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Aladdin was on ABC Family last night. A really good Disney movie. It was the third of the big comeback movies for Disney Animation. Little Mermaid was released in 1989, the Beauty and the Beast in 1991 and then Aladdin in 1992. Two years later and The Lion King would round out the comeback that people had said would never happen. It was an amazing thing for the Disney studios to be in the pickle they were in at that time; they weren’t releasing many good animated features and had seemed to have lost their way. With these four films though, the Disney name started being associated with good animated features again. These will be the movies that a whole generation will remember when they are older. These will be their Peter Pan or Cinderella. Before Pixar took over animation in the late 1990’s these four films were Disney’s resurrection and the Walt Disney Company knows this. You can see their status in the revival in the company when you are in the Walt Disney World Resort. All four of these great movies from the 90’s are honored as their ancestors (the great feature films of the 30’s and 40’s) are in Walt Disney World. They have attractions based on them. If you think of Walt Disney World when you were a kid, you may remember Peter Pan’s Flight or the Dumbo’s ride. Once the studio began making great animated features in the 90’s, they decided to update the parks and add new life to them by adding some characters and attractions based on these new films, so that a new generation of park guests would have Magical Experiences based on what they grew up with. So, today I present to you the Unknown Magic of How Disney Honored these four great films of the 1990’s.

The first way they honor these films is with Character meet and greets. Aladdin and Princess Jasmine as well as Belle and the Beast can both be seen in Epcot. Bell and Jasmine are also featured in the Character Breakfast in Epcot’s Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, which also features the other Disney Princesses. And for a Magical Experience, if you go into the Morocco Pavilion, you can have your picture taken in front of a mural which makes it look like the streets of Agrabah are behind you. But this isn’t the only place Aladdin is honored in Disney World; in the Magic Kingdom you can actually ride the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. This attraction located in Adventureland is a fun ride for all ages.

Beauty and the Beast is also honored in Disney World with an attraction. Their attraction is actually a Broadway Styled Musical show. This show is performed daily in the 1,500-seat Theater of the Stars in the Disney Hollywood studios. The show itself takes about 25 minutes and is quite spectacular. Not far from this venue, another 15 minute musical show takes place. This one is called the Voyage of The Little Mermaid. It combines live action with movie clips and puppetry, to present the story and honor the Little Mermaid.

The Animal Kingdom is the perfect place to honor the last released of the comeback movies. The Lion King is honored with its own show called Festival of the Lion King, which is an unbelievable show that combines singing dancing acrobats and other performers. This 30 minute show retells the story of the lion king in a different way that is guaranteed to make amaze you and give you a Magical Experience.

But these films aren’t just honored with their own attractions. They are all honored in another attraction together. This attraction is one of my all time favorites; it is Mickey’s Philharmagic. If you haven’t been to this attraction I won’t ruin it for you, but I will tell you that each of these four films is featured in the “show” in Mickey’s Philharmagic.

So, now you know, the Disney Studios had a rebirth of sorts in the 1990’s when four wonderful animated features were made. These four films not only turned the Disney Studios around, but they also made Disney the animated studio again. All four have taken their places of honor in the Walt Disney World Resort. So, if Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid or The Lion King is your favorite Disney movie, you can enjoy them in Walt Disney World, just like you can if your favorite is Snow White or Peter Pan, by experiencing them as attractions.