Disney Parks Worldwide Celebrate 50 Years of Fun With 50,000 Roses and Flora

From Around the World Disney's 'Most Magical Celebration on Earth'
Feted With 2006 Rose Parade Float

Fit for a Princess

ANAHEIM, Calif., Dec. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- With a theme of "It's
Magical" for the 117th Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, what could
be more magical than five beautiful Disney castles from around the
world seeming to float down the parade route on a pillow of clouds?
"The Most Magical Celebration on Earth," the 2006 Rose Parade float
entry from Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, depicts just such an
enchanting scene -- the ongoing celebration of 50 years of Disney
theme park magic around the world (continuing throughout 2006).

Millions of Rose Parade viewers worldwide will get to see the Disney
float on Monday, January 2 (the parade is never presented on a
Sunday), highlighted by a floral depiction of each of the five iconic
castles that stand as symbols of dreams, wishes and magic at Disney
parks in California, Florida, Japan, France and Hong Kong. Soaring
nearly 50 feet high and 150 feet long (the longest Rose Parade entry
this year), the entry features the U.S. premiere of the newest Disney
song "One," written exclusively for the recent grand opening of Hong
Kong Disneyland.

"The Rose Parade is a wonderful way for us to highlight our ongoing
celebration of five decades of Disney theme park magic," states Jay
Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resort. "Our parks are
magical experiences that offer creatively unique entertainment that
appeals to families the world over, transcending geographic and
cultural barriers to simply speak the international language of fun --
that's pretty magical."

The float is composed of 50,000 roses (including the official
Disneyland Rose), plus flower and plant material indigenous to the
home country of each park. Additional touches include a pixie dust
path created from white sparkled coconuts, castle walls made from
strawberry powder and clouds of white roses, irises, carnations and
cattleya orchids. The float will stop once along the parade route and
present a small musical number featuring an energetic array of Disney
characters and dancers.

The impressive Disney entry salutes an incredible 50-year legacy of
fun but also represents an equally exciting future characterized by
the creative application of new technologies and breakthrough
innovations at Disney Parks around the globe. New dreams and magic on
the immediate horizon include soon-to-open Disney attractions such as
"Expedition Everest" in Disney's Animal Kingdom park at Walt Disney
World Resort, "Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!" at
Disney's California Adventure in California, "Buzz Lightyear Laser
Blast" at Disneyland Paris and a 21st century version of "Autopia" at
Hong Kong Disneyland.

Since 1938 Disney has been a frequent presence in the world-famous
Rose Parade. The traditional visits of the Rose Bowl teams and the
Rose Queen and her court to Disneyland began in 1960 and continue
today. Both Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse have served as grand marshals
of the parade (in 1966 and 2005 respectively). The 2005 Rose Parade
featured the official unveiling of the celebration saluting 50 years
of Disney theme park magic, featuring a spectacular kick-off show and
parade entry.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, part of the magic of The Walt Disney
Company, is where the magic lives. Disney Parks and Resorts operates
or licenses 11 Disney theme parks on three continents, along with 37
resort hotels, the two luxury ships of the Disney Cruise Line, seven
Disney Vacation Club resorts (with more than 90,000 members) and eight
ESPN Zone dining locations, plus Walt Disney Imagineering (responsible
for the design and creation of all the Disney attractions, resorts,
real estate developments and more).

The float entry by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in the 2006 Rose
parade is just one aspect of the ongoing "Happiest Celebration on
Earth," an 18-month salute to 50 years of Disney park magic around the
globe that started with the opening of Disney's original park,
Disneyland, in 1955. SOURCE Disneyland