Ten years after Wayne and Lanny first lit up the Chinese Theater, Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM is back at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Prep & Landing elves are once again searching for a missing Santa Claus, and they’re bringing classic Disney holiday animation, fireworks, and an impressive laser show with them. We were on Hollywood Boulevard for opening night of Disney Jollywood Nights to see the first performance of the season.
Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM 2026 at Disney Jollywood Nights: Photos, Video, and Show Guide
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM debuted in 2016 and returned for opening night of Disney Jollywood Nights 2026.
- We break down the show’s story, from the missing Santa to the Oogie Boogie showdown.
- Disney offers the show at 10:00pm on every Jollywood Nights event date.
Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM has been part of the holidays at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for a decade now, even with a few years off. These days, it’s an exclusive for Disney Jollywood Nights guests, and Saturday night was the first show of the 2026 season. It still takes place at the Chinese Theater, with projections on the facade and lasers and rooftop fireworks overhead.
A Decade of Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM
Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM debuted on November 14th, 2016, as part of the nightly holiday lineup at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Show director Tom Vazzana wanted a new holiday tradition following the closure of the very popular Osborne Lights. In an interview with Disney, he described the goal as something that was “pop and fun and heartwarming and funny.” His answer was to pair the elves from Prep & Landing, the 2009 ABC special from Walt Disney Animation Studios, with classic Disney holiday animation. The show uses more than 100 animation clips. Walt Disney Animation Studios also made new Prep & Landing scenes just for it.
For its first few seasons, the show had a holiday dessert party with reserved viewing. The party started in the courtyard of the Chinese Theater and moved to Echo Lake in 2019. In our 2019 Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM Dessert Party review, the savory food was a highlight. The reserved viewing area, however, sat too close to the Chinese Theater for a good look at the fireworks. Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM stayed a holiday staple until Disney paused fireworks in 2020. Disney then ruled out a return for the 2021 holiday season.
Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM finally came back in 2023, this time as an exclusive for the new Disney Jollywood Nights event. That first year, it didn’t start until about 12:30am, and we watched it in a downpour. Disney moved it to 10:00pm for the 2024 season, which makes it much easier to catch. Today’s fireworks are smaller than in the early years, since the park’s large launch site is no longer in use. Even so, the rooftop fireworks and lasers still fill out the sky above the theater.
Inside the 2026 Show
This year’s show follows the same story that Wayne and Lanny have told since 2016. It starts at the North Pole, where Magee, the Christmas Eve Command Center Coordinator, opens a live transmission to Hollywood Studios. Santa has a holiday message to deliver, and Magee sends in the top Prep & Landing team to get the site ready. When the feed goes live, though, the big guy isn’t in his office. He isn’t answering his phone either.
Wayne’s plan is to search Santa’s cabinet of magic snow globes, which become the show’s way into classic animation from films like Beauty and the Beast and Mickey’s Christmas Carol. With still no sign of Santa, Wayne escalates the situation to Cranberry Red. He gears up with a grappling hook, an angel hair gun, and a sparkle ornament. That last item is a problem for Lanny, who gets so mesmerized by the accidental sparkle that he drifts off into a daydream. The show slows down here for a sentimental medley of “The Christmas Song” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Lanny’s sparkle dream turns out to be useful. He saw Santa in the woods, three naughty kids, and a green monster. That’s enough for Wayne to call in Thrasher, the team’s reindeer, and head for Halloween Town. Oogie Boogie is holding Santa captive there, and he gets his full villain song from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Then Wayne and Lanny cut the lights and take him down.
With Santa safe, the transmission returns to Orlando for his holiday message. Santa gives Wayne and Lanny the credit for saving Christmas. He also tells the crowd there will always be Christmas as long as family and friends are together. A finale of fireworks and lasers over the Chinese Theater wraps things up. Prep & Landing fans will catch plenty of the special’s elf lingo throughout, including a few “totally tinsel” moments.
For me, lasers are the most impressive part of the show, and they turn the whole area of Hollywood Boulevard in front of the theater into part of the experience. Between Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM and the Sunset Seasons Greetings projection show on the Tower of Terror, no Walt Disney World theme park does immersive lasers better than Hollywood Studios. It’s not even close.
Watching Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM at Jollywood Nights
Disney offers Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM at 10:00pm on every Disney Jollywood Nights 2026 date. That’s right in the middle of the event, which starts at 7:30pm and ends at 12:30am. Jollywood Nights guests can enter the park as early as 5:30pm. This year’s calendar also includes January dates for the first time. Here are the remaining dates:
- November: 14, 16, 21, 23, 28
- December: 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 23
- January: 3, 5
The projections cover the entire facade of the Chinese Theater, so a spot in the plaza in front of it on Hollywood Boulevard gives you the best look. Most of the crowd showed up about 10-15 minutes before showtime and cleared out soon after. There’s no need to stake out a spot long before 10:00pm. That leaves plenty of time for the rest of the night’s entertainment, from Disney Holidays in Hollywood at the Theater of the Stars to the Nightmare Before Christmas sing-along at the Hyperion Theater.
Keep Reading
- Plan the rest of your night with the full list of Disney Jollywood Nights 2026 showtimes and attractions, including every stage show and the rides that are open.
- Find every event date and the full entertainment lineup in our guide to Disney Jollywood Nights 2026 dates, details, and ticket prices.
- Compare this year’s show with our photos and video of Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM at Jollywood Nights 2025.
- Look back at the show’s dessert party days in our 2019 Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM Dessert Party review from Echo Lake.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!