Disney World's 50th anniversary: The parks come to life at night

Walt Disney World theme park icons will each come to life at night as they are transformed into a Beacon of Magic.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Walt Disney World kicks off its 50th anniversary celebration on Friday, dubbed ‘The World’s Most Magical Celebration.’

Festivities begin on October 1st, the same day the theme park company opened its first Florida park in 1971, and go for 18 months as new experiences debut across the resort.

Walt Disney World theme park icons will each come to life at night as they are transformed into a Beacon of Magic.

"Cinderella Castle, Spaceship Earth, Hollywood Tower Hotel, and the Tree of Life will each shine like never before and come to life on select nights with their own unique EARidescent glow," Disney Park Blog reported.

"It’s going to be quite the celebration. And what’s a celebration without music? Platinum-selling songwriter and music producer Alana Da Fonseca answered the call to create an original anthem for the 50th Anniversary, collaborating with award-winning composer Emily Bear and singing phenom Journi on ‘The Magic Is Calling.’ Da Fonseca’s pop music style, Bear’s soaring orchestrations and Journi’s magical vocal performance come together to create a song that is all at once nostalgic, inspirational and contemporary," Disney explained.

Cinderella Castle illuminates with a dazzling radiance and pixie-dust sparkle when it transforms into a Beacon of Magic at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, as part of the resorts 50th anniversary celebratio

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"Throughout the 50th Anniversary Celebration, ‘The Magic Is Calling’ will also be included in special live entertainment moments across Walt Disney World Resort. You’ll hear the anthem during Mickey’s Celebration Cavalcade, featuring the "EARidescent 8" each day at Magic Kingdom Park, and listen for custom arrangements of the song performed by everyone from the Main Street Philharmonic and Dapper Dans to the Discovery Island Drummers and Voices of Liberty," they added.

The next 18 months will be magical for Disney park lovers. You can check out our complete guide to the 50th anniversary celebration here.

The Hollywood Tower Hotel is awash in a brilliance evoking the golden age of imagination and adventure when it transforms into a Beacon of Magic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, as part of the re

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New lights shine across the reflective panels of Spaceship Earth, connecting to one another like stars in a nighttime sky and creating a mesmerizing symbol of optimism when it transforms into a Beacon of Magic at EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort in

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A warm light emanates from the Tree of Life when it transforms into a Beacon of Magic at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, as part of the resorts 50th anniversary celebration. (David Roark, p

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Watch FOX 35 News for the latest updates on ‘The World’s Most Magical Celebration.'