After an 18-month run starting in October 2021, Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary is lastly over. This milestone celebration had been anxiously awaited by followers, with many fondly recalling the twenty fifth Anniversary and hoping for one thing related. Others deliberate multi-generation homecoming journeys years upfront, excited for the way the corporate would pay tribute to 50 years of the Florida Project coming to fruition.
For us, the joy began constructing after Walt Disney World’s fortieth Anniversary in 2011. Frankly, there was no good motive for our anticipation. Although we had a blast on October 1 with buddies and fellow followers, little or no was accomplished by the corporate to have fun 40 years of the Vacation Kingdom.
Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary wasn’t actually entrance of thoughts once more till 2017, when rumors began trickling out about plans for the celebration. Many of these have been confirmed by the corporate itself on the D23 Expo with a formidable slate of additives debuting “in time for the start of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration.” Between that and experiences with latest anniversaries in California, Paris, and Tokyo, our hype reached a fever pitch. Then got here Spring 2020.
What occurred then is well-documented, however I’m not so certain the fandom’s collective appraisal of Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary accounts for it. Just as a (in all probability pointless) reminder, all development tasks have been paused for months, tens of 1000’s of Cast Members have been furloughed, the parks closed for a couple of months and reopened to record-low crowds, and Wall Street analysts predicted that the journey trade would take not less than 5 years to get well. Planning and preparations for the Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary occurred in opposition to that bleak backdrop.
Hindsight is 20/20, and it’s simple to conclude that poor choices have been made on the time. But that was the atmosphere then, and it little question impacted plans for Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary. It in all probability additionally didn’t assist that the corporate put a shopper merchandise dude with an affinity for synergy and umbrellas in cost.
To be clear, we do not make excuses for Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary. Rather, we’re making an attempt so as to add context that may be simple to neglect. We have been extremely disenchanted by the World’s Most Magical Celebration as an entire. As I’ve written earlier than, its key choices felt like salute to all issues Disney…however principally mental property that’s widespread on the Disney+ streaming service.
It wasn’t simply the substance of the celebration that missed the mark, however its tone. Too a lot emphasis was positioned on synergy and characters from the previous few years, and never practically sufficient on the person (and different individuals) who made the magic attainable or Walt Disney World’s wealthy historical past and legacy. The tone lacking the mark will not be the fault of COVID-19, time crunches, staffing shortages, or the rest. It was purposeful. There’s no good excuse for that.
However, there are different complaints and critiques that could possibly be attributable to Spring 2020. It has come out since that the groups engaged on Disney Enchantment and Harmonious confronted appreciable challenges, having to navigate an unprecedented atmosphere and tight timelines. Other initiatives have been likewise equally impacted or minimize fully.
Then there’s the fandom and our expectations. As famous above, we had been constructing expectations for the fiftieth for a decade. Post-reopening, it grew to become a “finish line” of kinds; the sunshine on the finish of the tunnel after a protracted and troublesome year-plus. Then the delta variant arrived in late summer time, being the veritable poop within the get together’s punch bowl. (Apologies for the vivid imagery and rehashing that robust time, however it’s all apt and related!)
The backside line, and level of all that, is that Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary was basically flawed in its focus; but additionally, extenuating circumstances, fan expectations, and a bunch of different baggage weighed on the celebration. It’s nonetheless too early for an earnest appraisal of the festivities, however we’ll be curious to see how historical past finally judges the occasion. Like so many issues Disney-related, we suspect that impressions will heat over time.
In the meantime, there are a number of issues (ten of them!) that we predict have been nice about Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary…
New Attractions – They didn’t all arrive in time for the beginning of the fiftieth as promised when introduced, however not less than a few of that’s comprehensible. And what Walt Disney World did get, generally, was a slate of worthwhile additions that will probably be property to their respective parks for years to come back.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is way from my favourite fashionable trip, and it’s disappointing that the clone didn’t repair recognized points from the model at Walt Disney Studios Park in France. However, the film Ratatouille is a love letter to Paris and the attraction is about nearly as good because it will get when it comes to IP integrations in World Showcase. It additionally provides a much-needed family-friend trip to this nook of EPCOT.
Against all odds, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ended up being an distinctive enhancement to the entrance of EPCOT, and one that matches thematically higher than it has any proper to. As for the attraction itself, it’s an absolute blast–melding storytelling, wow-inducing results, music, humor, and thrills. Cosmic Rewind is now the blueprint for a “Disneyfied” curler coaster.
TRON Lightcycle Run will not be that, however it additionally doesn’t have to be. Magic Kingdom has no scarcity of fully-fledged sights, making a extra lightly-themed curler coaster (with out prolonged pre-shows) an excellent match. Its distinctive type of seating, flashy aesthetics, and distinct music makes it a winner. The Upload Conduit cover additionally provides one thing particular to the Magic Kingdom skyline, and a punctuation mark to Tomorrowland.
The Music – We’ve taken numerous actually nice early morning and late night time walks by way of Downtown Disney over the previous few months. That could seem off-topic or possibly that I’m utilizing woefully outdated naming conference, however it’s neither. Disneyland Resort has a brand new background music for Disney100, and it leans closely on songs from Walt Disney World–together with the fiftieth Anniversary.
Among different songs, this wonderful loop incorporates “The Magic is Calling,” “You Are the Magic,” and “Awakening.” One factor that has struck me is how a lot I take pleasure in this music when divorced from its authentic context. It calls to thoughts fond reminiscences and experiences throughout Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary–and we did have many–like a fast shot of sentimentality.
For me, that is how most Disney music works. I wouldn’t say that “Remember the Magic” is among the biggest songs of all time, however I get goosebumps each time I hear it as a result of nostalgia hooked up. No songs within the trio above will ever stay as much as that for me, however I anticipate my fondness for the fiftieth music to develop over time. You might deny it now, however the identical will occur to you in due time–two of these songs are simple earworms!
On a tangentially associated be aware, you need to make some extent of visiting Disneyland throughout the 100 Years of Wonder when you’re a fan of Disney music. Not only for that superb Esplanade and Downtown Disney BGM, but additionally for “Start a Wave,” “It’s Wondrous,” and actually all the soundtrack for Wondrous Journeys. Seeing that new nighttime spectacular also needs to be a precedence–it’s on par with Happily Ever After.
Parts of Harmonious – We have been vocal critics of Harmonious, and that is one occasion of “we” actually which means each of us. Sarah favored Harmonious even much less, and had no need to see it one final time to say goodbye. I did decide to see it a closing time, and one thought that caught with me was, “this had so much potential for greatness.”
If its infrastructure had been cellular, Harmonious would’ve primed its viewers for a hotter reception. If the present have been organized otherwise, it might’ve been higher. If it harnessed the power from the Coco scene and took that by way of to an optimistic and uplifting finale, it might’ve introduced down the home. Instead, perplexing resolution after perplexing resolution was made that led on to its untimely demise.
Harmonious was destined to be hated by a sure phase of old style EPCOT Center followers merely be advantage of not being IllumiNations. That a lot was foregone. However, loads of followers and each rare customer went in with extra of an open thoughts. Personally, I favored the Moana, Lion King, and Mulan scenes and suppose that was a intelligent approach to combine IP into World Showcase. Then there was Coco into Princess and the Frog, which was genuinely good and made it a spectacular. Harmonious earned followers thanks to those scenes and others, and it’s simple to see why this present was liked by some, “warts and all.”
I’ll take this a step additional, and predict that Harmonious develops a fond fan-following within the years to come back. That’ll be very true if the excellently-produced Harmonious Live on Disney+ doesn’t get pulled now that it’s over. This is how nostalgia for the previous works; our reminiscences are seen by way of rose-colored glasses, highlighting the great and forgetting the dangerous.
With Harmonious, there’s really an honest quantity of excellent. Equally as vital, anybody who watches the nighttime spectacular on Disney+ or YouTube is not going to be topic to the visible blight throughout the day. New Harmonious followers will probably be solid within the years to come back, blissfully ignorant to its baggage.
Beacons of Magic on Spaceship Earth – Originally overvalued by Good Morning America and Walt Disney World, the Beacons of Magic will go down as one of many largest duds of the fiftieth Anniversary. Actually, I take that again, nobody will keep in mind those on Cinderella Castle, Tree of Life, or Tower of Terror as a result of they have been so totally underwhelming.
Spaceship Earth is a very totally different story. In reality, it feels just like the Beacons of Magic have been designed for the EPCOT icon, after which somebody in advertising and marketing had the thought to increase it to the opposite three parks, however there was no there there on the relaxation. At EPCOT, the Beacons of Magic take the already awe-inspiring icon and make it much more breathtaking.
The mild show elevates the grandiosity of Spaceship Earth, and really caps off the EPCOT entrance transformation, a mission that has enhanced the temper, environment, and aesthetics of this space. This new Spaceship Earth lighting actually punctuates that, making the entrance entrance of Epcot a spot the place you’ll wish to linger and absorb the ambiance.
Somehow, that is one thing that has solely gotten higher because the fiftieth Anniversary began. Each subsequent pageant has added its personal Beacons of Magic present, as has EPCOT’s fortieth Anniversary (far and away my favourite of the bunch). Make some extent of standing round up right here for half-hour or so to actually absorb the environment and see all three of the exhibits. Bonus factors for arriving at night time through monorail, which is essentially the most wow-inducing entry of all!
A Portrait of Walt Disney World: 50 Years of The Most Magical Place on Earth – This flew underneath the radar a bit as a result of it was troublesome to accumulate for the primary 3 months of the fiftieth Anniversary; most orders have been delayed, cancelled, or arrived broken (virtually all the 1-star evaluations on Amazon are because of this, not the e book’s substance). By the time it was available, the “hype window” had already closed.
That’s unlucky, as this e book was a spotlight of the fiftieth and is the very best Walt Disney World-specific espresso desk e book ever. In type, construction, and high quality, that is extra like a Disneyland deep-dive than one of many previous Walt Disney World memento books. From Florida historical past pre-Disney and the Preview Center to the event and historical past of the Vacation Kingdom, there’s a wealth of information thoughtfully offered right here in a method that’s participating, informative, and entertaining. There are additionally tons of photographs and idea artwork I’ve by no means seen–a rarity for Walt Disney World books, which frequently recycle not simply info–however pictures.
It reads like a love letter to Walt Disney World (or many love letters, because the authors have cleverly inserted essays from key figures in Walt Disney World’s historical past, bringing different attention-grabbing voices and views to the combination) that’s for followers–by followers. This is among the finest issues to come back out of Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary, and never simply when it comes to merchandise. You can learn our full assessment if you’d like, however the backside line is that that is the very best e book about Walt Disney World.
Food & Beverage Program – It’s simple to neglect simply how scaled again the culinary scene was at Walt Disney World for the primary yr after the parks reopened. Menus have been shadows of their former selves, with a handful of strange objects changing strong and distinctive choices. Things nonetheless aren’t again to 100%, however they’re a lot nearer.
Without query, the pivotal second was the introduction of things for the fiftieth Anniversary. This launched over 150 new objects, and immediately reinvigorated eating places that had change into boring. Not solely that, however the inventiveness and attentiveness to Walt Disney World historical past was on full show, with dishes that had been ‘extinct’ for many years making their return, with others that have been intelligent and funky. (I’ll by no means recover from the Mr. Toad Burger or Uncle Orville Bathtub Sundae.)
While I wouldn’t embody new eating places as a part of this, an exception needs to be made for Steakhouse 71; that in all probability wouldn’t have occurred prefer it did however for the fiftieth. This restaurant will get its title from the resort’s opening yr, and pays tribute to the wealthy historical past of the Vacation Kingdom of the World. Our preliminary lunch and dinner evaluations have been constructive, however our fondness for Steakhouse 71 has solely grown over time (besides breakfast). We’ve dined right here greater than anyplace else at Walt Disney World within the final 2 years.
KiteTails – This one was extremely polarizing. We favored KiteTails. Not as a lot as a few of its diehard followers, however sufficient to defend it from its detractors. To me, KiteTails felt like an odd concoction cooked up late one night time whereas raiding the fridge. It repurposed jet skis and kites leftover from Epcot Forever, after which added some gigantic lion, bear, ape, and hen kites. Boom, KiteTails was born.
KiteTails felt pure and pure, hitting the fitting notes when it comes to tone, environment, and power. The performers gave it their all, and the top end result was cute and charming. Then there was the chaos of KiteTails, ensuing from the epic crash landings. It was fairly enjoyable to look at the “KiteFails” and cheer for Simba to nose-dive into a budget seats.
More than the rest, I liked what KiteTails represented. I would like followers to present Walt Disney World permission to be bizarre and quirky, and never demand that all the things be a refined manufacturing that achieves “perfection” in paint-by-numbers style. I’d reasonably Disney’s artistic groups attempt new issues, take dangers, you realize…really be artistic. I wish to see extra like this–tasks with coronary heart and keenness. Even if meaning failure!
Vault Merchandise – I liked the Vault Collection, which paid tribute to 50 years of Walt Disney World with retro-themed designs from the Walt Disney Archives. There have been some really deep cuts, and objects simply stored coming and coming. It was truthfully a bit overwhelming, however in a great way. (If I bought all the things I wished, my closet can be overflowing proper now.)
Instead, I purchased virtually nothing in any respect. A giant issue was that I’ve change into more and more jaded about Walt Disney World monetizing nostalgia with merchandise, however not doing something substantive to honor that historical past. In a nutshell, that’s my key criticism with Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary.
I do know varied groups have their very own agendas, one hand doesn’t know what the opposite is doing, and the merchandise designers are principally simply passionate followers. So there’s part of me that desires to reward their laborious work and reinforce to the corporate as an entire that it’s worth. But the opposite half thinks that if Disney as an entire doesn’t care about honoring its historical past, why ought to I? And that’s the half that received out when it got here to purchasing (or not) the fiftieth Anniversary merchandise.
With that stated, I did purchase all the new Country Bear Jamboree objects. (I’m not a monster!) That contains an awkwardly-shaped Big Al tiki mug that I’m now afraid to make use of for worry of dropping it. Instead, Big Al stares at me with a confused look each time I open our cupboard, as nature meant.
Tomorrowland Updates – One of the earliest rumors about Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary took place 5 years upfront, and prompt that the occasion would revolve round 50 Magical Enhancements to Walt Disney World, and would come with issues like updates and notable TLC to iconic sights.
This entry and the following will surely qualify, however not a lot else. Tomorrowland’s updates began throughout development of TRON Lightcycle Run, with many debuting years earlier than the fiftieth Anniversary. For essentially the most half, this consisted of peeling again the 90s New Tomorrowland ornamentation and restoring the unique mid-century aesthetic. Whether that was good or dangerous is within the eye of the beholder, and sure decided largely by the period of Tomorrowland throughout which you got here of age.
The similar might be true of the 2 important updates throughout the fiftieth, a brand new script for the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover and refreshed finale for Carousel of Progress. In the grand scheme of issues, these have been two small modifications that in all probability wouldn’t make an inventory of anniversary highlights for most individuals, however they do for us. These are two of our favourite sights on this planet, and it’s improbable to see them receiving TLC. Our solely want is that extra of this might’ve occurred for the fiftieth.
Electrical Water Pageant – This vestige of the unique “Vacation Kingdom of the World” looks like one thing from a bygone period, however it completely holds up and is an effective way to finish an evening at one of many Magic Kingdom space resorts. For years, we’ve joked that the one motive Electrical Water Pageant nonetheless exists is as a result of the “team” behind it’s a dude named Earl who administration forgot was on the payroll 3 many years in the past. He hauls the EWP floats round behind his 1970 Sears fishing boat each night time, hoping not one of the hotshots clever up.
Well, Earl put his stimulus cash to good use, upgrading the circa-1971 Electrical Water Pageant for Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary. The new phase featured Cinderella Castle lighting and swirling pixie mud together with the celebration anthem, “The Magic is Calling,” recorded within the iconic electro-synthe-magnetic sound of the present.
This was a wonderful enhancement to a fan-favorite piece of nighttime leisure at Walt Disney World. It grew to become a becoming fiftieth finale following a protracted day within the parks, serving to to clean away the bitter aftertaste of Disney Enchantment and its salute to streaming. Sweet and easy, this was the right tribute to Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary. It’s too dangerous the opposite leisure and choices weren’t developed from an analogous perspective, as our appraisal of the World’s Most Magical Celebration would possibly’ve differed dramatically had they been.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary? What have been the highlights or lowlights for you? Agree about Enchantment, Harmonious, or the rest mentioned right here? Think followers have been too laborious on the World’s Most Magical Celebration, or was the frustration honest and applicable? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we may help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!