Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade Celebrates Its 25th Year on Dec 25 Telecast
Highlights Include Performances by Miley Cyrus ("Hannah Montana"), Billy Ray Cyrus, Jonas Brothers ("Camp Rock"), "High School Musical's" Corbin Bleu, "American Idol" winner David Cook, the cast of Broadway's "Mary Poppins," Sarah Brightman, stars of Playhouse Disney's "Imagination Movers" and Jose Feliciano
(Posted November 24, 2008) For 25 years, children of all ages have unwrapped the magic of Disney on Christmas day on ABC. This year the Emmy Award-winning "Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade" celebrates its silver anniversary with a two-hour television extravaganza. The special, hosted by Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa (co-hosts of "Live with Regis & Kelly") and Ryan Seacrest ("Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2009 with Ryan Seacrest"), will air Thursday, December 25 (10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., ET and 9:00-11:00 a.m., CT, MT, PT; check local listings) on the ABC Television Network. Hollywood's biggest names and Disney's most beloved characters will bring the holiday magic home in song and style as they light up the holiday from Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California.
Superstar sensation Miley Cyrus ("Hannah Montana")
will kick off the show at Walt Disney World with a blockbuster performance of
"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." Miley's dad, Billy Ray Cyrus ("Hannah
Montana"), will also rock and roll with his Christmas single, "Run Rudolph Run."
The hottest teen band in the country, the Jonas Brothers ("Camp Rock"), will
perform their Christmas tune, "Joyful Kings," and Corbin Bleu, star of Disney's
blockbuster "High School Musical" films, heads to the front of the class for an
A+ act, singing a Disney Parks original song, "Celebrate You." "American Idol"
winner David Cook will put his rocker spin on a holiday classic, and musical
legend Jose Feliciano performs his holiday hit, "Feliz Navidad." The song,
beloved around the world, has been honored as one of the "25 Greatest Holiday
Songs of the Century." Broadway comes to Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic
Kingdom as cast members from Broadway's "Mary Poppins" are joined by hundreds of
dancers performing choreography from the smash hit,
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." The stars of Playhouse Disney's
"Imagination Movers" series sing an original holiday song, "Give a Gift," and
world-class soprano Sarah Brightman will perform an inspirational holiday song
from her new Christmas album, "A Winter Symphony."
At the heart of the show is the parade itself,
where favorite Disney and Pixar characters take center-stage for television's
happiest parade as it makes its way down Main Street, U.S.A. at Walt Disney
World in Florida and Disneyland in California. Also, show-stopping musical
numbers such as "Festival of the Lion King," featuring favorite Disney songs,
will create memorable musical moments the entire family will enjoy.
This year's show will be broadcast in HD, and it
will also be broadcast in English and Spanish (SAP).
-- Posted November 24, 2008