Review/Theory: Disneyland's 70th Album is a Too-Short Anniversary Party Playlist but Perfect as a Soundtrack Elsewhere

From the outset, let me say that we all know that nothing will top the soundtrack/collection that Disneyland put out during their Happiest Homecoming on Earth - the 50th anniversary celebration back in 2005. That 6-disc 1-vinyl album, A Musical History of Disneyland, did something we haven’t seen the likes of since - tracks from not only the expansive past of the park, but also modern soundtracks and the songs from the actual 50th anniversary celebration, including arguably the greatest fireworks spectacular that Disneyland has ever seen, “Remember…Dreams Come True."

And as I just said, that kind of collection hasn’t been seen since and the same can be said for the new official soundtrack of the Disneyland Resort 70th Anniversary Celebration, which is inviting guests to Celebrate Happy in a few days. The album consists of the anthem for the celebration, appropriately titled “Celebrate Happy," performed by the Jonas Brothers. The upbeat anthem, reminiscent of “Happy" by Pharrell Williams, is catchy and sure to be the backing of marketing material through the summer of 2026.

The rest of the album, or remaining six tracks I should say, are short covers of Disney Tunes with two new original songs thrown in.

In my opinion, the standout is “Rainbow Connection" by Boyz II Men, which opens with some ethereal sounds before jumping into the second verse of the original song. There are orchestral climbs and musical stings along with the beautifully performed lyrics that culminate with a triumphant score that (for some reason) includes the main theme from Inside Out and Inside Out 2. More on that in a bit…

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The other songs are great covers of what we know and love, even “Nobody Like U" which clocks in at just under a minute, making it more like the version in the “save the day" moment in its source material, Pixar’s Turning Red.

Where the previous Disney Parks anniversary albums of latter years (if they existed, cough WDW 50th, cough) treat the parks with a reverence looking back at the history of the parks along with the music of what experiences are currently available, the Disneyland 70th album treats the celebration as what it is - a big party. The only song that is lower in bpm than the others (or at least feels like it) is “Great Rainbow," (and maybe the beginning of Rainbow Connection) while the rest get you out of your seat and ready to go.

The very fact that we’re getting the album at all is great, considering the music of Disneyland’s 60th never officially saw the light of day in an album format - Sorry to fans of the Paint the Night parade and even that soothing ballad performance of “Live the Magic" after that celebration’s fireworks show, “Disneyland Forever." Heck, that rendition of “Disneyland" from Howard Ashman’s SMILE was totally album worthy, and was worth staying through the lackluster “World of Color - Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney" to enjoy that 90 second post-show featuring the tune.

But we’re talking about Disneyland’s 70th and this new album. The only real downside to the collection of tracks, available now on most streaming platforms, is how hideously short it is. The seven tracks collectively land the “album" at a length around 14 minutes. The upbeat nature of the songs is great, we just wished they lasted longer. As an anniversary celebration album, I’d give this about 2.5 stars. As an anniversary celebration album…

BUT WAIT. There’s more. “As an anniversary celebration album" is what I said, but what I suspect is that this is actually a “World of Color Happiness!" soundtrack in disguise. For the 70th celebration, we’re getting a new edition of the landmark nighttime spectacular at Disney California Adventure, World of Color. This edition, dubbed “World of Color Happiness!" is all-new for the celebration, and is inspired by Walt Disney’s own words when Disneyland opened: “To all who come to this happy place…welcome!"

I’ve already written about the lone piece of concept art above, so analyzing what to expect in the new show is nothing new, but let’s do it again!

Using the cast of Inside Out and Inside Out 2 as our hosts of sorts, the new show will explore “happy" through the various emotions. Concept art that has already been released shows us a cast of characters, including Powerline (I2I), 4TOWN (Nobody Like U), and Luisa from Encanto (Surface Pressure).

Plus, the Disney Parks Blog has already revealed that Boyz II Men would be performing their rendition of Rainbow Connection for the show, as well as the confirmation that FITZ, frontman of Fitz and the Tantrums would debut a new song for the show - “Makes Me Wanna Move." Right there, that confirms five of the seven tracks we would theoretically hear in the new show.

The tracks are so short, they would be a great length to be inserted into the nighttime show, although “I2I" and “Nobody Like U" could arguably be the upbeat exit music for the show, a la the original World of Color’s exit theme.

Lastly, a blurb in that same Disney Parks Blog post describes the show saying that “By journey’s end, you’ll discover that happiness is made up of many different emotional colors, and Disneyland Resort is the magical place at the end of the rainbow where all those colors come together." Something that a slower song titled “Great Rainbow" might fit quite well with, yes? We’ll know for sure when “World of Color Happiness!" officially debuts as part of the Disneyland Resort 70th Anniversary Celebration on May 16th.

The only outlier in the theory is the Jonas Brothers anthem for the celebration, “Celebrate Happy," which could also appear in the show somewhere, or (as I suspect) is why this is the “Disneyland 70th" album. It’s the one song that would keep it from being my theoretical official “World of Color Happiness!" soundtrack. Listening to the album again, and gauging it with the nighttime spectacular in mind and measuring it as a soundtrack for that show - I would have to upgrade the score and give the album 3.75 stars. Now, if we can just get that Paint the Night Parade soundtrack in disguise on an official platform…