1994 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade: Lion King, Alien, Nancy, Disneyland 40th & More

Hosts and Opening Highlights

This year’s Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade begins with a presidential message from President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald kick off the musical opening with a cheerful “Merry Christmas and Welcome to the Show.”

Live from the Walt Disney World Resort, it’s the “Emmy Award-Winning” Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade featuring two magical parades: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parade from the Magic Kingdom and the Lion King Celebration from Disneyland.

Hosts Joan Lunden and Regis Philbin broadcast from Walt Disney World, joined by Home Improvement’s Jonathan Taylor Thomas from Disneyland. Special guests include Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan and All-American Girl Margaret Cho.

Magic Kingdom Highlights

Penn State’s Marching Band leads off the Magic Kingdom parade, followed by Mickey, Minnie, and the toy soldiers.  Cinderella Castle becomes the backdrop for Tuba Christmas, featuring over 650 tuba players in a massive musical gathering.

Margaret Cho visits the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney MGM Studios.

Regis gives us a sneak peek at the all-new Tomorrowland, including Timekeeper, Astro Orbiter, Space Mountain, and Alien Encounter.

EPCOT95 and Planet Hollywood

Over at EPCOT, the parade highlights Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, the latest 3D attraction for EPCOT95. Regis sends a family to preview it, adding a futuristic flair to the day.

The stars shined at the grand opening of Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney, which featured appearances by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Demi Moore.

Disneyland’s 40th & Lion King Celebration

Jonathan Taylor Thomas celebrates Disneyland’s 40th Anniversary with a preview of the Indiana Jones Adventure. Roy E. Disney reflects on Walt’s vision, emphasizing Disneyland’s evolution, including Toontown and upcoming expansions.

The Lion King Celebration Parade roars to life at Disneyland, showcasing iconic floats and choreography. Interesting note: The Lion King floats used in Disneyland’s parade are now part of Walt Disney World’s Festival of the Lion King—still going strong over 30 years later.

We also get a preview of the Tournament of Roses Parade and a little history including Disney’s float, the original Snow White float from 1938, and Walt Disney Hislef serving as the Grand Marshal honor for the 1966 parade.

Animation, Jungle Book & Nancy Kerrigan

A sneak peek at Disney’s upcoming animated film Pocahontas offers an early glimpse at what would become one of the studio’s next blockbusters. Nancy Kerrigan performs at Magic Kingdom with a behind-the-scenes segment that reveals Nancy rehearsing and answering questions from young fans before performing on real ice in front of Cinderella Castle.

Jason Scott Lee and Sean Naegeli appear at the Jungle Cruise to promote the live-action Jungle Book, which premieres the same day as this parade broadcast.

Grand Finale

The show wraps with a musical number on the Castle Stage and Santa Claus himself makes the grand finale appearance.

Looking for more nostalgia? Try the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parades, Happy Easter Parades. 4th of July Spectaculars and the Disney Family Albums.