25 years ago, Epcot celebrated the coming of the Millenium with one of the best Disney Celebrations ever

As folks get set for a new era in Disney World, it’s fun to think back 25 years at one of the best Disney celebrations ever in the Millennium Celebration!

1999 was one of the best years for visiting Walt Disney World. Every park had something new, with the Magic Kingdom opening the Winnie the Pooh and Buzz Lightyear rides, Animal Kingdom first expanding with the Asia section, and the Disney-MGM Studios tossing in Rock n Roller Coaster and Fantasmic.

But Epcot was where the real changes were happening. After years of delays, Test Track finally opened and quickly became a smash hit. Then there was the much-maligned makeover of Journey Into Imagination while Communicore added in more fun. 

Yet Epcot was also home to what became the big celebration for Disney World which touched upon how all the world was prepping for the year 2000. It’s forgotten what a huge deal this was, including worries the Y2K virus would somehow bring technology to a crashing halt amid other wild ideas. 

Disney went ahead with this celebration in an amazing way to present some stuff that would end up creating a lasting legacy for the park. 

Illuminations: Reflections of the Earth

Illuminations had been a fantastic experience when it debuted in 1988 as fans loved the laser, lights and fireworks show. For the Celebration, Disney truly went all out to make it bigger and better than ever with “Reflections of the Earth.”

First, there was the spectacular new music courtesy of Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. It was fantastic, opening with the chaos of the universe being created with the music featuring loud drums and explosive fires about. It then moved to a quieter part as the Earth “settled down,” with lighter fireworks and various barges surrounding the Earth Globe, which projected images of the planet. Again, it was all mixed with the amazing music that built to the finale.

The finale was centered around the Earth Globe, which is historically the first spherical video screen. Between its massive 350-ton weight and the incredible then-cutting-edge technology needing multiple computers, the Globe was one of the most audacious Disney engineering items ever made and worth every penny. 

Throughout the show, attention was paid to the 19 torches set around the lagoon, one for each century. As the show reached its crescendo, the Globe opened up like a petal to reveal a 20th torch, this one bigger to show a unified world. That set off a wave of fireworks and lights, culminating in a display that could literally be seen for miles. 

The show was a hit that lasted until 2019 and still has to rank as one of the greatest Disney park spectacles ever. 

Tapestry of Nations

Epcot isn’t as known for its parades as the other WDW parks, but they pulled out the stops with this spectacle. The music was striking with a loud gong and ticking of the clock as the “Sage of Time” led a parade made up of the same “Puppet style” costumes as the Broadway Lion King musical. The clock motif continued with some of the costumes packed with clocks and one huge float being a massive “clock drum” that lit up at night.

The parade was good in the day but much better at night, with the costumes shining and the elaborate designs of wing spans, which were so captivating. It was later turned into Tapestry of Dreams and still a wonder to behold on video. 

The Millennium Village

The last addition to the World Showcase was Norway back in 1988. There have been talks of another pavilion for decades, but nothing has come of it yet. The closest to a new addition was the Millenium Village, which opened on October 1st. Located in a 60,000-square-foot area in between the UK and Canada pavilions, this offered guests a chance to explore scores of cultures under one roof.

Almost 50 countries were represented with displays ranging from small stands to more interactive exhibits. Brazil had displays of the Amazon, soccer, and the famed Carnival; Israel used actual stone steps from the city, a “time elevator” showing its history, and even a computer translating English phrases into Hebrew; Saudi Arabia likewise had a virtual reality show on the region while Scotland boasted mini-golf. There was also a food court offering selections of food from each nation.

It wasn’t a bad spot, giving guests plenty to walk around and admire. It’s still used today for Food and Wine Festivals, yet this was the closest World Showcase has come to expanding over the years. 

The Wand

Ah, yes, that wand. It must have sounded fun at the time, as a huge “2000” banner was placed on the side of Spaceship Earth with a wand attached. It wasn’t that bad at first as a temporary fixture, with most assuming it’d be taken down when the Celebration ended.

Instead, while the year part was dropped, that wand stuck around for quite a while to become a divisive point for Disney fans. Some liked it, many more loathed it and so were happy it was finally removed in 2007. Like it or not, it was a key part of Epcot for a while to be a legacy of the Celebration.

The Leave a Legacy markers

This was a big deal in 1999 as guests were given a chance to have their likenesses become a permanent part of Epcot. For a fee, they’d have their photo taken, which would then be etched into steel tiles and placed on huge stone panels at the entrance before Spaceship Earth. 

I will admit my own face is among the thousands there as I took part in this in a 1999 trip. The Legacy photos would last until 2007 with more tiles added on. In 2019, Epcot began its makeover, which involved moving those panels to a new location but still remaining for those who took part. 

Pin trading

Yes, believe it or not, a trend Disney fans now take for granted got its start for the Millennium Celebration. It’s funny how Disney thought this would only be a gimmick for the Celebration itself, only to realize how much guests loved trading the pins back and forth and choosing favorites. So we have the Celebration to thank for the pins becoming a mainstay of Disney parks worldwide.

The Celebration officially ended on January 1, 2001, which (as some would argue) was the true start of the millennium. Parts of it remained like the Wand and the Tapestry later got a second life as a “Lockdown Special” during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Overall, this ranks as one of the best festivals in Disney history and 25 years later still remembered for that magical time when the dawn of the 21st century offered so much promise to the world.