Celebrating 20 Years of an American Catchphrase

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (PRNewswire) – Surprise: Disney is not just making big plans for an "I'm going to Disney World" commercial for Super Bowl XL ... but is also telling the world about it. "Historically we haven't talked about the commercial ahead of time," said Michael Mendenhall, executive vice president of Global Marketing for Disney Parks and Resorts. "We've had fun with the sense of anticipation and unpredictability – the guessing game as to whether we were doing a spot. But this time, I can tell you now – ahead of the Super Bowl – that we are doing one." Of course, what Disney is planning is so big that it's impossible to keep it a secret. Disney is adding twists that will treat Detroiters to both a larger-than-life look back at heroes of the National Football League title game and a jumbo-sized sneak peek at the player who will be showcased in the 36th episode of the long-running TV spot. Disney is working with the NFL to create a retrospective of the game's heroes and 20 years of the "I'm going to Disney World" campaign that will be projected onto a downtown Detroit skyscraper during evening hours of the extended Super Bowl Weekend, Feb. 1-5, 2006. The visuals – as much as 150 feet high – will add to the fun of Detroit's Motown Winter Blast in Campus Martius Park. Motown Winter Blast is a combination of hip and fun winter sports for the entire family to enjoy. Then, for the first time ever, Disney will do a post-game reveal of the player – or players – to be featured in the "I'm going to Disney World" spot that will air on TV on Monday, Feb. 6. Like the pre-Super Bowl presentation, the player(s) will be projected XL – extra large – onto the side of a tall building in Campus Martius Park Sunday night after the game. In addition to the special presentation in Detroit, Disney will include football stars of the future from NFL Youth Football in the player's celebratory parade down Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort. It's all part of Disney's long-standing relationship with NFL Youth Football. As for the commercial itself, the first person to utter the now-familiar words "I'm going to Disney World" was New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms, following his team's triumph in Super Bowl XXI on Jan. 25, 1987. "I couldn't have imagined that I was starting something that people would still be repeating 20 years later," said Simms, currently a network analyst for NFL telecasts.