Walt Disney World is known for its massive celebrations. From park birthdays and company anniversaries to “just because” promotions, there is always something exciting going on at Disney.
Many of these initiatives are fun if not overwhelmingly cool, such as 2013’s Limited Time Magic, which brought out rare characters and special parties for just a few days each. Every once in awhile, though, an event truly resonates with the public. Here’s a look at four of the biggest successes along with one spectacular failure and a celebration for the ages that introduced a bit of both.
1. HIT: Year of a Million Dreams
Begun on October 1, 2006, and extended through the end of 2008 by popular demand, the Year of a Million Dreams focused on making even the wildest Disney dreams come true. Teams of Cast Members known as the Dream Squad appeared at various spots around Walt Disney World (and Disneyland) throughout each day to hand out prizes to whoever happened to be there. More common prizes ranged from pins and special Mickey ears to all-day Fastpasses, admission to hard-ticket parties and VIP tours. Much more rare and coveted were multi-day vacations, cruises, DVC memberships and world tours to all of the Disney properties. But the absolute top prize for many people was something that no amount of money could buy—an overnight stay in the suite inside Cinderella’s Castle.
Part of what made the Year of a Million Dreams such a success was the sheer randomness of selection. The entire system was computerized, and a major prize winner might be “the person sitting in row 5, seat 4 on Mission: Space at precisely 3:07 p.m.” Minor prizes might go to “everyone who disembarks from Dumbo between 11:00 a.m. and 11:10 a.m.” Dream Squad teams were visible all over the parks, and the winners’ excitement was infectious. Non-winners on any particular day were often inspired to visit again in hopes of winning something the next day.
2. HIT: Epcot 25th Anniversary
Epcot’s 25th anniversary was the celebration that almost wasn’t. As the months leading up to the October 1, 2007, milestone ticked away, the official word from Disney was, well, no word at all. Eventually, leaked communication to a Disney fan site confirmed that the company was not planning any official observance. Appalled, some loyal Disney fans resolved to hold their own party, and Celebration 25 was born.
The Celebration 25 team was working on the schedule of fan-run events when they received word that some management changes had occurred and an official party would, in fact, take place. The official organizers gave Celebration 25 their full support, and what came from the partnership was a best-of-both-worlds spectacle that was extremely meaningful for everyone in attendance.
Upon arriving at Epcot that day, guests received an official celebratory guide map. On the front, it said, “The 21st century began October 1, 1982.” Inside was a replica of the original opening day map, along with a listing of the day’s Disney-sponsored special events. With the guide map, guests also received a special 25th anniversary button.
An excellent rededication ceremony took place at 10:01 a.m., featuring speeches by top-ranked management and even Imagineer and Disney Legend Marty Sklar. A particularly nice touch was the rededication of the Fountain of Nations. On October 1, 1982, representatives from all the countries of the World Showcase had dedicated the fountain by pouring in water from their respective nations. On October 1, 2007, they repeated the water pouring ritual (though due to the last-minute nature of the celebration, I imagine this time around it was symbolic water acquired backstage).
Those who wanted to hear more could attend a special talk by Marty Sklar in the Circle of Life theater at one of three times throughout the day. Although the theater was packed, we had little trouble getting seats at the time of our choice. Marty presented concept art, videos and innumerable personal anecdotes that earned him a well-deserved standing ovation.
A particularly nice touch was the Epcot 25th Anniversary Gallery. Open for several months, the gallery was tucked into a back corner of Innoventions West. It featured some truly impressive artifacts from closed Epcot attractions, and was a nice retrospective for both long-time attendees and new visitors. Limited edition T-shirts and pins were also available, though they sold out very early in the day.
Combined with the fan-sponsored Celebration 25 events, Epcot’s 25th anniversary turned out to be one of Disney’s biggest successes. Because it was pulled together at the last minute, and was only a day rather than a year, it felt intimate and special. In the days of constant marketing, it was nice to attend something small and largely unpromoted.
3. HIT: Give a Day, Get a Disney Day
Image: Disney
For 2010, Disney decided to promote volunteerism while encouraging people to visit its parks through the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program. The idea was simple—by signing up for and completing a single day of volunteer service, you were eligible for a one-day ticket to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. With a mind-boggling array of organizations and positions from which to choose, and opportunities available across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, it was easy for families to find something to do.
Every person who participated got a free ticket for the day of their choice, making it easy for entire families to visit a park of their choice without paying for anyone’s admission. In addition, the free tickets were fully upgradable, even to annual passes, simply by paying the price difference between a one-day admission and the chosen upgrade.
Disney pledged to give away 1 million tickets, and the campaign was so popular that they hit that goal in March 2010. Vouchers could be redeemed through December 15. Although it might seem slightly mercenary to complete volunteer service in exchange for a theme park ticket, the program was a win-win for everyone. Disney got more people into the parks, presumably spending money on food and souvenirs. People who were unable to afford a Disney ticket were able to make a work trade arrangement. Charity organizations got much needed help, and ultimately the recipients of the charities’ goods and services benefited from the work.
4. HIT: Happiest Celebration on Earth
Image: Disney
For Disneyland’s 50th anniversary in 2005, the company pulled out all the stops. The focus might have been on that park, where the year-long party was also known as the “Happiest Homecoming on Earth,” but Disney didn’t forget about its Florida properties. Three of the Walt Disney World parks received a brand-new attraction copied from another Disney park somewhere around the globe. The fourth received two new original attractions.
The Magic Kingdom got Cinderellabration, a musical extravaganza on the Castle forecourt stage that was originally debuted at Tokyo Disneyland. The high-energy show celebrated Cinderella’s coronation. More impressively, the Castle itself received a highly detailed Renaissance façade. Festooned with banners, tapestries and golden statues of many of Disney’s most famous characters, the Castle also received its own gigantic magic mirror facing the Hub. The mirror’s image changed regularly to show all of the Disney theme park castles.
Epcot received its own copy of Soarin’ Over California, a hit attraction at Disney’s California Adventure. Its name shortened to simply Soarin’, the ride remains a smash success today. Epcot also featured a preview center for Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened later that year.
At Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios), the Lights, Motors, Action! Stunt Show opened. Based on the hugely popular Stunt Show Spectacular at Disneyland Paris, the show also brought about a major redesign of the park’s Streets of America.
Animal Kingdom opened Expedition Everest, an original design that was also the park’s first roller coaster. It also gained Lucky the Dinosaur, a 12 foot long, 450 pound free-roaming audio-animatronic.
5. MISS: Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary
Image: Disney
In 1996, Walt Disney World’s 25th anniversary celebration did some things right. But the party will forever be enshrined in Disney lore as the year of the Pepto-Bismol Castle. For some reason, the Imagineers decided it would be a great idea to turn the iconic Cinderella Castle into a gigantic birthday cake. More than 400 gallons of nauseatingly pink paint later, they topped it off with impossibly huge replicas of gum drops, Life Savers, lollipops and other candy creations, and covered the whole thing in blue “icing” and candles. The unfortunate choice of Pepto-Bismol pink and the sheer gaudiness of the entire creation overshadowed the entire year-long celebration in many guests’ minds.
6. A BIT OF BOTH: Millennium Celebration
Held from October 1, 1999 through January 1, 2001, the Millennium Celebration was primarily focused on Epcot. The spectacular Tapestry of Nations parade, featuring 120 18-foot tall puppets, 150 performers, and 720 drums, received such rave reviews that it was held over through 2001 as the Tapestry of Dreams parade. The now wildly popular Disney Pin Trading began. Innoventions was entirely re-imagined.
Arguably the most impressive change was the debut of Illuminations 2000: Reflections of Earth. Intended as a temporary replacement for the long-running Illuminations, which had experienced only minor tweaks since its 1988 beginning, Reflections of Earth was an instant sensation. After the Millennium Celebration ended, Disney simply dropped the “2000” from the name, but kept the show intact.
Another major hit was the Millennium Village, a 65,000 square foot building that housed showcase exhibits from more than 50 nations. The cultural ambassadors were full of stories, the highly interactive exhibits were a lot of fun, and the entire experience was reminiscent of a mini-Worlds Fair. Although many hoped it would be held over, the Millennium Village closed at the end of the Celebration.
Unfortunately, despite all its successes, the Millennium Celebration also brought some major failures. Perhaps the worst was the mounting of a giant Mickey hand holding a wand with the text “2000” over Spaceship Earth. Many long-time Disney fans felt that the sculpture completely ruined the look of Epcot’s icon. Undeterred, when the Millennium Celebration came to an end, Disney simply replaced the “2000” with the word “Epcot” and left the wand in place until 2007. In September 2001, they followed up that debacle by plunking a 122 foot tall Sorcerer’s Hat directly in front of the Chinese Theater at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios). Sadly, the Sorcerer’s Hat still remains today.
The most controversial thing to come out of the Millennium Celebration was Leave a Legacy. Park guests could have their photo etched onto a steel tile and mounted on a granite monolith. The monoliths were placed at the entrance to Epcot, and served as a lasting reminder of the guest’s visit. The program was successful, and was continued through 2007. During that time, more than 550,000 guests took part. However, many feel that the monoliths are out of place. Some take issue with the changed sight lines, others find the entire experience creepy. Regardless, the huge granite slabs, which weigh in at as much as 50,000 pounds, are not likely to go away.
