Conceived by Vice President of Parades and Spectaculars Steve Davison, and designed by Disney Live Entertainment, the show has 1,200 water fountains[3] and includes lights, fire, lasers, and fog, with high-definition projections on mist screens.

The show is inspired by Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color anthology television series, as evidenced by the use of its eponymous theme song written by the Sherman Brothers.

[4] The process of assembling, installing, and testing the show's numerous components and equipment in Paradise Bay spanned a period of approximately 15 months.

The effects utilized in World of Color (water fountains, mist screens, fire, lasers, lighting, and fog) are choreographed to work in synchronicity with the featured music and image projections.

On January 27, 2023, a new iteration of the show called World of Color: One debuted, which is part of The Walt Disney Company's centennial celebration.

In the week leading up to June 11, private viewings for cast members, contest winners, and a celebrity-filled World Premiere took place.

[12] When World of Color Celebrate was opened, a large screen shaped like Mickeys head was added to be raised to cover the face on Pixar Pal-A-Round giving the show another projection surface.

On nights where winds are too strong, the screen is not pulled up and some projections seen on the Pixar Pal-A-Round head show up on the Incredicoaster's loop area instead.

A quote from Walt Disney appears on the center mist screen; "Every child is blessed with a vivid imagination", and the theme song transforms into the reworked version for World of Color.

On the last note of "Under the Sea", Crush and Squirt from Finding Nemo are seen traveling on the East Australian Current, as the water fountains begin to portray the characteristics of rough surf.

Once the Genie disappears, the Spring Sprite from Fantasia 2000 transforms the bay into a lush forest, where Pocahontas appears, singing "Just Around the Riverbend".

The storm rapidly intensifies into the thunderstorm scene from The Old Mill, accompanied by an unsettling instrumental version of "Little April Showers" from Bambi.

Battle scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean series are projected onto the mist screens before transcending into a sequence dominated by jets of fire.

"So Close" from Enchanted plays as touching scenes from Disney's animated films (including The Lion King, Bambi, Dumbo, Tangled,[Note 3] Lady and the Tramp, The Princess and the Frog and Beauty and the Beast) are projected.

The fountains then slowly begin to regain momentum as they swirl around the lagoon, until Tinker Bell appears to enchant the bay, which suddenly blossoms into a myriad of colors.

Entering the show's finale, a reprisal of "The Wonderful World of Color" is heard as the bay becomes host to a kaleidoscopic montage of films, some of which were earlier components of the show (including Alice in Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Toy Story, Aladdin, Fantasia 2000, Pocahontas, The Old Mill, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Lion King, Lilo & Stitch and The Princess and the Frog).

Mickey Mouse then appears in his iconic "Sorcerer's Apprentice" attire from Fantasia and the show concludes with a final series of water, fire, laser and light orchestrations.

[21] Singer-songwriter Amy Grant was going to provide lead vocals for the show's rendition of "The Wonderful World of Color"[22] but was ultimately replaced in the studio and is not heard in the final version.

[23][24] On October 29, 2010, previews for an encore scene promoting Tron: Legacy began, using additional projections and effects on the California Screamin' structure along with improved use of Paradise Park and Mickey's Fun Wheel lighting in a reworked trailer sequence.

On November 11, Disney unveiled a holiday themed intro based on Prep & Landing for the 2011 Christmas season, and to commemorate their 1000th show.

This six-minute pre-show is the story of a Little Lantern on its journey home to join its Lantern family in celebrating Lunar New Year features animated appearances by Mulan and Mushu in “dream sequences” inspired by traditional Chinese paper cut-out style animation and a score highlighted by an original arrangement of the music created for the grand opening ceremony of Shanghai Disney Resort by Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”).

[citation needed] To promote Pixar's Inside Out 2, World of Color: One was preceded by a limited-time pre-show titled, Emotional Rollercoaster, which debuted on May 31, 2024.

[citation needed] To promote Disney's Moana 2, World of Color: Seasons of Light was preceded by a limited-time pre-show titled, Boat Snack, which debuted on November 16, 2024.

Hosted by Olaf the Snowman, the show celebrates the winter season with several holiday-themed segments, featuring scenes from Frozen, Toy Story, Bambi, Fantasia, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Prep and Landing, Secret of the Wings, Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Melody Time, Lady and the Tramp, Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, and various vintage Mickey Mouse shorts.

[33] The show incorporates traditional holiday-related music, including Eric Whitacre's "Glow",[34] "Carol of the Bells", "Let it Snow", "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "Believe", "Silent Night", "Thankful", the "Nutcracker Suite", "Jingle Bells", "I Have a Little Dreidel", "Feliz Navidad", "Joy to the World", and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", as well as Disney songs, such as "I See the Light", "Let It Go" and "In Summer".

Overall the show faced major rearrangement, such as additional songs from Frozen, including "Love Is an Open Door" and "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?".

In the "Believe" segment, the old paper animation and guest made greeting cards were replaced with both new and familiar scenes from Big Hero 6, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Princess and the Frog, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Brave, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Pinocchio.

contains five sections:[1] The post-show includes a fountain overlay set to Perri's renditions of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" and Howard Ashman and Marvin Hamlisch's "Disneyland".

The show depicts the journeys of some of the most courageous and inspiring characters, such as Pocahontas, Mirabel Madrigal, Remy, Joe Gardner, Miguel, Luke Skywalker, Simba, Mulan, Moana, and the Avengers.

The following films are included in the show with featured music in parentheses: Pocahontas ("Colors of the Wind"), Encanto ("Waiting on a Miracle"), Ratatouille, Soul, Coco ("Remember Me"), Star Wars ("Main Title theme" / "Binary Sunset"), The Lion King, Mulan ("Reflection"), Moana ("How Far I'll Go" / "I Am Moana"), and Marvel Cinematic Universe (The Avengers theme).