Reach for the Stars was a nighttime spectacular at Tokyo Disneyland that premiered on September 20, 2024. The show was produced by Walt Disney Creative Entertainment.

Reach for the Stars incorporates fireworks, flamethrowers, projection mapping, lasers, searchlights, tree lighting, and many more to depict scenes from some of Disney’s most famous films and songs. Reach for the Stars is also the first show in Tokyo Disney Resort to include characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Show Summary

Act 1

*Reach for the Stars*
Reach for the Stars
Tokyo Disneyland
Area	Cinderella Castle
Status	PlayingCategory:Attraction articles with custom statuses
Opening date	September 20, 2024
Replaced	Disney Light The Night
Ride statistics
Attraction type	Multimedia, and pyrotechnics show
Designer	Walt Disney Creative Entertainment
Theme	Pursuing Dreams
Music	Reach for the Stars (composed by Chris Sernel, Grayson DeWolfe) ; Various Disney film soundtracks
Duration	2:00
Host	Disney Characters
	Japanese 60%; English 40%
	Wheelchair accessible
	Closed captioning available

The show starts with Cinderella Castle being illuminated after dark. Enchanting and vibrant clouds appear, creating a magnificent castle in the sky. Tinker Bell then arrives flying around freely through the air, and guests are guided to a place that feels like a dream, where stories come alive.

Act 2

Following the main theme titled “Reach for the Stars”, guests witness Hercules singing the first verse and chorus from “Go the Distance” as he enters a Greek temple. Lightning suddenly flashes, and the statue of Zeus comes to life, and begins speaking to Hercules, introducing him to Pegasus. Hercules then flies off with Pegasus to pursue his dreams. The segment then ends in a display of fireworks.

Act 3

A curtain of dazzling stars then washes down Cinderella Castle, and Star from Disney’s “Wish” is seen flying across the castle. Asha then appears, running through fields and expressing her hopes and dreams as she sings “This Wish” from Disney’s “Wish”. Animation depicting scenes from the movie are projected across the castle, and the sky above Cinderella Castle is lit by enchanted lights and spectacular fireworks.

Act 4

As the “Wish” segment ends, blue smoke is projected to be billowing up, and the Will O' the Wisps from “Brave” appear. Merida is then seen riding her horse Angus across various terrain as she sings “Touch the Sky”. She shoots arrows at supposed targets, with Catherine Wheels and Comet fireworks representing each arrow as they meet their target. As fireworks burst out from behind the castle, Luca and Alberto from Disney’s “Luca” are seen flying across the sky on a red motorbike, before a palm presses against the castle, causing a shimmering effect that changes the scene. Sisu and her siblings from “Raya and the Last Dragon” are then seen galloping across the sky and Raya is seen defeating the Druun with the gem from the movie, before the scene reverts back to Merida, who completes her song.

Act 5

Foliage and the Casita from Disney’s “Encanto” then appear, with Mirabel and Luisa conversing, before Luisa launches into her solo song, “Surface Pressure”. Scenes involving Luisa singing her song can be seen as fire erupts in front of Cinderella Castle and fireworks fly overhead. The song ends as Luisa heroically grabs Mirabel, and flies upwards before they disappear.

Act 6

As a starry sky starts to appear, Mrs Jumbo begins to sing a shortened version of her lullaby, “Baby Mine”. The scene then shifts to the circus from “Dumbo”, depicting Dumbo’s escape from the circus. as Dumbo escapes the circus and begins flying freely, “When I See An Elephant Fly” is heard, before the song transitions to a remixed version of “You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!” from Disney’s “Peter Pan”.

Act 7

The scene then transitions to the “Up” house flying into the sky, where the weather quickly takes a turn for the worse, the clear sky turning into a massive thunderstorm. Carl Fredricksen and Russell struggle as they attempt to steer the house in the right direction. Eventually, the two manage to land the house safely, where they reach Paradise Falls and meet Dug and Kevin.

Act 8

As Carl Fredricksen’s Adventure Book is opened to a page with a picture of The Sultan’s Palace from Disney’s” “Aladdin”, the picture is zoomed into. Jasmine and Aladdin are then shown, flying across the world on their magic carpet, singing “A Whole New World”. The scene then changes into a series of animations, depicting various Disney Princesses and their happily ever afters. The animations are accompanied by a soulful mashup of “Once Upon a Time”, “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes”, “Beauty And The Beast”, and “A Whole New World”. The segment ends off with a scene of WALL-E and EVE, flying around in outer space.

Act 9

A beautiful Galaxy then appears, with the Guardians Of The Galaxy’s ship, the Milano flying into view. The scene then zooms through the cockpit window, to a conversation between Rocket Raccoon and Groot. As Rocket pulls down on a lever, the Milano launches into space, accompanied by flame effects, before the “Avenger’s Theme” begins to play. Images of Marvel characters are projected onto the castle, before the segment ends with fireworks and fire effects.

Act 10

Neon grid designs then appear to span across the castle, and Baymax from“Big Hero 6” appears, greeting the guests, before the castle is covered with Microbots. The scene then transitions to Hiro on Baymax’s back, before Baymax launches into the sky, fighting villains from the movie series. The various members of the Big Hero 6 group are also projected onto the castle, before the segment returns to the theme song, “Reach For The Stars”.

Act 11

Clouds and dazzling stars cover Cinderella Castle, and the theme song, “Reach For The Stars” is heard. Countless Disney characters from various movies can be seen soaring across the castle, while fireworks burst out all around the castle. The show ends with shimmering wisps of fairy dust swirling around the castle, and a spectacular finale of glimmering fireworks.

Technology

“Reach For The Stars” features multiple special effects and lighting, incorporating elements used in Disney shows around the world.

Lighting

“Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland” features a wide array of lighting fixtures located around the park to help enchant the show. There are two sets of 25 spotlights, each located above the two show buildings in Fantasyland. The first set is located above the show building for “Snow White’s Adventures” and “Peter Pan’s Flight”. The second set is located above the show building housing “Harmony Faire”, “Mickey’s Philharmagic”, and “Pinocchio’s Daring Adventure”. The show also includes the use of lasers. There are 5 lasers in total: 3 located in the castle, and 2 more located on the two turrets superset from the castle. Also present are projectors, 6 of them. 2 are located above the buildings of “The Diamond Horseshoes”, another 2 are located above the “Tomorrowland Terrace”, and the last two are located beside each side of the castle, on the ground, disguised by foliage. The last two are used to project onto the water screens.

Pyrotechnics

“Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland” also enhances the experience with the use of pyrotechnics, such as flamethrowers and fireworks. The show features 4 different launch sites for fireworks. The first launch site located above the show building for “Snow White’s Adventures” and “Peter Pan’s Flight”. The second launch site is located above the show building housing “Harmony Faire”, “Mickey’s Philharmagic”, and “Pinocchio’s Daring Adventure”. The third site is split into several different sites, all located on the roofs of the castle. There is also a total of 8 flamethrowers present during the show. The first 6 flamethrowers are located in front of the castle, 3 flanking each side of the bridge, and two large flamethrowers located above each turret in front of the castle. Fog effects were also added to the front of the castle, hidden behind the main ramps leading to the castle.

Removed Launch Sites

There used to be a site located in front of the castle, behind the main ramps leading to the castle. This was used for “Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland”. However, this site has since been removed prior to “Reach For The Stars”. No word regarding its removal an has been made, neither by Disney nor the Oriental Land Company.

Removed Effects

Fountains used to be present on the lake before Cinderella Castle, but they have since been removed. No word regarding their removal has been made, neither by Disney nor the Oriental Land Company.

Show Changes

1. About three weeks from the show’s debut, more pyrotechnic cues were added to Act 1 of the show.