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Disneyland reopens 6 attractions before busy Christmas holiday season

Disneyland will reopen a handful of popular attractions following seasonal refurbishments to help absorb holiday crowds as the Anaheim theme park resort lifts the curtain on the Christmas season that has become the busiest time of the year.

It’s a Small World, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Casey Jr. Circus Train and Redwood Creek Challenge Trail will return on Friday, Nov. 14 — the kickoff date for the winter holiday season at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

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The four returning attractions join Big Thunder Mountain and “Mickey’s PhilharMagic” that returned in the past two weeks following extended refurbishments.

Storybook Land Canal Boats and Casey Jr. Circus Train will return Nov. 14 after an extended refurbishment of the intertwined attractions that began in July.

A new 10-foot-tall Rapunzel’s Tower will be added to the Storybook Land Canal Boats when the ride reopens.

Concept art of the new “Tangled” scene featuring Rapunzel’s tower in the Storybook Land Canal Boats attraction at Disneyland. (Courtesy of Disneyland)

It’s a Small World returns Nov. 14 following its annual transformation to holiday mode.

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail resumes normal operations on Nov. 14 after the removal of the Villains Grove holiday overlay for the Halloween season.

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Big Thunder Mountain rumbled back into action in early November following an extended refurbishment that began in early September.

“Mickey’s PhilharMagic” returned to the big screen in late October after a nearly four-week refurbishment.

The Sailing Ship Columbia makes its way around the Rivers of America as a Davy Crockett Explorer Canoe follows behind at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, June 3, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Not every attraction at Disneyland and DCA will be open during the Christmas holiday season.

Sailing Ship Columbia, Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes, Pixie Hollow and “Fantasmic” will have intermittent closures during the holidays.

Traffic on Disneyland’s Rivers of America will be disrupted with the Sailing Ship Columbia and Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes out of commission on Nov. 12-13 and Nov. 17-20.

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The “Fantasmic” nighttime spectacular will be dark on Nov. 12-13, Nov. 17-20, Dec. 1-4, Dec. 8-11 and Dec. 15-18.

Pixie Hollow in Fantasyland will be closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays on Nov. 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25 and 27 and Dec. 2 and 4. The Disneyland character meet-and-greet area will be closed for a longer stretch Dec. 7-24.

An Audio-Animatronics of Walt Disney greets visitors to the Main Street Opera House during “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” inside Disneyland on July 14, 2025, in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” show closed in April and is not expected to return until fall 2026, after the yearlong run of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration.

The new “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” that debuted in July will run by itself during its initial run and will then play in rotation with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” in Disneyland’s Main Street Opera House.

Disneyland may occasionally run the “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” show whenever the Walt Disney animatronic malfunctions.

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