The Walt Disney Company celebrated its 100th anniversary on Friday, January 27th with new experiences, entertainment, décor, and specialty treats for all to enjoy.
Disney100 celebrates Disney storytellers, creators, and fans around the world who, together, spark the magic and wonder of Disney. The milestone will be celebrated throughout the year, and will bring new experiences with both new and old beloved Disney characters that will bring delightful experiences to guest and audiences across the globe.
“We are excited to bring this milestone celebration to life right here at The Happiest Place on Earth,” said Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock. “For generations of families and fans around the world who have made Disney a part of their lives, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enjoy all-new experiences with beloved Disney characters, our caring cast and our amazing storytelling throughout the year.”
While Disney Parks around the world will commemorate the 100th anniversary, the heart of the celebration will be at the Disneyland Resort. The festivities began on January 27th with the opening of Mickie & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and the debut of all-new nighttime spectaculars by Disney Live Entertainment: “World of Color-ONE” and “Wonderous Journeys”.
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“Wonderous Journeys is a tribute to 100 years of Walt Disney Animation Studio’s full length animated features, and there’s more of sixty of them.” Disneyland Theatrical Stage Manager William said. “We’ve never before, in the park have been able to celebrate and honor the Walt Disney Animation Studios, and the incredible work that they’ve done for over a decade now. It started all the way back with the very first full-length animated feature, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, so we’re going all the way back from the “Snow White” film all the way to present day films.”
Guests can enjoy “Wonderous Journeys” from four different places in the Disneyland Park—on Mainstreet USA, on all the Mainstreet Buildings, in front of Sleeping Beauty Park, as well as Rivers of America.
“The show, itself, will take guest on the journey of a Disney animator,” shared William “An animator has an idea, sits down and gets those ideas in place, adds more detailed layers, has moment of self-doubt, but then finds new inspiration, and ultimately, shares something wonderous with the world. Our guest will get to see the artistry, hear the music, and feel that heart that our animators put into their films.”
“Wonderous Journeys” features all 62 full length animated Disney features in the firework show.
Guest can also enjoy their MagicBand+, which builds another dimension of storytelling to the nighttime spectaculars with dancing lights and vibrations that synchronize to the shows.
Another new feature for Disney 100 is the new exhibit, “The Disney Gallery Presents: Disney 100 Years of Wonder” at Disneyland Park. The exhibit is inspired by Walt’s vision for Disneyland to be where his films come to life in the real and plays tribute to Disney films that and the rich traditions they both share. Guest will see artwork created by original Disney animators for some of Walt’s early films, alongside artwork concepted by original Disney Imagineers to recreate those stories in the park.
The new exhibit is attached to the recently opened, “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” exhibit that pays homage to Frederick Douglass. The exhibit opened in May of 2022.
A Staff member from the Disney Gallery told the Los Angeles Sentinel in an interview:
“We’ve done many galleries based on Disneyland and the artwork for the attractions at Disneyland, but in celebrating the whole company, we talked about how it all started with the animated and live action films. Those are down by the studio animators and directors. When Walt decided to build the park, he took the same people over and said let’s build this in three-dimension and give people the option to ride the Snow White instead of watch it.”
She continued, “So we have all the artwork from the original imaginers creating those attractions as well as new things like the new “Marvel: Star Wars” exhibit. Now it’s kind of switched to the other way, and people are making films about the attractions like “Haunted Mansion” and “Pirates”. So, we have artwork from the new films as well.”
“The Disney Gallery Presents: Disney 100 Years of Wonder” is a much larger show, featuring about 130 pieces. Other galleries typically show about 35 pieces.
From the décor to the experience to the food, Disney100 provides many fun-filled opportunities for all to experience the magical wonders of Disneyland. More magic will continue throughout 2023, including the return on “Magic Happens: parade on February 24, the reopening of Mickey’s Toontown on March 8, and new developments at the Hotels of the Disneyland Resort coming later this year.
For more information on Disney100 anniversary celebration, the Hotel of the Disneyland, Downtown Disney, and Disneyland Park visit www.Disneyland.com.
