Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary -What We Know

It's hard to believe that Walt Disney World opened its gates to the public for the first time on October 1st, 1971. Here we are, coming up on the 50th anniversary and... welp, timing could be better. I'm not

going to say it couldn't be worse. Last year would have been worse. But a lot remains to be seen whether we'll be out of the clouds on October 1st, 2021. Specifically, without special parades and fireworks at their disposal, all the ways Disney is used to celebrating are gone.

I will admit, I was probably not the first person to be slightly disappointed when Disney released their official 50th anniversary plans, and, after reading past the fluff, I realized the plan was "sparkles". Yes. Sparkles.

Let me explain.

If you go here, to the official 50th anniversary site, you will find these things listed:

-You will find classics and adventures across 4 parks (Ok, can do that now)

-Cast members will be magical and ready to celebrate (Yep, always true)

-Characters will be in special iridescent... sorry, EARidescent costumes.

-The wienies (park icons) of each of the 4 parks will be lit in a special way

Of that, only the bottom two seem new so far. So... basically sparkles, right?

I have to admit I was disappointed, though the concept art for the Tree of Life in particular looks fantastic). But that disappointment only lasted a couple minutes until I realized Disney has been playing the long game. The 18 months during this celebration are going to be some of the most revitalizing months in Walt Disney World's history with new attractions and shows opening on a scale that usually doesn't happen all at once.

Here are the highlights:

Video credit: Disneyparks.com

Top of the list, of course, EPCOT's revitalization. At first I was a skeptic of this (how DARE they retire my beloved Illuminations) but the more I see, the more I feel like Disney is getting back to the spirit of EPCOT while breathing new life into this park. Little things, like the removal of those ugly hunks of cement in the entrance plaza, and the installation of a crystalline water feature instead and crisp white flags with the vintage EPCOT logo as well as logos in the same spirit for each pavilion, or the soaring music that just debuted, feel like hints of an exciting future for, well, Futureworld, to come.

And let's not forget, the Moana interactive area and Guardians of the Galaxy will be new attractions in Futureworld (Guardians will likely be a headliner), while Remy's Ratatoulie Adventure looks like it will be ready in time for the beginning of the 50th anniversary celebration in World Showcase.

Then you have the HarmoniUS nighttime show, when and if Disney is able to have fireworks again.

Want to get excited about the changes at EPCOT? Check out this tiny video we posted over on our Facebook community some time ago. It highlights the new flags and new music.

Meanwhile, over at Disney Hollywood Studios, a cruise experience like no other is about to open later this year with the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser. Is it an attraction? No. Is it a resort? Not really. It's more of an experience than anything really. Like a cruise on land it's a multi-night experience, with an excursion to, of course, Galaxy's Edge. Reservations for the experience open later this year!

Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway has already opened and people seem to love it. The other major expansion is a new table service restaurant that Disney Hollywood Studios is in dire need of. The Roundup Rodeo BBQ restaurant should be coming to Toy Story Land sometime this year.

At the Magic Kingdom, aside from the sparkles on the castle, the castle got a facelift that is actually in good taste, unlike the pink cake debacle of the 25th anniversary. With a subtle shiny buff pink for the facade, bricks in shades of blues and purples, and deep indigo roofing with golden features, it's sitting pretty.

The Tron LightCycle Run is a major construction effort in Tomorrowland and should open sometime in 2022 (technically before the 18 month anniversary celebration is over). The other refurbishment on the horizon is Splash Mountain getting remade into a Princess Tiana themed ride, but that likely will not happen for a couple years yet, as concept art is just being drafted now.

Over at Animal Kingdom, not much is happening, and that's ok. Except, there are a few expansions of animal areas, like a new otter grotto with an underwater viewing area that I'm personally excited about because I love otters.

So maybe it's not all just sparkles. And maybe, just maybe we're a little excited about many of the changes.

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What are you excited about? Will you be going during the 50th anniversary celebrations or are you holding off until the world is a more certain place? Comment here or join us over on our Facebook page where you can follow us and see when a new blog hits. Until next time...