Disney Illuminations at Disneyland Paris

Disney Illuminations at Disneyland Paris

The Disney Illuminations at Disneyland Paris is a night-time spectacular closing ceremony. The show itself lasts approximately 20 minutes & runs every night after the park closes. Featuring Disney animations from throughout the years this is a family favourite for all ages. It began in 2017 (25th Anniversary year) and continues to run throughout 2022. The Disney Illuminations show replaced Disney Dreams.

It’s FREE to watch for all Disneyland park ticket holders and features fireworks, state of the art projection shown on the castle itself & brilliant techniques incorporating the water fountains & musical effects to fully immerse you into a spectacular night time show which is second to none.

The Story of Disney Illuminations at Disneyland Paris

The story begins with Peter Pan who brings the castle to life with stunning illuminations using the castle as a huge projector screen which has to be seen to be believed. As usual his mischievous shadow escapes & makes the mistake of emptying the “Second star to the right” of its magic which spills down the castle front. Peter (& his shadow) then take us through a whole range of Disney classic movie scenes, characters & musical scores.

Fireworks at Disney Dreams show in Paris

Disney Illuminations is a fireworks spectacular with a massive amount of high quality fireworks throughout the show ending with a huge finale of glorious light filling the sky. The show can be seen from some of the select Disney Hotels & most visibly from the Disneyland Hotel itself which has views straight down main street from some suites.

Musical Score

The music for Disney dreams at Disneyland Paris is a collection of some of the most well known and best loved music from Disney movies together with a special musical score for the interim parts. The musical score for Disney dreams in Paris was written by Joel McNeely & performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra with both a Children’s choir & Adults choir singing. The music & songs differ from season to season but you can expect to hear all of the songs below at some point throughout the year.

Songs & Sections from Disney Illuminations at Paris

Below are a few of the classic songs you will hear during the performance which compliment the visuals you will see projected on to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle :

The show starts with “A Dream is a Wish your Heart makes” which is beautiful in itself before sweeping us off to The Lion King section. The Lion King section features the classic “Circle of Life” & also “Can You Feel The Love Tonight”. We then have a small section where The Little Mermaid & Finding Nemo are the stars with short musical accompaniments of each.

We then step it up a gear with iconic scenes & soundtrack as we enter the Pirates Of The Caribbean section. Jack Sparrow adorns the castle with humour & swashbuckling fun. Next section shows us part of the trailer for the recently released Beauty & The Beast movie which was a smash hit around the world. The penultimate section takes us to a galaxy far, far away as we see Han Solo & Luke Skywalker battle the dark side with Star Wars theme music blasting all around us.

Of course, Disney closes with it’s most iconic modern movie & worldwide phenomenon “Frozen”. Elsa & Anna as well as Sven & Olaf take us through musical scenes which every child knows. Let it Go & For The First Time in Forever are featured with everyone singing along who is watching.

The show ends with another rendition of “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” & you cannot help but be mesmerised by the projections on the castle & the final spectacular fireworks & light show.

As well as the main songs listed above there are also various seasonal songs which are not specifically Disney but do add magic to the show such as Christmas songs (Jingle Bells, Let it Snow etc) as part of Disney Illuminations at Christmas.

Disney Illuminations Special Effects

Of course, the fireworks are spectacular, but there is so much more going on that your senses will be on Disney overload trying to see everything. The water fountains in front of the castle are used to dazzling effect in time with the music shooting up to 50 metres into the air. There are also “mist screens” which use a layer of misty water to display projections of the show in colour appearing to float in the air on a magical canvas. There are shots of Fire which blast out from the sides of the castle in small bursts too. If you have purchased your “Disney Illuminations Interactive Ears” then you will also see these change lights to the tune of the Illuminations show.

Disney Illuminations at Disneyland Paris tips & tricks

The show starts at closing time of Disneyland Park. To prepare for the show the area of Fantasyland is closed about 30 minutes prior to this.

To get a good view you are best to try get in the main circle area directly in front of the castle. The further to the side you are the less you will see.

People start finding good spots about 90 minutes prior to Dreams starting but being there about 30 minutes before should give time to find a decent spot.

It gets VERY busy so please keep a close eye on your children as they can easily wander and become lost and/or distressed

If you want to avoid the crowds then book a main street view in Disneyland hotel so you can watch the show from the comfort of your room!