Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade (1992)

This is the tenth 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 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 their golden age reach its peak 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 Aladdin. 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 Disney/MGM Studios, EPCOT Center, Splash Mountain, Aladdin's Royal Caravan Parade, Home Improvement, Mickey's Toon Town and other attractions.

Joan Lunden and Regis Philbin co-host this parade with Ed McMahon, Leanza Cornett, and John Davidson as correspondents at the other Walt Disney parks.

Lunden was then the current co-host of Good Morning America and Regis was a well known talk show host vet. This archetype of hosts for the parade broadcasts would continue with the parade for decades even though the hosts would change. McMahon was best known as the second banana on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. He also had his own series at the time, Star Search. Cornett was the current Miss America and had been the first actress to play Ariel in Walt Disney World at the Voyage of The Little Mermaid attraction in 1991. Davidson had been a Walt Disney star in The Happiest Millionaire and The One and only Genuine Original Family Band. By the 90's he was a complementary game show host.

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

Original air date December 25, 1992

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