After more than six years sitting dark, the Tomorrowland Theater at Disneyland Park reopened on May 22, 2026, with a new show called Pixar Short Film Spotlight. The 18-minute presentation is part of Disney’s Kids Rule Summer initiative and ran from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on opening day.
This marks the first regular daytime attraction inside the venue since Star Wars: Path of the Jedi closed in March 2020.
What plays at the Pixar Short Film Spotlight
The lineup features three Pixar shorts: Lou (2017), Smash and Grab (2019), and Luxo Jr. (1986). Luxo Jr. is the iconic short that introduced the bouncing desk lamp that became Pixar’s mascot. Smash and Grab, meanwhile, comes from the studio’s experimental SparkShorts program and follows a pair of decommissioned robots trying to escape their underground train.
New presentations begin about every 20 minutes throughout the day. Posters for each short line the queue outside the theater.
This trio is new to the venue. When the Pixar Shorts Film Festival ran briefly here during Pixar Fest 2018, it featured For the Birds, Piper, and Lava instead. Therefore, even longtime fans of the 2018 program will see something fresh.
Disney warns that the show includes loud noises and music, and notes it may be frightening for some children.
Why the Tomorrowland Theater reopening matters
This building has been one of Disneyland’s most persistent question marks. Path of the Jedi closed on March 14, 2020, when the park shut down for the pandemic, and the theater never reopened when Disneyland came back in April 2021. Its queue was even converted into seating.
Before that, the venue struggled to hold a long-term tenant. The Captain EO Tribute ended its run in 2014, and since then, the theater has mostly hosted limited engagements, film previews, or simply sat empty. A January 2026 report also revealed that a sweeping Tomorrowland refurbishment had been pitched by Imagineering and rejected by Disney executives.
Because of that history, reactivating the building with a daily show feels meaningful, even if it is a soft return rather than a full reimagining of the land.
How to plan your visit
If you are heading into the park, the entrance sits in Tomorrowland between Space Mountain and the Star Wars Launch Bay building. Opening day ran from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., but check the Disneyland app or the official Disneyland entertainment page for current showtimes before you head over.
I would also recommend hopping in line earlier in the day, since opening-week crowds tend to gather quickly for anything new in Tomorrowland.
