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The Disneyland Report > Disney News > Walt Disney World Resort Imports Attractions From Around the Globe for Biggest Celebration Yet

Disney News

Walt Disney World Resort Imports Attractions From Around the Globe for Biggest Celebration Yet

Marking 50 Magical Years of Disney Theme Parks

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- With spectacular attractions imported from Disney destinations in Tokyo, Paris and California, Walt Disney World Resort is set to launch the biggest celebration in its 33-year history to commemorate 50 years of Disney theme parks.

As preparations continue for Southern California's Disneyland to mark its 50th anniversary in 2005, Walt Disney World officials are making plans to join "The Happiest Celebration on Earth" in grand fashion at Florida's Vacation Kingdom.

During the worldwide festivities, which begin May 5, 2005, each of the four Walt Disney World theme parks will feature a blockbuster attraction imported from around the globe -- plus a unique new attraction will be created just for the Florida resort.

"Disney parks are an international phenomenon -- the most popular in the world," said Walt Disney World President Al Weiss. "During this golden anniversary celebration, we're giving Walt Disney World guests a chance to sample Disney magic from three continents and creating new reasons to visit each of our Florida parks."

* At Magic Kingdom, guests will enjoy "Cinderellabration," an enchanting musical spectacular direct from Tokyo Disneyland. Performed several times daily in front of the glittering spires of Cinderella Castle, the icon of Walt Disney World Resort, the live stage show will continue the "happily-ever-after" story of Cinderella as Disney's most beloved princesses gather to celebrate the coronation of this favorite character.

* At Epcot, Disney's California Adventure will provide a tribute to the West Coast heritage of Disney theme parks with "Soarin' " -- one of the most popular attractions at one of the newest Disney parks. Epcot guests will take to the skies in a thrilling hang-gliding journey over the rich wonders of the Golden State, with breathtaking sights of nature's majesty in its many forms. The "flight" ends, appropriately enough, with an aerial view of Disneyland itself.

Also at Epcot, guests will get a sneak peek at the start of the next 50 years of Disney theme parks at Hong Kong Disneyland Preview Center. Scale models and never-before-seen renderings will showcase Disney's 11th theme park, scheduled to open December 2005 on a picturesque site in China.

* At Disney-MGM Studios, the "Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show" from Walt Disney Studios Paris will spotlight the bombastic best of the movie industry's stunt masters several times daily. Filled with high-octane energy and tightly choreographed thrills, the live show will send cars, motorcycles and watercraft careening and jumping across a re-created European village, giving 5,000 guests in a custom-built grandstand a behind-the-scenes look at movie mayhem.

* At Disney's Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney Imagineering will showcase Lucky the dinosaur, the first-ever free-roaming Audio-Animatronics creation. After successful previews at Disney's California Adventure, Lucky will roam DinoLand U.S.A., interacting with guests and even signing autographs. The startlingly lifelike creature -- which can laugh, sneeze, bray and even hiccup -- was named one of the 2003's top inventions by Time magazine and represents the next step forward in Disney's pioneering Audio-Animatronics technology.

* Later in the celebration year, Walt Disney World Resort will present a new adventure of its own with the opening of the towering Expedition EVEREST thrill ride in the Asia area of Disney's Animal Kingdom. The legend of the yeti comes to life in a dramatic high-speed train adventure that combines coaster-style thrills with the excitement of a close encounter with the abominable snowman among the icy peaks of the world's highest mountain.

The celebration will cap an incredible array of blockbuster attractions and shows that have been added to Walt Disney World Resort over the past two years: "Soarin' "; "Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show"; Expedition EVEREST; Stitch's Great Escape!; "Wishes" fireworks spectacular; "Mickey's PhilharMagic" and Mission: SPACE.

These new experiences showcase all the ways Disney theme parks entertain guests, Weiss noted, "from classic 'E-ticket' thrills to spectacular live shows to great new adventures with beloved characters."

"Fifty years of Disney theme parks really means 50 years of magical experiences and cherished memories for families around the world," Weiss said. "During 'The Happiest Celebration on Earth,' our guests here in Florida will find new magic from all the worlds of Disney, no matter which of our parks they visit."

Source: Walt Disney World

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