Disney’s ‘What’s Next’ Commercial stars Hines Ward

Well the Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL with an Extra Large helping of heart to beat the Seattle Seahawks. Ending the career of running back Jerome ‘the Bus’ Bettis on a high note was one of the Steeler’s driving factors. So it makes sense that Hines Ward, the MVP of the game, gave the Bus his due in his ‘What’s Next’ Commercial.

On Monday, Ward and Bettis were scheduled to go to Walt Disney World
Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., for a celebratory parade down Main
Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom. The procession, also including
football stars of the future from NFL Youth Football hosted by Emmitt
Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, was to cap Disney’s most
visible "I’m going to Disney World" presence in two decades of the TV
spot.

Here’s a link to the full commercials (they recorded two – one for Walt Disney World and one for Disneyland) and below the cut you can read the whole Disney press release. The Super Bowl parade is usually just before the regularly scheduled afternoon parade.

[Tags: disney, abc, superbowl, Super+bowl, disney+world]

DETROIT — Wide receiver Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday night became the latest sports hero to pause in the afterglow of
triumph and shout the famous phrase "I’m going to Disney World!" as
part of the production for one of TV’s most enduring and celebrated
commercials. But this time, there was more: Veteran Pittsburgh running
back Jerome "The Bus" Bettis joined in the commercial as Super Bowl MVP
Ward added, "And I’m taking The Bus."

The pronouncement, captured on tape at Detroit’s Ford Field just
moments after Pittsburgh’s 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in
Super Bowl XL, became the latest episode of the "I’m going to Disney
World" commercial produced over a 20-year span.

When the first of the series appeared in 1987 (featuring New York
Giants quarterback Phil Simms following his team’s triumph in Super
Bowl XXI), the commercial was regarded as a groundbreaking concept — a
produced national commercial involving a current event, airing on major
networks hours after the event. And this latest installment — the 36th
in the long-running series — will follow a similar script, airing Feb.
6 — the day after Super Bowl XL.

Also on Monday, Ward and Bettis were scheduled to go to Walt Disney
World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., for a celebratory parade down
Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom. The procession, also
including football stars of the future from NFL Youth Football hosted
by Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, was to cap Disney’s
most visible "I’m going to Disney World" presence in two decades of the
TV spot.

Disney this year worked with the NFL to create a retrospective of
the game’s heroes and 20 years of the "I’m going to Disney World"
campaign, then projected the presentation onto a downtown Detroit
skyscraper during evening hours of the days leading up to the Super
Bowl. Accompanied by lively music celebrating the sport and Detroit’s
heritage, the dazzling visuals — up to 150 feet high — added to the
fun of Detroit’s Motown Winter Blast, a combination of hip and fun
winter sports for the entire family to enjoy in Campus Martius Park.

Next came a 60-second commercial that aired during the pregame
broadcast and at halftime of the game featuring players from both Super
Bowl teams — including Ward and Bettis — practicing to deliver the
iconic catchphrase "I’m going to Disney World."

Then, for the first time ever, Disney did a post-game reveal of a
player to be featured in the "I’m going to Disney World" spot,
projecting the image of Ward XL — extra large — onto the side of a
building in Campus Martius Park Sunday night after the game.

Ward and Bettis join a lineup of sports heroes such as Tom Brady,
Emmitt Smith, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Joe Montana, John Elway, Jerry
Rice, Troy Aikman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Doug Williams, Magic Johnson
and Patrick Roy who have been featured during the two decades of "I’m
going to Disney World" commercials.