasn't a guest convienence thing. AND it let them charge significantly more for Pop, AoA, and CBR, along with helping justify the insane cost for Riviera, which has to be the worst themed hotel Disney has ever done.

Fantasmic opened in 1998 at DHS so I don't really think that's germane to the argument that's being made here - I have no qualms with Fantasmic.

Happily Ever After (arguably the best fireworks show they've ever made) was considered a "temporary" bridge and they had no intention of bringing it back until GSAT scores were so low on Enchantment they were basically forced to do that.


They haven't built a decently themed hotel in decades (and don't tell me they can't do it because look what they did at Fantasy Springs and the remodel of the Disneyland Hotel in Paris) and apparently every new hotel has to be based on DVC. What they did to the Cabins at the campground was criminal, and the new Poly tower is awful (it wouldn't be bad if it matched the theme - they could have dusted off the original plans for the Poly and built THAT tower and people would have been ecstatic).

Everyone says Fantasy springs hotel is value engineered and boxy looking https://www.disneytouristblog.com/fantasy-springs-hotel-disappointment-tokyo-disneysea/

 

[TTA94]

Disney has released an official Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away POV video:

I hope this is not the music they plan to release but it probably is. Just like Luminous it’s missing parts and this sounds rushed.

 

[brb1006]

The reality is, WDW is seen as the ATM for Disney Parks and Experiences (and overall I believe the company as a whole) and because it continues to generate an outsized amount of profit, they are okay with just being "good enough" in the swamps.

The sad thing is that there was once a time (mainly between the 70s and 80s) when WDW was on par with Disneyland in terms of guest satisfaction, better entertainment offerings, and taking care of their shows and attractions.

Heck, WDW used to commonly rotate daytime parades every few years like Disneyland did. From 1989 till 2001, WDW ran "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"/"Disney Character Hit Parade" (1989-1991), followed by "20th Anniversary Surprise Celebration Parade" (1991-1994), Mickey Mania Parade (1994-1996), and "Remember the Magic"/"Magical Moments Parade" (1996-2001).










Ever since 2001, WDW started keeping daytime parades running for almost 6 years. As of 2025, FOF is over 11 years old!

Don't get me started with the seasonal parades at WDW. Which consists of older floats made during the 80s and 90s.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

The sad thing is that there was once a time (mainly between the 70s and 80s) when WDW was on par with Disneyland in terms of guest satisfaction, better entertainment offerings, and taking care of their shows and attractions.

Heck, WDW used to commonly rotate daytime parades every few years like Disneyland did. From 1989 till 2001, WDW ran "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"/"Disney Character Hit Parade" (1989-1991), followed by "20th Anniversary Surprise Celebration Parade" (1991-1994), Mickey Mania Parade (1994-1996), and "Remember the Magic"/"Magical Moments Parade" (1996-2001).










Ever since 2001, WDW started keeping daytime parades running for almost 6 years. As of 2025, FOF is over 11 years old!

Don't get me started with the seasonal parades at WDW. Which consists of older floats made during the 80s and 90s.

I will take Happily ever after nightly, Starlight, Luminous and DHS Fantasmic over sporadically cancelled Wondrous Journeys, half assed Fantasmic with multiple failures regularly, PTN, and WOC.

 

[TTA94]

Castle hub is the place to watch! Seeing the floats head on - then circling around you. Castle lights are on. Twinkling blue lights in the tree. Some parade route lighting.

Wayyyyyyy better than Liberty Square and Frontierland.

It would have been cool if the rest of the parade route had the same lighting as the hub and maybe search lights on top of the buildings.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I will take Happily ever after nightly, Starlight, Luminous and DHS Fantasmic over sporadically cancelled Wondrous Journeys, half assed Fantasmic with multiple failures regularly, PTN, and WOC.

I mean…. The fact both castle parks have a night parade to compare is a major win.

I think the bigger question is…. Would you rather have 1 fully cast night parade and a cavalcade (DL) or 2 half-cast parades like MK?

 

[Disone]

How is Test track 3.0 underwhelming? It looks like the best version to date and i was a major fan of both versions!

You love it... Any do not. As I read reviews is definitely not a slam dunk. I have been on it three times. It's not bad but is not amazing. I kind of like 2.0 more.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

You love it... Any do not. As I read reviews is definitely not a slam dunk. I have been on it three times. It's not bad but is not amazing. I kind of like 2.0 more.

I’ve read many reviews and i’ve seen many say it’s the best version ever, and most say it’s better than 2.0 as well.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I will take Happily ever after nightly, Starlight, Luminous and DHS Fantasmic over sporadically cancelled Wondrous Journeys, half assed Fantasmic with multiple failures regularly, PTN, and WOC.

Just curious - have you visited DL resort recently? I’d say both are good lineups.

I think I prefer DL lineup currently but it’s really close. Which is great. I absolutely love Wondrous Journeys so that’s part of it I’m sure.

 

[Disone]

I’ve read many reviews and i’ve seen many say it’s the best version ever, and most say it’s better than 2.0 as well.

So have I but also many that don't. It's not universally loved. It's not a grand slam hit. I do genuinely like it but It's not their best that they could have done. Far from it.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Just curious - have you visited DL resort recently? I’d say both are good lineups.

I think I prefer DL lineup currently but it’s really close. Which is great. I absolutely love Wondrous Journeys so that’s part of it I’m sure.

I have! WJ was cool enough but HEA beats it imo. WOC is ok but not my fav. PTN would be great at DCA but doesn’t mesh with a castle park.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I have! WJ was cool enough but HEA beats it imo. WOC is ok but not my fav. PTN would be great at DCA but doesn’t mesh with a castle park.

In a perfect world Paint would be at DCA and Main Street Electrical would be at DL!

 

[JohnD]

In a perfect world Paint would be at DCA and Main Street Electrical would be at DL!

Paint was in DCA previously. They brought back Paint specifically to DL for its 70th anniversary. Besides, Paint has obvious nods to MSEP in its music.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Paint was in DCA previously. They brought back Paint specifically to DL for its 70th anniversary. Besides, Paint has obvious nods to MSEP in its music.

Oh I know. They also ran Paint in Disneyland for the 60th. The music is a bit much for a castle park I agree - but I’ve gotten used to it.

 

[CoastalElite64]

Oh I know. They also ran Paint in Disneyland for the 60th. The music is a bit much for a castle park I agree - but I’ve gotten used to it.

I think it fits Disneyland being the "happiest place on earth." And Starlight fits Magic Kingdom being the "most magical place on earth."

 

[jpeden]

Everyone says Fantasy springs hotel is value engineered and boxy looking https://www.disneytouristblog.com/fantasy-springs-hotel-disappointment-tokyo-disneysea/

That review was very interesting and what you're saying makes sense. I had only really seen the "Grand Chateau" side of it and until today didn't even realize the hotel had "deluxe" and "super deluxe" parts. I was under the impression the entire thing looked like the Grand Chateau side.

 

[ToTBellHop]

So have I but also many that don't. It's not universally loved. It's not a grand slam hit. I do genuinely like it but It's not their best that they could have done. Far from it.

Nothing is universally loved. Not even golden retrievers.