Despite the cancellation of the parade, the traditional “I’m going to Disney World” commercial will air after the big game, according to a report on the Disney Parks Blog on Friday.
“Disney Parks hopes to bring back our other Super Bowl traditions next year, including showing and cheering on football and Disney fans for their favorite player in the park,” the blog post said.
The tradition began in 1987 when New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms appeared in a commercial and uttered the now-famous phrase – which he pronounced “I’m going to Disney World” – after winning Super Bowl XXI.
The ads show clips of players and fans cheering and running around as the song “When You Wish Upon a Star” plays across the scenes. At the end, a narrator asks a player from the winning team, “What are you going to do now?” The player replies “I’m going to Disney World!”
This year’s matchup features two quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, who are familiar with the Disney ritual.
Last year, Mahomes concluded the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory in Super Bowl LIV with a fan-filled parade at Magic Kingdom after shouting out the iconic phrase he tweeted about seven years earlier.
“I bet it feels great to be the quarterback who says ‘I’m going to Disney World’ after winning the Super Bowl,” Mahomes tweeted on February 6, 2013.
Brady, of course, played in nine Super Bowls and won six, all with his previous team, the New England Patriots. This year, he is leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Chiefs.
Most Florida Disney parks are currently open with Covid-19 restrictions, including reduced capacity and mandatory face masks for all guests over 2 years old.
Disney Parks in Hong Kong, Paris and Los Angeles have been closed due to the pandemic.