New Culinary Stories Unfold at Walt Disney World Resort During ‘The World’s Most Magical Celebration’

Food and drinks celebrate the 50^th anniversary with nods to the past and EARidescent shimmer

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The 50^th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort is a time to celebrate Walt Disney’s legacy and vision. Walt knew food could be much more than just something you eat, but rather an entertaining, experiential and essential element of immersive storytelling.

New food and drink selections for “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” honoring the 50^th anniversary bring Walt’s vision to life in new ways, offering nods to the resort’s past while pushing culinary adventures to exciting new places during the 18-month event. These include theme park classics and inspiration from some of Walt Disney’s favorite meals, along with novel dishes and drinks full of color, whimsy, and a touch of EARidescent shimmer.

Nods to the Past

Walt’s personal recipes, past and present attractions, and nostalgic dishes from 1971 all serve as inspiration for the creative and whimsical food and beverage specially made for “The World’s Most Magical Celebration.”

Walt’s palate was relatively simple, with some of his favorite meals including meat and potatoes, chili, prime rib hash, and fried chicken, along with lemon, apple, chocolate, and bread pudding desserts. Disney chefs looked to his recipes from the archives and reimagined them for the 50^th anniversary celebration. The chefs and mixologists also drew inspiration from the iconic opening-day attractions.

Highlights of items across Walt Disney World that nod to the past include:

Magic Kingdom Park

• The Toad Burger (Friar’s Nook) – Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride inspired this whimsical brat burger that includes a pickle slice representing the toad’s tongue and two olives as his eyes, evoking Mr. Toad’s fun-loving, adventurous nature.
• Pressed Penny Silk Pie (Casey’s Corner) – A chocolate tart shell, silky chocolate filling, whipped cream and a chocolate-pressed penny make up this treat, themed to one of Walt’s favorite desserts and the popular pressed-coin machines throughout the parks.
• Squids Revenge (Be Our Guest Restaurant) – A michelada with a salted rim and charred octopus and cucumber garnish showcases an attraction from opening day – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – and its iconic giant squid.
• Marceline Missouri Mudslide (Plaza Restaurant) – The Plaza Cone Shop opened in 1971 with popular sweet treat combinations, including a variety of milkshakes. This mudslide – a blend of vanilla porter beer, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and crispy chocolate pearls – is a special twist on a shake that pays tribute to Walt’s hometown of Marceline, Missouri.
• Mission to Mars (Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café) – Inspired by Tomorrowland’s Mission to Mars attraction, this burger is topped with bacon and macaroni and cheese, and served on a bun dusted with crushed cheese-flavored puffs, giving the appearance of the red planet.
• Happy Haunts Milkshake (Columbia Harbor House) – This blackberry milkshake topped with a purple chocolate-glazed and black-sprinkled doughnut honors the grim grinning ghosts of the Haunted Mansion.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

• Cheese Fries with Walt’s Chili and Walt’s Favorite Chili on Foot-long Hot Dog (Restaurantosaurus) – Two of the restaurant’s nostalgic fan favorites, hot dogs and fries, topped with Walt’s favorite chili.
• 50^th Celebration Chocolate Gâteau (Tiffins) – Paying homage to Walt’s favorite chocolate desserts, this decadent delight features a cinnamon-chocolate gâteau, almond praline, ganache and chocolate cream liqueur sauce.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Filet Mignon with Walt’s Hash (The Hollywood Brown Derby) – A distinctly Walt-inspired meal, featuring grilled filet mignon atop Walt’s signature roast beef hash with a fried egg.

EPCOT

• Mini Chocolate Bundt Cake (Sunshine Seasons) – One of Walt’s favorite chocolate desserts gets all dressed up for the celebration with EARidescent shimmer and sprinkles, plus a chocolate 50^th anniversary garnish.

Disney Springs

• 50^th Celebration Petit Cake (Amorette’s Patisserie) – A delicious dessert with beautiful storytelling, featuring a vanilla chiffon cake with celebration blue mousse, blueberry jam and lemon curd. The cake’s sugar texture décor evokes Bernstein amber from Neuschwanstein, Germany, a tribute to the German Castle Neuschwanstein that inspired Cinderella Castle, while the lemon flavor was one of Walt’s favorites. Not only does the petit cake nod to the past, it is also decorated with the celebration’s signature EARidescent shimmer.
• 50^th Celebration Chocolate Bundle (The Ganachery) – These unique chocolates celebrate 50 years of magical sights, smells, tastes and sounds with their rich colors, sweet aromas, complementary flavors and playful crunch. The chocolate bar includes milk chocolate, caramel and crispies, while the square includes cake ganache and sprinkles, enrobed in dark chocolate and decorated with a shimmering castle design.

Disney Resort Hotels

• 50^th Celebration Soufflé (Disney’s Contemporary Resort) – A timeless orange-flavored liqueur soufflé with orange-flavored liqueur-scented crème anglaise.
• 50th Anniversary Vintage Minnie’s Brown Betty Profiterole (Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa) – A cream puff that harkens to the past, resembling Minnie Mouse’s vintage hat and filled with one of Walt’s favorite flavors, cinnamon-spiced apples and Chantilly cream.
• Chicken Dinner Cupcake Trio (Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground) – Fort Wilderness has served more than 10 million chicken dinners, and this homage of a dessert features fried chicken-apple fritters with apple pie moonshine filling and vanilla buttercream.
• Braised Lamb Shank (Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort) – An elevated meat-and-potatoes meal, with braised lamb shank, potato purée, rosemary-roasted garlic gravy, huckleberry jam and English peas.

Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park

• Loaded Nachos with Walt’s Chili (Avalunch) – Walt’s favorite chili atop loaded nachos.

A Touch of EARidescence

Each Walt Disney World theme park has its own EARidescent shimmer, and Disney chefs and mixologists have used these specific colors as inspiration to add sparkle to celebratory creations at all four parks. EARidescent offerings across Walt Disney World include:

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

• Hand-dipped 50^th Celebration Mickey Premium Bar (Drinkwallah) – The famous Nestlé Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar receives a special 50^th anniversary touch with a blue raspberry “hat” and a bit of pixie dust.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Glimmer and Shimmer Pineapple Mousse (Trolley Car Café) – A golden pineapple mousse on a toasted coconut crisp with caramel cream and matcha sponge cake that is shaped like a pineapple. The pineapple is considered a symbol of hospitality, so not only does this dessert represent the Disney philosophy, it also features the golden shimmer and glimmer of the 50^th

EPCOT

• EARidescent Croissant Doughnut (EPCOT Experience) – The fan-favorite treat makes its festive return to EPCOT with an EARidescent shimmer from blue icing and sprinkles.

Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park

• EARidescent Ice Dream Cone (I.C. Expeditions) – This birthday cake-flavored soft serve swirl in a white-chocolate-dipped cone honors the celebration with EARidescent sprinkles.

Specialty Beverages

• Magical Beacon Cocktail – The specialty 50^th anniversary cocktail, found at many table-service restaurants, lounges and pool bars across Walt Disney World, features a delicious mix of gin, blue Curacao, Minute Maid^®Premium Lemonade, berry, orgeat, lemon, hibiscus grenadine and a souvenir glow cube.
• EARidescent Sip-a-bration – The specialty non-alcoholic mocktail, found at many table-service restaurants, lounges and pool bars across Walt Disney World, includes Minute Maid^® Premium Lemonade served in a novelty 50^th anniversary cup. The drink also includes a special surprise ingredient, shaped like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto or Donald Duck, that, when stirred into the drink, brings a magical change of color and flavor and a sprinkling of pixie dust.

Novelties

More than a dozen novelty items developed for the Walt Disney World 50^th anniversary are available beginning Oct. 1, 2021, with more new items expected throughout the remainder of “The World’s Most Magical Celebration.” Novelty items, including popcorn buckets, mugs and sippers, are featured across the theme parks, resorts, water parks and Disney Springs. The characters’ new EARidescent fashions inspire the Mickey Mouse popcorn bucket and the Minnie Mouse sipper, while the resorts’ refillable mugs offer two distinct art styles – one celebrating the 50^th anniversary and another showcasing Disney Resort hotels and Walt Disney World transportation.

For more information about Walt Disney World Resort and “The World’s Most Magical Celebration,” visit WDWNews.com. Guests should visit DisneyWorld.com/50 and DisneyParksBlog.com, plus follow #DisneyWorld50 on social media platforms.

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Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary Merchandise Invites Guests to Celebrate in Style

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – For 50 years, no trip to the Walt Disney World Resort has been complete without bringing home a treasured souvenir – a special something that told everyone, “I went to Disney World!” In honor of the resort’s 50^th anniversary, guests will discover new merchandise collections and shopping experiences all across The Most Magical Place on Earth.

“The merchandise celebrates the legacy of the past 50 years with a nod to the next 50,” said Marianne Sharpe, vice president of merchandise for Walt Disney World Resort. “It includes authentic product replicas, modern fashion trend collections, artist collaborations, and even matching attire for the entire family. The 50^th merchandise is truly for the Disney fan in us all.”

Debuting this fall, the collections offer something for everyone, from fun and creative celebration-themed items to an entire line of products inspired by Cinderella Castle. There are also throwback and retro-themed pieces, and even a shimmering collection of fashion and accessories inspired by the EARidescent decor that is a hallmark of the celebration.

The new merchandise collections are complemented by enhanced shopping experiences at select locations across Walt Disney World. Each one-of-a-kind display was designed to honor the storied past behind five decades of merchandise and memories at The Most Magical Place on Earth.

With Disney Springs serving as the primary shopping destination for all 50^th anniversary collections, the new merchandise will also be available at all four Walt Disney World theme parks. Certain items will also be available at select Disney Resort hotels and on shopDisney.com.

Celebration Collection – Early October 2021

The Celebration Collection includes a wide-ranging assortment of commemorative merchandise for the whole family. Perfect for mixing and matching, the collection features accessories by Dooney and Bourke, festive headwear, coordinating mommy-and-me ensembles, fashionable t-shirts and collectable 50^th anniversary character plush.

• Celebration Soap Dispenser – The pump-action soap dispenser delivers a perfectly sized dollop of Mickey Mouse-shaped foaming soap.
• Celebration EARidescent Jacket by Wes Jenkins – Ideal for styling complementary looks that celebrate the 50^th anniversary, the EARidescent Jacket by Wes Jenkins is offered in both adult and youth sizes.
• Celebration 50^th Anniversary Pandora Charm – This dazzling addition to Pandora Jewelry bracelets captures the essence of the historic Walt Disney World celebration.

Disney Castle Collection – Early October 2021

Drawing inspiration from the iconic Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom Park, the Disney Castle Collection features everything from collectibles – like ornaments and charms – to castle-inspired attire and a light-up, 50th anniversary-edition Minnie Mouse ear headband. Items in the collection pick up on the castle’s royal, EARidescent makeover created just for the celebration.

• Disney Castle Dress Shop Dress – Debuting in December, the Disney Castle Collection Dress Shop Dress features a whimsical Cinderella Castle-inspired print and a classic silhouette honoring the pale-pink hues of the icon’s dreamy exterior.
• Disney Castle Minnie Mouse Light-Up Ear Headband – As if they were enchanted by Fairy Godmother’s magic wand, the Disney Castle Collection Light Up Ears glow from within to elevate any Disney ensemble.
• Disney Castle Camp Shirt – The notched camp collar shirt is timeless and versatile, featuring an illustrated motif of Cinderella Castle and the landscaped gardens of Magic Kingdom against beautiful blue skies.

Vault Collection – Early October 2021

Disney fans and those who love all things vintage will be eager to unlock the Vault Collection that pays tribute to 50 years of Walt Disney World magic with an assortment of retro-themed designs right out of the Walt Disney Archives. The collection includes classic opening-day favorites such as the original Walt Disney World Mickey Mouse ear hat design, throwback t-shirt styles and nostalgic accessories. Additional Vault Collection items will be released throughout the celebration.

• Vault Replica Ear Hat – Wearing a Mickey Mouse ear hat is a tradition for Walt Disney World guests that began on opening day in 1971. The Vault Replica Ear Hat lets guests own a piece of Disney history by bringing back the vintage hat design.
• Vault Replica Loungefly Lunch Box Crossbody – The Vault Replica Loungefly Lunch Box Crossbody pays tribute to the classic character-themed souvenir lunch boxes of decades past and features nostalgic artwork inspired by the cast of The Country Bear Jamboree.
• Vault Mickey and Minnie Plush – A true blast from the past, the Vault Mickey and Minnie plush toys pay homage to the style transformation exhibited by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from the 1970s to now, sporting their famous vintage fashions.

EARidescent Collection – Late October 2021

In line with new décor seen across Walt Disney World during the 50th anniversary celebration, the EARidescent Collection features a shimmering array of themed fashions and accessories.

• EARidescent Spirit Jersey ­– This premium pullover EARidescent Spirit Jersey features a ribbed crew neck, cuffed sleeves, gleaming EARidescent embellishments and puff ink “Walt Disney World” lettering on the back.
• EARidescent V-Neck T-Shirt – Part of the latest chapter of Disney’s color story merchandise collection, the EARdescent V-Neck is a shiny new twist on a popular t-shirt design.
• EARidescent Baseball Cap – This sporty baseball cap features EARidescent shimmer and a screen art Mickey Mouse icon as the focal point of the design.

Luxe Logo Collection – November 2021

As the name implies, the Luxe Logo Collection will offer a range of upscale pieces for the Disney collector. Additional details will be revealed closer to its release date in November.

• Luxe Logo Citizen Watch ­– Featuring exclusive artwork celebrating the 50^th anniversary, the Luxe Logo Citizen watch combines luxury and Disney style.
• Luxe Logo Jeweled Ear Hat – The Luxe Logo Jeweled Ear Hat is adorned with sparkling gold gemstones from ear to ear and is an elevated take on the classic Mickey ear hat.
• Luxe Logo Corduroy Spirit Jersey Hoodie and Luxe Logo Corduroy Spirit Jersey Jogger – The textured corduroy material and gold detailing on these posh items achieve a comfortable, yet polished and sophisticated aesthetic. The Corduroy Spirit Jersey Hoodie and Corduroy Spirit Jersey Jogger are separate pieces that can be worn together for a sleek, coordinated look.

Creations Shop at EPCOT

Open just in time for “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” is Creations Shop, the new flagship merchandise location at EPCOT. The store’s recent grand opening marks another milestone in the park’s historic transformation and is the place for guests to find all manner of Disney and EPCOT merchandise.

Creations Shop celebrates Disney’s legacy of creativity by honoring the park’s past and its exciting future. Each thoughtful detail within Creations Shop was purposefully chosen to represent story elements and foster a memorable shopping experience for guests.

Mickey Mouse, who has inspired creativity for generations around the world, serves as a symbol of Disney’s creativity and can be seen prominently in a number of homages throughout the space, including large, dynamic murals and a collection of 10 original sculptures created by Disney Imagineers.

The store’s wide array of merchandise includes the EPCOT Light & Color Collection, an assortment of futuristic gear is inspired by the park’s transformation. In the same way that Disney Imagineers implemented color, materials and light throughout the design of Creation Shop, the EPCOT Light & Color Collection explores the park’s story through the whimsical application of light, the playful use of bold color and iconic EPCOT landmarks and characters.

Learn more about the 50^th anniversary merchandise and shopping experiences by visiting the dedicated merchandise page on DisneyWorld.com. For more information about Walt Disney World Resort and “The World’s Most Magical Celebration,” visit WDWNews.com. Guests can find more information at DisneyWorld.com/50 and DisneyParksBlog.com, and by following #DisneyWorld50 on social media.

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