@@tofurice6330 they’re the perfect length of time. Not too long to where it can become rambling and not too short to wear i have to use my phone with wet hands
So like, for the 60th at Disneyland, they had special reversable map the gave away day of. One side was the normal map, the other was a lovely retro map, with old descriptions of the lands and everything. Weird that WDW didn't do something similar for the 50th, especially since they were making sure a big deal about the whole event.
imagine if middle management wasnt a bunch of low IQ sociopathic dipshits trying to use their position to exploit people emotionally & physically for their entertainment.
Forreal I was talking about this the other night- they gotta get on the drone show train!! The Epcot Forever show is pretty good imo, but mostly cause of the music. They really need to take it up a notch with a fleet of drones, there’s only so much you can do with pyro
When I take over Disney, there won't be a board any more. Just a cabinet of my loyal followers who also believe in the "What would Walt do?" mantra. Basically I'll be Voldemort and the new Disney Cabinet will be my Death Eaters.
The 60th at Disneyland just raised the standards so high, that anything less than that feels lackluster. I can't wait for the 70th at Disneyland but I am also worried it wont be as great 😅
I’d say 2015 was the best Disneyland has ever performed in my history of visiting any of the Disney Parks. All the rides were running in top condition when I went August that year and it was no surprise attendance rose 9% that year. Seems like the park started struggling in 2016 with budget cuts and has been that way ever since.
Something else worth mentioning is those Fab 50 character statues. 1. The intended idea for them (interacting with guests through their magic bands) didn't come into affect until halfway through the celebration was over. 2. The placement for a lot of them just being at the front icons was sorta lame. MK had them spread throughout various areas, why couldn't the others? Coulda made for a fun scavenger hunt of sorts. 3. The fact that about half of the statues doubled up with multiple characters at once seems like a cheat. 4. And most notably, a good chunk of the characters that were chosen were big whiffs. Too many sidekicks, not enough main/human leading characters, barely any females, choosing less valuable characters from a specific movie, ones that don't have any theme park presence, no Muppets (I'm surprised that I'm not surprised at this fact) and with 2 exceptions, no characters that originated from the parks. Quite a number of them I'd have changed with others. Am I overthinking it? Probably. But this seemed like another case of "good idea, lousy follow-through".
People waving their arms like idiots to hear some stupid song or audio from these statutes, that was fun to watch. How bored do you need to be to do that.
As everything Disney does since Iger became CEO replacing the far more competent Michael Eisner, it was cheaply-made garbage. Which is why most people are now flocking to the increasingly superior Universal parks.
I visited twice during the Disney world 50th. I was there for the official first day oct 1 3021. It was a joke. Felt like a normal day. The crowd the week before the 50th was great but the week after was soooooo busy. I got some limited edition merchandise at art of Disney.
I was on multiple live streams looking for new magic and waiting for a Walt speech and NOTHING from start to finish. The special magic was YOU and the other Park Goers that day. You were all so awesome i couldn't stop watching. But the Park Action!? SO SAD to watch an opportunity pass by these uncreative dunderheads that have zero ability to truly HONOR someone much less their own history. Sad state of affairs in WDW. They managed the crowds horribly and gave them nothing extra.
@@kalaoahaole Completely agree. I was there that day, too. My friends and I all expected the nighttime fireworks and castle projections to pay tribute to WDW and Walt/Roy/Imagineers, but they were a huge disappointment. And I assume Bob Paycheck didn’t show up to do an opening speech that morning because he was worried he’d get booed off the stage. But Josh D’Amaro (head of Disney Parks) or Jeff Vahle (head of WDW) could have done it. Such a huge letdown for all the Disney fans that braved the crowds and a super early wake-up that day. At least attraction wait times were low because everyone was in line for either merch or food. One of my friends was lucky enough to get a few of us into Big Top to get day-of merch through the virtual queue. I bought an Oct 1, 2021 pin and the lavender bucket hat. The next day I went to Epcot and had a better time riding Remy and drinking and eating around the food and wine festival.
We were there in March. If it wasn’t for the castle would have never known it was the 50th anniversary. The golden statues looked like an after thought. It was disappointing.
I went to Disneylands 50th. It was very cool. They gave out golden Mickey ears, and everyone got a 50th cupcake. (It was way too 😮sweet, but it was thoughtful). They also gave out maps of the park from opening day. There were also special ceremonies during the day. It was cool to be there on that day.
There was a lot of disappointment for the 50th for me, mostly outside of the overall park experience. Leading up to it I was excited to go then.... The pandemic hit, the Reedy Creek controversy, the canceling of Epcot projects, the overall underwhelming presentation, and my sister going to the internship program, allowing us the means to even go, had a mediocre time with bad roommates and customer experience that going through the park everyone in my family was dragging their feet. My eventual trip with my sister to Disneyland for the expo in comparison was fantastic and really made the Florida experience feel even more underwhelming in retrospect. I didn't even get to see Harmonious because it rained and everyone wanted to go back to the hotel.
My 50th experience was so terrible, it turned my family off from Disney for a lot of things. We went every single year, DLR in 2021, but back to WDW in 2022. It was so horrible, that I could write a book about it. …and as for the whole “oh COVID” excuse… …our flight was canceled due to an ice storm back home, so we ended up booking a literal last minute trip to Universal, something you absolutely cant do for WDW anymore, and for those three days, I was able compare the two parks and was astounded by the difference. Quality and service left Disney and went to Universal instead.
@@UmmYeahOk I agree for the most part. My cousin was an imagineer (designed and helped build Frozen Ever After and architect for galaxy’s edge) but the way Disney treats their employees now is why he switched to universal in time to be very involved in the Wizarding World. He’s so much happier there. I’ve seen some of the new things they’re planning and it’s going to leave Disney even further behind Universal. He was the kid who decided at 8 that his life goal was to be an imagineer and design rides and parks. I will still say though I love Disney world and will not stop going just because of its BS. My wife and I went in October 21 and again the same month in 22 but that one we booked only two weeks before and had a blast. It was super easy to do whatever minus the booked special experiences like lightsaber build and we didn’t care about the restaurants as much that trip. Still built a droid though so even that stuff is possible with enough determination. The issue now is a generational lack of effort in Disney as a whole. They will continue to flounder if they can’t get some actual motivated people in creative and on the ground. It’s developing a “welcome to Costco. I love you” vibe. We ignore that mess anyway so it was still great for us.
@@Beer-can_full_of_toes I was at the Disney Store last week returning something. The manager apologized since it was taking long, but I told her that I was just thankful that we even had a Disney Store. She informed me that there were 3 other locations still in the state (4 total) so Disney must like us. I told her that Universal clearly knows our worth. She knew what I meant by that. Universal announced its first regional park 35 minutes away from that Disney Store.
I did my College program starting in June 2021 so I got to see all the prep for the 50TH and the celebration itself, it was so magical. I was working at Polynesian Village Resort. I was one of the first CP’s at Poly since COVID shut stuff down. Only the DVC was open when I first got there so I got to see the village side open up and the monorail station built with all the 50TH stuff going on! We in housekeeping worked very hard to rehab the remodeled buildings to get them open for the 50TH! Polynesian shares that 50th anniversary because it was Magic Kingdoms opening resort and opened that very same October 1st 🧡🌺 so woo! 50TH was a life changer for me.
Disney Lands 100 is actually exactly what I wanted. Some nice extra food offerings and some extra merch. A mild positive to a fun trip. That's all they ever really needed to do or really should have done.
My favorite memory at the 50th celebration two weeks ago was watching the beacons light up on Spaceship Earth at night. I could stare at that ball of light show for hours.
For some reason, when you said “everyone rushed to the merchandise and I was doing something smarter” I thought you were referring to when magic kingdom first opened in the 70’s and I was like “doing something like…. not existing??”😂
Thank you.. for a person who been to the 50th twice.. I also been to the 25th.. just comparing the two I can honestly say the 50th did not even come close. The list of what was missing is huge, the 50th no railroad no real parade, no night time parade less rides and amusement(xs tech,main st poeple, ect) than the 25th. I could give the whole list but there not enough room the 50th seam to be a last minute celebration nothing like remember the magic 25th. It seemed the 50th was just to sell merch but even the merch of the 25th was much better. Oh that map you showed was for sale at art of Disney with all the attractions poster I got most of them. Again thank you
Hey there just got back from meeting Tony Baxter and seeing a presentation and I learned a lot of information from it..... and I am serious about it. He even brought up how issues with budget, change of leadership, and real life can effect things when talking about The Living Sea's, The Land, and Journey into Imagination.
I started going back to the Disney parks right around the 50th celebration, but for me the most exciting part of the past few years was watching the parks slowly and fully reopen after the closures. it's crazy seeing how at one point almost nothing was open or happening to now it being fully open again.
Since Walt Disney started Disneyland as an affordable place to take your children and the star cruiser experience is a study in greed, I do not consider it as having the Disney spirit. In fact, I am very disappointed that Disneyland is no longer affordable for most families.
Heh, Disneyland is way more affordable than Disney world at this moment, they have increased prices at Disney World for certain experiences that are the same in Disneyland.
@@emanuelrivera8048 Good point! But, my friends and I used to go to Disneyland every month back in the eighties; we could squeak by on the entrance fee, a hamburger and drink, and an inexpensive trinket like a silk scarf for about $50 each. Even allowing for inflation, you can't do anything like that now. Edit: That was $50 in total.
I really hate this about the parks. There's so many kids who'd love to go, especially in Southern California (because hotel & travel costs aren't needed) who can't even afford an entrance fee. :/
Was planning a trip to Disney well in advance of Christmas 2022. Top of my list of shows to see: Kite Tails! Then it disappeared from the calendar. Then the official announcement: No more shows, only ad hoc kite fly bys. Then... no more kites at all. NOOOOOO!
what i didn't like about the 50'th anniversary, is how it kind of celebrates all of the parks, even though it is only the magic kingdom's 50'th anniversary. i personally would have liked it more, if it was more advertised that the magic kingdom was the park that was celebrating it's 50 years, like celebrate the opening day attractions, especially since in disneyland their haunted mansion received a special celebration for it's 50'th anniversary, where the magic kingdom's version got the same merchandise as disneylands, and no actual celebration.
1) Yes, you pronounced Creperie de Paris exactly right 2) I sat and watched the Rainbow Connection show on Spaceship Earth last year during Festival of the Arts and just sobbed. It was so simple and so beautiful and it tapped into something in me I wasn't expecting to feel at a Disney park ever. Which seems to sum up Disney at the moment: when they get it right, they get it really really right. When they get it wrong it sucks.
50th was a disappointment from the initial dedication from execs that didn’t even celebrate Walt to the extended timeframe for unloading awful merchandise. So much you didn’t discuss like LL, Genie+, maintenance issues, lack of returned venues, lack of entertainment, huge cost increases, Prix Fixe Menus that resulted in poor dining experiences, poor updates and reimagined decor at hotels, Complete abandonment of theming in parks and hotels, Reedy Creek, CM salaries, board issues…. Overall Big Disappointment
The 50th was a disaster. The castle paint job looked like they attempted to make it look like Disneylands Sleeping Beauty castle…the replacement shows we’re sub-par compared to what they replaced. Tron, the one ride actually built FOR the park that turned 50, didn’t even open in time for the celebration. Epcots redo still isn’t complete. The train was closed most of the celebration. Splash Mountain closed before the event ended. None of the parks got spruced up or received solid refubs on any of the classic rides. Merch was very limited in what you could get that was even worthwhile. Most days the parks felt just like any other day. In my visits during the 50th, I had never seen the parks dirtier. Cast members seemed stressed. Prices for everything are through the roof. The Galactic Starcrusier looks to be a joke. All in all, I guess I expected more from Disney, but I felt very let down and my opinion of WDW’s future is not looking too bright. Then, just looking over at what’s happening at Disneyland, it’s almost crazy to think they’re the same company. That park constantly gets refurbs and updates and shines and polishes to keep it immaculate.
The problem with the 50th for WDW was none of it felt coherently together. For DLR60 everything was blue and sparkling the signs, the characters outfits. I blame this on them trying to do Too much. The one thing that EVERYONE seems to like is the Spaceship Earth lights (probably the simplest of modifications)
Not just because of the back to back to back to back celebrations, but also not *not* because of them, I’m hoping that Disneyland doesn’t do a 70th celebration and instead goes EXTRA hard on the 75th.
It was very lackluster. Pandemic aside, it didn't seem like there was the amount of planning that went into it, compared with Disney celebrations from previous years. Not just in the park itself, but look at the promo videos and TV specials they used to run, especially in the 80s and 90s, they made an entire TV movie just to promote a new ride, all the TGIF shows had Disney episodes that were basically showing off the park, that's the kind of enthusiasm Disney should have put into a milestone anniversary.
The problem (partially at least) is that there is ALWAYS some anniversary happening (50th, Epcot 40th, 25th anniversary of the 25th, 100th year, and on and on). There is no sense of specialness when it is a constant anniversary. It just lumbers along from the next to the next to the next.
OffHand is one of the top tier Disney RUclipsrs to follow. I applaud you sir. Keep up the good work. cant wait for the Haunted Mansion movie to come out
I went to Disney world for the first time during the 50th celebration and watching this video made me realize I didn’t do any events that were made for the anniversary. The only reason it felt like the 50th celebration to me was because the the lights at Epcot and the magic kingdom castle and the special edition plushies that were everywhere. Now I kinda feel like I missed out but I still really enjoyed my time there I would like to go back someday
It pai s me to say it, Oct 1st, 2021, the biggest letdown of my life. The Magic from Disney was missing from the opening NOO-show. We had to make our own magic.
I was there 3 times for the 50th. There was nothing special. Yes they had a few statues, but that’s about it. Nothing special. Bob Chapek really killed the vibe and Bob Iger doesn’t really care. He is to busy trying to make himself look important. He is the whole reason the Walt Disney Company is in billions of dollars of debt.
I worked at Animal Kingdom and was there for the closing of Kite Tails. The last day of it was actually supposed to be on the day all of WDW closed because of Hurricane Ian. So there I am back at work the day after the hurricane closure, no one is really there except a handful of people and we obviously were not running Kite Tails bc technically it already closed & we were also recovering from hurricane damage. And I genuinely had a lady yell at me when I told her she would not be able to witness one last Kite Tails show, she wasn’t the only one either. People were genuinely devastated the hurricane inconvenienced the last Kite Tails showing. A baffling day for me, truly.
the castle repaint was the one change I absolutely hated. At least Tokyo Disney has the proper color scheme for their castle. The MK castle sticks out like a sore thumb and it looks super ugly to me.
@Enzo Discovery lol, I remember my mom not liking it very much. She came all that way to see a castle, not a cake. I think a lot of adults felt the same, as back then, WDW was a once in a lifetime trip, so to them, they missed out on seeing such an iconic landmark. That, and it was in all their wedding/honeymoon photos. But us kids loved it, and thought it was cool. So having them repaint the castle in pink for the 50th felt more of a way of “Remembering the Magic,” without repeating history, that clearly upset many.
@@UmmYeahOk I loved the castle cake when I was a kid... but that was my first trip to WDW so it has sentimental value... looking back I think it was a goofy choice... I much prefer the way the castle looked on my visit during the 50th. What are your thoughts on the two styles?
I've heard from news places that the unavailable days in May for Galactic Starcruiser is scheduled matenence. That's why it seems odd to have a full day, it's not, it's just closed.
What if instead of tearing the Harmonious barges apart, they move them over to Animal Kingdom? It wouldn’t really block the view as much like it did at Epcot, and you could probably see the projections better in the smaller lake. (I say this with the fact I really liked Rivers of Light-and I feel like a scaled down Harmonious could be somewhat the same)
I wholeheartedly agree. Move the tacos and stargate to the Animal Kingdom amphitheater. Make a new show that’s purely fountains. And it will be a good reuse of infrastructure
The WDW 50th had no mention of Walt Disney, no mention of his dreams for the Florida Project or EPCOT, no mention of Roy and his insistence that it would be called Walt Disney World in honor of his brother who passed before his vision could become reality. Removing beloved nighttime spectaculars and replacing them with sub par shows that had Absolutely nothing to do with 50 years of Walt Disney World. No nostalgia, nothing recognizing iconic attractions, no mention or celebration for park goers on October, 1st 2021. Yea, I’d say it was a fail. Im a lifetime hater of WDWs 50th
Epcot made me cry + the change to Enchantment with inclusion of Walt Disney (We call it EPCOT) Kite Tails is yet another Disney experiment, yet what other parks don't do are trying new things like this? As Disney fans we are rather harsh critics. When you are on TOP, you always try to find a way to TOP yourself. I'm Gen X so "Uncle Walt" + his spirit of doing biz & storytelling STILL means something to me.
To be honest it always seems like Disney spends more money on Disneyland then at Disney World, to me some times it seems like Disney just throws things together at Disney World and then they just forget about it. Even the parks in other countries have more thought about their projects. Sorry Disney you dropped the ball big time in my eyes.
as someone whose main Disney park is not one in the US, I will tell that the thoughht given to our parks is almost none-existant, projects here are scarce and often scaled down after announced
Green scene: so as obnoxious as it is that you stand right next to the green screen as to cast a shadow, the fact is your chroma-key is flawless. I never see any bloom of green in the shadow or your hair. You clearly know what you are doing, and I just wanted to say I see it and appreciate it.
We visited 6-7 times during the "50th". I don't know what I was expecting but I never felt like any "celebration" was occurring. Outside of the Castle and 50th merch everywhere of course. What would have been nice would be to see all the Epcot improvements and Tron ready to launch on the 50th. Which could have been done even with Covid if old Chapek would have opened the wallet a bit more.
I hope that Disney doesn't over do the "Anniversary" thing. People may tire of it. But: Bring back the Disneyland Peoplemover..........................................
I wish they would have used footage/influence from the '71 grand opening show. Or even the OG themes and music from the OG rides (Space Mountain, If you had wings, Hall of Presidents). It would have been epic and truly felt like an anniversary
YEARS OF PLANNING A VACATION WITH MY GRANDKIDS FOR THE 50TH.....$28K VACATION JUST TO GET DISAPPOINTED...EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED ON THE DAY OF THE 50TH!!!!!! There was nothing....no mention of Walt during that big 1 minute show on the stage. There was more time spent at 5am with Good Morning America than anything for the paying and waiting guest!!!!! IT IS SOMETHING MY FAMILY COULD NEVER EVER GET BACK!!!!!!! I NOW HATE DISNEY FOR SCREWING EVEYONE ALL THE TIME AND TAKING ALL THE GOOD THINGS WE LOVED ABOUT DISNEY AWAY!!!!
No idea how you could like harmonious ewww. It had barely any fireworks and was horrible never flowed together at all. The first firework didn’t even go off until 3 minutes into the show. Also I’d say it really was “replacing” Epcot Forever. Which I didn’t like to begin with but I ended up liking it enough. Illuminations was the best show though and hate that they got rid of it.
Oh trust me, it was a failure (especially compared to how grand the 25th felt, I visited during 1996). Only Guardians, underwhelming fireworks show on Epcot, no Tron opening (which should have been ready for that anniversary), and compared to how great the 50th for Disneyland was, it definitely is the perfect example of how bad the Chapek era was.
Though I only visited once at around eight years old, the Disneyland 50th anniversary felt more "complete," for lack of a better term. It truly felt like the anniversary was being celebrated everywhere throughout every corner of Disneyland. It could very well just be me misremembering things, but I recall seeing lots of that gold 50th anniversary stuff everywhere there. On the other hand, I visited the WDW Magic Kingdom three or four times during the 50th, and aside from the slightly different paint job on the castle, it felt pretty much the same. Like, there wasn't much energy surrounding the idea that it was the 50th anniversary like I remember feeling when I visited Disneyland during their 50th. Of course, a lot of that can probably be chalked up to the fact that I have been to the WDW Magic Kingdom more times than I can count but only been to Disneyland four or five times. I will say that I actually really do love the current 50th anniversary Cinderella Castle paint scheme as it is now. Are there plans to repaint it to some other different scheme now that the 50th is over? Or is that color scheme just gonna be there until they decide to repaint it somewhere down the road? I quite like the warmer tones of the current color scheme.
You are correct. Disneyland's 50th was the best celebration Disney has ever done by far. There were so many meaningful events, Imagineer seminars, a little museum set up, celebrity appearances, great shows/parades, better golden statues of all the opening day rides etc etc. It was Michael Eisner's last hurrah.
As someone who has actually been on the Starcruiser, it’s a solid S tier. It’s spectacular and worth every Penny. Spaceship Earth should never be in the S tier. 🤣 Ultimately, there’s no reason to even have a 50th celebration for WDW. It’s a sequel, that’s like throwing a party for Tog Story 2: redundant.
as someone who was there for disneyland's 50th and who was also there for disney world's 50th, it was very clear what the better celebration was. as someone who loves disney world more (i promise it's not because i love tot and tot is not at the disneyland resort anymore) the disney world 50th was so disappointing. i cant tell if it's because i was younger and full of more wonder during disneylands 50th or if it's because it was just BETTER. EDIT: the tower of terror beacon of magic is the most majestic thing in the entire world, i forgot to mention my thoughts on this as it slightly makes the disney world 50th better in my eyes
Disneyland's 50th was by far the best celebration Disney has ever done. It's not even close. They pulled out all the stops with Imagineer seminars, celebrity appearances, a mini museum, amazing shows/parade etc etc
I thought it was fine. Not as good as Disneyland's 60th, but still fun considering it was on the heels of covid. I really like the castle redo too. It's over the top and dreamy---kid me would adore it.
I was mixed about Kite Tales, I didn’t really like the Jungle Book show. Now Lion King, that was fun to watch. And I got goosebumps while listening to the music!
Kite Tails was the only offering during the 50th celebration that actually felt like old school Disney. It had heart, and it was truly a joy to watch. EVERYONE was smiling during the whole presentation. Loved it. Definitely "S" tier.
Thank you Offhand for being the best dishwashing channel to listen to
Lol I’m washing dishes and cooking breakfast right now
Just started the sink and had to grab the AirPods for a quick RUclips sesh and this was my instant first pick ⚡️
All my porcelain shines so brightly thanks to OHD!
Man why do u have to be so spot on😂
@@tofurice6330 they’re the perfect length of time. Not too long to where it can become rambling and not too short to wear i have to use my phone with wet hands
So like, for the 60th at Disneyland, they had special reversable map the gave away day of. One side was the normal map, the other was a lovely retro map, with old descriptions of the lands and everything. Weird that WDW didn't do something similar for the 50th, especially since they were making sure a big deal about the whole event.
They actually had those for the 40th anniversary of Disney World, and you got a button too.
The 50th of Disneyland is easily the best celebration they've ever done. They pulled out all the stops and had so many meaningful events.
I guess the older the anniversary the more attention it's given.
Imagine if they used drones to make the Kite Tails puppets actually work with less chaotic energy.
imagine if middle management wasnt a bunch of low IQ sociopathic dipshits trying to use their position to exploit people emotionally & physically for their entertainment.
Maybe wiring a letter can let them know about that.
Forreal I was talking about this the other night- they gotta get on the drone show train!! The Epcot Forever show is pretty good imo, but mostly cause of the music. They really need to take it up a notch with a fleet of drones, there’s only so much you can do with pyro
@@kay4706 there are rumors about that. Also I met Tony Baxter today.
Drones will look good at night
Disney failed the 50th. Tron didn't even open until after the 50th celebrations were over. And for most of it the iconic train wasn't running.
And tron is a massive disappointment 💀
Tron isn't even a new ride. Its a ride that is already present at Disneyland Tokyo. They couldn't even clone it in time.
@@Irreve-rsible Its Shanghai not Tokyo. Anyway you are right
@@gustnwk1 Ah, my bad. I wasn't exactly sure of where it was.
@@traviscrawford6516 no its not
“I can talk sexy monorails and beautiful EPCOT balls all day” had me rolling on the floor 🤣🤣🤣
Disney needs a massive shakeup in the board or something.
Bingo! They have to allow a CREATIVE in there (or someone raised on DisneyLAND, Walt's only real park)
A M E N ! ! !
When I take over Disney, there won't be a board any more. Just a cabinet of my loyal followers who also believe in the "What would Walt do?" mantra. Basically I'll be Voldemort and the new Disney Cabinet will be my Death Eaters.
@@stanfordite1I for one would welcome that
The 60th at Disneyland just raised the standards so high, that anything less than that feels lackluster. I can't wait for the 70th at Disneyland but I am also worried it wont be as great 😅
Did you experience the 50th of Disneyland?...because that was in a whole nother league to the 60th.
@@EEvtg I did! I was just a kid and it was my first time though so I was just focused on trying to get on the gold ride vehicles 😅
I’d say 2015 was the best Disneyland has ever performed in my history of visiting any of the Disney Parks. All the rides were running in top condition when I went August that year and it was no surprise attendance rose 9% that year. Seems like the park started struggling in 2016 with budget cuts and has been that way ever since.
Something else worth mentioning is those Fab 50 character statues.
1. The intended idea for them (interacting with guests through their magic bands) didn't come into affect until halfway through the celebration was over.
2. The placement for a lot of them just being at the front icons was sorta lame. MK had them spread throughout various areas, why couldn't the others? Coulda made for a fun scavenger hunt of sorts.
3. The fact that about half of the statues doubled up with multiple characters at once seems like a cheat.
4. And most notably, a good chunk of the characters that were chosen were big whiffs. Too many sidekicks, not enough main/human leading characters, barely any females, choosing less valuable characters from a specific movie, ones that don't have any theme park presence, no Muppets (I'm surprised that I'm not surprised at this fact) and with 2 exceptions, no characters that originated from the parks. Quite a number of them I'd have changed with others.
Am I overthinking it? Probably. But this seemed like another case of "good idea, lousy follow-through".
People waving their arms like idiots to hear some stupid song or audio from these statutes, that was fun to watch. How bored do you need to be to do that.
As everything Disney does since Iger became CEO replacing the far more competent Michael Eisner, it was cheaply-made garbage.
Which is why most people are now flocking to the increasingly superior Universal parks.
Yep, Eisner was so much better, especially for the parks division.
I visited twice during the Disney world 50th. I was there for the official first day oct 1 3021. It was a joke. Felt like a normal day. The crowd the week before the 50th was great but the week after was soooooo busy. I got some limited edition merchandise at art of Disney.
I was on multiple live streams looking for new magic and waiting for a Walt speech and NOTHING from start to finish. The special magic was YOU and the other Park Goers that day. You were all so awesome i couldn't stop watching. But the Park Action!? SO SAD to watch an opportunity pass by these uncreative dunderheads that have zero ability to truly HONOR someone much less their own history. Sad state of affairs in WDW. They managed the crowds horribly and gave them nothing extra.
@@kalaoahaole Completely agree. I was there that day, too. My friends and I all expected the nighttime fireworks and castle projections to pay tribute to WDW and Walt/Roy/Imagineers, but they were a huge disappointment.
And I assume Bob Paycheck didn’t show up to do an opening speech that morning because he was worried he’d get booed off the stage. But Josh D’Amaro (head of Disney Parks) or Jeff Vahle (head of WDW) could have done it. Such a huge letdown for all the Disney fans that braved the crowds and a super early wake-up that day.
At least attraction wait times were low because everyone was in line for either merch or food. One of my friends was lucky enough to get a few of us into Big Top to get day-of merch through the virtual queue. I bought an Oct 1, 2021 pin and the lavender bucket hat.
The next day I went to Epcot and had a better time riding Remy and drinking and eating around the food and wine festival.
We were there in March. If it wasn’t for the castle would have never known it was the 50th anniversary. The golden statues looked like an after thought. It was disappointing.
I went to Disneylands 50th. It was very cool. They gave out golden Mickey ears, and everyone got a 50th cupcake. (It was way too 😮sweet, but it was thoughtful). They also gave out maps of the park from opening day. There were also special ceremonies during the day. It was cool to be there on that day.
It's the best celebration they've ever done hands down. Michael Eisner's last hurrah.
There was a lot of disappointment for the 50th for me, mostly outside of the overall park experience. Leading up to it I was excited to go then.... The pandemic hit, the Reedy Creek controversy, the canceling of Epcot projects, the overall underwhelming presentation, and my sister going to the internship program, allowing us the means to even go, had a mediocre time with bad roommates and customer experience that going through the park everyone in my family was dragging their feet. My eventual trip with my sister to Disneyland for the expo in comparison was fantastic and really made the Florida experience feel even more underwhelming in retrospect. I didn't even get to see Harmonious because it rained and everyone wanted to go back to the hotel.
My 50th experience was so terrible, it turned my family off from Disney for a lot of things. We went every single year, DLR in 2021, but back to WDW in 2022. It was so horrible, that I could write a book about it. …and as for the whole “oh COVID” excuse… …our flight was canceled due to an ice storm back home, so we ended up booking a literal last minute trip to Universal, something you absolutely cant do for WDW anymore, and for those three days, I was able compare the two parks and was astounded by the difference. Quality and service left Disney and went to Universal instead.
@@UmmYeahOk I agree for the most part. My cousin was an imagineer (designed and helped build Frozen Ever After and architect for galaxy’s edge) but the way Disney treats their employees now is why he switched to universal in time to be very involved in the Wizarding World. He’s so much happier there. I’ve seen some of the new things they’re planning and it’s going to leave Disney even further behind Universal. He was the kid who decided at 8 that his life goal was to be an imagineer and design rides and parks. I will still say though I love Disney world and will not stop going just because of its BS. My wife and I went in October 21 and again the same month in 22 but that one we booked only two weeks before and had a blast. It was super easy to do whatever minus the booked special experiences like lightsaber build and we didn’t care about the restaurants as much that trip. Still built a droid though so even that stuff is possible with enough determination. The issue now is a generational lack of effort in Disney as a whole. They will continue to flounder if they can’t get some actual motivated people in creative and on the ground. It’s developing a “welcome to Costco. I love you” vibe. We ignore that mess anyway so it was still great for us.
@@Beer-can_full_of_toes I was at the Disney Store last week returning something. The manager apologized since it was taking long, but I told her that I was just thankful that we even had a Disney Store. She informed me that there were 3 other locations still in the state (4 total) so Disney must like us. I told her that Universal clearly knows our worth. She knew what I meant by that. Universal announced its first regional park 35 minutes away from that Disney Store.
I did my College program starting in June 2021 so I got to see all the prep for the 50TH and the celebration itself, it was so magical. I was working at Polynesian Village Resort. I was one of the first CP’s at Poly since COVID shut stuff down. Only the DVC was open when I first got there so I got to see the village side open up and the monorail station built with all the 50TH stuff going on! We in housekeeping worked very hard to rehab the remodeled buildings to get them open for the 50TH! Polynesian shares that 50th anniversary because it was Magic Kingdoms opening resort and opened that very same October 1st 🧡🌺 so woo! 50TH was a life changer for me.
Disney Lands 100 is actually exactly what I wanted. Some nice extra food offerings and some extra merch. A mild positive to a fun trip. That's all they ever really needed to do or really should have done.
My favorite memory at the 50th celebration two weeks ago was watching the beacons light up on Spaceship Earth at night. I could stare at that ball of light show for hours.
We were there for the 50th at 5 o'clock in the morning and were so disappointed that nothing major was being offered except for merch.
For some reason, when you said “everyone rushed to the merchandise and I was doing something smarter” I thought you were referring to when magic kingdom first opened in the 70’s and I was like “doing something like…. not existing??”😂
My thoughts too 😂
Haven’t watched the video yet, but I wanted to use my status as first comment to spread this important message, bring back the peoplemover
As someone who was there on the 50th, yes, yes it was.
Our long national nightmare is over.
Thank you.. for a person who been to the 50th twice.. I also been to the 25th.. just comparing the two I can honestly say the 50th did not even come close. The list of what was missing is huge, the 50th no railroad no real parade, no night time parade less rides and amusement(xs tech,main st poeple, ect) than the 25th. I could give the whole list but there not enough room the 50th seam to be a last minute celebration nothing like remember the magic 25th. It seemed the 50th was just to sell merch but even the merch of the 25th was much better. Oh that map you showed was for sale at art of Disney with all the attractions poster I got most of them. Again thank you
Hey there just got back from meeting Tony Baxter and seeing a presentation and I learned a lot of information from it..... and I am serious about it. He even brought up how issues with budget, change of leadership, and real life can effect things when talking about The Living Sea's, The Land, and Journey into Imagination.
9:55 is that the club penguin mining hat??! Wow even your hat has to be somehow Disney related
I started going back to the Disney parks right around the 50th celebration, but for me the most exciting part of the past few years was watching the parks slowly and fully reopen after the closures. it's crazy seeing how at one point almost nothing was open or happening to now it being fully open again.
Since Walt Disney started Disneyland as an affordable place to take your children and the star cruiser experience is a study in greed, I do not consider it as having the Disney spirit. In fact, I am very disappointed that Disneyland is no longer affordable for most families.
Heh, Disneyland is way more affordable than Disney world at this moment, they have increased prices at Disney World for certain experiences that are the same in Disneyland.
@@emanuelrivera8048 Good point! But, my friends and I used to go to Disneyland every month back in the eighties; we could squeak by on the entrance fee, a hamburger and drink, and an inexpensive trinket like a silk scarf for about $50 each. Even allowing for inflation, you can't do anything like that now. Edit: That was $50 in total.
I really hate this about the parks. There's so many kids who'd love to go, especially in Southern California (because hotel & travel costs aren't needed) who can't even afford an entrance fee. :/
Was planning a trip to Disney well in advance of Christmas 2022. Top of my list of shows to see: Kite Tails! Then it disappeared from the calendar. Then the official announcement: No more shows, only ad hoc kite fly bys. Then... no more kites at all. NOOOOOO!
No worries D, I get misty-eyed every time I see Spaceship Earth too.
That monorail edit was LEGIT! Amazing, simply awesome.
what i didn't like about the 50'th anniversary, is how it kind of celebrates all of the parks, even though it is only the magic kingdom's 50'th anniversary. i personally would have liked it more, if it was more advertised that the magic kingdom was the park that was celebrating it's 50 years, like celebrate the opening day attractions, especially since in disneyland their haunted mansion received a special celebration for it's 50'th anniversary, where the magic kingdom's version got the same merchandise as disneylands, and no actual celebration.
1) Yes, you pronounced Creperie de Paris exactly right
2) I sat and watched the Rainbow Connection show on Spaceship Earth last year during Festival of the Arts and just sobbed. It was so simple and so beautiful and it tapped into something in me I wasn't expecting to feel at a Disney park ever. Which seems to sum up Disney at the moment: when they get it right, they get it really really right. When they get it wrong it sucks.
Yes, it just used the 50th as an excuse to sell merch and not actually celebrate the legacy/history of the parks.
50th was a disappointment from the initial dedication from execs that didn’t even celebrate Walt to the extended timeframe for unloading awful merchandise. So much you didn’t discuss like LL, Genie+, maintenance issues, lack of returned venues, lack of entertainment, huge cost increases, Prix Fixe Menus that resulted in poor dining experiences, poor updates and reimagined decor at hotels, Complete abandonment of theming in parks and hotels, Reedy Creek, CM salaries, board issues…. Overall Big Disappointment
Spot on
@04:54 I lived in a halls of residence once that was basically a brick and wood version of what we have here. Good times.
The 50th was a disaster. The castle paint job looked like they attempted to make it look like Disneylands Sleeping Beauty castle…the replacement shows we’re sub-par compared to what they replaced. Tron, the one ride actually built FOR the park that turned 50, didn’t even open in time for the celebration. Epcots redo still isn’t complete. The train was closed most of the celebration. Splash Mountain closed before the event ended. None of the parks got spruced up or received solid refubs on any of the classic rides. Merch was very limited in what you could get that was even worthwhile. Most days the parks felt just like any other day. In my visits during the 50th, I had never seen the parks dirtier. Cast members seemed stressed. Prices for everything are through the roof. The Galactic Starcrusier looks to be a joke.
All in all, I guess I expected more from Disney, but I felt very let down and my opinion of WDW’s future is not looking too bright. Then, just looking over at what’s happening at Disneyland, it’s almost crazy to think they’re the same company. That park constantly gets refurbs and updates and shines and polishes to keep it immaculate.
My problem with Harmonious was simply the Barges. Had they made them movable it may have a been a reasonable Epcot show
The problem with the 50th for WDW was none of it felt coherently together. For DLR60 everything was blue and sparkling the signs, the characters outfits. I blame this on them trying to do Too much. The one thing that EVERYONE seems to like is the Spaceship Earth lights (probably the simplest of modifications)
Okay - I'm gonna need a 10hr version of the Monorail Edit Music.
I can say categorically that kite tails, 3 drinks deep, was the best thing ever.
Love your videos and how you tell it like it is!
Not just because of the back to back to back to back celebrations, but also not *not* because of them, I’m hoping that Disneyland doesn’t do a 70th celebration and instead goes EXTRA hard on the 75th.
It was very lackluster. Pandemic aside, it didn't seem like there was the amount of planning that went into it, compared with Disney celebrations from previous years. Not just in the park itself, but look at the promo videos and TV specials they used to run, especially in the 80s and 90s, they made an entire TV movie just to promote a new ride, all the TGIF shows had Disney episodes that were basically showing off the park, that's the kind of enthusiasm Disney should have put into a milestone anniversary.
The problem (partially at least) is that there is ALWAYS some anniversary happening (50th, Epcot 40th, 25th anniversary of the 25th, 100th year, and on and on). There is no sense of specialness when it is a constant anniversary. It just lumbers along from the next to the next to the next.
OffHand is one of the top tier Disney RUclipsrs to follow. I applaud you sir. Keep up the good work. cant wait for the Haunted Mansion movie to come out
“Nooo Simba! Those are the stands! Simba!” Had me rolling, please I’m crying lol.
I think it was a bit of a miss to not talk about the Fab 50 statues. Those were awesome to hunt for!
Disneyland's 50th was the best one so far. The 60th was great too. Disney World's was ok.
I went to Disney world for the first time during the 50th celebration and watching this video made me realize I didn’t do any events that were made for the anniversary. The only reason it felt like the 50th celebration to me was because the the lights at Epcot and the magic kingdom castle and the special edition plushies that were everywhere. Now I kinda feel like I missed out but I still really enjoyed my time there I would like to go back someday
You mean the 50th 51st and 52nd?
It pai s me to say it, Oct 1st, 2021, the biggest letdown of my life. The Magic from Disney was missing from the opening NOO-show. We had to make our own magic.
I was there 3 times for the 50th. There was nothing special. Yes they had a few statues, but that’s about it. Nothing special. Bob Chapek really killed the vibe and Bob Iger doesn’t really care. He is to busy trying to make himself look important. He is the whole reason the Walt Disney Company is in billions of dollars of debt.
I had never heard about Kitetails until this video and omfg, I am obsessed, that is hilarious
That Monorail Remix though 🔥
I was there and I enjoyed it very much. Perspective is everything. It was a lot of fun.
Considering every single person I’ve talked to that went to both WDW’s 50th and Kings Island’s preferred Kings Island’s. Yeah, I’d say it was bad.
Disney is so creatively bankrupt, greedy, and woke it's actually mind-blowing
60th 24 hour event was magnificent. Like imagine passing out at Disneylands Its A Small world for a nap. It was so good.
It was real, real bad.
I worked at Animal Kingdom and was there for the closing of Kite Tails. The last day of it was actually supposed to be on the day all of WDW closed because of Hurricane Ian. So there I am back at work the day after the hurricane closure, no one is really there except a handful of people and we obviously were not running Kite Tails bc technically it already closed & we were also recovering from hurricane damage. And I genuinely had a lady yell at me when I told her she would not be able to witness one last Kite Tails show, she wasn’t the only one either. People were genuinely devastated the hurricane inconvenienced the last Kite Tails showing. A baffling day for me, truly.
the castle repaint was the one change I absolutely hated. At least Tokyo Disney has the proper color scheme for their castle. The MK castle sticks out like a sore thumb and it looks super ugly to me.
Lemme guess. You were one of the many who hated on the 25th castle cake too.
@Enzo Discovery lol, I remember my mom not liking it very much. She came all that way to see a castle, not a cake. I think a lot of adults felt the same, as back then, WDW was a once in a lifetime trip, so to them, they missed out on seeing such an iconic landmark. That, and it was in all their wedding/honeymoon photos. But us kids loved it, and thought it was cool. So having them repaint the castle in pink for the 50th felt more of a way of “Remembering the Magic,” without repeating history, that clearly upset many.
@@UmmYeahOk I loved the castle cake when I was a kid... but that was my first trip to WDW so it has sentimental value... looking back I think it was a goofy choice... I much prefer the way the castle looked on my visit during the 50th. What are your thoughts on the two styles?
@@UmmYeahOk Whoops, I see your second post now and that you posted your thoughts already 😅
The castle repaint was a travesty. They took something that looked like a real castle and made it look like a cheap plastic toy.
Sexy monorails and beautiful Epcot balls had me DYING😂
It was so lame. We went at the end of 2021, literally nothing was different except the decorations lol
I've heard from news places that the unavailable days in May for Galactic Starcruiser is scheduled matenence. That's why it seems odd to have a full day, it's not, it's just closed.
Universal got more done during disney's 50th than Disney did.
Bro dropped the hardest Disney monorail edit and thought we wouldn't notice 😮💨😮💨
What if instead of tearing the Harmonious barges apart, they move them over to Animal Kingdom? It wouldn’t really block the view as much like it did at Epcot, and you could probably see the projections better in the smaller lake. (I say this with the fact I really liked Rivers of Light-and I feel like a scaled down Harmonious could be somewhat the same)
I wholeheartedly agree. Move the tacos and stargate to the Animal Kingdom amphitheater. Make a new show that’s purely fountains. And it will be a good reuse of infrastructure
that lake is far too small to fit those barges.
Fireworks can’t be shot off at Animal Kingdom.
The WDW 50th had no mention of Walt Disney, no mention of his dreams for the Florida Project or EPCOT, no mention of Roy and his insistence that it would be called Walt Disney World in honor of his brother who passed before his vision could become reality.
Removing beloved nighttime spectaculars and replacing them
with sub par shows that had
Absolutely nothing to do with 50 years of Walt Disney World.
No nostalgia, nothing recognizing iconic attractions, no mention or celebration for park goers on October, 1st 2021. Yea, I’d say it was a fail. Im a lifetime hater of WDWs 50th
6:57 they did something similar to that for the 40th where it would be the normal map and also the map of when the park opened
Epcot made me cry + the change to Enchantment with inclusion of Walt Disney (We call it EPCOT) Kite Tails is yet another Disney experiment, yet what other parks don't do are trying new things like this? As Disney fans we are rather harsh critics. When you are on TOP, you always try to find a way to TOP yourself. I'm Gen X so "Uncle Walt" + his spirit of doing biz & storytelling STILL means something to me.
To be honest it always seems like Disney spends more money on Disneyland then at Disney World, to me some times it seems like Disney just throws things together at Disney World and then they just forget about it. Even the parks in other countries have more thought about their projects. Sorry Disney you dropped the ball big time in my eyes.
as someone whose main Disney park is not one in the US, I will tell that the thoughht given to our parks is almost none-existant, projects here are scarce and often scaled down after announced
@@Alex-ro5of The 30th of DLP seems better than the 50th at WDW.
Green scene: so as obnoxious as it is that you stand right next to the green screen as to cast a shadow, the fact is your chroma-key is flawless. I never see any bloom of green in the shadow or your hair. You clearly know what you are doing, and I just wanted to say I see it and appreciate it.
We visited 6-7 times during the "50th". I don't know what I was expecting but I never felt like any "celebration" was occurring. Outside of the Castle and 50th merch everywhere of course. What would have been nice would be to see all the Epcot improvements and Tron ready to launch on the 50th. Which could have been done even with Covid if old Chapek would have opened the wallet a bit more.
Covid was the number one cause of a lackluster 50th celebration. It forced Disney to scale everything back.
the kites crashing in the empty stands, that was the staging area where they were releasing them.
We went to Disney in Sept last year, I liked the castle and the show but looking forward to next year to see it ‘normal’.
They should build a lil restaurant on Discovery Island or something like that. Bring it to use.
MONORAIL EDIT AND THE BALL!!!🙌 I’m crying too! 🤪
lol that entertainment at 1:30
I hope that Disney doesn't over do the "Anniversary" thing. People may tire of it. But:
Bring back the Disneyland Peoplemover..........................................
Now Epcot will have it's on version of the 100yrs celebration of the whole Disney Company
I wish they would have used footage/influence from the '71 grand opening show. Or even the OG themes and music from the OG rides (Space Mountain, If you had wings, Hall of Presidents). It would have been epic and truly felt like an anniversary
YEARS OF PLANNING A VACATION WITH MY GRANDKIDS FOR THE 50TH.....$28K VACATION JUST TO GET DISAPPOINTED...EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED ON THE DAY OF THE 50TH!!!!!! There was nothing....no mention of Walt during that big 1 minute show on the stage. There was more time spent at 5am with Good Morning America than anything for the paying and waiting guest!!!!! IT IS SOMETHING MY FAMILY COULD NEVER EVER GET BACK!!!!!!! I NOW HATE DISNEY FOR SCREWING EVEYONE ALL THE TIME AND TAKING ALL THE GOOD THINGS WE LOVED ABOUT DISNEY AWAY!!!!
No idea how you could like harmonious ewww. It had barely any fireworks and was horrible never flowed together at all. The first firework didn’t even go off until 3 minutes into the show. Also I’d say it really was “replacing” Epcot Forever. Which I didn’t like to begin with but I ended up liking it enough. Illuminations was the best show though and hate that they got rid of it.
Oh trust me, it was a failure (especially compared to how grand the 25th felt, I visited during 1996). Only Guardians, underwhelming fireworks show on Epcot, no Tron opening (which should have been ready for that anniversary), and compared to how great the 50th for Disneyland was, it definitely is the perfect example of how bad the Chapek era was.
Great video. Thanks for the breakdown.
I appreciate that you used "sexy monorails" and "Epcot balls" in the same sentence
15 USD for a tiny glass of ice wine?! You can get a bottle for that price... I'm more of a fan of ice cider myself.
You’re literally the human embodiment of the Epcot ball vine 😭😭😭
Okay Dallon, enough fooling around- we need the monorail thirst trap audio
but the name tags cast got were SO CUTE
Though I only visited once at around eight years old, the Disneyland 50th anniversary felt more "complete," for lack of a better term. It truly felt like the anniversary was being celebrated everywhere throughout every corner of Disneyland. It could very well just be me misremembering things, but I recall seeing lots of that gold 50th anniversary stuff everywhere there. On the other hand, I visited the WDW Magic Kingdom three or four times during the 50th, and aside from the slightly different paint job on the castle, it felt pretty much the same. Like, there wasn't much energy surrounding the idea that it was the 50th anniversary like I remember feeling when I visited Disneyland during their 50th. Of course, a lot of that can probably be chalked up to the fact that I have been to the WDW Magic Kingdom more times than I can count but only been to Disneyland four or five times. I will say that I actually really do love the current 50th anniversary Cinderella Castle paint scheme as it is now. Are there plans to repaint it to some other different scheme now that the 50th is over? Or is that color scheme just gonna be there until they decide to repaint it somewhere down the road? I quite like the warmer tones of the current color scheme.
You are correct. Disneyland's 50th was the best celebration Disney has ever done by far. There were so many meaningful events, Imagineer seminars, a little museum set up, celebrity appearances, great shows/parades, better golden statues of all the opening day rides etc etc.
It was Michael Eisner's last hurrah.
As someone who has actually been on the Starcruiser, it’s a solid S tier. It’s spectacular and worth every Penny. Spaceship Earth should never be in the S tier. 🤣
Ultimately, there’s no reason to even have a 50th celebration for WDW. It’s a sequel, that’s like throwing a party for Tog Story 2: redundant.
You forgot to include the "50" gold statues and magicband+
I had never heard of the S-tier disaster that is Kite Tails. I sense a new RUclips rabbit hole in my near future
as someone who was there for disneyland's 50th and who was also there for disney world's 50th, it was very clear what the better celebration was. as someone who loves disney world more (i promise it's not because i love tot and tot is not at the disneyland resort anymore) the disney world 50th was so disappointing. i cant tell if it's because i was younger and full of more wonder during disneylands 50th or if it's because it was just BETTER.
EDIT: the tower of terror beacon of magic is the most majestic thing in the entire world, i forgot to mention my thoughts on this as it slightly makes the disney world 50th better in my eyes
Disneyland's 50th was by far the best celebration Disney has ever done. It's not even close. They pulled out all the stops with Imagineer seminars, celebrity appearances, a mini museum, amazing shows/parade etc etc
He made an edit of the monorails and it is perfect
I went 2 trips during the 50th and it sucked. The trips were a ton of fun but the actual anniversary stuff sucked.
Why didn't they celebrate The Haunted Mansion!? That was such a let down!
I thought it was fine. Not as good as Disneyland's 60th, but still fun considering it was on the heels of covid.
I really like the castle redo too. It's over the top and dreamy---kid me would adore it.
The monorail edit really got me LMFAO… and the fact that disneyparks themselves posted it 💀💀💀💀
I was mixed about Kite Tales, I didn’t really like the Jungle Book show. Now Lion King, that was fun to watch. And I got goosebumps while listening to the music!
Kite Tails was the only offering during the 50th celebration that actually felt like old school Disney. It had heart, and it was truly a joy to watch. EVERYONE was smiling during the whole presentation. Loved it. Definitely "S" tier.
It didn't even last a year. The promotional art was more interesting than the actual show. And the small "kites" were puppets on sticks, not kites.