History of the "I'm going to Disney World" ad campaign

What's Next? 'I'm Going to Disney World!' Declares Kurt Warner Of the World Champion St. Louis Rams After Super Bowl XXXIV

Now that quarterback Kurt Warner of the St. Louis Rams is a hero of Super Bowl XXXIV, what is he going to do next?

"I'm Going to Disney World!," beamed Warner Sunday night at the Georgia Dome, continuing a 14-year tradition ingrained in American pop culture.

Warner, chosen Most Valuable Player of the game, was 24-45 passing for 414 yards and two touchdowns.

With his victorious declaration Sunday after the Rams' 23-16 Super Bowl victory over the Tennessee Titans, Warner becomes the 28th star of Disney's "What's Next?" commercial. "What's Next?" winners have ranged from Super Bowl heroes to skating stars, NBA greats to baseball legends.

"What's Next?" began in 1987 when Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms of the New York Giants gleamed into the camera and uttered the now-famous catchphrase. The quickly produced commercials of Walt Disney Resort in Florida or Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. became legendary.

Warner joins stars of 13 previous Super Bowls in the "What's Next?" commercials. Football's Super Bowl has been the catalyst for the most "What’s Next" spots (14). There have been three "What’s Next" repeaters: Joe Montana (1989 and 1990), Emmitt Smith (1994 and 1997) and John Elway (1998 and 1999).

Chronology of "What's Next" Spots:

1999 Super Bowl XXXIII (Terrell Davis and John Elway, Denver Broncos) Women's World Cup (United States Championship Team)
1998 Super Bowl XXXII (John Elway, Denver Broncos)
Major League Baseball home run record (Mark McGwire, St. Louis Cardinals)
1997 Super Bowl XXXI (Desmond Howard, Green Bay Packers)
Santa Claus
1996 Super Bowl XXX (Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys)
1995 Super Bowl XXIX (Jerry Rice and Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers)
1994 Super Bowl XXVIII (Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys)
Olympics (Nancy Kerrigan, U.S. Figure Skater)
1993 Super Bowl XXVII (Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys)
Stanley Cup (Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens)
1992 Super Bowl XXVI (Mark Rypien, Washington Redskins)
1991 Super Bowl XXV (O.J. Anderson, N.Y. Giants)
NBA (Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls)
1990 Super Bowl XXIV (Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers)
Graduation (Jim Thompson of Temple University) (Matt Kaldenberg, Phyllis Kaldenberg and Laura McEwen of Simpson College)
1989 Super Bowl XXIII (Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers)
NHL (Al MacInnis, Calgary Flames)
NBA (Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons)
1988 Super Bowl XXII (Doug Williams, Washington Redskins)
Miss America (Gretchen Carlson)
World Series (Orel Hershiser, L.A. Dodgers)
NBA (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Lakers)
1987 Super Bowl XXI (Phil Simms, N.Y. Giants)
America's Cup (Dennis Conner)
NBA (Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers)
World Series (Frank Viola, Minnesota Twins)

-- Posted January 31, 2000

Source: Company Press Release