Over the top is a good thing at Disneyland California.

The bigger, the brighter, the brasher and the more blockbuster, the better at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Take for instance the theme parks' latest attraction World of Color - a night-time spectacle of 1,200 fountains that shoot water 75 metres into the air, creating a 6,000-square-metre projection surface that emanates Disney's favourite animated characters and music.

"Believe me, we're not being subtle with this one," said Disney Parks chairperson Tom Staggs, introducing World of Color. "It's the most innovative combination of music, animation and water ever."

Disney CEO Bob Iger added: "This is the great storytelling and innovation that only Disney can create with light, fog, fountains and lasers. We keep setting the bar higher."

And Disney kicked it off in style.

The premiere attracted a constellation of stars to walk the blue (not red) carpet ranging from Teri Hatcher of Desperate Housewives fame and Vanessa Hugdens from the High School Musical trilogy to Twilight vampire Peter Facinelli and ER and Full House celebrity John Stamos.

From now on, the 25-minute World of Color will play nightly at 9 and 10:15 p.m. to the thousands that pack the theme park after dark.

As my wife and I and our seven-year-old daughter Grace found out, World of Color will become just the latest in a long list of attractions millions annually will flock to the side-by-side Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks in Anaheim to see.

The theme parks offer an incredible array of roller coasters and other Disney-influenced midway rides, live shows, parades, fireworks, roaming Disney characters and main streets full of restaurants and shops.

It's all designed to create that undeniable Disney crossover of its movies and characters inspiring rides and shows, food, drink and merchandise.

Being seven, brave and easily exceeding the minimum 42-inch height minimum for most rides, Grace (and by default her parents) went on a roller coaster jag.

We rode Space Mountain through the pitch black; Matterhorn through a mountain; Mulholland Madness along a freeway; Indiana Jones outrunning that giant rolling boulder; and Splash Mountain through water.

Grace, however, drew the line at California Screamin' - Disney's fastest, longest and most ferocious roller coaster featuring a high-speed full upside-down loop.

Speaking of such, when we checked into Disney's luxurious Grand Californian hotel, cast member (they aren't called front desk clerks) Bryan asked us if we wanted a room with a roller coaster view.

Of course we did.

So we checked into Room 2250 overlooking Mulholland Madness.

But it was superbly sound-proofed because we only heard that tell-tale click-click of a coaster ascent and screams of the decent if we opened the door to the balcony.

We also enjoyed tamer rides such as the Mad Hatter Party spinning tea cups, Finding Nemo submarines, Autopia, Mickey's Fun Wheel, Pirates of the Caribbean, Soarin' Over California and Grizzly River Run.

Definitely utilize Disney's FastPass when the parks are busy - a system for getting tickets to come back and ride an hour or two later, bypassing the lineup.

Twice we ran into parades that just seemed to spontaneously happen on the streets - Celebration featuring the characters from Toy Story and a High School Musical 3-inspired song-and-dance party.

Disney characters roam everywhere attracting lineups of kids (and by default their parents).

The idea is to get their signature in a special Disney autograph book (conveniently sold at all the on-site stores) and to pose for parents with waiting cameras.

The theme extends to the character breakfasts.

With our bacon and eggs at the Grand Californian's Storyteller's Cafe, we schmoozed with Chip and Dale and Brother Bear.

As a testament to Disneyland's astounding mass appeal, we saw a group of orange robe-clad Tibetan monks climbing onto the Indian Jones roller coaster shortly after we did.

And then we saw them later (they're easy to spot) wandering Frontierland eating churros.

A day pass for both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure is $97 US, but Canadians are better off booking through a travel agent or on the Internet for a package deal of flights, hotel and park passes.