DREAMS COME TRUE, SLEIGH BELLS RING AND SNOW FALLS AT “THE MERRIEST PLACE ON EARTH!”

‘YEAR OF A MILLION DREAMS’ HOLIDAY MAGIC AT DISNEYLAND RESORT MAKES SPIRITS BRIGHT, NOVEMBER 10 THROUGH JANUARY 7

ANAHEIM, Calif., – As Disneyland Resort commences its celebration of “The Year of a Million Dreams,” Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure parks will be transformed into dazzling holiday wonderlands featuring an array of spectacular entertainment, amazing decorations, festive foods and favorite adventures and attractions. 

Additional holiday magic is provided this year as the Disney Dream Squad roams the Resort making dreams big and small come true for guests in this “Year of a Million Dreams.” Many money-can’t-buy experiences – from exclusive FASTPASS attraction tickets to a round-the-world vacation and a stay in the special Mickey Mouse Penthouse at the Disneyland Hotel - will be awarded at random, and there are other “Dreams Come True” opportunities for guests to meet and play with Disney Princesses, duel with Jedi Knights or join in the fun of the High School Musical Pep Rally.

The fun is extended with expanded park hours for both Disneyland Resort theme parks for much of the season. Downtown Disney District and the Disneyland Resort hotels join in the merriment with twinkling lights and ornaments, special entertainment and holiday dining.

Disneyland

Holiday dreams come true as Disneyland adds a seasonal array of holiday shows, attractions and lively entertainment to such favorites, classic and new, as “Space Mountain,” “Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters,” and the newly enhanced “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Guests entering Main Street, U.S.A., will find the traditional evergreen Disneyland Christmas tree in Town Square. The tree is 60 feet tall and is decorated with 10,000 ornaments and holiday lights.

At the other end of Main Street, a favorite Disneyland holiday souvenir comes to life in the form of a giant Snow Globe at Sleeping Beauty Castle. Its occupant is a snowman whose holiday dream has led him to don Mickey Mouse ears and visit Disneyland. The Snow Globe will make its first appearance December 1 and it will remain in the Park through Christmas.

“Santa’s Reindeer Round-up” returns to Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland.  The ranch has been transformed into a “West Pole” getaway where Santa can unwind with Mrs. Claus and his team of reindeer.  Kids and their families can chat with St. Nick, see real reindeer grazing in a corral, play some reindeer games, create take-home Yuletide souvenirs and join in holiday line dances with music from a Western trio.

The park’s annual holiday parade, “A Christmas Fantasy,” will be presented November 17 through January 7 on Main Street, U.S.A.  This ever-popular procession depicts an enchanting collection of holiday scenes, music and a cast of Disney characters and performers in Yuletide vignettes.  Toy soldiers march in cadence, friendly snowmen dance and Santa waves from a soaring sleigh as his reindeer prance below.

“Haunted Mansion Holiday” returns with a madcap celebration where the traditions of Halloween and Christmas collide.  The ghoulish but well-meaning Jack Skellington from the film Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas has come to the Haunted Mansion to transform it with his skewed vision of the holidays.

In Fantasyland, the classic “it’s a small world” again becomes “it’s a small world Holiday” with a popular seasonal overlay that transforms this classic Disneyland attraction into a holiday trip around the world.  More than 300,000 glittery lights adorn the attraction’s façade.

A holiday evening in Disneyland is highlighted by the nightly fireworks spectacular, “Believe … In Holiday Magic,” debuting Friday, November 10. The fireworks conclude with a touching rendition of “White Christmas” and one of Disneyland’s most beloved holiday traditions: the magical snowfall which gently flutters down on Main Street, U.S.A., Small World Mall and New Orleans Square.

Disney’s California Adventure

Disney’s California Adventure will celebrate the season with fanciful park-wide decorations and lively entertainment. Guests approaching the park will immediately get in the holiday mood as the iconic entrance-way letters that spell “CALIFORNIA” have been magically transformed to appear as swirling red and white peppermint sticks.

Once inside the gates of Disney’s California Adventure, guests can enjoy the park’s newest attractions and shows, such as “The High School Musical Pep Rally” and “Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue!,” as well as favorites like “Soarin’ Over California” and “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.”

Inside “a bug’s land,” Flik and his bug buddies have spread giant Christmas lights, oversized ornaments and towering candy canes throughout their realm.  Alongside Paradise Bay, a resplendent Christmas tree provides a dazzling sight as other nearby trees sparkle with hundreds of lights and wreathes adorn lampposts.

The Sunshine Plaza becomes “Santa’s Beach Blast,” where the Disney characters playfully blend classic holiday images with the California beach lifestyle.  Santa the surfer greets guests near a Woody wagon sleigh, and the area is filled with seaside-style holiday decorations.

The 500-acre Disneyland Resort in southern California features two spectacular theme parks – the world-renowned original Disney theme park, Disneyland (“The Happiest Place on Earth”) and Disney’s California Adventure where Disney magic meets California fun, plus the Downtown Disney District, a public esplanade of unique and exciting dining, entertainment and shopping experiences.  Resort hotels include the luxurious 745-room Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, the magical 990-room Disneyland Hotel and the surfside fun of the 502-room Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel.

More information about “The Year of a Million Dreams,” the 2006 holiday season and vacations at the Disneyland Resort is available at www.disneyland.com, by calling (877) 700-DISNEY, or by visiting local travel agents.