With a party that lasted 60 hours, Captain EO leaped off the screen in Tomorrowland in an intergalactic musical adventure that could only be seen here at Disneyland and Walt Disney World (and nowhere else in the universe). On the other side of the park, Big Thunder Trail welcomed more traffic in the area with the opening of Big Thunder Ranch. For the first time, Guests could visit with some of the animals from the Circle D Corral. Guests could also visit the new Big Thunder Barbecue, where they could drink from a glass jar and get their food from a "chuck wagon." Guests were not the only ones being fed: Cast Members and their friends and family joined in Hands Across America to help fight hunger and homelessness. One thousand three hundred participants held hands up Main Street, U.S.A , in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle and back down Main Street, U.S.A.

1984 was a grab bag of special events and activities. Summer Olympic fever spread from Los Angeles to Disneyland, and the pre-games Olympic Night Charity Benefit on May 24 brought in $600,000 to Team U.S.A. During the games, the park hosted hundreds of athletes on Olympic Spirit Weekends. Donald Duck finally got his due with a 50th Birthday Parade. The Magic Eye Theater replaced the Space Stage in Tomorrowland and premiered EPCOT Center's Magic Journeys 3D film. Elsewhere in Tomorrowland, Circle-Vision 360 reopened with a new sponsor (PSA) and two new breathtaking films: American Journeys and Wonders of China. The Country Bears received a special Christmas makeover for the first time. And the New Fantasyland was finally complete with the opening of the refurbished Alice in Wonderland

When Disneyland first opened, guests used tickets to gain admission to individual attractions. Those tickets eventually gave way to the A-E coupons, which could be used for multiple attractions. All tickets were retired in June of 1982 and replaced with the Passport - an all-encompassing ticket providing unlimited access to all attractions and shows (except the arcades). In Frontierland, Disney Legend Wally Boag hung up his carpet bag and officially retired from the Golden Horseshow Revue after over 39,000 performances. The SuperSpeed Tunnel along the PeopleMover route received a futuristic makeover and became the World of Tron, showing highlights from Disney's big summer film release, Tron, on massive circular screens.