May 1st 1989, Disney MGM Studios was opened to the public. 25 years later I was able to celebrate the silver anniversary at the parks that went out with a bang! Entering at 09:00 am I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of crowds. I suppose most guests made their way straight to the limited merchandise for the event inside Studio Stage 1 near the Backlot Tour.
I, on the other hand, strolled leisurely down Hollywood Boulevard, rode the Great Movie Ride, then watched the rededication ceremony hosted by the parks VP Dan Cockerell. Cast Members who were also celebrating 25 years of service had a chance to shine in the spotlight on stage. A guest who had been present opening day was brought on stage to participate in commemorating the anniversary in concrete along with Mickey Mouse, a 25 year cast member, and the VP of the park.
With the Florida heat getting to sweltering I was very appreciative that the entire ceremony took only about 10 minutes. Afterwards was time for a delicious celebratory Nutella cupcake from Staring Rolls. Cupcakes sold out around the park by early afternoon.
The Character Cavalcade was highly disappointing with only a dozen or so actual characters. Even more sad is that there were not any celebrities to speak of. As a milestone anniversary in the parks I would have expected a little bit more attendance. I might have spotted Johnny Depp though....
The finale I had been waiting for all day finally arrived at 09:30 pm. Twelve and a half hours of being in the park, running around, waiting for rides, and sweating like crazy had all come to the fireworks tribute. The display featured major attractions from around the park including The Muppets, Cars, Star Wars, The Tower of Terror, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. All in all the fireworks were some of the best organized and executed I have seen from any Disney park and was thoroughly impressed by this one time show!
