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By now, most everyone has expected that the 50th anniversary celebration at Walt Disney World would be one of epic proportions.
When you take into account that a.) we’re talking Disney World, b.) we’re talking the delightfully over-the-top Walt Disney Company, and c.) the parks have never spared any expense when it comes to milestone celebrations, even those living under the occasional rock would expect Disney to go all out on another anniversary celebration–especially Disney World’s 50th!
And, not to disappoint us, Disney did exactly what we’d hope AND MORE!
Preliminary official plans for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration were first publicly unveiled at the 2019 D23 Expo, which promised a “party across the parks,” and we were happy to learn that the anniversary–though it truly only applies to Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Contemporary Resort Hotel and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort–would be celebrated and enjoyed in all four parks and across the resort hotels.
It wasn’t long before Disney World began releasing teaser videos, ads, commercials, etc., about the 50th anniversary party plans, and each one is a masterpiece, evoking emotions, memories and an undeniable urge to get back to the parks.
So we thought we’d take a look at some of the best of those offerings in the last several months and then tell you which one we think is the best of them all. (And that’s not going to be easy!)
FIRST LOOK: First Sculptures in Disney Fab 50 Character Collection Unveiled 9/9/21:
“Like Mickey, Walt Disney World Resort is a living, breathing, personality-filled extension of one man’s dream.”
This beautiful presentation is narrated by the man who has lent his voice to Mickey Mouse for the past decade, Bret Iwan. It features brief cameos by some of Hollywood’s most favorite and talented celebrities who’ve lent their voices to Disney’s beloved characters over the years, including Cesar Milan, Annie Potts, John Stamos, Bill Farmer (the voice of Goofy) and Chris Buck (the voice of Pinocchio). It also features a brief word from Imagineer Tony Baxter, PIXAR’s Chief Creative Officer, Pete Docter, Wolfgang Puck, and Incredibles, Ratatouille and Up composer Michael Giacchino.
The Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary Celebration 9/7/21:
“The Magic is calling.”
Behind the Scenes: Cast Members add EARidescent Details 9/22:
“Preparing for the World’s Most Magical Celebration has clearly inspired Cast Members and Imagineers to pull out all the stops.”
Is that a GoPro atop the turrets at Cinderella Castle? Wow! The attention to details around Walt Disney World has always been impressive: no corner-cutting here! But to think that Cast Members and Imagineers worked on every last detail in preparation for the 50th is almost inconceivable.
Cast Members give attractions, facades and buildings touches of gold, while others give a new coat of purple to the flowers painted around the Tangled-themed restrooms at Fantasyland. And at the It’s a Small World attraction, Cast Members work tirelessly to give the structure, props and decor a fresh, vibrant look! It’s amazing!
Behind the Scenes: The Making of Disney Enchantment 9/24/21: “We all have a unique magic inside, the key to dreams coming true.”
Disney’s Mark Renfro talks about Magic Kingdom’s all-new nighttime spectacular, Disney Enchantment. saying that the show has a feature that’s never been used in any other nighttime spectacular at Walt Disney World, and he shares the exciting surprise that Guests are a part of the spectacular as well!
Behind the Scenes of the ABC 20/20 special, The Most Magical Story on Earth: 50 Years of Walt Disney World 9/29: “Disney does things at a level like no other.”
Watch as Imagineers, Disney execs, Cast Members and celebrities talk about the “20/20” special, The Most Magical Story on Earth: 50 Years at Walt Disney World, which premiered last night on ABC. You can now stream it anytime on Hulu.
More Magic on the Way 9/30: “The Magic is calling; answer the call.”
In this video, Disney invites Guests to join the celebration and lets us know that there’s more Magic in store in the coming months.
Official Rededication of Walt Disney World 10/1: “Walt Disney was a man of extraordinary vision.”
Join Disney executives Bob Chapek and Bob Iger as they rededicate Walt Disney World with a brief but spectacular fireworks display, followed by a sneak peek at Magic Kingdom’s new nighttime spectacular.
Do you see what we mean? It’s so hard to choose just one! We really like the video with the voice actor who lends his voice to Mickey, and we love the video the shows the tiny details and touch-ups that have happened all around the parks.
Oh, and we love the behind the scenes look at The Most Magical Story on Earth.
Which one is your favorite?
