Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade (1996)

This is the fourteenth Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade to be aired on network television since 1984. This parade would become a staple for decades and something important in growing up Disney in the 80's and 90's, although the "Christmas" name would be dropped near the end of the Eisner age. The Christmas parade telecast really became a 2 hour infomercial for what the Walt Disney Company had in the works for the upcoming year. Eventually annual Easter and Independence Day Parade telecasts would join the Christmas Parade and the Christmas Parade itself would expand to a 2 hour Christmas morning broadcast tradition. Regis Philbin became the figure most associated with these parades but this is the first parade where he's nowhere to be found since his involvement began. (The Easter and Independence Day Parade broadcasts were dropped near the end of the Eisner years as well.) The Christmas and Easter parades always aired on the ABC Network.

This is a time capsule of both Walt Disney history during the 25th birthday of Walt Disney World where the Walt Disney Company transformed Cinderella's Castle into an ugly birthday cake. We continue to see the Eisner regime begin easing out of its peak. This was also the year when several Christian groups began boycotts of the Walt Disney Company over their turning away from traditional family values. The popularity of things like the animated features began a steady decline. That year's animated feature, the Hunchback of Notre Dame isn't even featured. Instead, we get to see a behind the scenes segment on the live action remake of 101 Dalmatians.

You can see this once small family company has fully transformed into the global conglomerate people think of today. Many of these characters you don't see anymore either and they STILL cared about the legacy of Walt Disney. What a tremendous time capsule this is. There’s segments on the Disney/MGM Studios, EPCOT Center, the Toy Story Parade, the Osborne Family Christmas Lights, the Disney Institute, and other attractions. President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary also give a Christmas greeting. Several performers from the Disney animated features perform songs throughout the broadcast while Sandi Patty performs the theme song of Walt Disney World's 25th Birthday Celebration.

Suzanne Somers and Jerry van Dyke co-host this parade with Walt Disney World Inside Out co-hosts JD Roth and Brianne Leary on the street. Lisa Ann Walter from the ABC sitcom Life's Work hosts a segment on the Disney/MGM Studios.

At the time, Somers was a co-star of the sitcom Step By Step while Van Dyke was a co-star on the sitcom Coach. This is the first parade where the format and hosts involved began to change.

Original air date December 25, 1996

Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.