Review – Once Upon A Stage: The Magic of Disney on Broadway at Disney World Arts Fest. In 2025, Disney World opened a new event space called CommuniCore Hall in Epcot’s World Celebration. This new space is flexible and changes during each Epcot Festival. The first time we saw what this space could be used for was Once Upon A Stage: The Magic of Disney on Broadway 2025.
Disney on Broadway brought down to Disney World the traveling museum showing off 30 years of Disney on Broadway, with props, costumes, and set pieces used during shows like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Newsies, Frozen, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mary Poppins, and, of course, The Little Mermaid. Guests of Epcot got to experience the magic of Broadway both on and off the stage in this walkthrough exhibit celebrating three decades of Disney on Broadway.
Once Upon A Stage: The Magic of Disney on Broadway is back in 2026 with a bigger and better showcase. More technology, better lighting, and a much better layout of the flex-space at CommuniCore Hall. Plus, Disney on Broadway took over some space outside this year with the 14-foot-long, 10-foot-tall Genie Lamp that was installed in 2024 at the New Amsterdam Theatre in NYC. The Genie lamp actually blows smoke out the front while the Broadway soundtrack plays in the background.
WELCOME TO ONCE UPON A STAGE: THE MAGIC OF DISNEY ON BROADWAY – Be Our Guest for a special peek behind the curtain: discover where imagination meets craftsmanship, and learn about the artistry, innovation, and stage magic that have brought more than thirty years of Disney musicals to life.
From the earliest models to the spectacular costumes and sets seen around the globe, this exhibit celebrates the legacy, creativity, and global reach of Disney on Broadway’s iconic storytelling. Enjoy the show! – Disney ON BROADWAY
Guests are transported directly to the dressing room of Beauty and the Beast, where Belle’s outfits from the show are on full display. This is the stuff of any Disney Princess’s dreams! From Belle’s classic blue provincial dress to her famous yellow ball gown. Disney On Broadway display on the mannequins and the updated lighting this year have these dresses glowing!
Broadway’s version of the Red Rose is on display right behind the dresses for guests to get a photo op with. If you turn around while looking at the dresses, the stage design for some of the Beauty and the Beast show scenes is on display.
Moving into the next space is an amazing ‘Stage Manager’ scene, complete with a video screen for guests to watch the show being ‘called’, Go queue 11, lights to halfway, actors entering from stage left. Some backstage props that you would see sitting around a real theater are all here. This is where we fell in love with Once Upon A Stage: The Magic of Disney on Broadway at Disney World! In our past life, we toured the world working with bands and shows, and this was accurate enough for us to feel transported backstage.
The next spaces guests encounter are dedicated to Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway. From displaying how the shadow puppets work, to the real costumes the performers wear, to the actual Pride Rock used during the show! Being this close to the giraffe, which stands 18 feet tall, and knowing a human is actually puppeteering it live nightly is just amazing. We spent time being fascinated by the machine that drives the Antelope puppets across the savannah during the Broadway show.
Finally, we must mention the costumes of Disney on Broadway that are on full display and look stunning. Sven and Kristoph, along with Anna & Elsa, oh, and an Olaf puppet, are all on display. Mary Poppins is in the display, and new this year are some new outfits being worn by the cast of Disney’s Hercules.
I think what really brings these costumes to life was the chance to meet Adam Jacobs and Isabelle McCalla, who played Aladdin & Jasmine in the Disney On Broadway show Disney’s Aladdin. Seeing the real outfits they wore for many years on stage and then seeing them just brought it all to life in a surreal way. They are performing during the Disney on Broadway concert series during Epcot’s International Festival of the Arts 2026.
Our verdict and review is simple, this is what the space at Epcot should be like all year long. The Disney on Broadway crew, along with Disney Imagineering and the Cast Members of Epcot, should all be proud of Once Upon A Stage: The Magic of Disney on Broadway in CommuniCore Hall at Walt Disney World. The updates from last year are many, with a better layout, much better lighting, and a plethora of new and old displayed together. The Genie Lamp out front and the tie-in with the Disney on Broadway concert series bring a cohesive and coherent vibe to this year’s festival.
Once Upon A Stage: The Magic of Disney on Broadway is included with admission to Epcot during the Festival of the Arts 2026. Festival of the Arts will be at Epcot from January 16 until February 23.
