The Brilliant Lighting of the Disney Parks
Lighting is an integral part of the Disney theme park atmosphere and experience. The parks come alive at night in large part as a result of meticulously arranged lighting schemes. Without this attention to detail in terms of lighting, at night the parks would be dark and lifeless instead of feeling moody and looking beautiful.
As an avid photographer of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and the other Disney theme parks, I am very cognizant of lighting. The quality of light is usually the difference between a mediocre photo and a great one. Because of their moody and atmospheric lighting, the Disney parks are the equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel when it comes to photography.
With this photo essay, I share my thoughts and perspective on lighting at the Disney Parks. This was originally published several years ago, prior to the opening of several new attractions, lands, and other interesting uses of lighting in the parks. With the debut of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, I’ve updated this, as that’s a particularly interesting (to me) use case of lighting at Walt Disney World and Disneyland…
There are a few types of lighting in the Disney Parks. I’d generally subdivide the categories into show, functional, and atmospheric. While I’m segmenting into these categories, there’s usually overlap. The parks masterfully blend forms of lighting.
Let’s quickly define each of these terms in turn…
First up is show lighting. This is typically hidden, with the goal that the source is not noticed by guests. Indirect show lighting is used widely in every Disney theme park to provide much more lighting–and more complex lighting–than “on-stage” light fixtures ever could.
Show lighting is common on things like building exteriors and rock-work. These are aspects of the parks that really pop thanks to show lighting, but that you wouldn’t typically see illuminated in real life. (Hence the show lighting often being hidden.)
A good example of this would be Cinderella Castle, where the light fixtures around the Castle provide very little illumination.
Rather, the Castle is illuminated by dozens of LED lights located around the perimeter of Cinderella Castle and at the edges of the moat that shine onto the Castle.
Think about it–mountains aren’t normally lit by giant spotlights nor are you generally illuminating the exterior of your house, yet Disney is doing exactly these things, and it’s something for which guests generally suspend disbelief because it’s accomplished in a hidden and seemingly natural way.
It’s also often seamlessly blended with functional and/or atmospheric lighting so it doesn’t appear that show lighting is coming out of nowhere.
While out-of-view show lights are incredibly important to the way the parks look at night, just as important is the functional and atmospheric lighting. Both of these typically take the form of on-stage light fixtures that are visible to guests.
Functional lighting is the less interesting of the two, and is straightforward lighting to illuminate paths and other guest areas for the sake of safety and easier navigation of the parks. As with everything Disney does, functional fixtures are themed, but the main goal of the lighting itself is, as the name suggests, functional.
Finally, there’s atmospheric lighting. This also usually takes the form of fixtures visible to guests, and these lights do provide some illumination to the parks (basically by virtue of their nature), but they’re not the primary form of lighting anywhere.
However, this is more for thematic enhancement than anything else. Atmospheric lighting provides texture and mood. For me, this is the most interesting form of lighting.
While most never get posted here on the blog, atmospheric lighting is one of my favorite photo subjects–along with other nerdy and seemingly insignificant things like door handles, trash cans, signage, anything with fonts, and other supplementary decor flourishes.
Light fixtures may not be of interest to 99% of theme park fans but they are really important to the overall tone, theme, and ambiance of each land in the parks. If you clicked this post with a sense of great enthusiasm, you clearly are wise and have exceptional taste…or are geek just like me, depending upon one’s perspective.
I haven’t always been this keen on light fixtures. One of the great things about Disney parks, I think, are that they work on a multitude of levels. What’s also great is that there is a community of incredibly passionate individuals who focus on a range of diverse topics.
As we’ve visited the parks more and more, I’ve become interested in the academic and artistic side of the parks, and have read books and blogs to greater understand and appreciate the work of the Imagineers.
One such blog post that really blew my mind is this two-part post concerning the Lighting of the Magic Kingdom on Passport 2 Dreams. Until reading that, I had never paid a ton of attention to light fixtures in the parks. Sure, some especially beautiful ones caught my eye, but I never went out of my way to investigate lighting choices.
Now, I actively make a point of looking at all light fixtures I come across in the parks. For this post, I thought it would be fun to take a look at a range of light fixtures from Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. Consider this “Disney Parks Lighting 101,” as it just scratches the surface, but hopefully gives you a newfound appreciation of the lighting in the parks!
As a crash course in theme park lighting, I think it probably makes the most sense to jump in, bouncing around with some examples of atmospheric lighting in the parks.
Here’s an illustration of the Cinderella Castle point made above. These beautiful lamps are found around the perimeter of Cinderella Castle, but quite clearly, they are not what is illuminating the Castle itself.
The most recognizable and well-known fixtures in any Disney theme parks are the light street lamps on Main Street, USA.
These are brilliant in their simplicity, and probably stick out in your memory despite not being nearly as lavish as other lighting around the parks. Quite simply, these are one of the defining features of Main Street.
Continuing on Main Street, we have Casey’s Corner and its iconic lighting.
No matter which is your “home” set of parks, you have probably seen these stained glass Coca-Cola lamps. That is, unless your home park is Shanghai Disneyland where *gasp* Pepsi is served instead of Coke.
Rancho del Zocalo has a seating area with a variety of lights like this that really give the place a romantic vibe.
They’re why I called Rancho a great place for a cheap romantic date in our review of the restaurant!
I think there’s a reasonable chance that when Disneyland Paris was being constructed, its budget for light fixtures was greater than the entire budget for the construction of the Walt Disney Studios Park.
A variety of beautiful stained glass lamps like this are found in Cable Car Bake Shop on Main Street.
As with Disneyland Paris, no expense was spared on lighting at Tokyo DisneySea.
The light fixtures here in Aquasphere Plaza are used to enhance mood, theme, texture, and the overall beauty of the park.
Most lighting in attractions is accomplished via hidden show lights.
The Tail Light Cavern at the end of Radiator Springs Racers is a rare instance of lighting being a star of the show.
Continuing with Disney California Adventure, Carthay Circle Restaurant is beautiful in a variety of ways, but lighting is one of the greatest.
Last time we were there, I counted 7 different types of light fixtures. These large lights on the ceiling of the lobby are my favorite.
In the photo above, the sun is acting as nature’s light fixture to shine through the beautiful frosted glass on the Golden Horseshoe at Disneyland, but there’s also an interesting gas light inside a lantern reflector case.
How light is reflected is incredibly important in the parks.
That fact is demonstrated spectacularly in this landscape shot. Notice the lone lamp in the middle of the scene? Now notice the light on the ground? That single lamp has its light diffused and reflected down to the ground, giving incredible texture to otherwise ordinary pavement.
This type of lighting is used a lot in Frontierlands and Adventurelands the world over, where lighting can be used to give an added wrinkle (almost literally) to the aged look of the buildings and environments.
Speaking of Adventureland, if I had to pick one land in all of the parks worldwide that I think has the most interesting and lavish light fixtures, it would be Adventureland at Disneyland Paris.
The gorgeous lights above line the path leading into the land, are incredibly ornate, and despite being atmospheric, are also providing most of the land’s illumination.
These light fixtures also provide a lot of texture to Adventureland, which is not particularly noteworthy as that’s the case with the lighting in every Adventureland.
What’s more significant is that they also establish the tone. The entrance to Adventureland in Disneyland Paris is themed to One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern folklore.
This is conveyed via the fixtures, which are at once opulent, exotic, regal, and slightly foreboding.
There’s clearly a sense of adventure, but it’s not rugged or lighthearted, as is the case with other Adventurelands.
Jumping to another Adventureland that is very different, we have Hong Kong Disneyland. These fixtures really intrigue me, and I also find it fascinating how stark of a departure they are from the style of Disneyland Paris.
On the spectrum of Adventurelands, Paris and Hong Kong are at opposite ends.
There are a lot of unique and well done lights in Hong Kong Disneyland’s Adventureland, but they are used very sparingly for actual illumination.
The land is dark at night and feels much more like untamed jungle than the other Adventurelands, most of which are more cheeky about “adventure.”
Along the lines of Adventureland, there are three lands that are each very different, yet very similar in how they handle lighting.
These are Arabian Coast at Tokyo DisneySea, Morocco at Epcot, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland.
Although those might ostensibly seem light years apart, they’re all actually quite similar, with details pulled from Marrakesh in Morocco.
Each of the ornate light fixtures in this photo of Arabian Coast at Tokyo DisneySea is unique. Just look at the texture they provide to the walls here.
Much like Arabian Coast, Morocco in Epcot’s World Showcase has a variety of textured light fixtures.
It’s really not difficult to see the parallels between the two. Morocco in World Showcase is a romanticized version of the real thing, and Arabian Coast is simply a slightly cartoonified version of that.
Where the comparison might start to lose people is with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. To say it’s worlds away from Morocco or Arabian Coast would be an understatement. It is literally set on the planet of Batuu in a galaxy far, far away.
However, once you get past the fictionalized, off-planet setting, it’s pretty easy to see the parallels.
There’s a reason we refer to Star Wars Land as “Space Morocco.” Imagineers who designed Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge took research trips to Marrakesh and the design bears this out in terms of its archways and other architecture, textures, and lines.
With all of that said, it’s arguably the light fixtures of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge that bear the strongest resemblance to Morocco.
These fixtures are one of the many subtle ways that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge conveys depth. The lighting style is clearly lifted from Morocco, but also utilizes the design language of the Star Wars films.
In addition to that, there’s a diverse array of fixture styles depending upon where you are within the land, which gives Batuu a tremendous lived-in sensibility. It’s these little things that make a big difference–Galaxy’s Edge is a good exemplar of this, but it’s far from the only land employing this technique.
Even if most guests don’t actively notice these differences in fixtures, it’s a sort of subliminal messaging that says a lot about the inhabitants, history, and backstories of each land.
That just touches upon some of my favorite light fixtures around the Disney theme parks. Hopefully this taste of the different light fixtures has piqued your curiosity, and the next time in the parks you’ll take some time to inspect the lighting. Trust me, it (probably) seems less weird if we’re all staring at the lights and taking photos of them!
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Your Thoughts
Do you pay attention to the light fixtures in Disney theme parks? Do you have any favorites? If you don’t normally pay much attention to them, does this post give you a new appreciation for the lights of the Disney parks? If you have any other questions or comments, please leave them below.
I loved this post. The more time I devote to my Disneyland obsession, the more I inevitably focus on the finer and finer details — like the lights. This is one of the great things that separate Disney parks, from the others: the attention to intricate detail.
Your pictures are outstanding. I have a question about a certain light in Fantasyland, at Disneyland. It’s a stained glass light (I have a picture but I can’t attach it ) squarish in shape, outside of Pinocchio. It looks to be put together of several different things — each side of the lamp has six panels — a yellow circular piece in the middle, surrounded by five odd shaped pieces of colored glass — one orange, one red, one white, and two that have seemingly random pieces of words on them.
It’s beautiful but perplexing. Do you have any idea what the story is with this light fixture?
Love this article! I take so many pictures at Disneyland of lighting fixtures and people look at me like I’m nuts. I’m so glad to see I’m not the only one! Some of my favorites are the Toucan lamp in the 1901 lounge, and the lanterns hanging around Critter Country with the branches on them. The Grand Californian has some great ones in the walkway from DTD as well. 🙂
I’ll throw in the lights at Lumiere’s on the Disney Magic being impressive (the ones with the roses). On the flip side, the lampshades in the rooms on the ship are one of the few slip-ups. On the surface, they are nicely designed world maps, nothing at all wrong with them, but if it spins around and you look at the hemispheres and compass rose (It’s that or some sort of stamp) and….well, um, oh my that’s an …
I’ll find my photo soon to show you.
Dave
All beautiful, all the time! Your pictures bring joy to my geeky Disney fanboy heart.
I do enjoy the landscape shots, but the details are often where the imagination is hiding in plain sight. You could have easily doubled the picture count for this post and I would remain captivated. From one lamp lover to another, Thank you so much.
Now…about those door handles. When can we expect that post?
Thanks for the kind words. The door handle photos are not quite photogenic enough for me to feature in a blog post here. I’ll work on more “artistic” photos of them going forward!
I’m a big fan of your photography! I’ve been looking at your pictures to get even more excited for our upcoming trip! My favorite light fixtures happen to be the spider ones at Animal Kingdom.
Spider ones at Animal Kingdom…are those near the seating area for Flame Tree? I’m drawing a blank, otherwise…
Re: paragraph 4, I prefer the term “nerd.” “Dork” is so…juvenile. I feel “nerd” at least gives the idea of quality and quantity of brains. 😉
Great post, seriously. I’ve never paid much attention to the light fixtures, concentrating on other details instead. I see I have some work to do.
Well…this is a very juvenile blog! 😉
Great post! I am one of those geeks who find things like this particularly interesting. Those Coca-Cola lights are from Casey’s Corner, right?
Love the post, Tom. Always great to read about those Disney details that make the parks special. Thanks for all of the hard work that you and Sarah do for the site! 🙂
As a architectural designer with an particular interest in lighting, I love to this post!! I love reading about the details that go into making the Disney parks so great!
I’ve been a lifetime fan of Disney parks but I’ve never noticed the lighting so much. Thanks for giving me something else to appreciate about the parks. I agree that the details are what make everything seem more magical. Great post as always!
I still miss the old gas torches in Adventureland. I think the plants grew up a little too much and were causing a fire hazard.
Wouldn’t that just make Adventureland a little more adventurous? Think of all the fun in dodging flaming plants! 😉
Well, I rank right up there is the geek area with you for being super excited to find this post. I’ve only been to WDW, but you highlighted two of my favourite areas for lighting (which I always notice) and that would be Adventureland and especially Morocco at Epcot (and World Showcase as a whole). Thanks for the post, and more pics are always welcome. Door hardware wood be another cool blog as well as flooring.
Love this type of post, all about the details. I’ll have to share this with my husband, who is just developing his talent in photography. He will definitely appeciate the beauty of these photos!
As a side note, we’ve used your posts to help with a lot of purchase decisions and tips! Keep ’em comin’!
Love this post, love all your photos, last time we were at Disney I took shots of the different park benches all over the property, it was awesome. Thanks. We are heading there next week and I’ll be keeping an eye out for some of these light fixtures.
Well I must be part of the 1% of fan who upon seeing your post clicked on it without hesitation. I love disney, but I LOVE disney at night and the lighting of the park is a huge reason of it. I love these kind of details that only them can do.
Nothing wrong with being party of the minority of fans who are interested in Disney light fixtures. My studies have shown that we’re a cool, smart, and good-looking bunch! 😉
This is one of my all-time favorite posts on your blog because it’s another reminder of how genuinely special and unmatched the Disney Parks are in so many ways. Maybe the mine train walls being down will open up more lighting possibilities around the somewhat under-lit new fantasyland. I do love the lighting on Ariel’s Grotto at night, however.
And yeah… seeing the court angels in this post… it cuts me deep!
I’m hopeful Mine Train will bring something new to the table lighting-wise, too. My understanding is that the same Imagineer who did the lighting for Cars Land has headed up the lighting on New Fantasyland. Interesting to me as the lighting is excellent all-around in Cars Land, but not so much in New Fantasyland. Lots of oversaturated and uneven lighting.
Now you got me even more excited about the Mine Train. Cars Land is gorgeous at night and if there’s even a slight chance the Mine Train bring this vibe to the Magic Kingdom, I’ll be like a kid in a candy store !
I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one with a big portfolio of light pictures from disney! However your pictures are much better!
You never know when that portfolio will come in handy. Seriously, there have been plenty of times when I’ve wondered about something or needed reference, and I could just go back to my photos for the info I wanted.
A lot of that Disney Magic is definitely in the details. While I appreciated the overall effect, I never really paid attention to the light fixtures. But I know the next time I go, without question, I’ll pay better attention. (And I agree with Sariah – a post/some pictures of doorknobs would be extremely interesting to see.)
The door handle photos are generally pretty ugly (I just take snapshots for reference), so they’re not something on which I’d do a post. Thanks, though! 🙂
Woohoo! I’ve always wanted you to do a post about light fixtures. 😉
Sarcasm aside, great post! I would love to see pictures of doorknobs, though. Please do a post on doorknobs soon. And beautiful pictures, as always. 🙂
Thanks, glad you liked it!
Love this post! I notice the light fixtures on Disneyland’s Main Street the most, so it’s my favorite domestic park land for lights. The real gas lamps on Main Street might actually be my strongest memory of my first day in DL. I vividly remember looking up and seeing one while waiting at the end of Main Street for rope drop.
Whenever we may travel there, I’ll be sure to pay special attention to the light fixtures in Disneyland Paris!
The Main Street lamps in Disneyland are definitely the most noticeable of the Disney light fixtures, I think. Even if they aren’t as ornate as other lights, I also think they add the most ambiance to their land.