Julie Andrews Honorary Ambassador



Julie Andrews to be
Honorary Ambassador of
Celebration That Begins 05-05-05 Disneyland
Celebrates
50 Years of Magic!

 

ANAHEIM,
Calif., May 5, 2004 – In a grand ceremony this morning in front of
Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in Southern California, Disney Chief
Executive Officer Michael Eisner joined Walt Disney Company President
and Chief Operating Officer Bob Iger, and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
President Jay Rasulo in announcing details of "The Happiest Homecoming
on Earth," the cornerstone of the overall "Happiest Celebration
on Earth," an incredible global salute to the 50th anniversary of
Disneyland.

Beginning
May 5, 2005 the 18-month long "The Happiest Celebration on Earth"
pays tribute to Walt Disney's original dream of Disneyland, the park that
launched an entirely different genre of family entertainment that now
spans the globe, attracting 100 million visitors on three continents every
year—and still growing.

For the first
time ever, the ten Disney theme parks around the world will join together
for one celebration, each premiering news shows and attractions in honor
of this landmark event.

At Disneyland,
"The Happiest Celebration on Earth" becomes "The Happiest
Homecoming on Earth," a unique opportunity for new and returning
guests to be part of an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime milestone event
and the Park's biggest party ever. It's also a chance for the generations
of guests who have been touched by the magic of Disneyland to return and
relive and share their fondest memories of past visits with family and
friends.

"All
of us at Disneyland are delighted to be saluted around the world by our
sister parks with the 'The Happiest Celebration on Earth,'" said
Ouimet. "In turn, every one of our Disneyland Cast Members looks
forward to welcoming our valued guests to our exclusive 'Happiest Homecoming
on Earth,' an extraordinary event which promises to be filled with great
nostalgia, heart-warming moments, grand occasions and topped by the debut
of elaborate new attractions, shows and events."

In addition
to announcing the plans for "The Happiest Homecoming on Earth,"
Eisner also introduced the Honorary Ambassador of the Disneyland 50th
anniversary celebration, legendary Broadway and film star Julie Andrews.
"I'm delighted to be associated with this momentous occasion,"
said Andrews. "One memory I'll cherish forever is the thrill of seeing
Disneyland for the first time with Walt Disney himself. I have been here
many times since with my children but nothing will ever top that moment.
Disneyland was Walt's gift to people the world over and I look forward
to celebrating this unique national treasure with everyone who has ever
been touched by its magic."

"The
Happiest Homecoming on Earth" celebration will take different forms
throughout the Disneyland Resort and will even extend out to sea:

Disneyland
Park

• Sleeping
Beauty Castle will be transformed into a breathtaking focal-point for
"The Happiest Homecoming on Earth" gowned in swaths of richly
colored finery, royal banners, bejeweled with precious stones, decorated
in gold and topped by five regal turret “crowns,” this world
famous Disney icon will glow with Disney enchantment as never before when
it debuts on May 5, 2005.

• "Walt
Disney's Parade of Dreams" – When it premieres on May 5, 2005,
audiences will be overwhelmed by the musical grandeur and visual spectacle
of this all-new parade, featuring one of the largest casts of Disney Characters
and performers ever assembled.

• "Remember
. . . Dreams Come True" – An all-new fireworks spectacular,
the most elaborate in the history of Disneyland, will premiere May 5,
2005 and will be highlighted by an incredible musical score, dramatic
close proximity pyrotechnics, lighting effects and a whole new generation
of never-before-seen fireworks.

• "Buzz
Lightyear Astro Blasters" – In this all-new Tomorrowland attraction
opening in 2005 guests will pilot their very own Star Cruiser through
a comical interactive space mission where they will twist, turn and fire
personal laser cannons for points that will help to protect outer space
from the forces of the evil Emperor Zurg!

• Space
Mountain – This Disneyland favorite re-opens in 2005 as a re-Imagineered
21st century thrill attraction, featuring an all-new queue and Space Port,
redesigned rockets, an all-new exhilarating on-board audio soundtrack
and “out of this world” new effects, plus a few new surprises.

• "Disneyland—The
First 50 Years" – Opening on May 5, 2005 this remarkable new
exhibit will showcase 50 years of Disneyland memories through never-before-seen
artwork, models and designs. A highlight of the attraction will be an
all-new film featuring recently discovered film footage, most of which
has not been seen in over 45 years, highlighting the amazing evolution
of Disneyland from concept to reality.

Disney's
California Adventure

• "Block
Party Bash" – Beginning May 5, 2005 guests will suddenly find
themselves surrounded by the rollicking music, excitement and fun of one
of five instant celebrations starring Mickey, Minnie, the Muppets, the
crew from Monsters, Inc.

Lilo and
Stitch, and Flik and Princess Atta from A Bug's Life. Featuring cool surf
tunes, pulsating 70s disco, 50s rock and roll and 80s retro, each unique
party will be a celebratory free-for-all with wacky entertainment, irresistible
music and over-the-top surprises!

Disney Cruise
Line (Port of Los Angeles, California / Port Canaveral, Florida)

Disney Magic
– Scheduled to sail 12 consecutive seven-night cruise vacations each

Saturday
from the Port of Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta , Mazatlan and Cabo San
Lucas, Mexico, between May 28 and August 19, 2005. Guests wanting to combine
the fun and excitement of the Disneyland Resort with the enchantment of
a Disney Cruise Line voyage may book pre-or-post cruise stays in one of
the three popular Disneyland Resort hotels.

Beloved by
families around the world, Disneyland has welcomed over 500 million guests
since its introduction. Guests hail from all 50 states and virtually every
country on the globe. The Disneyland guest roster over the past five decades
includes a host of dignitaries and celebrities—from seven US Presidents,
countless heads of state, major athletes and stars of film, television,
stage and music.

Art Linkletter,
renowned TV personality and host of the live Disneyland opening day TV
broadcast on July 17, 1955, joined in the announcement today and recalled
his first impression of Disneyland. "Walt brought me down here to
Anaheim when Disneyland was under construction and it was nothing but
dirt roads and orange groves, the Santa Ana Freeway wasn't even completed,"
said Linkletter. "I didn't want to spoil Walt's enthusiasm but I
thought 'Geez! Who's gonna come down here?' Shows you how much I know!"

Disneyland
is synonymous with Disney quality, creativity and magic and its incredible
success through the years has led to the creation of Walt Disney World
Resort in Florida (the number one vacation destination in the world),
Tokyo Disney Resort (Tokyo Disneyland is the most attended Disney theme
park in the world), Disneyland Resort Paris (Disneyland Paris is the most
popular tourist attraction in Europe) and soon Hong Kong.

Premiering
on May 5, 2005, "The Happiest Homecoming on Earth,"an extraordinary
celebration of the 50 th anniversary of Disneyland, will pay tribute to
the millions of guests and cast members who have contributed to the rich
legacy of “The Happiest Place on Earth” over the past five decades.
The 18-month long occasion represents the biggest event in the history
of The Walt Disney Company and is the first truly global Disney celebration
(with commemorative events planned at each of the Disney theme parks around
the world in salute to Disneyland).