Today is Disneyland’s 70th anniversary and to kick off this historic day, Disney held a special cast member party before the park opened.
We were honored to be invited to this party to witness the special moments that cast members were a part of in this moment in Disneyland history! At Mickey Visit, we always try to go the extra mile for our readers, working to deliver you the latest Disney news and planning resources, even if that means getting to Disneyland at 3:30 AM.
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Disneyland Celebrates July 17th With Cast Members
We were among a very small group of media invited to attend a Disneyland cast member celebration and special festivities before the theme park opened to guests on Disneyland’s actual anniversary date.
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Here’s a look at how Disney celebrated this special day with their cast members and broadcast the moment to the world. One highlight of the morning was seeing Disney CEO Bob Iger appear at Disneyland for a historic business moment.
One of the coolest things from this special event is that the Disneyland hot air balloon from the national tour was here for photos!
There was also a DJ nearby hosting the party, you can see where the hot air balloon was set up right in front of the Tomorrowland entrance.
We also got a chance to take this beautiful nighttime photo without any crowds of the new sign for “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” the new Walt Disney animatronic show debuting for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary.
Cast members were also treated to special showings of The Tapestry of Happiness projection show. This was also the first showing that features the new verse of “it’s a small world” which is a special moment for cast members to enjoy.
It was magical to see such a diverse assortment of cast members at this event. It shows how many people it takes for Disneyland to operate smoothly!
And it’s certainly a new experience to be inside Disneyland at 3:30 am and see the parks so empty.
Cast members were also given exclusive ears that one very nicely let me take a photo of. You can see the ears say cast member on one side and the date of the party on the ear itself. Very cool!
The party wrapped up with a quick succession of events. There was a special flag raising ceremony in the park that honored Disney Legend, former Disneyland Cast Member, and veteran Tom Nabbe. Then, Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro gave speeches to the cast members.
After the speeches they rang the New York Stock Exchange Bell (more details and photos), took a huge cast member photo, and headed to the front of the park.
Disney CEO Bob Iger Greets Guests at Park Opening
We were then positioned along with maybe 1,000 or so of the first guests that lined up for the park on this day as well as the family of the 170,000th Disney wish granted by the Make a Wish Foundation, to see Disney CEO Bob Iger give a welcome address. More details on how he greeted guests at park opening along with the freebies for all the guests coming into the park.
Today was also the day that the new verse for “it’s a small world” debuted at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Plus a new Zootopia themed window is now live on Main Street.
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