14 November 2005
SPECTACULAR HOLIDAY MAGIC AT DISNEYLAND RESORT MAKES SPIRIT BRIGHT, NOVEMBER 11 THROUGH JANUARY 2
Sleigh Bells Ring, Snow Falls and Chestnuts Roast at
“The Merriest Place on Earth!”
ANAHEIM, Calif., – As its 50th Anniversary celebration continues in full swing, the Disneyland Resort has been transformed into a dazzling holiday wonderland (now through January 2) featuring an unbelievable array of spectacular entertainment, amazing decorations, festive foods and favorite adventures and attractions.
The fun is extended with expanded park hours for Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure for much of the season, and Downtown Disney District and the Disneyland Resort hotels join in the merriment with twinkling lights and ornaments, special entertainment and holiday dining.
Disneyland
Disneyland will continue to celebrate its 50th Anniversary throughout the holiday season, adding to its golden line-up of new attractions (“Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters,” “Space Mountain,”
“Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years,” etc.) with a range of holiday shows, seasonal attractions and lively entertainment.
The 2005 holiday season at Disneyland is a whole lot brighter this year as the traditional Christmas tree in Town Square on Main Street, U.S.A. has turned gold in honor of Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary. Glittering in gilded splendor the traditional live tree has received the “Midas Touch” with a golden theme to commemorate Disneyland’s half-century milestone. The tree is 60 feet tall and is decorated with 10,000 golden ornaments and holiday lights. The tree’s gold topper is a symbolic pair of golden Mickey Mouse ears with the numeral “50” in the center, and is accented with genuine, hand-applied 24-karat gold leafing.
Also new this year is “Santa’s Reindeer Round-up” at Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland. The ranch has been transformed into a “West Pole” getaway where Santa can unwind with Mrs. Claus and his team of reindeer. Kids and their families can chat with St. Nick, see real reindeer grazing in a corral, play some reindeer games, create take-home Yuletide souvenirs and join in holiday line dances with music from a Western trio.
The park’s annual holiday parade, “A Christmas Fantasy,” will be presented November 18 through January 2 on Main Street, U.S.A. This ever-popular procession depicts an enchanting collection of holiday scenes, music and a cast of Disney characters and performers in Yuletide vignettes. Toy soldiers march in cadence, friendly snowmen dance and Santa waves from a soaring sleigh as his reindeer prance below.
“Haunted Mansion Holiday” returns with a madcap celebration where the traditions of Halloween and Christmas collide. The ghoulish but well-meaning Jack Skellington from the film “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” has come to the “Haunted Mansion” to transform it with his skewed vision of the holidays.
In Fantasyland, the classic “it’s a small world” will again become “it’s a small world Holiday” with a popular seasonal overlay that transforms this classic Disneyland attraction into a holiday trip around the world. More than 300,000 glittery lights adorn the attraction’s façade.
Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary entertainment includes the all-new nightly fireworks spectacular, “Remember… Dreams Come True,” the most elaborate pyrotechnics show in Disneyland history featuring an amazing new flight path for Tinker Bell. During the holidays, “Remember” will conclude with a touching rendition of “White Christmas” as a magical snowfall gently flutters down on Main Street, U.S.A., Small World Mall and New Orleans Square.
“Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams” continues daily on Main Street, U.S.A., immersing guests in the musical grandeur and visual spectacle of this innovative Disney parade, featuring one of the largest casts of Disney characters ever assembled.
Disney’s California Adventure
Disney’s California Adventure will celebrate the season with fanciful park-wide decorations and lively entertainment. Guests approaching the park will immediately get in the holiday mood as the iconic entrance-way letters that spell “CALIFORNIA” have been magically transformed to appear as swirling red and white peppermint sticks.
Inside a bug’s land, Flik and his bug buddies have spread giant Christmas lights, oversized ornaments and towering candy canes throughout their realm. Alongside Paradise Bay, a resplendent Christmas tree provides a dazzling sight as other nearby trees sparkle with hundreds of lights and wreathes adorn lampposts.
The Sunshine Plaza becomes “Santa’s Beach Blast,” where the Disney characters playfully blend classic holiday images with the California beach lifestyle. Santa the surfer greets guests near a Woody wagon sleigh, and the area is filled with seaside-style holiday decorations.
The 500-acre Disneyland Resort in southern California features two spectacular theme parks – the world-renowned original Disney theme park, Disneyland (“The Happiest Place on Earth)” and Disney’s California Adventure where Disney magic meets California fun, plus the Downtown Disney District, a public esplanade of unique and exciting dining, entertainment and shopping experiences. Resort hotels include the luxurious 745-room Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, the magical 990-room Disneyland Hotel and the surfside fun of the 502-room Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel.
More information about the Disneyland 50th anniversary celebration, holiday season 2005 and vacations at the Disneyland Resort is available at www.disneyland.com, by calling (877) 700-DISNEY, or by visiting local travel agents.