I'm Going to Disney World



A series of popular ads running since the late 1980s following a noteworthy accomplishment, almost always something in the sports industry (i.e., winning the Super Bowl), and involving one of the Disney Theme Parks. They went a little something like this:

"Award Bait Song-style version of "When You Wish Upon a Star" swells over a montage of whatever game Player has just won. Announcer: "Player, you just won the Big Game! What are you going to do now?" Player: "I'm going to Disney (World/Land, depending on which part of the country the ad is broadcast in)!!!" Pretty shot of Cinderella Castle during the fireworks as the song fades out."

Ah, there simply is nowhere like the Happiest Place On Earth...

The slogan originated during a November 1986 dinner between Disney CEO Michael Eisner and his wife Jane, and the pilots Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, who had just completed a non-stop around-the-world flight. Jane Eisner asked what they were going to do next, to which they replied, "We're going to Disneyland." The Eisners latched onto the sentence as an ideal slogan, and Disney rushed a commercial into production. Featuring New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms, it ran two months later, immediately after Super Bowl XXI, and became instantly iconic. The slogan is still a popular Stock Phrase/Stock Parody.

Anime and Manga

 * There was a parody of this in the Anime Bobobo-Bo Bo-bobo where the main character at one point turns into a caterpillar, ends up becoming a cocoon, and later becomes a butterfly. The Narrator then pretty much entirely references this string of events, then asks "What are you gonna do next!?" to which he replies, "I'm going to Holy Guacamole Land!!"

Comic Books
"Roman legionary: "Hooray! I'm going to the circus!""
 * Probably related, since there wasn't a Disneyland yet: In the first Asterix album, a Roman legionary is commended and gets a free trip to the Circus Maximus in Rome.


 * Speedfreek, upon his introduction in the Hulk series, used various football metaphors left and right, and threw in the line about Disneyland as he was congratulating himself for killing a mobster.
 * After Squirrel Girl defeats Fin Fang Foom, she tells reporters she's going to Disneyland.

Film
"Reporter: "Hey, Topper Harley, now that you've killed the bad guy and made the world safe for democracy, what are you going to do to cash in on your newfound fame?" Harley: "I'm going to Disneyland!""
 * Hot Shots:

"Witchita You just traveled across zombie infested America. What are you going to do now? Little Rock Go to Pacific Playland!"
 * Aladdin: The Genie makes the Finger Framing gesture, like he was putting Aladdin in a TV frame, and asks, "You've just won the heart of the princess; what are you going to do next?" (as "When You Wish Upon a Star" swells in the background). Aladdin does not respond. While holding a script, Genie attempts to prompt him by saying, "Your line is, 'I'm going to free the Genie.' "
 * And of course, when Aladdin does set him free, Genie sports the "Walt Disney Theme Park Tourist" look...
 * In the stage show at California Adventure, after Genie is freed, he asks himself, "What are you gonna do next? I'm going to Disneyland!" (You know, since it's a short walk away...)
 * In Repossessed, when the Satan-possessed Linda Blair escapes from the TV studio run by Expies of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker after trapping them in a horse costume and has had her plans for possessing people through the airwaves foiled by Leslie Nielsen, she says this line. It Makes Sense in Context. Sort of.
 * "Balls of Fury" has young Randy Daytona say "I'm going to Disneyland" just before he collapses after tripping over a barrier in the Olympic ping-pong semifinals. This phrase comes back to haunt him when pingpong patron Feng acknowledges Daytona with the question "How was Disneyland?"
 * In the notoriously atrocious dub of The Thief and the Cobbler, when the thief steals the three golden balls from the top of the palace, he says "This one's gonna take me to Disneyland!"
 * Inverted in Welcome to The Dollhouse, where at the end of the movie Dawn does go to Disneyland with the school choir... but hates it.
 * Zombieland.

"Larkin: Where are you taking my plane? Cyrus: We're going to Disneyland!"
 * Con Air:

"Scolex: ''"Good Morning RoboGadget. You have just been animated by the most complex computer technology in the world. What are you going to do now?"" Robo Gadget: (Idea Bulb sound effect) "I'm gonna kick some butt!'"
 * Inspector Gadget


 * During the credits, the Gadgetmobile says "I'm goin' to Disneyland!"

Live-Action TV
"Maddie: Why should we go to Disney World? Sam: Because it's a magical kingdom with lots of witnesses and great security?"
 * Bill Nye the Science Guy "Magnets": An accomplished young woman is asked what she's going to do next. She replies, "I'm going to see "Compass Man"".
 * After Ellen came out of the closet, she quipped "I'm going to Disneyland" when asked by a psychologist what she planned to do next.
 * Amusingly enough, she did get that sweet role in Finding Nemo.
 * And she is the start and narrator of her own attraction about energy in EPCOT.
 * In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, after Will had won the first basketball game in Bel-Air Academy and ran over to the crowd, he shouted out 'I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!'
 * In Living Color parodied this twice.
 * The first spoof came after Clarence Thomas was confirmed as a Supreme Court justice despite a sexual harassment scandal almost derailing the effort. He shouts "I'm going to Girlie World!"—which turns out to be a strip club.
 * The second spoof turns up at the end of the Michael Jackson parody "Little Billy's Not My Lover", a send-up of the child molestation accusations leveled against him in 1993. An offscreen announcer asks what he's going to do now that his career faces ruin, and he replies, "I'm going to Thailand!"—since in Real Life the scandal broke just as Jackson launched the final leg of his Dangerous Tour there.
 * Burn Notice:

"Narrator: "What are you going to do now Santa?" Tom: "I'm going to Disney World!" Mike: "All references to Disney World are the property of the Walt Disney Corporation.""
 * The Nanny subverted this. Mr. Sheffield is reprimanding Fran for screwing up with one of the kids. When asked what she was going to do now, she yelled "I'm going to Disney World" before running in fear.
 * Mystery Science Theater 3000: Santa Claus

"Buffy: Maybe after this thing with Spike and the assassins is over, I could say, "Kendra, you slay, I'm going to Disneyland.""
 * In Season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, after Buffy learns that there's another Slayer now:

"Sophia: That's it, game over, I'm going to Disneyworld!"
 * In Wizards of Waverly Place, after Justin wins the 12 ball tournament, he announces "I'm going to Volcano Land". Except that Volcano Land is where wizards are drained of their powers. Oops!
 * Sophia does this one in a The Golden Girls episode.

Music
""Now that you have lost, where are you going?" "Hey, I'm going to Disney World!""
 * The phrase appears in the Timbuk 3 song "Disneyland (Was Made for You & Me)" from their 1991 album Big Shot in the Dark, and the song "Dizz Knee Land", a 1993 hit by Dada.
 * "Arrivederci, Cuomo" by the Capitol Steps:

Newspaper Comics
"Announcer: "Ralph, you just broke the world record and set a milestone in the history of flight! What are you going to do now?" Ralph: "I... I Need A Bedpan...""
 * Liberty Meadows:

"Jason and Marcus: "We're going to Disney World!""
 * Parodied in FoxTrot: During a story arc, in which Jason and Marcus consistently display their ineptitude for the sport of American Football, they appear to be psyching each other up for a serious play, telling each other that they "had to get this just right". Cut to a scene with the two of them and Jason's mom:

- Andy: "Oh you are, are you?"

"Rob: "Bucky Katt! You just broke every lamp in the house! Where are you going now?""
 * Get Fuzzy

Video Games
"Interviewer: "Leisure Suit Larry! You've just leapt from the 40th floor of a burning building! What are you going to do next?" Larry: "I think I'm going to... take a cruise!""
 * After you win the Backyard Football Championship in Backyard Football, a character always exclaims "I'm going to Walter Weasel World!"
 * Karla Keller's ending in the unreleased game Tattoo Assassins is a literal example of this trope.
 * In the beginning of Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love For Sail!:

Web Original
"Earthshattering Kaboom! Zorc: I've finally destroyed the world! Bakura: Well done, Zorc! What are you going to do now?! Zorc: I'm going to Disney World!... And then I'm going to destroy it!"
 * Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Movie


 * The Where Are They Now? Epilogue shows that Zorc couldn't destroy Disney World because it was too much fun. He destroyed EuroDisney instead.
 * From the Global Guardians PBEM Universe: Disney ran a series of these commercials, each starring a particular region's big-name hero. The most popular of this series starred nationally-known New York City hero Free Spirit, the Camp Gay self-appointed "Defender of Greenwich Village".
 * Parodied in the trailer for George Lucas Strikes Back were now that Star Wars has made millions of dollars George Lucas says hes going to Disneyland... to build a ride.
 * In Code Ment when discussing their next target, Lelouche says Disneyland.

Western Animation
"Parker: Okay, then get this… I think they want you to play McBain's sidekick in… brace yourself, the new McBain movie! Troy: McBain's sidekick? Hot damn! I'm going to Sea World!"
 * My Life as a Teenage Robot "Historionics": After escaping an island run amok with Uncle Wizzly's robot duplicates of historical figures, Brad asks what they should do next. Tuck eagerly replies, "I'm going to Wizzly World!" to which Brad responds, "Um... No."
 * The Simpsons, "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday": After winning the Super Bowl, a football player shouts, "Woo! I'm going to Disneyland!", to which a travel agent replies, "Really? You know, I'm a travel agent and I've heard nothing but bad things."
 * Also Troy Mc Clure in "A Fish called Selma" (a man who supposedly " sleeps with the fishes")

"Announcer: Hey, Yakko, Wakko and Dot! You've just finished another episode. What are you going to do next? Yakko: We're going to... the bathroom. (alternately:) We're going to... sleep."
 * Another episode has daredevil Lance Murdock proclaim he is "going to Duff Gardens" (a beer themed amusement park) after barely surviving a botched stunt, followed by an advert for the park.
 * As Disney and Warner Bros. animation have had a... friendly rivalry over the years, Animaniacs naturally took this on:

"Dot: King Yakko, now that you've won the war, what are you going to do? Yakko: I'm going to Dis... (he was then cut off by "Mr. Tator.")"
 * And in the episode "King Yakko,"

"Pat Summerall: I know where he's going. He's going to Dis..Beat Wait. I'm not sure where he's going."
 * On Tiny Toon Adventures, Babs parodied the 1987 commercial in her ad campaign to get people to come to her movie theater and watch Honey and Bosko cartoons.
 * From 1998-2001, Cartoon Network would have a cartoon special called "The Big Game" which was a spoof of the Super Bowl that aired the night before that game and would pit two traditional cartoon rivals against each other with commentary by then-FOX duo Pat Summerall and John Madden. The final match (in 2001) pitted Looney Tunes rivals Bugs and Daffy. After the game, Summerall briefly poked at both the catchphrase and the Disney-Warner Bros. rivalry with his comment.

"Presidential Aide: Mr. President, you've nearly destroyed the world! What are you going to do now? President: I'm going to Escalator Land!"
 * Parodied on Fairly Oddparents

""We're not going to Alaska!""
 * And in another episode:


 * Duckman exclaimed, "Yes! I'm going to Disney World!" after the judge presiding over his latest trial refuses to incarcerate him due to California's "three strikes" law.

Webcomics

 * In The Perpetual Aquarium, the fish have proudly announced "I'm going to Fishy World".
 * The Adventures of Superhero Girl: "Superhero Girl! You've made 100 comics! What are you going to do now?"

Real Life

 * Bruce Springsteen ended his recent Super Bowl halftime performance with "I'm going to Disneyland" as a Shout-Out.
 * Parodied by Phil Simms (former New York Giants quarterback and MVP of the Super Bowl this campaign was introduced in) during a locker room interview immediately afterward that included him remarked about him saying the phrase, then mocking it.
 * In the 2000s, a Disney Parks commercial aired weeks before the Super Bowl with NFL players chanting the phrase as a mantra during their training.
 * Upon winning the first UFC tournament, this was Royce Gracie's stated intention.
 * Michael Jackson jokingly said this after he won a trial once.
 * After D'Angelo and Amanda won Live To Dance, D'Angelo said "I'm going to Disney World!"
 * A much darker version: Richard Ramirez said this, after being sentenced to life in prison.