The Happiest Homecoming on Earth, marketed outside of the United States of America as the Happiest Celebration on Earth is the eighteen-month long celebration hosted by The Walt Disney Company in honor of the fiftieth birthday of the American theme park Disneyland.

Locations

• Disneyland Resort - Anaheim, California, USA
• Walt Disney World Resort - Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA
• Tokyo Disney Resort - Urayasu, Japan
• Disneyland Resort Paris - Marne-la-Vallee, France
• Hong Kong Disneyland Resort - Hong Kong

Details - Disneyland

As the celebration is in honour of Disneyland's fiftieth birthday, the majority of celebrations takes place at the park itself. Before the official opening of the celebrations, 2004 saw castmembers and Disneyland Resort President Matt Ouimet posing for an aerial photo above Disneyland, each person holding a piece of coloured card that formed a collage of Mickey Mouse. 2005 sees many classic Disneyland attractions re-opening after lengthy - and much needed - refurbishments, such as The Enchanted Tiki Room and Space Mountain. A new attraction will open in Disneyland's Tommorowland: Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and a new parade featuring Pixar characters at Disney's California Adventure; Block Party Bash. Disneyland has been refurbished generally, with the second phase of the re-paint of Tomorrowland commencing after the base silver and blue scheme was laid. Repaints of Main Street USA and Sleeping Beauty Castle have also taken place, and the castle will be specially decorated for the celebration.

The un-official celebrations will begin on July 15, 2005 - fifty years to the day of the opening of Disneyland - but officially the celebration is launched on May 5 in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, at 1pm.

Details - Everything But Disneyland

After the plans for the celebrations were announced, much of the critism was from Disneyland die-hard fans, who were angry at the amount of things going on at other parks when the celebration should be focused on Disneyland itself.

Walt Disney World Resort

The most profiting Disney resort has at least one new attraction at each of its parks - minus the Magic Kingdom;

• Magic Kingdom

Major refurbishment of "it's a small world", decoration of Cinderella Castle, opening of Cinderellabration show

• Epcot

Opening of Soarin', imported from Disney's California Adventure at Disneyland Resort

• Disney-MGM Studios

Major refurbishment of the Streets of America, opening of Lights, Action, Motors Stunt Show, imported from Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Resort Paris

• Disney's Animal Kingdom

Minor refurbishment of 'Africa', opening of Expedition Everest

Tokyo Disney Resort

The only non-Disney-owned resort is not exempt from the celebration. Tokyo Disneysea is getting a rollercoaster - Raging Spirits - and a new Tower of Terror is under construction, although it will not be endorsed by The Twilight Zone, it will have its own unique backstory.

Disneyland Resort Paris

A new land (not until 2009 although) and refurbishments of the Walt Disney Studios is really all that is going on at the resort formerly known as Euro Disney. The fourth Twilight Zone Tower of Terror will open in 2006 at the Studios.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

The fifth worldwide resort is opening as part of the celebration, in September 2005, with one theme park and two hotels.

Attraction Trading

Disney's California Adventure to Epcot - Soarin'
Disney-MGM Studios to Walt Disney Studios Paris - Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Disney-MGM Studios to Tokyo Disneysea - Tower of Terror
Walt Disney Studios to Disney-MGM Studios - Lights, Cameras, Motors Stunt Show
Magic Kingdom to Disneyland Paris - Wishes (fireworks)
Tokyo Disneyland to Magic Kingdom - Cinderellabration!
Tokyo Disneyland to Disneyland - Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

Season Timeline

July 17, 1955 - Disneyland opened by Walt Disney, Art Linkletter and Ronald Reagan
May 5, 2004 - Happiest Homecoming on Earth details are announced by Michael Eisner, Robert A. Iger and Julie Andrews
May 5, 2005 - The Happiest Homecoming on Earth officially is opened at Disneyland by Michael Eisner, Matt Ouimet and Art Linkletter with a live video conference between the five Magic Kingdom theme parks on three continents
July 15, 2005 - Space Mountain is expected to re-open at Disneyland after a three year hiatus
July 17, 2005 - Disneyland's 50th birthday is officially commemorated with a dedication
November 5, 2005 - The celebration ends with a special fireworks display at Disneyland