Wednesday January 15: Unofficial meet-ups at Magic Kingdom for Space Mountain’s 50th Birthday (Theme park admission and reservation required, “Promising Tomorrows” event registration not required)
9:00am – Meet outside of Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom (to the right of attraction entrance)
9:15am – Group ride on Space Mountain, followed directly by the PeopleMover and Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
11:00am – Group photo with Sonny Eclipse, followed by lunch at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe
12:30pm – Since we are all together at Magic Kingdom, we will go say our goodbyes as a group to the Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island
Thursday January 16: Special Edition of WDW News Tonight (Tickets Required)
7:00pm – WIGS Ultra member mixer
8:00pm – Doors open to all ticketed guests
9:00pm – Special episode of WDW News Tonight celebrating Space Mountain and New Tomorrowland, featuring “Where in the World is Tom Corless?” and more
Friday January 17: Meet & Greet and Signing Event with Special Guests (Tickets Required)
8:00pm – Signing and meet & greet event begins at WDWNT Celebration at 1136 Celebration Blvd.
Saturday January 18: Panels and Presentations at WDWNT Celebration (Tickets Required)
Event Welcome – 9:00am-9:10am
Tom Corless sets the stage for the event to come with a brief history of the development of Space Mountain and a remembrance of some of the instrumental Imagineers who prepared this Disney classic for liftoff.
Space Mountain Blasts Off – 9:10am-10:00am
Hear stories from the installation and tumultuous opening months of the original Space Mountain at Walt Disney World 50 years ago, plus the changes that made the Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland version so unique.
From the Earth to the Moon, From Sketch to Reality – 10:10am-11:10am
Former Imagineers Tim Delaney and Jim Mulder talk about the creation of the most unique Space Mountain, the attraction that saved Disneyland Paris from closure. Never-before-seen footage will reveal the special effects, and some of the behind-the-scenes antics of those who sent guests flying through the cosmos on Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune.
Synchronizing to Space: Beaming Beats to Disney’s Roller Coasters – 11:40am-12:30pm
THEA award-winning Imagineer Greg Kadorian provides a history of Disney’s innovation in adding audio to roller coasters, beginning with the very first to ever do so: Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris. See how this idea not only changed Disney theme parks, but also theme and amusement parks around the world forever.
Lunch break (food & drink included with event registration) -12:30pm-2:00pm
The Future That Never Was… Is Finally Here, Again – 2:00pm-3:15pm
Paul Osterhout and Eric Jacobson take guests on a journey through the development and execution of New Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom, and then provide a venue-by-venue tour of the establishments in this imaginary city of the future which was one of the first theme park lands to have an interconnected backstory between multiple attractions, shops, and restaurants.
Citizens of Tomorrowland: Alien Lounge Singers, Space Rangers, and Fathers – 3:30-5:00pm
This panel will cover multiple attractions across New Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom, taking a deep-dive on the creation, backstories, and easter eggs from Sonny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin with those who helped to create them.
Dinner Break (on your own) – 5:30pm – 8:00pm
An Unforgettable Encounter… The True Story of Disney’s Scariest Attraction EVER – 8:00pm-9:30pm
Former Imagineers Dan Molitor, Mike West, Greg Kadorian, and Darrin Hughes unearth the incredible story of one of the most controversial attractions of all-time and tell the real story of the cult-classic. The record will finally be set straight on what happened and how the two very different versions of the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter were created.