With Disney World now advertising the end of the 50th Anniversary celebration, we wanted to look at entertainment and offerings that could end when the 50th Anniversary celebration draws to a close on March 31, 2023. Disney World has not released a definitive list, but they have noted that the following entertainment and offerings are attached to the 50th Anniversary celebration, and it would seem likely that these things would end when the 50th Anniversary celebration ends.
EARidescent Costumes
This one seems like a no-brainer, but we’ll start with the “easy” predictions. Mickey, Minnie, and friends have dressed up in their 50th Anniversary best with an all-new “EARidescent” look for their specialty costumes. It would make a lot of sense for these special costumes to be retired when the 50th Anniversary ends next spring.
Disney Fab 50 Character Statues
If the costumes were a no-brainer, the Fab 50 Character Statues are a bit more of a question mark. Officially, Disney has listed the Fab 50 Character Statues as a part of the 50th Anniversary celebration alongside the character costumes and other offerings as attached to the 50th Anniversary celebration. That said, these statues are one of the few things that currently integrate with the MagicBand+ and it would make sense for Disney to keep them around. Perhaps “overwhelming guest demand” will necessitate that they stick around past March 31, 2023.
Beacons of Magic
As we continue to switch between obvious removals and less-obvious removals, the Beacons of Magic fall under the “obvious” category. Each of the Beacons of Magic reference the 50th Anniversary, and they are small enough to remove completely come April 1, 2023. Perhaps they’ll be replaced by a Disney100 projection moment, but Disney has not announced any plans to do so just yet.
It’s worth noting that the Beacons of Magic are pretty much a lock to be removed at the end of the 50th Anniversary as they are one of a handful of offerings that Disney has specifically said that guests will have their “last chance to see” them during the closing months of the 50th Anniversary.
Now, we have seen some confusion over at EPCOT, where many guests and even some of the more well-informed fans think that the Points of Light shows on Spaceship Earth fall under the “Beacons of Magic” category. That is not true. The Points of Light shows will continue on past the 50th Anniversary with specialty shows like the seasonal festival shows and the EPCOT anthem show. Only the Beacon of Magic show will end at EPCOT. Think of the Points of Light shows as being like the Tree of Life Awakenings at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The Tree of Life Awakenings are outside of the 50th Anniversary and will continue even when the specific Beacon of Magic projection moment is removed.
Mickey’s Celebration Cavalcade
Mickey’s Celebration Cavalcade is another “last chance to see” item as announced by Disney World. It’s a good bet that this is glowing away at the end of the 50th Anniversary celebration as Disney will likely introduce a new cavalcade or some other form of street entertainment as they have had in the past.
Disney Enchantment
UPDATE: Disney Enchantment will have its final performance on April 2, 2023 and Happily Ever After will return April 3, 2023.
The next two were audibles called by executives. Originally, Disney Enchantment and Harmonious were designed and planned to be long-term nighttime entertainment shows for Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, respectively. However, guest reception to the shows, especially Enchantment, has been poor and despite Disney’s efforts to “save” enchantment by adding historical, nostalgic clips of Walt Disney and the early development of Walt Disney World at the beginning of the show, Disney Enchantment will be replaced by a new show next year that will utilize the “Happily Ever After” soundtrack and elements of the old show. There’s no other way to say it, Disney Enchantment is a failure for both the 50th Anniversary and as a viable long-term nighttime spectacular for Magic Kingdom.
Harmonious
UPDATE: Harmonious will have its final performance on April 2, 2023. EPCOT Forever will return in the interim.
We already eluded to it, but Harmonious is also on the way out at EPCOT. This nighttime spectacular was designed and planned to be a long-term show at EPCOT, but Disney was never able to figure out a solution for the armada of hardware that sits in World Showcase Lagoon.
So, in 2023, Harmonious will be replaced by an all-new show that will celebrate Disney100 and is the only substantive thing announced for Walt Disney World for the celebration. It is believed that the hardware will be removed from World Showcase Lagoon and EPCOT Forever will return as an interim show between the end of Harmonious and the start of the Disney100 show. Details on the new show are light, but Harmonious will end prematurely at EPCOT.
50th Anniversary Segment of Electrical Water Pageant
This is another no-brainer. The Electrical Water Pageant will continue to run at Disney World like it has for decades, but the 50th Anniversary segment will be retired. Here’s a look at the full show, including the 50th Anniversary segments!
Transportation Decor & Glowing Monorails
We expect that the 50th Anniversary decor will be removed from the Disney Skyliner, monorail, and buses on or around the end of the 50th Anniversary celebration.
When Disney announced the glowing lights of the monorails, they did mention that “each monorail train received a special nighttime enhancement for the 50th Anniversary”, and that the glowing monorails would “spread magic everywhere the monorail runs across Walt Disney World Resort during the 18-month celebration”. If we take them at their word on this, that would mean that the glowing monorails glow away at the end of the celebration. It would be a shame if that were the case.
Cinderella Castle Decor (but not color)
It’s very likely that the decor on Cinderella Castle comes down at the end of the 50th Anniversary, with the only wrench in those plans being the Disney 100 celebration. It would be quite easy for Disney to replace the “50” medallion with a “100” medallion and leave the rest as is. After all, Sleeping Beauty Castle is receiving some Disney100 decor.
It might also be worth remembering that the Cinderella Castle Royal Makeover is not tied to the 50th Anniversary, but rather the 70th Anniversary of the animated movie Cinderella. That means that the paint scheme that is in place will likely remain past the 50th Anniversary, even if the decor is removed.
Merchandise and Special Menu Items
Another obvious ending is the special merchandise and special menu items found around the resort. We could see Disney keeping some of the 50th Anniversary stuff on shelves past March 31, 2023 to sell what stock they have left, but don’t expect it to stick around for months.
Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire
Although Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire debuted during the 50th Anniversary celebrations, it is a very slight deviation from the previous versions named Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire. We expect that the show will stick around, but that there will be costume changes to remove the EARidescent look that we already discussed.
Disney KiteTails
Disney KiteTails has already come to an end and didn’t make it a full year, let alone to the end of the 50th Anniversary.
What do you think? Is there something from this list that you hope sticks around? Let us know in the comments below or on social media!
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