Long-Running Commercial Marks 20th Year

DETROIT (PRNewswire) – Wide receiver Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night became the latest sports hero to pause in the afterglow of triumph and shout the famous phrase "I'm going to Disney World!" as part of the production for one of TV's most enduring and celebrated commercials. But this time, there was more: Veteran Pittsburgh running back Jerome "The Bus" Bettis joined in the commercial as Super Bowl MVP Ward added, "And I'm taking The Bus." The pronouncement, captured on tape at Detroit's Ford Field just moments after Pittsburgh's 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, became the latest episode of the "I'm going to Disney World" commercial produced over a 20-year span. This latest installment – the 36th in the long-running series – will air Feb. 6, the day after Super Bowl XL. Also on Monday, Ward and Bettis were scheduled to go to Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., for a celebratory parade down Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom. The procession, also including football stars of the future from NFL Youth Football hosted by Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, was to cap Disney's most visible "I'm going to Disney World" presence in two decades of the TV spot. Disney this year worked with the NFL to create a retrospective of the game's heroes and 20 years of the "I'm going to Disney World" campaign, then projected the presentation onto a downtown Detroit skyscraper during evening hours of the days leading up to the Super Bowl. Next came a 60-second commercial that aired during the pregame broadcast and at halftime of the game featuring players from both Super Bowl teams – including Ward and Bettis – practicing to deliver the iconic catchphrase "I'm going to Disney World." Then, for the first time ever, Disney did a post-game reveal of a player to be featured in the "I'm going to Disney World" spot, projecting the image of Ward XL – extra large – onto the side of a building in Campus Martius Park Sunday night after the game. Ward and Bettis join a lineup of sports heroes such as Tom Brady, Emmitt Smith, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Joe Montana, John Elway, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Doug Williams, Magic Johnson and Patrick Roy who have been featured during the two decades of "I'm going to Disney World" commercials.