Walt Disney World Resort Celebrates 45th Anniversary to Colorful Fanfare!

Walt Disney World marked its 45th anniversary on Saturday, October 1 with 45 beloved Disney characters in a colorful celebration at Magic Kingdom. The crowds cheered as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald, Pluto and all of their pals flooded the Cinderella Castle stage to the classic tune of “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah!”

Walt Disney World opened 45 years ago, on October 1, 1971, rising from thousands of acres of swamps and marshes southwest of Orlando, Florida. The “Florida project” was the dream of visionary Walt Disney.

Walt Disney World president George Kalogridis stated to guests gathered in front of Cinderella Castle on October 1:

“I was here on that day. I can tell you that, for all of us Cast Members, in the resorts and the theme park, both, it was a day of excitement, anticipation, and considerable butterflies in the stomach. But mostly it was a day of joy, because we had the privilege of knowing that we were about to create Disney memories that our Guests could cherish for a lifetime.”

Walt flew over the space Disney World occupies, and even though he never lived to see opening day, his legacy lives on in all four of the Florida parks. He once said that Disneyland (and by extension, all other Disney parks) will never be complete as long as there is imagination left in the world.

Keeping his wish, Disney World is continually expanding all of its parks. 2016 saw the addition of Frozen Ever After and Soarin’ Around the World, plus Hollywood Studios debuted its Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular. Next year will be the largest expansion of any Disney history park, Pandora: The Land of Avatar at Animal Kingdom. In just 5 years in 2021, the 50th anniversary celebration will begin! We can’t wait to see the expansions for that milestone!

Watch highlights from Disney’s 45th celebration below!

For more information on Walt Disney World tickets, visit the Walt Disney World Web site here.

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