Magic Kingdom Archives 25th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

REMEMBER THE MAGIC

To celebrate the Magic Kingdom's 25th Anniversary, a new parade was unveiled in October. The "Remember the Magic" parade is an entirely new kind of street-theater performance with a "stop-action" twist. Six giant floats (up to 55 feet long and 22 feet high) roll down Main Street, U.S.A., each afternoon loaded with famous Disney characters and surrounded by dancers and colorfully costumed performers singing the 25th anniversary theme song, "Remember the Magic."

Each anniversary parade float has a different interactive performance experience for guests. If you have children who would like to participate in the parade, arrive early and look for CM's with stickers. Ask where you should sit to join in the fun and get your kid's stickered! This float does travel the "standard" Disney parade route…. Main Street to Frontierland (or vica versa). The Parade is usually run at 3pm daily; check your MK Guidemap for specific times.

As you'll see below, the floats are colorful and full of characters. The music is catchy. The downside is IF the parade floats do NOT stop in front of you; you tend to miss a lot of the action and can't always hear the theme song that the float represents.

The Floats include: Remember the Magic" Theme Float – Disney "royalty" ride at the head of the parade in this sparkling castle float carrying Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy, Minnie Mouse and Chip 'n' Dale. Beneath a glittering archway, Cinderella rides with Prince Charming. Mickey waves from an 18-foot high turret on the float adorned with more than 500 pounds of glitter. Up to 12 selected guests will ride with the characters. At each of the performance stops, 14 court dancers led by the Fairy Godmother in royal ball attire will dance with other guests to the music of "So This is Love," "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," and other Disney originals.

The Little Mermaid's Undersea Float — A coral backdrop sets the scene for the red-haired mermaid and her musical friends, including Sebastian as director of an underwater band. Reefs of coral and playful seahorses disguise jets spurting water along the sides of the float in time to the "Under the Sea" theme song. At each stop, guests will join a conga line led by a dancing starfish and South American samba dancers.

Beauty and the Beast Float — Lumiere leads the way riding inside a rotating giant punch bowl. He is surrounded by all the other "Be Our Guest" performers of the enchanted dining room — knives, forks, spoons, saucers, magnum bottles of champagne and twirling cakes. On a separate float, Belle and the Beast appear on a stone bridge in the royal garden. The dining hall dancers bring a score of guests on stage to join Cogsworth the clock in a merry waltz to the music of "Be Our Guest."

Aladdin's Treasure Float — Guests will have the magical chance to conjure up a giant blue genie that rises 20 feet above a sea of gold and jewels. Aladdin, Jasmine, Jafar and harem dancers direct the performance as up to 30 guests join in the fun playing "Genie Says." Scimitar warriors led by the dancing Magic Carpet and a pair of harem camels surround the float. Music themes include "Prince Ali" and "One Jump Ahead."

The Lion King — Full-grown Simba rides high on Pride Rock beside other favorite characters from the famous movie. Rafiki stands toward the back waving his mystical walking stick while Zazu flies overhead. Guests will beat out happy messages on jungle drums along the sides of the float while Simba and his friends, Timon and Pumba, continue a rousing chorus of "Hakuna Matata." Dancers marching beside the float include gazelles, zebras and elephants. Music includes "I Just Can't Wait to Be King."

Enchanted Forest — Largest of all, the 55-foot-long finale float depicts a fantasy garden filled with favorite Disney heroes and heroines. Snow White and Dopey, Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Pocahontas and Meeko and surprise performers from recent Disney films will be in the garden setting. Grandmother Willow smiles and winks from the center of the float. Snow White's wishing well and fountain send water leaping into the air. A magic castle rises up to 30 feet above the float, which sends daytime fireworks skyward for the finale. As the parade closes, 22 other characters lead guests in a grand waltz to "When You Wish Upon a Star" and other favorite Disney songs.

Remember the Magic Parade, at a glance:
* Six giant floats (up to 55 feet long and 22 feet high)
* More than 100 Disney performers and famous Disney characters
* First-ever Walt Disney World parade featuring "stop-action" and guest participation
* Parade length: 15 minutes
* First Walt Disney World parade to shoot fireworks from a float
* "Remember the Magic" Theme Float features 500 pounds of glitter
* "Enchanted Forest" Finale Float decorated with 1,000 pounds of foliage

Songs include "Remember the Magic" theme song, "So This is Love," "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," "Under the Sea," "Be Our Guest," "Prince Ali," "One Jump Ahead," "Hakuna Matata," "I Just Can't Wait to Be King," "When You Wish Upon a Star."

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The 25th Anniversary Party continues through January 1998!

On October 1, 1996, Walt Disney World kicked-off 15 months of celebration in honor of their 25th Anniversary!

"Remember the Magic" Parade – Every day in the Magic Kingdom, hundreds of Disney guests will go from spectators to participants in this brand-new interactive parade featuring colorful floats inspired by "The Lion King," "Beauty and the Beast," "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin" and "Snow White."

25th Anniversary Welcome Center – So you say you've been to Walt Disney World once, twice, 200 times before? The Magic Kingdom will welcome past guests, including world leaders and celebrities, in this new Main Street, U.S.A. location. Here, past guests will be recognized. Memorabilia and a film about the past and future of the Walt Disney World Resort will create an entertaining new attraction. A planned multi-city U.S. tour this fall will kick off a campaign to seek out all former visitors.

Located in the Town Square area of the Magic Kingdom, the Welcome Center also encourages guests to recall their own first visit to Walt Disney World Resort and "announce" it with a date — 1971 through 1996 — affixed to a "guest of honor" badge. During a visit to the Welcome Center, guests also can claim a commemorative lithograph celebrating the 25th anniversary.

The feature show of the Welcome Center is "Mickey's Magic Workshop," a motion picture sneak peek at the new magic being created for the Vacation Kingdom. As the story goes, the Sorcerer reminds Mickey Mouse that he needs to have all the magic ready for arriving guests.

Cinderella Castle Cake – It's pink and white and glowing all over with 25 candles representing each year of magic. The famed Magic Kingdom icon, at 185 feet tall, is transformed into the world's largest anniversary confection. And that's just icing on the cake — the entire Vacation Kingdom is decked out for the celebration.

"SpectroMagic" – Throughout the 15-month-long celebration, the crown jewel of light parades, "SpectroMagic," will roll nightly down Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom (except during special ticketed events). "Fantasy in the Sky" fireworks also will be performed nightly.

Mickey's Toontown Fair – Goofy's barnstorming roller coaster takes the young (and young-at-heart) on a thrilling adventure that doesn't end when the ride stops. Designed as the place to meet popular Disney characters, Toontown Fair in the Magic Kingdom features Minnie Mouse's interactive bungalow and Mickey's new house, as well. Donald Duck's boat is a fountain of fun and a cool way to beat the mid-day heat. Big-top tents feature favorite Disney characters in a whimsical country fair setting.

Ariel's Grotto – A mermaid's paradise is also a great place for a photo op. The lush lagoon setting in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom gives guests a chance to meet "The Little Mermaid" character, Ariel, and then cool off in the interactive leap-frog fountain spouting between sea sponges.

"IllumiNations 25" – With pyrotechnic perfection, Disney launches a special anniversary edition of its most popular nighttime spectacle. Set to the festive music of many nations, "IllumiNations 25" combines soaring sound, lasers and fireworks that fill the sky over World Showcase lagoon in Epcot with colorful images of festivals worldwide. The finale is a grand "Circle of Life" sky show of pyrotechnic pictures choreographed to the Oscar-winning song from "The Lion King."

"Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame: A Musical Adventure" – This heart-warming stage hit based on Disney's latest animated film tells the story of bell-ringer Quasimodo and the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda in 15th-century Paris. A cast of Medieval puppets and 21 actors perform to the powerful soundtrack by award-winning composer Alan Menken and Broadway lyricist Stephen Schwartz that was recorded for the show by 75 members of the London Symphony Orchestra.

Backstage Pass to 101 Dalmatians – The dog days of summer give way to a frisky fall at Disney-MGM Studios, where props, sets and special effects from this fall's long-awaited Walt Disney Pictures' live-action release, "101 Dalmatians," are on display for film buffs. Guests on this backstage tour can see special effects such as mechanical Dalmatian puppets and the mansion facade of Cruella DeVil, played in the film by Glenn Close.

Disney's BoardWalk – The sights, sounds and flavor of the Mid-Atlantic coast circa 1930 are revived in this waterfront village featuring Disney's BoardWalk Inn and BoardWalk Villas (910 rooms and suites), ESPN Club, the old-style dance hall Atlantic Dance, dueling-pianos club Jellyrolls, a brew pub, first-rate dining and, of course, an authentic boardwalk bordering Crescent Lake. Pizza or taffy, anyone?

World of Disney – The world's largest Disney store — just 10 yards short of a football field — features 12 shopping areas themed to classic Disney films, a 25-foot-high plush-toy "mountain" and a whimsical display of giant flying machines with Disney character pilots. Located at Disney Village Marketplace, World of Disney is a shopper's paradise, with more than 8,000 pieces of character merchandise.

Last Updated: 10/14/97