Disney Makes Dreams Come True!
I remember when I was a little girl I went to Disneyland with my family shortly after its opening in 1955. I was so taken with the unique magic Walt Disney had created, that I dreamed of being able to work for Disney someday.
25 years later I became the host of Good Morning America and was sent to Orlando Florida to cover the 10th Anniversary of the opening of Disneyworld. A year later I was sent back again to broadcast live for a week for the 1982 opening of Epcot Center. I was getting to know the Disney execs who were feverishly working on the finishing details so that Walt Disney's dream for EPCOT could become a reality. They were all so proud to be a part of his "Florida Project." They told me the story of Walt sending a team to central Florida in the early 60’s to scout a location for a second theme park. They returned from Orlando saying it would never work because it was too far north, the weather would be too cold and it was too rural – not enough roads and infrastructure and a very tiny airport...and so on. But Walt had fallen in love with the area and was convinced that if he built it, they would come. (and boy did they!) He then, as the story goes, drew on a cocktail napkin the plan for the layout of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and the World Showcase. They purchased almost 30,000 acres and Walt said his dream was that the "Florida project" would never be "finished," that they should always be working to bring more magic to the people. A big dream! But a magical one that has delighted audiences for many generations.
In true Disney fashion, in the midst of the Epcot opening the Disney execs made a decision to begin another new project - televising live parades from the Florida theme park at Christmas and Easter. But for me, the fairy tale ending to this story is that they asked me to be the host for the parades! Now my Disney dream had come true!!
We broadcast our first Very Merry Christmas Parade in 1983, my co-host was Mike Douglas. Over the next 15 years my other co-hosts included Bruce Jenner, Ben Vereen, Alan Thicke, Rick Dees and Regis Philbin. My daughters Jamie, Lindsay and Sarah grew up spending a lot of time with me at Disneyworld, even performing in the parades. There came a time when my schedule became so demanding that I stopped hosting the parades, but I visit often and know enough trivia to step in at any moment as a Disney guide! It’s been so much fun to once again introduce my two sets of twins, now 4 and 5 years old to the Magic Kingdom. I see in their eyes the same wonderment that I felt the first time I visited Disneyland!
Isn’t it amazing how one man created so much magic!
Joan Lunden truly exemplifies today’s modern working woman. An award-winning journalist, bestselling author, motivational speaker, successful entrepreneur, one of America’s most recognized and trusted television personalities, this mom of seven continues to do it all. As host of Good Morning America for nearly two decades, Lunden brought insight to top issues for millions of Americans each day. The longest running host ever on early morning television, Lunden reported from 26 countries, covered 4 presidents and 5 Olympics and kept Americans up to date on how to care for their homes, their families and themselves.