Welcome to the World: The First Walt Disney World TV Special and Space Mountain’s Grand Debut 1975

Filmed on location all around Walt Disney World Florida, Welcome to the World originally aired on March 23, 1975, as an episode of “The Wonderful World of Disney” Hosted by Lucie Arnaz, Lyle Waggoner, and Tommy Tune. What started as the grand opening of Walt Disney Worlds Space Mountain turned into a much bigger television special.   The television special was titled Welcome to the World because it was the FIRST network TV special to take place at Walt Disney World Resort.

The action starts with our hosts checking into one of Walt Disney World’s resorts, The Polynesian, Contemporary, and Fort Wilderness, all singing that they have come to see “The New Space Mountain”.   The first part of the musical extravaganza has Lucie Arnaz singing in and around The Polynesian and finding a boat to the Magic Kingdom. Lyle is making his way from the Contemporary via monorail, and Tommy somehow arrives via the Magic Kingdom Railroad from Fort Wilderness.

America’s newest musical family is up next, The Rhodes Kids, from the Tomorrowland Terrace, but not the Tomorrowland terrace you know today – The stage, which we watch rise from the floor where was that?

Lucie Arnaz encounters Scotty Plummer during the special and shares how Walt Disney World offers so much to see, it’s impossible to rush through it. Cue the music! The song lists iconic attractions: Mickey Mouse, a Haunted House, a firetruck, Donald Duck, a backwoods trail, a monorail, long canoes, a Jungle Cruise, singing bears, Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs (Grumpy, Sneezy, Bashful, Sleepy, Happy, and Doc), toys, balloons, a lagoon, a riverboat, swans, geese, and the Polynesian Resort. And that’s just the first verse!

Recorded in March, the special features a vibrant performance by the Wooden Soldiers, who join Lucie Arnaz for a lively dance number.

The “Space Mountain Eve” party takes place at the Caribbean Plaza in Adventureland—a perfect venue for the celebration. Special guests join in the festivities before the grand opening.

The special concludes with the Space Mountain dedication, featuring 50,000 balloons, 1,000 doves, and a 2,000-piece marching band lining the PeopleMover track. Astronauts Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, and Jim Erwin were in attendance to mark the occasion.

Of course, the hosts enjoyed one of the first rides on Space Mountain. Lucie Arnaz wraps up the special with a heartfelt invitation: “We hope one day you can get down here and experience this joy for yourself.”