World of Color draws crowds to California Adventure

World of Color lights up Paradise Bay Lagoon at Disney’s California Adventure Park in Anaheim. The attraction, which opened June 11, is part of a $1-billion makeover designed to breathe life into the struggling 55-acre amusement park. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

March 9, 2014 6:14 PM PT

After the first showing of World of Color, visitors head to Glow Fest, a nightly dance party designed to keep guests at California Adventure after dark. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Several Disney and Pixar characters appear in the World of Color water-and-light show. Disney officials say the nearly half-hour spectacle has exceeded expectations, drawing so many guests that they have added a third show nightly. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Ariel is one of the many Disney and Pixar characters in the World of Color show. The water-and-light attraction cost an estimated $75 million. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Guests join in with a dancer at Glow Fest, a nightly dance party that keeps visitors at California Adventure after dark. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

One of many dancers at Glow Fest, a nightly dance party between World of Color shows led by wildly costumed DJs and dancers in glowing spandex. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Disney officials estimate that World of Color attracts 4,000 to 7,000 visitors per show, most of whom crowd into a roped-off area on the banks of Paradise Bay Lagoon. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Flames shoot up from Paradise Bay Lagoon during the World of Color show and light up Mickey Mouse’s smiling face, which replaced California’s golden sun on the side of the park’s Ferris wheel last year. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)