This Friday “The Most Magical Story on Earth: 50 Years of Walt Disney World” airs on ABC and you won’t want to miss it.
The primetime special takes viewers on a fascinating journey of Walt Disney World Resort from its origins to its development over time to the impact the Resort has had on pop culture to a special look into the future of the Resort.
This riveting story is told through incredible interviews with celebrities, athletes, Disney Imagineers, and Disney executives, and cast members past and present.
Hosted by Disney Legend and moderator of ABC’s “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg, the two-hour program will also feature spectacular visuals and musical performances from Christina Aguilera and Halle Bailey in front of the legendary Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom Park, accompanied by the renowned Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.
Can’t wait until Friday? Let’s take a sneak peek behind the scenes!
This captivating special is a must-watch!
‘The Most Magical Story on Earth: 50 Years of Walt Disney World’ is produced by ABC News and Disney Parks.
Tune in this Friday, October 1 at 8/7c on ABC, stream on Hulu starting October 2, or watch on Disney+ starting October 8.
The World’s Most Magical Celebration wouldn’t be complete without some tasty treats that celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney chefs and mixologists have created more than 150 sips and bites full of color, whimsy, and a touch of EARidescent shimmer – with even more coming throughout the 18-month celebration beginning October 1st.
Walt’s personal recipes, Walt Disney World Resort attractions (past and present), beloved Disney Characters, and nostalgic dishes from 1971 were inspirations for the tasty offerings created for this anniversary celebration.
The World’s Most Magical Celebration: Foodie Guide
Magic Kingdom Park
Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies
Uncle Orville Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow Sundae – Chocolate and vanilla soft-serve, brownie pieces, hot fudge, and whipped cream topped with red, white, and blue sprinkles served in a “bathtub”
Be Our Guest Restaurant
Squids Revenge Drink – A michelada with a salted rim and garnished with charred octopus and cucumber. Watch out, the giant squid is back!
Casey’s Corner
Pressed Penny Silk Pie – Chocolate tart shell, silky chocolate filling, sweet whipped cream, and a chocolate-pressed penny
50th Celebration Hot Dog – All-beef hot dog topped with strawberry bacon jam, crisp funnel cake pieces, and powdered sugar
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Royal 50th Celebration Flight – Flight of Enchantée Champagne – a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunière (Enchantée Champagne is sold exclusively at the Walt Disney World Resort)
Columbia Harbor House
Happy Haunts Milkshake – Blackberry milkshake topped with a purple chocolate-glazed doughnut covered with black sprinkles
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café
Mission to Mars – Burger topped with bacon and macaroni & cheese served on a bun dusted with crushed cheese-flavored puffs
The Crystal Palace
Walt’s Favorites on the Buffet – Chicken fried steak, New York strip steak, pork chops, and more!
Friar’s Nook
The Toad Burger – Brat burger served on a bun with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and American cheese
Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen
Veranda Fried Rice – Spicy chili-garlic shrimp served over pork fried rice with eggs and peas (from the original Verandah Restaurant menu)
Outdoor Kiosks
Dumbo Churros – Churros rolled in peanut dust and served with chocolate dipping sauce in a Dumbo-themed churro bag
Royal 50th Churro – Churros rolled in strawberry sugar, drizzled with marshmallow cream, and shimmer sprinkles served with chocolate dipping sauce
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor
The Banana Boom – Traditional banana split topped with popping candy and a candied shooting star
Plaza Restaurant
Cheers to 50 Years! – Chocolate and vanilla ice cream, brownies, cupcakes, cookie crumbles, pretzel rods, and hot fudge topped with whipped cream, EARidescent sugar, and a Mickey pretzel drizzled with caramel and chocolate icing (serves 4-6)
Storybook Treats
Heigh-Ho Sundae! – Chocolate soft-serve, hot fudge, graham cracker pieces, chocolate gems, and whipped cream
Tony’s Town Square Restaurant
Five Alarm Wings – Wings tossed in a sweet-and-spicy heat served with ranch dressing for dipping
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Drinkwallah
Hand-dipped 50th Celebration Mickey Premium Bar – Our classic Nestlé Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar dipped in blue raspberry-flavored coating with celebration sprinkles and a little bit of pixie dust
Restaurantosaurus
Cheese Fries with Walt’s Chili – Crispy fries topped with Walt’s favorite chili and cheddar sauce
Walt’s Favorite Chili on Foot-long Hot Dog – A foot-long hot dog served on a warm bun topped with Walt’s favorite chili and cheddar sauce
Tiffins
50th Celebration Chocolate Gâteaux – Almond praline, white chocolate crémeux, ganache, and chocolate-South African cream liqueur sauce
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Trolley Car Café
Glimmer and Shimmer Pineapple Mousse – Golden pineapple mousse on a toasted coconut crisp with caramel cream and matcha sponge cake
The Hollywood Brown Derby
Filet Mignon with Walt’s Hash topped with an egg (just the way Walt liked it!)
The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge, Oasis Canteen, Sunshine Day Bar, Animation Bar
Shimmer over the Moon – Apple pie moonshine, amaretto, falernum, pineapple juice, and club soda served with a souvenir glow cube
ABC Commissary
Chocolate Mousse – Raspberry-dark chocolate mousse, chocolate-almond cake, and a layer of hazelnut crunch and whipped chocolate-hazelnut cheesecake
EPCOT
Coral Reef Restaurant
Key Lime Tart with toasted meringue, EARidescent shimmer, sprinkles, and chocolate garnish
The EPCOT Experience
EARidescent Croissant Doughnut – Croissant doughnut with blue icing and sprinkles
Le Cellier Steakhouse
Chocolate Mousse Bar – Dark chocolate mousse, caramel cookie pieces, milk chocolate shell, and chocolate shortbread cookie
Sunshine Seasons
Mini Chocolate Bundt Cake – Mini chocolate Bundt cake with chocolate ganache, sprinkles, and icing dusted with EARidescent shimmer and chocolate 50th anniversary garnish
Disney Springs
Amorette’s Patisserie
50th Celebration Petit Cake – Vanilla chiffon cake with celebration blue mousse, blueberry jam, and lemon curd
The Ganachery
50th Celebration Chocolate Bundle:
50th Celebration Ganache Chocolate Bar – Milk chocolate combined with caramel and crispies for a playful crunch
50th Celebration Ganache Square – Celebration cake ganache mixed with sprinkles, enrobed in 65% dark chocolate, and decorated with a shimmering castle design
Frontera Cocina
Chocolate Pigñata – Chocolate shell filled with cajeta mousse, tender cake (infused with whiskey & vanilla), crumble of chipotle bacon, candied orange, and Maria cookies. Yes, there’s a mallet to break your piñata! Serves two.
The BOATHOUSE
Sweet Nostalgia Pineapple Upside-Down Cake – Pineapple upside-down cake with caramel glazed with Chantilly cream
Terralina Crafted Italian,
Whimsical White Chocolate Mousse –White chocolate mousse with salted caramel and cotton candy
Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill,
Caramel Banana Chocolate Sphere – Dark chocolate sphere, vanilla pudding, banana caramel compote, gold dust, and chocolate pearls
Resorts
The Mara, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Chocolate Mousse with a cardamom financier
Contempo Café, Disney’s Contemporary Resort
50th Anniversary Peanut Butter-Banana Pie – Sweet tart shell filled with peanut butter mousse and banana sauce topped with chocolate glaze and chocolate décor
Toledo–Tapas, Steak, and Seafood, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Braised Lamb Shank with olive oil-potato purée, rosemary-roasted garlic gravy, huckleberry jam, and English peas
P&J’s Southern Takeout, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campgrounds
Chicken Dinner Cupcake Trio
Fried chicken-apple fritter, apple pie moonshine filling, and vanilla buttercream
Peas and carrots-strawberry moonshine custard, white chocolate frosting, and M&M’S Mini “peas”
Mock mashed potato-SNICKERS mousse cupcake, caramel buttercream, and STARBURST “butter”
Grand Floridan Café, Disney’s Grand Floridan Resort & Spa
50th Anniversary Vintage Minnie’s Brown Betty Profiterole – Crunchy-topped cream puff filled with one of Walt’s favorite flavors of cinnamon-spiced apples and Chantilly cream
Olivia’s Cafe, Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Spam-Cheddar Biscuits with white gravy and drizzled with honey
Capt. Cook’s, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
50th Celebration Cupcake – Vanilla cupcake with DOLE Whip pineapple center, tropical fruit salsa, and pineapple macaron
Le Petit Café, Disney’s Riviera Resort
50th Celebration Cupcake – Vanilla cupcake, cake-flavored mousse, and caramel-buttercream icing garnished with crisp pearls, 50th anniversary sprinkles, and a whimsical gold Mickey
Roaring Fork, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Petit Stump Cake – Chocolate cake with birthday cake buttercream filling surrounded by chocolate “bark” fondant topped with 50th anniversary chocolate coin
The Market at Ale & Compass, Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
50th Celebration Tart – Birthday cake mousse dome on top of a milk chocolate mousse-filled vanilla tart shell with mini chocolate crisp pearls, buttercream, fondant, and chocolate décor
Available at select table-service restaurants, lounges, and pool bars throughout our four Theme Parks and Resorts
EARidescent Sip-a-bration (Non-Alcoholic Beverage) – Minute Maid Premium Lemonade and fruity strawberry punch served in a souvenir 50th Celebration Cup with a surprise Character and a little bit of magic!
Magical Beacon Cocktail – Gin, blue curaçao, Minute Maid Premium Lemonade, orgeat (almond) syrup, lemon, hibiscus grenadine, and a souvenir glow cube
Event the classic Nestle Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar will have a festive new wrapper showcasing Mickey in his EARidescent finest at Magic Kingdom Park!
Let’s start at the Magic Kingdom where a new nighttime spectacular, “Disney Enchantment,” will help kick off the The World’s Most Magical Celebration festivities when it debuts October 1.
Disney
This evening extravaganza will take you on a journey filled with adventure, wonder, and empowerment that will inspire everyone to believe in magic.
“Disney Enchantment” will feature music, enhanced lighting, stunning fireworks and, for the first time, immersive projection effects that extend from Cinderella Castle down Main Street, U.S.A.
Disney
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will be your hosts for “The World’s Most Magical Celebration,” and they couldn’t leave out their best pals!
Donald Duck and Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto, and Chip ‘n’ Dale will also be sporting their own custom-made EARidescent looks, and you can see them when they travel through Magic Kingdom Park several times daily in the new “Mickey’s Celebration Cavalcade” beginning October 1st.
Disney
Newly announced is also the “Disney Fab 50”, a series of 50 golden character statues that will be located throughout the Magic Kingdom that guests will be able to interact with in a surprising way. I can’t wait to find out more information about this!!!
Disney
Over at EPCOT, “Harmonious”, one of the largest nighttime spectaculars ever created for a Disney park, will debut on October 1st.
This new show will bring the globe together at World Showcase Lagoon in a celebration of Disney music that inspires people worldwide.
It’s a grand, powerful tribute to the stories and songs that unite us, embracing new technical magic that incorporates pyrotechnics, choreographed moving fountains, lighting and media in new ways.
“Harmonious” will invite you to travel the globe through new interpretations of classic Disney songs as never heard before…reimagined in more than a dozen languages by a diverse group of 240 artists from around the world.
Disney
Not to be left of out festivities, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park will debut a new daytime entertainment offering.
GUYS! Check out this artist rendering of “Disney KiteTails,” which will come alive several times a day at the Discovery River Amphitheater beginning October 1.
Performers will fly windcatchers and kites of all shapes and sizes, while out on the water elaborate three-dimensional kites – some stretching to 30 feet long – will depict Disney animal friends, including Simba, Zazu, Baloo, and King Louie.
These colorful creations will dance through the sky to the beat of favorite Disney songs in an uplifting, vibrant experience for the whole family.
Disney
This fall, you can bring home “Walt Disney World: A Portrait of the First Half Century,” a beautiful new coffee table book from Disney Editions. You can see the cover art above for this insider’s look at the history and evolution of Walt Disney World, written by Kevin Kern, Tim O’Day and Steven Vagnini. The book will be available for purchase beginning Sept. 28 at Walt Disney World, shopDisney.com and wherever books are sold. And for more details on other special books publishing this year for the 50th anniversary, click here.
Matt Stroshane, photographer
Don’t forget that The World’s Most Magical Celebration will also see the grand opening of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT, icons at each of the four parks transforming into Beacons of Magic at night, EARidescent décor all across the resort, plus much more.
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The festivities begin on October 1, 2021, on the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort, and to find out more about the celebration, make sure follow @onthegoinmco on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube!
Beginning October 1, 2021, the Walt Disney World Resort will celebrate five decades of magic with an 18-month celebration filled with new and refreshed attractions, shows, characters, restaurants, resorts, and adventures.
Taking place across the resort’s four theme parks and beyond, The World’s Most Magical Celebration will welcome guests ‘home’ to experience the magic again.
EARidescent Décor
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The centerpiece of The World’s Most Magical Celebration will be Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom Park.
In 2020 the Castle underwent a royal makeover that included a new color scheme that included bold, shimmering, and regal enhancement. And in honor of the 50th anniversary, Walt Disney Imagineering developed new colors, gold detailing, and vibrant hues for this makeover, drawing inspiration from Disney Legend Mary Blair’s vision of the classic film “Cinderella.”
Guests will get to take in Cinderella Castle as it is adorned with new gold bunting, sparkling golden embellishments, among other new enhancements, including a 50th anniversary crest.
Hosts with the Most
Matt Stroshane, photographer
As hosts of The World’s Most Magical Celebration, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will be dressed for the occasion.
Walt Disney World has shared images of these new celebratory designs that include beautifully embroidered impressions of Cinderella Castle backed by fireworks, as well as a brocade in multi-toned, in EARidescent fabric – punctuated with pops of gold.
Heart of the Celebration
“You can design and create and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” – Walt Disney
What makes the heart of the Walt Disney World resort beat is its cast members, and during The World’s Most Magical Celebration, they will have their time to shine as they will be spreading even more pixie dust across Walt Disney World Resort.
Magic by Nightfall
As the sun sets, the fun will just be getting started!
At each of the Walt Disney World theme parks, their icon will transform into magnificent Beacons of Magic with their own EARidescent glow.
Walt Disney World has described each as:
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Cinderella Castle will illuminate the Magic Kingdom Park with a dazzling radiance that sparkles with pixie dust.
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At Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, a warm light will emanate from the Tree of Life as magical fireflies gather to usher in the magic of nature.
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The Hollywood Tower Hotel at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be awash in a brilliance evoking the golden age of imagination and adventure.
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And at EPCOT, new lights will shine across the reflective panels of Spaceship Earth, connecting to one another in a symbol of optimism resembling stars in a nighttime sky. The iconic structure’s permanent new lighting will continue beyond “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” as a defining feature of the park.
I personally cannot wait to see these Beacons of Magic light up the night sky!
Say Bonjour to New Additions
Disney Parks Blog
While details are still coming to light about “The World’s Most Magical Celebration,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek did announce the new additions that would be opening in EPCOT’s France Pavilion on October 1, 2021.
In the newly expanded area of the pavilion inspired by the world of Disney and Pixar’s Academy Award-winning “Ratatouille,” guests will have the opportunity to experience Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
Matt Stroshane, photographer
This new family-friendly attraction invites guests into a flavorful world where they will feel as if they have shrunk to the size of Chef Remy to scurry through Gusteau’s famous restaurant.
Disney Parks Blog
Alongside of the attraction, La Crêperie de Paris, an all-new restaurant offering both table- and quick-service options, will open with a menu featuring sweet crepes, savory buckwheat galettes (naturally gluten-friendly), and authentic French hard cider.
“The World’s Most Magical Celebration” begins on October 1, 2021, on the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort, and to find out more about the celebration, make sure follow @onthegoinmco on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube!
