"The American Idol Experience" World Premiere: Motorcade and Blue Carpet

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DREAMS COME TRUE FOR DREW: Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees joins Mickey Mouse Feb. 8, 2010 in a celebratory parade in the Magic Kingdom. Brees, the quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, is the latest celebrity to star in the "I'm Going to Disney World!" and "I'm Going to Disneyland" commercials.

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DREAMS COME TRUE FOR DREW: Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees (left) signs an autograph Feb. 8, 2010 for Paul Grace (center) from Orlando, Fla., as his wife Lisa Grace (right) looks on in the Magic Kingdom. Brees, the quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, is the latest celebrity to star in the "I'm Going to Disney World!" and "I'm Going to Disneyland" commercials which aired only hours after the NFL championship game ended.

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DREAMS COME TRUE FOR DREW: Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees joins Mickey Mouse Feb. 8, 2010 in a celebratory parade in the Magic Kingdom. Brees led his team to a 31-17 victory over the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami.

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MUPPET-MANIA: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Sweetums take part in the new “Disney’s Honorary VoluntEars Cavalcade” at both Disneyland park in California and Magic Kingdom park in Florida. The cavalcade celebrates volunteerism and also features special floats and vehicles festooned with bright balloons and flanked by parade dancers.

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VOLUNTEAR CELEBRATION: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Sweetums take part in the new “Disney’s Honorary VoluntEars Cavalcade” at both Disneyland park in California and Magic Kingdom park in Florida. The cavalcade is part of the new volunteer initiative "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day."

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YEAR TO VOLUNTEAR: Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy take part in the “Disney’s Honorary VoluntEars Cavalcade,” which takes precedes “Celebrate! A Street Party” at Disneyland park and "Celebrate a Dream Come True" at Magic Kingdom park.

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SIGN OF THE TIMES: The new marquee sign at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort is installed on Jan. 28, 2010. The leading multi-sport venue for amateur and professional athletes in the nation, the complex is being relaunched with the signature elements of ESPN and will officially take its new name on Feb. 25, 2010.

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KICK IT UP A NOTCH: All-Pro NFL kicker Adam Vinatieri gives a young fan tips on how to kick during the 2007 edition of ESPN The Weekend at Disney's Hollywood Studios. More than 50 sports celebrities are scheduled to appear at this year's event, Feb. 25-28, 2010.

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INNOVATION IN ACTION: The ESPN Innovation Lab at ESPN Wide World of Sports provides ESPN a real-world testing facility as it develops ground-breaking on-air products. The lab is the first major element of a re-imagining project involving ESPN and the Walt Disney World sports complex.

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TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME: Spring Training fans at Champion Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex take in the action at the Atlanta Braves’ home-away-from-home, Walt Disney World Resort, where the Braves have held spring training since 1997.

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HELPING HANDS: Beginning Jan. 1, 2010 anyone who volunteers for an eligible project through HandsOn Network will receive a one-day theme park ticket to Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort. Disney is hoping to inspire one million people to give back to their communities through the unprecedented "Give a Day, Get A Disney Day" program.

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A DISNEY DAY: Walt Disney Company President and CEO, Robert Iger (left), Teri Hatcher, James Denton and HandsOn Network President, Amy Smith (right), join Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy Sept. 29, 2009 in Los Angeles, Calif., for the Disney Parks' announcement of the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" program for 2010.

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VOLUNTEAR: To celebrate volunteerism, Disney Parks will give a free one-day admission to a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort theme park to 1 million people in the U.S. and Canada who perform volunteer service with a participating organization starting Jan. 1, 2010. Guests can get more information by visiting www.disneyparks.com (for U.S. and Puerto Rico) or www.disneyparks.ca (for Canada).

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TIANA TRANSFORMATION: A sprinkle of pixie dust and a little help from the fairy godmother is all it takes for little princesses to feel like the newest Disney princess, Princess Tiana, at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.

"The American Idol Experience" World Premiere: Motorcade and Blue Carpet

(Feb. 12, 2009) -- LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – All seven “American Idol” winners and dozens more finalists gathered Thursday night at the Walt Disney World Resort for the world premiere of a groundbreaking attraction that includes all the thrills and suspense that have made “American Idol” into a television and pop culture phenomenon.

“The American Idol Experience” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park captures the energy and excitement of the TV series with some park guests auditioning to take the spotlight onstage while other guests cheer them on from the audience, voting for their favorite singer with instant results.

For tonight’s grand opening, “American Idol” winners, finalists and celebrities who have performed on the actual “American Idol” set in California came to see the twirling neon signs and multi-layered backdrop of “The American Idol Experience.” The 1000-seat venue is the most technologically advanced theater found at Walt Disney World Resort, created by Walt Disney Imagineering and the Hollywood set designer who designed the actual TV show set for “American Idol.”

“The American Idol Experience” includes an audition process open to Disney’s Hollywood Studios guests 14 and older (audition slots are limited and interested guests are encouraged to arrive early). These guests perform live in front of a Disney’s Hollywood Studios casting director for the opportunity to be cast in one of the preliminary theme park shows that same day.

If shown to have that special “star quality” during the multi-step audition process, it’s on to performance training, hair and make-up. Then, the lights come up and it’s showtime for the singers as they try to impress an audience of theme park guests, plus a panel of three expert judges. Fellow park guests will be able to enjoy the performances just like at a live television taping. Then, audience members vote for their favorite performance using the armrest touchpads, with their votes tallied to determine the top singer.

Performers with the highest votes during the preliminary shows will return for a high-energy, grand finale show that same evening. After their encore performances, the big moment arrives. It’s a super-charged, eye-popping scene as audience votes are tallied, the other performers drop off, music builds and the spotlight shines down, amid a blizzard of confetti, on the day’s top singer.

The American Idol Experience was developed by Walt Disney Imagineering in conjunction with FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) and 19 TV Ltd and based on the smash-hit television show “American Idol” – produced by 19 TV Ltd. and FremantleMedia North America (FMNA).