New “Magic is Calling” Song for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary

A new song is coming for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary! We have a video previewing the new anniversary anthem, behind the scenes info, and a rundown of our favorite past songs. Plus, new concept art for the Beacons of Magic launching as part of the World’s Most Magical Celebration, the 18-month event that kicks off on October 1, 2021. (See our Guide to Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary for more info!)

As is customary for milestone anniversaries, Walt Disney World has created a song that will be incorporated into elements of the celebration. Platinum-selling songwriter and music producer Alana Da Fonseca answered the call to create an original anthem for the World’s Most Magical Celebration.

She collaborates with award-winning composer Emily Bear, plus singing phenom Journi on “The Magic Is Calling,” created specifically for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. Da Fonseca’s pop music style, Bear’s soaring orchestrations and Journi’s magical vocal performance come together to create a song that is all at once nostalgic, inspirational and contemporary…

“It’s such a tremendous honor to write something that celebrates a place that brings so much joy to so many people,” said Da Fonseca. “There’s magic all around us, and when you’re there, you are feeling it at every turn.”

You can start hearing “The Magic is Calling” soon in a variety of ways, as the song invites all guests to join the celebration. Which brings us to the new Beacons of Magic concept art for each of the 4 parks at Walt Disney World:

This concept art looks awesome, but it’s important to remember that it’s exactly that–highly stylized and fantastical art not necessarily fully reflective of what guests will see.

An “expectations check” might be in order. We almost certainly are not going to see pixie dust flying out of the top spire of Cinderella Castle, or random lens flare and bokeh on Sunset Boulevard. Nevertheless, I’m hyped. This looks cool.

Above is the video Walt Disney World released previewing the making of “The Magic is Calling.” Per Disney, this anniversary anthem will connect to all four parks.

Different arrangements of the song will be heard when each Walt Disney World theme park icon transforms into a magnificent Beacon of Magic at night, beckoning all to come and celebrate.

Throughout the 50th Anniversary Celebration, “The Magic Is Calling” will also be included in special live entertainment moments across Walt Disney World Resort.

You’ll hear the anthem during Mickey’s Celebration Cavalcade, featuring the “EARidescent 8” each day at Magic Kingdom Park, and listen for custom arrangements of the song performed by everyone from the Main Street Philharmonic and Dapper Dans to the Discovery Island Drummers and Voices of Liberty.

That all sounds fantastic to me. As regular readers undoubtedly know, we love theme park music, have a huge collection of Disney parks songs, and play background music regularly (see here and here and here).

With that in mind, I thought it’d be fun to share some of our celebratory favorites here from Walt Disney World and beyond for those who are newer to fandom (a couple of these are still used in various locations around the parks, so you might find them vaguely familiar even if you’ve never heard the full songs):

There are a ton of others, many of which are not available online. If you’re hearing some of these for the first time, some of them might sound cheesy or date.

For those of us who visited back then, the Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary and Millennium Celebration music is the soundtrack of our nostalgia and memories. (Kellie Coffey is basically the singing equivalent of Stacey Aswad.)

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

Your Thoughts

What do you think? Excited for a new anniversary anthem for Walt Disney World’s 50th? Hope this will go down with the greats like “Remember the Magic” or the “Tapestry of Nations” soundtrack? Do you agree or disagree with our thoughts? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!

14 Responses to “New “Magic is Calling” Song for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary”
  1. Jack Burkhead September 25, 2021
  2. stottiecake August 16, 2021
  3. Julie August 15, 2021
  4. Laura August 14, 2021
  5. Tessa August 13, 2021
  6. Suzie August 13, 2021
  7. Maggie August 13, 2021
  8. Bill S. August 13, 2021
  9. Cindy Curtis August 13, 2021
  10. Rhonda Bursley August 13, 2021
  11. SweetCaroline74 August 13, 2021
  12. Mickey1928 August 13, 2021
  13. Victoria August 13, 2021
  14. Kimberly August 13, 2021

Leave a Reply to Bill S. Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *