Celebrating 30 Years of Disney on Broadway

Picture yourself standing under a warm Florida sun, strolling through vibrant pavilions and savouring international cuisine. Now add a flourish of creativity on every corner—from live painting sessions to awe-inspiring chalk art—and you’ll have only scratched the surface of what the Festival of the Arts at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT is all about. This year, there’s a special kind of enchantment in the air: Disney Theatrical Productions is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and the festival is going all out to honour the legacy of DISNEY ON BROADWAY. If you’re a theatre devotee or simply someone who revels in Disney magic, get ready for a once-in-a-lifetime fusion of stagecraft and imagination that promises to capture hearts and spark creativity in every visitor.

A Meeting of Artistic Minds

Since its founding 102 years ago, The Walt Disney Company has become almost inescapably woven into everyday life—particularly in the United States, but also across the globe. With ventures spanning ESPN for sports fans and National Geographic for nature enthusiasts, the Disney umbrella is massive. Yet it retains a special place in the hearts of theatre aficionados thanks to Disney Theatrical Productions. In 2017, Walt Disney World introduced the Festival of the Arts in EPCOT, aiming to shine a light on the multifaceted ways art can be presented, experienced, and cherished.

This festival, running through 24 February 2025, spotlights an impressive assortment of creative disciplines. You’ll find live performance art, daily animation workshops with real Disney artists, a giant paint-by-numbers mural open to all, and exclusively curated menus in EPCOT’s many country pavilions. Over the years, visitors have come to recognise the festival as a hub where the worlds of painting, culinary craftsmanship, design, and performance seamlessly blend.

A Milestone in Disney’s Theatre Journey

Although the festival’s ethos is all about artistic diversity, the 2025 edition has a particular focus on theatre. Last spring, Disney Theatrical Productions turned 30—a major milestone for a venture that began when Disney made the bold choice to adapt its animated classics and other properties for the stage. Since then, shows like THE LION KING, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, MARY POPPINS, AIDA, and NEWSIES have become staples in the Broadway canon, many enjoying international tours that have reached as far as Australia and beyond.

To celebrate this 30-year legacy, a brand-new exhibition at EPCOT immerses visitors in the intricacies of costume creation, puppet design, and set artistry. You can examine the puppet-making magic behind THE LION KING, study the spectacular costumes from ALADDIN, and marvel at mementoes from FROZEN, TARZAN, THE LITTLE MERMAID, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, and more. It’s a chance for theatregoers and casual fans alike to glean a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into a Disney stage production.

The Cirque du Soleil Connection

Visitors to Walt Disney World looking for yet more theatrical excitement have another trick up their sleeve: DRAWN TO LIFE, an exclusive Cirque du Soleil show that highlights the importance of imagination. Blending Cirque du Soleil’s signature acrobatics and visual storytelling with Disney’s iconic artistry, the production offers a living, breathing painting of what happens when creative forces collide. Those interested in Cirque’s immersive, boundary-pushing stagecraft will find DRAWN TO LIFE a perfect companion piece to the Festival of the Arts, adding a dash of high-flying spectacle to the overarching Disney-on-stage celebration.

DISNEY ON BROADWAY Concert Series

Nothing captures the heart and soul of musical theatre like a live concert, and Disney is bringing some of its biggest stars home to EPCOT for a special concert series. Over the course of the festival, beloved performers from Disney’s Broadway productions take the stage to perform songs and share stories from the shows that made them famous. One night you may hear a stirring rendition of Let It Go from FROZEN, while the next might bring a soulful performance of Circle of Lifefrom THE LION KING.

Below are the pairings and dates for these performances:

• Patti Murin (FROZEN) and John Riddle (FROZEN): 23, 25, 27, 28 January
• Caissie Levy (FROZEN) and Jelani Remy (THE LION KING): 22, 24, 26, 29, 30 January
• Adam Jacobs (ALADDIN) and Josh Strickland (TARZAN): 31 January, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11 February
• Ashley Brown (MARY POPPINS) and Alton Fitzgerald White (THE LION KING): 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13 February
• Michael James Scott (ALADDIN) and Kissy Simmons (THE LION KING): 14, 16, 17, 20, 23 February
• Rodney Ingram (ALADDIN) and Kara Lindsay (NEWSIES): 15, 18, 19, 21, 22 February

A grand finale on 24 February will feature Rodney Ingram, Kara Lindsay, Michael James Scott, and Kissy Simmons sharing the stage, promising a night of musical theatre fireworks worthy of capping off the entire festival.

Why Disney Theatrical Productions Stand Out

Disney Theatricals isn’t just another Broadway producer. Over the past three decades, they’ve carved out a distinctive reputation for reinventing beloved stories through a grand sense of spectacle. From the intricate puppetry that reimagined THE LION KING to the breath-taking stage magic of MARY POPPINS’ flying sequences, Disney Theatrical is known for pushing creative boundaries in ways that resonate with multi-generational audiences.

Industry professionals often highlight the company’s commitment to quality, from star casting to the fine details of set design. When Disney invests in a show, they lean into the imaginative strengths that made their films household names in the first place. Yet the theatrical division also isn’t afraid to add new twists, like reworking the storyline of ALADDIN to better suit the live stage, or introducing new characters to add depth to the narrative.

The Heart of the Festival

One of EPCOT’s core missions since its inception has been cultural exchange—showing how different arts, ideas, and traditions can complement each other. The Festival of the Arts crystallises this approach by encouraging visitors to engage in everything from painting to performance. Whether you’re a seasoned theatre-goer or a first-time visitor, the festival demonstrates how Disney harnesses creativity across multiple platforms.

You might start your day by wandering through a gallery of original artworks by Disney animators, then stop by a pop-up stall for a culinary treat decorated like a mini masterpiece. Next, you could try your hand at a group paint-by-numbers project, where guests of all ages fill in a giant mural square by square. By evening, you might find yourself singing along to Part of Your World from THE LITTLE MERMAID, performed by Broadway luminaries.

A Collective Nostalgia

A trip to Disney World is almost always fuelled by nostalgia—memories of that first Disney film you saw as a child or the first plush toy that became your bedtime companion. At the Festival of the Arts, nostalgia evolves into a communal experience. Theatre fans in particular may find themselves moved by the shared sense of wonder that emerges when a familiar tune or a well-loved character appears onstage. For many, seeing these performers reprise roles from iconic musicals is akin to attending a reunion of old friends—except this reunion is set against the colour and energy of EPCOT.

The interplay between nostalgia and innovation is part of what makes the festival special. Even if you’ve seen THE LION KING multiple times (perhaps in Sydney, London, or New York), gazing at the hand-crafted puppets up close in the EPCOT exhibition can reveal new intricacies you never noticed. The same goes for ALADDIN’s sumptuous costumes, which may look dazzling from a theatre seat but prove even more striking when you study their detail in person.

Whether it’s your first visit to Walt Disney World or your fiftieth, the 2025 EPCOT Festival of the Arts offers a vibrant collage of experiences unlike anything else in the parks. This year’s focus on Disney Theatrical Productions—celebrating 30 years of triumphs on Broadway—adds an extra layer of excitement for anyone who cherishes musicals, stagecraft, or simply the joy of seeing a classic story brought to life in new ways.

Yet beyond the exhibitions, concerts, and workshops lies a deeper purpose: at its heart, Disney’s Festival of the Arts is a reminder that creativity has no boundaries. From the moment you step into EPCOT to the second you leave, you’ll find evidence that art is everywhere—on canvases, in kitchens, on stages, and in the smiles of people rediscovering childlike wonder. It’s a testament to Disney’s unwavering belief in the power of imagination and its generous invitation for us all to explore, create, and dream a little bigger. And that, in the end, might just be the greatest masterpiece of all.