Overall I'm giving this promotion a C+ pre-opening. That grade may improve or worsen a week from now after it actually starts.
I'm willing to give this promotion the benefit of the doubt, as I'm old enough to remember when Disneyland had spring/summer promotions every year in the 1980's and early 90's. Circus Fantasy, State Fair, Main Street Hop, etc. They were all just for four or five months, they were all temporary, and they all looked and acted like it. Some of these promotions worked better than others.
For instance,
Captain Zoom and his Amazing Cannon from the 1988 Disneyland State Fair Parade. No, seriously.
But all of the old 1980's promotions had unique parades, special shows, and themed decor packages from the parking lot toll booths right up Main Street to the Castle. Pixar Fest is nothing but a return of 2 old parades (one 3 years old, and one that is 10 years old!). Both of these returning parades have been downgraded from their inaugural formats from 2008 and 2015, with the loss of the Ratatouille float in Pixar Play Parade and the loss of the Frozen float from Paint The Night. Yeah, there's a new Incredibles float coming in 10 weeks, but why isn't it ready for opening night? Really bad planning and managing, obviously.
Pixar Fest just seems cheap and lazy. And the "addition" of themed food as a big selling point for Pixar Fest, all of which looks incredibly gorpy and gimmicky and drenched in fructose corn syrup, is a real turn off for me. Puke.
The reason this whole thing goes from a D+ to a C+ is the creation of a new fireworks show that must only be for this year, and the return of Paint The Night to DCA where I think it's going to work very well and thrive in that park for several decades.
