Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade (1990)

This is the eighth 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. (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.We get to see many coming updates to Walt Disney World. This Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade features a Christmas Day Presidential message from George Bush. The Presidential message would be a staple of these parades for decades. A few other world leaders send their Christmas greetings as well.

This is a time capsule of both Walt Disney history. This is where the Eisner regime really hit their stride with the company and you can start to see their influence coming through. Here, we get a glimpse of Disney easing into the age of their animation renaissance. We get a behind the scenes segment on the newly released Rescuers Down Under and Prince & the Pauper. You can see this once small family company is transforming into the global conglomerate people think of today. Many of these characters you don't see any more either and they STILL cared about the legacy of Walt Disney. What a tremendous time capsule this is. There’s segments on the recently opened Disney/MGM Studios, Splash Mountain, and other attractions. We also get to see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in a performance. At the time Disney was licensing other studios' characters for their Disney/MGM Studios Park. Christian singer Amy Grant also performs.

This parade broadcast is also a time capsule into American history as America was in the Persian Gulf War at the time. The parade starts with a segment of our troops stationed there and throughout the broadcast features greetings from troops stationed in the region. President George Bush also gives a Christmas greeting. Lee Greenwood also performs I'll Be Home For Christmas in tribute to the troops. His signature song, God Bless the USA which became an anthem of this era even though Greenwood had debuted this song several years earlier.

Joan Lunden and Alan Thicke co-host this parade with Regis Philbin. Sarah Purcell hosts the Disneyland segments with Jaleel White.

Lunden was then the current co-host of Good Morning America and Thicke was one of the stars from the sitcom Growing Pains. Regis was a well known talk show host vet even then. This archetype of hosts for the parade broadcasts would continue with the parade for decades even though the hosts would change. Purcell was a host of several news programs on the era. White was the star of the sitcom Family Matters.

Joan Lunden is the longest-running host of the Disney parade broadcasts.

* Note: The end credits from this broadcast are missing. Otherwise, it's the complete broadcast.

Original air date December 25, 1990

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