Despite the cancellation of the parade, the traditional commercial “I’m going to Disney World” is scheduled to air after the big game, according to a post on the Disney Parks Blog on Friday.
“Disney Parks hopes to be able to bring back our other Super Bowl traditions next year, including allowing football and Disney fans to see and cheer for their favorite player in the park,” according to the blog post.
The tradition began in 1987, when New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms appeared in a commercial and said the now famous phrase – which he expressed as “I’m going to Disney World” – after winning Super Bowl XXI.
The ads show clips of players and fans cheering and running while the song “When You Wish Upon a Star” is played in the scenes. At the end, a narrator asks a player on the winning team: “What are you going to do next?” The player responds with “I’m going to Disney World!”
This year’s match features two defenders, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, who are familiar with the Disney ritual.
Last year, Mahomes ended the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory in the Super Bowl LIV with a parade full of fans at the Magic Kingdom, after shouting the iconic phrase he tweeted seven years earlier.
“I bet it’s amazing to be the defender who says ‘I’m going to Disney World’ after winning the Super Bowl,” said Mahomes tweeted on February 6, 2013.
Brady, of course, played in nine Super Bowls and won six of them, all with his previous team, the New England Patriots. This year, he leads the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Chiefs.
Most Disney parks in Florida are currently open with Covid-19 restrictions in place, including reduced capacity and mandatory face masks for all guests over 2 years of age.
Disney parks in Hong Kong, Paris and Los Angeles are closed because of the pandemic.