One of my favorite things about the Disneyland Resort’s 70th Celebration is a little show that’s certainly easy to miss. Several times a night, Tapestry of Happiness is presented on the facade of “it’s a small world” and it is the perfect salute to The Happiest Place on Earth.
I say that Tapestry of Happiness is easy to miss because, while the 5-minute show is currently scheduled four times per night, the earliest showing is at 10:00pm. Many families will catch the first performance of Paint the Night, stay for the fireworks, and then head for the exits. Plus, even if you wanted to get back to the Small World Mall, you will be swimming against the throngs of tourists heading the other direction.
That said, it is totally worth the effort. On at least one night of your trip, plan to see the parade and fireworks from the Small World Mall, then grab a churro (like I usually do) and hang out for at least one performance of Tapestry of Happiness.
The show starts and ends with the strains of Celebrate Happy, the 70th’s official song, and the familiar Sherman Brothers music from “it’s a small world.” Much like the uber popular Remember…Dreams Come True fireworks celebrating Disneyland’s 50th, the rest of the show is filled with salutes to some of your favorite attractions around Disneyland Park, both old and new.
The audio clips are rapid fire and are set to the cutest Mary Blair-inspired animation. Pop from classics like Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room and The Haunted Mansion to the recent E-Ticket, Rise of the Resistance. You’re sure to recognize some of your favorites.
There’s even a quick salute to other nighttime spectaculars with a few bars of Baroque Hoedown from the Main Street Electrical Parade and the fanfare of Fantasmic! How can you not love an animated Sorcerer Mickey doing the Fantasmic! choreography to “control” the lights behind the facade? Magical!
In a quiet moment set to Remember Me from Coco, we get a glimpse of several popular attractions from the past, including the People Mover and the Skyway. If you’re quick, you might even spot a Rocket Rod.
Tapestry of Happiness covers a lot of ground in its short five minutes, and part of me wonders what the Imagineers could’ve come up with if given a larger budget, some pyrotechnics, and a much larger venue. In my mind, the whimsical Tapestry of Happiness is the heart of Disneyland’s 70th and might’ve made for a very fun full-length fireworks show that fit with the resort’s Celebrate Happy theme perfectly.
Catch it while you can, but I hope that Tapestry of Happiness sticks around for a while at Disneyland Park and I hope fans embrace it. If you see me grabbing a churro near the base of the Matterhorn, I’m probably heading over to see the next show. Join me!
