this day in disney history

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7/8

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1933:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]D[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]isney's Mickey Mouse cartoon [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Ye Olden Days[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] and the Silly Symphony cartoon [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Father Noah's Ark[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] are both released. [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]In [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Ye Olden Days[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] (directed by Bert Gillett) Mickey and his friends put on a musical play in Medieval times. Mickey plays a wandering minstrel who saves Princess Minnie from having to marry Dippy Dawg (later known as Goofy), the Prince of Poopoopadoo! The Silly Symphony short, directed by Wilfred Jackson, is a musical retelling of the Biblical story of Noah and the ark[/FONT]
1939:

The British mouse-mag Mickey Mouse Weekly [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]introduces the Lone Ranger (already popular with American kids) to its readers. A free Lone Ranger mask is included in the issue.
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1946:

Film and television actor Stuart Pankin is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His Disney credits include Dinosaurs, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, Zenon: The Zequel, That's So Raven, Zenon: Z3, Higglytown Heroes, and The Suite Life on Deck[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif].

1973:
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Disneyland's Main Street Opera House debuts The Walt Disney Story (presented
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by Gulf Oil) with special guest Mrs. Lillian Disney Truyens. A biography of Walt Disney's life,
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the 23-minute film (which features rare footage) is narrated by Walt himself from interview recordings. Also on
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display - photographs from family archives, a collection of memorabilia, and national and international awards
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presented to Walt over his lifetime. The Walt Disney Story replaces Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (although
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]the two shows will later be combined into one single attraction). The Walt Disney Story will be officially dedicated May 6.

1974:
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Walt Disney World's Treasure Island (later to be called Discovery Island) opens to the public. [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Located on Bay Lake behind the Contemporary Hotel, the 11.5-acre island features wildlife (such as birds, reptiles, and mammals). A beached hull of a sailing ship on the island's southwest shore and a light pirate theme (complete with Cast Members in costume) set the stage for this "tropical island paradise."

1984:
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Actress Kirsten Storms is born in Orlando, Florida. Her Disney credits include the title character in Disney
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Channel's 1999 original movie Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (which had the largest rating for any Disney Channel original movie at the time) and the sequels Zenon: The Zequel and Zenon: Z3. Storms' voice credits include Belle's Tales of
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Friendship, Sing Me a Story with Belle, and Kim Possible (as Bonnie Rockwaller). She also appeared in the 1999 Disney
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Channel Original Movie Johnny Tsunami and a 2003 episode of That's So Raven.
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(Fans of General Hospital[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] will know Storms from her role of Maxie Jones.)

1998:
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At Disney-MGM, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (which began construction last month) sets the record for the largest "concrete pour" at a Walt Disney attraction! On this day, the gravity building's mat foundation is poured
2008:
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Thousands of Disneyland park guests gather around King Arthur's Carrousel to watch
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Disney's top brass dedicate a special carousel horse to legendary performer Julie
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Andrews. "Jingles," the lead carrousel horse, commemorates Andrews' service as the theme park's ambassador during
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its 50th anniversary, as well as her contributions to the company over the past 44 years (Andrews played the lead role in
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Disney's feature film Mary Poppins). Jingles features a hand-painted, colorful jewel-tone palette including embellishments
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of gold leaf horseshoes. A miniature, one-of-kind replica of Jingles is also presented to Andrews on this day​

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4/9

1954:
Actor Dennis Quaid, the star of Disney's 2002 live-action release The Rookie, is born in Houston, Texas. Quaid played Jimmy Morris, a real-life chemistry teacher/baseball coach who had a brief but famous Major League Baseball career. Quaid also starred in the 1998 remake of Disney's The Parent Trap, playing the role of Nick Parker - the father of identical twins. His Touchstone Pictures' credits include the 2004 The Alamo and the 2003 Cold Creek Manor
1961:
The TV series Walt Disney Presents airs "Battle for Survival."

At Disneyland, Walt Disney himself dedicates the Snow White Wishing Well and
Grotto - adjacent to Sleeping Beauty Castle. Guests can make a wish and droptheir coins to benefit children’s charities all around the world
1978:
The University of Southern California chapter of the Delta Kappa Alpha National Honorary Cinema Fraternity recognizes the "Nine Old Men" (a group of early Disney animators) with the "Pioneer in Film" award
1987:
Hollywood Records recording artist and Daytime Emmy-nominated actor Jesse McCartney is born in New York City. McCartney has appeared as himself in both Disney Channel shows, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana. He is also the voice of Terence in the 2008 film Tinker Bell
1989:
The Parent Trap III, Disney's second sequel to its 1961 film The Parent Trap, airs on television. Triplets, Megan, Jessie and Lisa Wyatt (played by Joy, Leanna, and Joy Creel) return from summer vacation to discover that their father Jeffrey (Barry Bostwick) is getting married to snob Cassie McGuire (Patricia Richardson). When Cassie hires decorator Susan Ever to redecorate their home, the triplets believe Susan (Hayley Mills - the star of the original 1961 film) is the right woman for their father!
2004:
Touchstone Pictures releases The Alamo, starring Dennis Quaid (on his birthday) as Sam Houston, Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett, and Jason Patric as James Bowie. It is based on the historical 1836 standoff between a group of Texan and Tejano men and Mexican dictator Santa Anna's forces at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas
2006:
Expedition Everest: Journey Into Sacred Lands airs on the Travel Channel. The special takes a look at Disney World's newest and most elaborate attraction, Expedition Everest (located in Animal Kingdom).
2009:

Disney World continues to test the new Characters in Flight balloon attraction (operated by Aerophile - a company specializing in tethered helium balloons) at Downtown Disney. Located next to the bridge on the West Side near Planet Hollywood, guests will be able to float some 400 feet into the air and on a clear day see 10 miles in all directions! (Characters In Flight will have its grand opening 4 days later.)

A group of about 70 people in the Twin Cities become the first members of the general public to see Disney/Pixar's newest animated feature Up.
The special preview takes place at the AMC Southdale. (The film will open May 29.)

 

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4/10

1915:
Actor Harry Morgan is born in Detroit, Michigan. His Disney film credits include The Barefoot Executive (1971), Scandalous John (1971), Snowball Express (1972), The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979) and The Cat From Outer Space (1978). TV fans will recognize him from both the classic series Dragnet (as Officer Bill Gannon) and M*A*S*H (as Col. Sherman T. Potter).
1927:
Walt Disney delivers the first Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon, Poor Papa, to distributor Charles Mintz in New York
1964:
Walt Disney arrives in New York City to oversee his four exhibits at the upcoming World's Fair
1972:
At the 44th Academy Awards, Alan Maley, Eustace Lycett and Danny Lee win for Special Visual Effects for their work on Disney's live-action Bedknobs and Broomsticks. The Sherman Brothers' tune "The Age of Not Believing" (from Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks) is beat out by Isaac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft." Although Bedknobs is also nominated for Scoring: Adaptation and Original Song Score, John Williams' Fiddler on the Roof takes home the Oscar. Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction both go to Nicholas and Alexandra beating out Bedknobs and Broomsticks
1988:
Disneyland's America Sings closes in Tomorrowland at the end of this day. A 24-minute production that included over 100 characters (the biggest Audio Animatronics cast ever assembled for a Disneyland attraction) it had been in operation since June 1974. Many of the America Sing characters will be placed in Critter Country.
1994:
At Epcot, the Stargate fast-food facility (opened since 1982) closes
2001:
The official groundbreaking ceremony for Walt Disney's original
Laugh-O-Gram Studio Building in downtown Kansas City takes place. The two-story brick building (located at 31st and Forest Streets) was the site of Disney's first film studio, Laugh-O-Gram, which he incorporated in 1922. The studio (which operated out of five rooms and was occupied by as many as eleven employees) is where Walt Disney befriended a very special mouse. With it's collapsing roof and boarded up windows, the building which housed the studio hardly looks like the birthplace of the world's biggest entertainment empire. Disney enthusiasts hope to preserve and restore the building, and establish a museum on the site.

Armored trucks loaded with collectible prizes, Mickey Mouse and Regis Philbin arrive at Disney-MGM Studios to launch the opening of the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire-Play It!" - a live-show attraction at Disney World. The show will run continuously throughout the day in a 600-seat studio located in Soundstages 2 and 3 at the Disney-MGM Studios. (The attraction had opened to the public on the 7th.)
2006:
Building a Thrill Ride - Expedition Everest airs on the Science Channel. The special gives a behind-the-scenes look at Animal Kingdom's newest attraction Expedtion Everest
2009:
Walt Disney Pictures releases Hannah Montana: The Movie, starring Miley Cyrus. Rascal Flatts (whose albums are released through Disney's Lyric Street) appear as themselves singing their songs "Backwards" during
the scene of Miley's grandma's birthday party and then "Bless the Broken Road" in an evening scene on the front porch

 

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4/11

1925:
Roy Oliver Disney (Walt's brother & business partner) marries Edna Francis (from Reece, Kansas) at Uncle Robert Disney's house on Kingswell Avenue in Los Angeles, California. It is the same house where Walt lived and set up shop after first arriving in Hollywood from Kansas. As Walt owns a motion picture camera, he shoots the day's events. (In 1930 Roy and Edna will have a son named Roy Edward.)
1947:
Actor Meshach Taylor - who in 1998-1999 made his Broadway debut as Lumiere in Disney's Beauty and the Beast - is born in Boston, Massachusetts.
(TV fans will recognize him from the sitcom Designing Women.)
2003:
The Disneyland Resort unveils two new attractions: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage!
2006:
Winnie the Pooh celebrates his 80th birthday by receiving the 2,308th star on
the Hollywood Walk of Fame in California. Pooh is one of a select few animated characters to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - an honor that is perfectly timed to the global 18-month long
Pooh anniversary celebration Disney kicked off in December 2005. (The only other Disney characters to be given a star - as of this day - is Mickey, Donald, and Snow White.) On the same day as the Walk of Fame ceremony,
Walt Disney Home Entertainment releases Pooh’s Grand Adventure -The Search for Christopher Robin, for the first time ever on DVD
2007:
Emmy Award-winning actor Roscoe Lee Browne passes away at age 81. Browne's Disney credits include the voice of Mr. Arrow in the 2002 Treasure Planet, the voice of Frances in the 1988 Oliver & Company, and the role of Gazenga in the 1973 live-action feature The World's Greatest Athlete.
(Movie fans will recognize his distinct voice as the narrator of such features as Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties and Babe: Pig in the City. Browne's long list of TV credits include Falcon Crest, The Cosby Show, Magnum P.I., and Soap.)
2008:
Season of Disney: Samantha Brown’s Favorites, a four-part series hosted by Samantha Brown, debuts on Travel Channel. In this opener, she highlights her favorite Disney attractions

 

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4/12

1926:
Actress Jane Withers, best known for being one of the most popular child film stars of the 1930s and early 1940s, is born in Atlanta, Georgia. She is one of the voices of Laverne the gargoyle for Disney's 1996 The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Actress Mary Wickes is also the voice of Laverne, but sadly passed away during production. Withers provided the remaining dialogue, and later the voice for Laverne in The Hunchback of Notre Dame II.
1964:
At the soon-to-be-open World's Fair in New York, Walt Disney, Henry Ford Jr., and Robert Moses (president of the New York World's Fair Corporation) visit the Ford Pavilion. The three are photographed by the press riding the "Magic Skyway."
1992:
The Euro Disney Resort, featuring the Euro Disneyland park, opens in France,
east of Paris. Inaugural ceremonies are broadcast to the entire continent by five national networks. Although 500,000 visitors are expected, only 50,000 are admitted because of protests from French people who fear their culture will be damaged by Euro Disney. Power cables are vandalized by French citizens, which black out the road signs to Disneyland on the motorway. Euro Disney also premieres its 5 hotels (Hotel Cheyenne, Santa Fe, Newport Bay Club, Hotel New York and Disneyland Hotel) and a campground - Davy Crockett Ranch - located several miles away from the main resort area.
1993:
One year after its opening, Euro Disneyland welcomes its 10.5-millionth guest
1995:
In Florida, the Polynesian's Papeete Bay Verandah, opened since 1971,
becomes the 'Ohana restaurant - featuring the world's largest fire pit
1996:
Disney's claymation and live action movie, James and the Giant Peach (featuring the voices of Paul Terry, Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon) is released in U.S. theaters. It is based on the story by Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.)
1997:
Carl Barks - the genius behind the creation of Scrooge McDuck and the cartoonist who drew the comic book version of Donald Duck - celebrates his 96th birthday at a special weekend event at Walt Disney World.
2007:
Hilton Hotels Corp. breaks ground for a resort development adjacent to Walt Disney World Resort.
2009:
Disney World's newest attraction Characters in Flight, a tethered helium filled balloon ride (operated by Aerophile - a company specializing in tethered helium balloons) continues its "soft opening" at Downtown Disney. The balloon, which can hold up to 30 guests (depending on weather conditions), rises 400 feet above Disney World for a breathtaking view.
2010:
Disney Store introduces a new line of eco-friendly products in celebration of the upcoming 40th Anniversary of Earth Day.

 

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4/13

1743:
Thomas Jefferson, the third United States President (and author of the
Declaration of Independence), is born in Albemarle County, Virginia.
Major events during his presidency include the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Visit him and all the U.S. Chief Executives at Disney World's The Hall of Presidents
1931:
Disney officially announces its film distribution contract with United Artists. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, United Artists will eventually lose their deal to RKO (who will distribute Disney's first full-length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937).
1950:
Television, film and voice over actor Ron Perlman, the voice of Stabbington Brother in Disney's 2010 animated Tangled, is born in New York City. His Disney voice credits also include episodes of Kim Possible. (Perlman's breakthrough role was Vincent in the TV series Beauty and the Beast
opposite Linda Hamilton from 1987 to 1990. Not a Disney production, it earned him a Golden Globe.)
1954:
Winsor McCay Award-winning animator, storyboard artist and author Glen Keane is born in Arbington, Pennyslvania. Joining Disney in 1974, his interest in art had developed as a child by observing his father's work as a cartoonist. Keane's long list of Disney credits include such features as The Rescuers, The Black Cauldron, Treasure Planet, Pocahontas, Aladdin, Tarzan, Tangled and the 4-D film park attraction Mickey's PhilharMagic. (Glen is the son of Bil Keane, creator of the popular newspaper comic Family Circus.)
2002:
Lucky Disney World fans get an opportunity to see Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama!, the newest area of Animal Kingdom. The after-hours event features 1 limited edition pins and pin sets; a private dinner in DinoLand U.S.A.; access to the theme park's newest attractions, TriceraTop Spin and Primeval Whirl and a special performance of the "Tarzan Rocks" stage show. The special event, which runs from 7 to 10 p.m., is at a cost of $125 per person
2005:

Salvador "Tutti" Camarata, who helped establish and run Disneyland Records for nearly

20 years, passes away at age 91 in Burbank, California. Starting in 1956, he played an important

role in building up the Disney studio's already well-known library of original music and provided some significant

additions to the studio's casts. Camarata introduced Sterling Holloway, who became the voice of Winnie the Pooh, and

helped convince Louis Prima and Phil Harris to provide the voices for King Louie the Ape and Baloo the Bear in The

Jungle Book. Camarata also produced records for such early Disney stars as Annette Funicello and Hayley Mills. Over

the course of his time with Disney, Camarata's 300-plus recordings earned a total of 8 Grammy Award nominations.

(During his diverse career, Camarata arranged music and played trumpet for a wide range of artists, including Bing

Crosby, Jimmy Dorsey, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman and Billie Holiday. He also started Sunset Sound Recorders,

one of the leading recording studios in Hollywood, which has been used by artists such as Van Halen, Prince and the

Rolling Stones.)
1950:

Television, film and voice over actor Ron Perlman, the voice of Stabbington Brother

in Disney's 2010 animated Tangled, is born in New York City. His Disney voice credits also

include episodes of Kim Possible. (Perlman's breakthrough role was Vincent in the TV series Beauty and the Beast

opposite Linda Hamilton from 1987 to 1990. Not a Disney production, it earned him a Golden Globe.)
2011:

Stars of Disney’s newest feature film PROM, Aimee Teegarden and Thomas McDonell, appear at Macy’s Union Square in San Francisco. The first 250 customers in line receive their autographs! (PROM hits theaters April 29.)
1931:

Disney officially announces its film distribution contract with United Artists. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, United Artists will eventually lose their deal to RKO (who will distribute Disney's first full-length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937).
2005:
Salvador "Tutti" Camarata, who helped establish and run Disneyland Records for nearly 20 years, passes away at age 91 in Burbank, California. Starting in 1956, he played an important role in building up the Disney studio's already well-known library of original music and provided some significant additions to the studio's casts. Camarata introduced Sterling Holloway, who became the voice of Winnie the Pooh, and helped convince Louis Prima and Phil Harris to provide the voices for King Louie the Ape and Baloo the Bear in The Jungle Book. Camarata also produced records for such early Disney stars as Annette Funicello and Hayley Mills. Over the course of his time with Disney, Camarata's 300-plus recordings earned a total of 8 Grammy Award nominations. (During his diverse career, Camarata arranged music and played trumpet for a wide range of artists, including Bing Crosby, Jimmy Dorsey, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman and Billie Holiday. He also started Sunset Sound Recorders, one of the leading recording studios in Hollywood, which has been used by artists such as Van Halen, Prince and the Rolling Stones.)

 

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4/14

1934:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon The Big Bad Wolf is released
1936:
Kenneth Mars, the voice of King Triton in Disney's 1989 classic The Little Mermaid, is born in Chicago, Illinois. His Disney credits also include the 1979 live-action film The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again as Marshal Woolly Bill Hitchcock, and a 2007 episode of Hannah Montana in which he plays Gunther the Innkeeper. (Often playing characters with exaggerated accents, you may recognize Mars from his appearances in Mel Brooks' The Producers and Young Frankenstein and on the TV sitcom Malcolm in the Middle.)
1960:
Comedian & actor Brad Garrett - the voices of Auguste Gusteau in the 2007 Ratatouille, Bloat in the 2003 Finding Nemo, and Fred in the 2002 The Country Bears - is born in Woodland Hills, California. His voice credits also include Tarzan II, Kim Possible, An Extremely Goofy Movie and Tangled. (TV fans know him for his Emmy Award-winning role of Robert Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.)
1969:
At the 41st Academy Awards, Disney's animated Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day wins an Oscar (Short Subjects, Cartoon).
1984:
The newly updated Alice in Wonderland dark ride (originally in service
since June 1958) re-opens in Disneyland's Fantasyland
2004:
Animator and designer Harry Holt passes away at the age of 93 in Florida. For twenty years starting in 1936, he worked for Disney on many of their classic features and shorts (before going on to Hanna-Barbera and Filmation). He returned to Disney Imagineering in 1962, and helped design Audio-Animatronic figures for Disney theme park attractions. Although officially retired since 1982, Holt worked as a character sketch artist on Main Street at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
2006:
Disney's animated feature The Wild - featuring the voices of Kiefer Sutherland, Jim Belushi, Eddie Izzard, Janeane Garofalo, William Shatner, and Richard Kind - opens in theaters
2008:
Legendary Disney animator Ollie Johnston passes away at age 95 in Sequim, Washington. The last surviving member of Walt's "Nine Old Men," Johnston's 43-year career at Disney included such classic features as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi, The Three Caballeros, Song of the South, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Rescuers, and The Fox and the Hound. Besides animation, he and Walt Disney also shared another passion - trains. Johnston built a 1″ scale backyard railroad, with three 1/12th scale locomotives! His books with fellow Disney animator Frank Thomas (such as The Illusion of Life) have inspired a generation of animators
2010:
It is announced that Disney Music Group will close the Nashville-based Lyric Street Records (a country music label first found in 1997 by Disney).
Rascal Flatts will be one of the few artist transferred to another Disney-owned label.

 

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4/15

1917:
Comic character actor Hans Conried, the voices of Mr. George Darling and Captain Hook in Disney's Peter Pan, is born in Baltimore, Maryland. He also appears in the live-action films The Cat From Outer Space, The gy D.A., and Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. (Conried was also a cast member of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, voicing the character of Snidely Whiplash in the Dudley Do-Right shorts!)
1938:
Disney's Donald Duck cartoon Donald's Nephews, written by Carl Barks and Jack Hannah, is released. It is the very first film appearance of Huey, Dewey and Louie (all voiced by Clarence Nash).
1959:

Actress-comedienne-screenwriter Emma Thompson, the voice of Captain Amelia in Disney's 2002 animated feature Treasure Planet, is born in London, England. (Harry Potter fans know her as Professor Sybill Trelawney!)
and Nanny McPhee
1962:
The Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color TV series features episode 208 -
"Disneyland After Dark." This show marks the network TV debut of the Osmond Brothers and includes Walt Disney, jazz great Louis Armstrong (performing in Frontierland), 1950s Mouseketeers Annette Funicello & Bobby Burgess singing a duet, and teen idol Bobby Rydell
1964:
Lawyer Robert Foster leaves New York bound for Florida. Representing Disney, he is to begin land purchases in the Orlando area for a new theme park. He uses the name Robert Price to keep his identity secret
1967:
An "Angels-Disneyland Double Header" takes place in Anaheim. For $5 guests first see today's ball game at 3:00 PM between the California Angels and the Cleveland Indians, and then head over to Disneyland between 8:00 PM -1:00 AM! (Private parties on weekend evenings are common events at Disneyland.)
1972:
Lou Romano, the voice of Bernie Kropp in the 2004 The Incredibles, Snotrod in the 2006 Cars, and Linguini in the 2007 Ratatouille, is born in San Diego, California. Also an animation production design artist, he worked on Monsters, Inc. and The Incredibles (for which he won an Annie Award in 2005).
1975:
Disney World's Flight to the Moon (opened since December 1971) closes forever. It will be replaced with Mission to Mars.
1996:
The Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin attraction opens in Tokyo Disneyland
1999:
Tax payers put the "fun" in refund by filing their taxes at Downtown Disney's Pleasure Island. A certified U.S. Postal Service drop box postmarks tax returns right up until the midnight deadline, and a team of Internal Revenue Service representatives offer last-minute tax tips. Guests dropping off their tax forms at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island receive a special admission price of $10.40!
2007:
Disney’s first international production of Tarzan opens at the Circustheatre near Amsterdam (the capital city of the Netherlands).

A special event to celebrate Roger Broggie’s Window on Disneyland's Main Street (which took place March 30) occurs at Walt's Barn in Griffith Park, California. Roger's son Michael (a nationally-recognized authority on the life and legacy of Walt Disney) attends with a copy of his father's window
2011:
Tokyo Disneyland Resort partly reopens (coincidentally on its 28th anniversary) after being closed since the devastating earthquakes that hit Japan March 11

 

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4/16

1889:
Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. - better known as comedy actor Charlie Chaplin, is born in London, England. One of the most creative and influential personalities in the silent film era, Chaplin had a prolific relationship with Walt Disney. He was caricatured in the 1936 Disney short Mickey's Polo Team - which played in front of the premiere of Chaplin's Modern Times, the final screen appearance of his Little Tramp character. Chaplin attended the Hollywood premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 and assisted Walt with financial advice in helping to determine what kind of proceeds should be earned from the distributor of Snow White. Chaplin was also a founding member of United Artists - who for a short time distributed Disney animated shorts. There was an intense mutual admiration between he and Walt Disney, who both recognized similarities in each other’s work
1921:
Actor Peter Ustinov, the voice of Prince John in Disney's 1973 Robin Hood, and
Captain Edward 'Blackbeard' Teach in Disney's live-action 1968 Blackbeard'sGhost, is born in London, England
1924:
Award-winning composer/arranger Henry Mancini - who wrote the music for
Disney's The Great Mouse Detective - is born in Cleveland, Ohio. His best-known works include the jazz-idiom theme to The Pink Panther film series and the timeless song "Moon River."

Also born on this day - animator, painter, art director & writer Victor Haboush
in Indiana. His animation career at Disney will begin with Peter Pan in 1952 (via his former classmate Eyvind Earle) and later include Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians. (In the mid-1960s, Haboush will leave animation and shift into live-action. Starting his own studio, he will direct and photograph over 1,500 award-winning commercials.)
1933:
Disney Legend and Winsor McCay Award-winner ________ Huemer (originally from New York City) begins work at the Disney Studios. He will go on to animate, direct and write for many feature films and shorts such as Fantasia, The Band Concert, Dumbo, and Saludos Amigos. First beginning in animation at the Raoul Barré cartoon studio in 1916, Huemer will spend the rest of his career at Disney (except for a 3-year hiatus from 1948-51) ... retiring on February 28, 1973.
1964:
Disney's "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" exhibit passes testing at WED headquarters in California. It is now ready to be flown to New York for the World's Fair.
1997:
It is reported that although Disney's newest animated film, Hercules is still two months away from debut in the U.S. theaters, a sequel is already in production
2001:
Disney World's newest resort, Animal Kingdom Lodge opens at 2901 Osceola Parkway. The six-story resort (designed by renowned architect Peter Dominick) features deluxe facilities and luxury suites with the feel of a South African game reserve lodge. Amidst a 33-acre wildlife preserve, guests can gaze on any of more than 30 species of wildlife on display from the comfort of their balconies!
2007:
Disney announces that Disneyland's fleet of antique passenger trains have been converted from diesel to biofuel. The switch saves as much as 150,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year, while potentially reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80 percent

 

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4/17

1924:
Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and the Louis B. Mayer Company merge to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ... or MGM. MGM will become one of the biggest producers and distributors of films and television programs and even team-up with Disney to open a Florida theme park in 1989 called Disney-MGM Studios (today known as Disney's Hollywood Studios).
1957:
The Disneyland TV series airs the episode "More About the Silly Symphonies."
This is the second Disneyland episode to trace the development of Disney's elaborate cartoon features from the studio's earliest Silly Symphony shorts. Among the cartoons featured are The Grasshopper and the Ants, Who Killed ________ Robin?, Water Babies, Farmyard Symphony, and Wynken, Blinken and Nod.
1964:
Disney's "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" exhibit is flown from California to New York for the upcoming World's Fair. Unfortunately once in New York, the truck delivering the exhibit to the Illinois Pavilion is caught in heavy traffic around the Flushing Meadows area of Queens (one of the 5 boroughs of
New York City). The cause of traffic ... Shea Stadium - a new ballpark and home to the New York Mets - is hosting their official opening day! The Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Mets 4-3 and Lincoln never makes it to the fair.
1973:
An amazing 73,168 guests visit Walt Disney World on this day! (A large number considering Disney World only consists of the Magic Kingdom at this time.)
1980:
The Watcher in the Woods, a horror film distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, first premieres. The film, about a teenage girl and her little sister who become encompassed in a supernatural mystery regarding a missing girl in the woods surrounding their new home, stars Bette Davis, Carroll Baker, David McCallum, Lynn-Holly Johnson, and Kyle Richards.
2006:
Two of the stars of Disney/Pixar's new computer-animated feature Cars race straight off the movie screen and into the real world as actual life-sized models for a 40 plus city promotional tour. Disney/Pixar's "CARS Road Trip 06" presented by State Farm kicks off this day in Akron, Ohio. (The movie will premiere May 26.)

The Disneyland Resort 50th anniversary celebration takes to the skies over Fresno, California with a 100-foot tall, Mickey Mouse-shaped hot air balloon dubbed "The Happiest Balloon On Earth."
2008:
Disney announces a new mobile Web site and texting program. Developed in conjunction with mDisney, part of the Walt Disney Internet Group, the new mobile site allows users with Web-enabled phones to receive Radio Disney information, listen to Radio Disney, view the last 10 songs played on the Radio Disney station, send shout-outs, request songs and take polls.

 

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4/18

1927:
Disney's Alice Comedy Alice's Circus Daze is released. This film debuts Lois Hardwick as Alice, the fourth and final actress to play the role.
1936:
Disney's Silly Symphony short Three Little Wolves, directed by David Hand, is
released. A Disney take on "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" - Fifer Pig and Fiddler Pig continually set off the wolf alarm to Practical Pig's annoyance. But unbeknownst to them, they are being stalked by the Big Bad Wolves' sons!
1946:
Academy Award-winning actress Hayley Mills is born Hayley Catherine
Rose Vivien Mills to actor John Mills and novelist-playwright Mary Hayley
Bell in London, England. Walt Disney's wife will first see 12-year-old Mills in the movie Tiger Bay. She'll arrange for Mills to meet Walt and the result will be her American film debut Pollyanna (which will earn Mills a special Academy Award). Also a Golden Globe Award winner, her Disney credits include The Parent Trap (as twins Sharon and Susan), In Search of the Castaways, Summer Magic, The Moon-Spinners and That Darn Cat!. The success of the song "Let's Get Together" (which she sang in The Parent Trap) will also lead to the release of a record album on Disney's Buena Vista label, Let's Get Together with Hayley Mills. During her six-year run at Disney, Mills was probably the most popular child actress of the era!
1947:
Film, stage and television actor James Woods - the voice of the villainous Hades in Disney's animated Hercules and the video game Kingdom Hearts - is born in Vernel, Utah. His Disney voice credits also include Rolie Polie Olie: The Great Defender of Fun and Recess: School's Out.
1951:
Disney Imagineer and writer Bruce Gordon is born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada
(but will grow up in Southern California). An avid collector of Disneyana,Gordon will be hired by Walt Disney Imagineering in 1980. He will first work on Epcot and later such Disneyland attractions as Splash Mountain, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Tarzan's Treehouse and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Gordon will also be well-known for editing and writing many feature articles on Disney for both Disney publications and national magazines
1954:
Actor, comedian and musician Rick Moranis, the voice of Tuke in Disney's animated 2003 Brother Bear, is born Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Disney fans will also know him as Wayne Szalinski in the comedy feature Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and the 3-D park attraction film Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. (Coming to prominence in the 1980s on Second City Television, Moranis later appeared in such comedy features as Ghostbusters, Spaceballs, Little Shop of Horrors, The Flintstones, and My Blue Heaven.)
1961:
Actress Jane Leeves - the voice of the Ladybug in Disney's 1996 James and the Giant Peach and the voice of Athena in Disney's 1998 TV series Hercules - is born in Ilford, Essex, England. (Originally a regular on The Benny Hill Show, TV fans will recognize her as Daphne Moon from the sitcom Frasier.)
1964:
"Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" finally arrives at
the World's Fair. (It had been flown to New York the
day before but traffic had prevented the exhibit from being delivered to the Illinois Pavilion.) The WED technicians scramble to install Mr. Lincoln in hopes of having him ready for a special April 20 preview. Due to technical problems, the exhibit will not be ready for the preview nor will it open with the rest of the World's Fair.
1998:
The Disneyland show "Festival of Fools" gives its last performance.
Toon Disney, a 24-hour cable television channel, debuts
2002:
An area of Disney World's Animal Kingdom - featuring the new attractions Triceratops Spin and Primeval Whirl - has an official grand opening
2006:
A groundbreaking ceremony for the Oriental Land Company's newest project - a permanent Cirque du Soleil theater - takes place at the Tokyo Disney Resort. The ceremony takes place at the site reserved for the theater next to the Disney Ambassador Hotel. The show is expected to open in 2008

 

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4/19

1925:
Animator, television producer, and film director Iwao Takamoto is born in Los Angeles, California. Entering the cartoon world as an assistant animator to the legendary Milt Kahl at Walt Disney Studios in 1947, Takamoto worked on such titles as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and Lady and the Tramp. He left Disney in 1961 and joined Hanna-Barbera Productions where he helped create Scooby-Doo!
1946:
Actor-singer Tim Curry, the voice of SIR (Simulated Intelligence Robotics) for Walt Disney World's now extinct Alien Encounter attraction, is born in Cheshire, England. His Disney voice credits include Teacher's Pet, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, Gargoyle and an episode of Phineas and Ferb. (Film fans know Curry best for his role of Doctor Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.)
1987:
Animator Milt Kahl, one of Walt's "Nine Old Men," passes away in Mill Valley, California of pneumonia. Often considered the finest draftsman of the Disney animators, Kahl contributed to such classic films as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Mary Poppins, and The Jungle Book. (He will be named a Disney Legend in 1989.)

Team Mickey's Athletic Club shop opens at the Walt Disney World Village in Florida.

Actor Courtland Mead is born in Mission Viejo, California. Ten year later he will voice the character of Ned in Disney's animated series Nightmare Ned (which will debut on this day in 1997). His Disney voice credits also include A Bug's Life, Recess, and Lilo & Stitch: The Series.
1996:
Original Mouseketeer Annette Funicello and 60s teen idol Frankie Avalon make a special appearance in an afternoon parade at Disneyland
1997:
Earth Day celebrations begin at the Disney Village Marketplace in Florida.

ABC-TV debuts the new animated Disney series Nightmare Ned, with two back-to-back episodes - "Ned's Life as a Dog" and "A Doll's House." The series focuses on the young Ned Needlemeyer (voiced by Courtland Mead) as he deals with his fears and problems through his nightmares. Also featuring the voices of Brad Garrett and Victoria Jackson, Nightmare Ned will run for a total of 25 episodes
2002:
Epcot hosts the 2002 International Flower & Garden Festival at Disney World.
(It will run through June 6th.) Davy Jones of The Monkees leads off a lineup
of musical acts that will perform at Epcot as part of the Flower Power concert series during the festival
2004:
Jiminy Cricket, along with representatives from the Walt Disney World Community Relations department and Walt Disney World Ambassador, Sara Bishop, drop in on a fifth-grade class from West Gate Elementary School in West Palm Beach to tell the students that they are going to be honored at the Walt Disney World Resort in May as the winners of a statewide environmental education program called Jiminy Cricket's Environmentality Challenge. The program encourages students to think and act environmentally at home, at school and in the community.
2008:
Disney Channel debuts "Greece Lightning," the 25th episode of the animated series Phineas and Ferb
2009:
Disney World's Space Mountain shuts down for major renovations. It is the first time Space Mountain has temporarily closed for improvements since the popular attraction first opened at Disney World in 1975. The renovations include new track inside the enclosed coaster (although the layout of the track will remain the same), a new enclosure for the ride's queuing area, and a new ceiling. Fans of the ride can look forward to a Space Mountain that’s a bit more 21st century ... and a lot less 70s Sci-Fi!

 

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4/20

1914:
Disney Legend Betty Lou Gerson - the narrator of Disney's 1950 classic Cinderella and the voice of Cruella De Vil in the 1961 101 Dalmations - is born in Chattanooga, Tennessee (though she will be raised in Birmingham, Alabama). She also played an old crone in the 1964 live-action Mary Poppins.
1937:
Actor George Takei - the voice of First Ancestor in Disney's Mulan and Mulan II - is born in Los Angeles, California. (Star Trek fans know him best as Mr. Sulu.)
1959:
Actor Clint Howard, the voice of Roo in Disney's 1968 classic Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, is born in Burbank, California. Younger brother of actor-turned-director Ron Howard, Clint was also the voice of the elephant Hathi's son Hathi, Jr. in the 1967 The Jungle Book. (Film and TV fans may recognize him as Whobris in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and by his appearances in My Dog Skip, Austin Powers: The Spy Who ged Me, HBO's From the Earth to the Moon, and of course as the little boy on the 1967-1969 TV series Gentle Ben.)
1991:
The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant opens in the Disney-MGM Studios
1992:
The new animated TV series Goof Troop previews on the Disney Channel. Featuring the voices of Bill Farmer (as Goofy) and Dana Hill (as his son Max), the series will start its regular run in September on The Disney Afternoon (a two-hour television programming block).
2000:
Al Weiss (President of Walt Disney World) and Michael Capellas (CEO of Compaq) announce plans for Disney World's newest Epcot attraction, Mission: SPACE (on the site once occupied by Horizons).

Singer Robert Plant appears at Disney's Theatre of the Stars (located at Disney-MGM) to leave his handprints outside the theatre.
2002:
After 7 months at sea as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, U.S.
military personnel aboard the USS Shreveport are welcomed to their home port in Norfolk, Virginia, by Mickey Mouse & Disneyland Resort representatives. Cast Members "adopted" the Shreveport as part of the Resort's Operation Uplift program through which Disney employees send messages of support & thanks to United States servicemen and women on active duty outside the U.S.
2004:
Disney's 2003 live-action film The Haunted Mansion is released on DVD and VHS
2010:
Pixar Animation Studios opens a new studio in the downtown area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, named the Glenn McQueen Pixar Animation Center (after Canadian-born Pixar animator Glenn McQueen who passed away in 2002). The studio will produce shorts and TV-specials based on characters from Pixar's feature films.

 

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4/21

1930:
Disney's 7-minute cartoon Just Mickey is released. Mickey gives a rousing violin performance (complete with a Hungarian dance) of "Traumerei," the finale to the William Tell Overture
1944:
Disney's Donald Duck short The Contrary Condor, directed by Jack King, is released. While mountain climbing in the Andes, Donald is taken under the wing of a mother condor who mistakes him for one of her newborn babies
1965:
The World's Fair in New York City, opens for the 1965 and final season.
The fair includes four Disney attractions for Ford, General Electric, Pepsi-Cola, and the State of Illinois
1970:
Actress, voice actress and comedian Nicole Sullivan is born in Manhattan, New York. She is the voice of Shego for Kim Possible, Princess Mira Nova for Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and Franny in Meet The Robinsons. (Television fans will recognize Sullivan from MADtv and The King of Queens.)
2000:
The Orlando Sentinel reports that Walt Disney World's next big attraction, billed as a "one-of-a-kind astronaut experience," will lift off at Epcot in 2003. The attraction (in the former Horizons Pavilion next to Test Track) will feature a 5-minute ride that simulates space flight 20 to 30 years in the future.
2001:
Disney's House of Mouse airs "Daisy's Debut".

At Walt Disney World, the Main Street Bake Shop and Plaza Ice Cream Parlour
will close for the first major renovation in 30 years after close of business on this day (they are scheduled to reopen late in July). Over in Tomorrowland, The Timekeeper begins seasonal operation.
2004:
The New York City production of Beauty and the Beast performs its 4,093rd show,making it the sixth longest running musical in Broadway history.

The ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards are held at the Beverly Hilton in
Los Angeles, California. Among the winners for Top Box Office Films are
Brother Bear and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Apple Computer reaches an agreement with Disney's Buena Vista Music Group for Apple's Internet iTunes Music Store to carry soundtrack music titles of Disney films.
2008:
In a press release, Disney announces the launching of Disneynature; "a prestigious new production banner that will literally go to the ends of the earth to produce major big screen nature documentaries." In the tradition of the old "True-Life Adventures" series, the first film to be released domestically under Disneynature will be EARTH, in April 2009

The day before Animal Kingdom's 10th anniversary, Josh Gates, host
of the Sci-Fi Channel series “Destination Truth,” presents a cast of
what is believed to be a “yeti” footprint to Joe Rohde vice
president/executive designer of Walt Disney Imagineering, at Disney
World. Gates and his expedition team found the footprint while filming an episode of “Destination Truth” in Nepal in November 2007. The cast will soon be placed on display at DAK's Expedition Everest attraction
2009:
Disney holds an "Open Mouse" for Cast Members to get a look at their newest
resort, Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Kidani Village, which opens May 1, is part of the Disney Vacation Club

 

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4/22

1906:
Actor Eddie Albert is born in Rock Island, Illinois. His Disney credits include the 1995 The Barefoot Executive, the 1982 Beyond Witch Mountain, the 1975 Escape to Witch Mountain, and the 1963 Miracle of the White Stallions. (Known as Oliver Wendell Douglas from the sitcom Green Acres, Albert also appeared in such films as Roman Holiday, Oklahoma!, and The Longest Day.)
1964:
The World's Fair in Flushing, New York, is opened by U.S. President Johnson for the 1964 season. The fair features over 100 pavilions on approximately 46 acres. The fair also includes 4 Disney attractions for Ford, General Electric, Pepsi-Cola, and the State of Illinois. In a VIP observation deck above "It's A Small World" (located in the Pepsi Pavilion), Disney personnel - including designer/artist Mary Blair - celebrate the team who has put together the exhibit from scratch in just 9 months!
(The fair will run through October 18, 1964 and then reopen again on April 21 for the 1965 season.)
1991:
A 55-foot-tall oak tree weighing in at nearly 85 tons is moved 12 miles across
Walt Disney World property. It will serve as a centerpiece for the Ol’ Man Island recreation area at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort-Riverside.
1995:
The Empress Lily, an authentic re-creation of an 1800s paddle wheel boat - offering the first character breakfast dining options at Walt Disney World, closes in Pleasure Island, Florida. Named after Walt Disney's wife Lillian, it will reopen as Fulton's Crab House in 1996
1998:
Disney World's $800 million Animal Kingdom opens in, Florida with 5 ttractions, 9 exhibits, 12 live entertainment shows,11 merchandise locations, and 8 food locations. Spanning 500 acres, Animal Kingdom is billed as "a new species of theme park." Two of the three major "lands" - Africa & DinoLand U.S.A. - open on this date, Asia will open in early 1999.
1999:
Sounds Dangerous with Drew Carey, an audio attraction starring comedian Drew Carey, debuts at the ABC Soundstudio in Disney-MGM Studios
2003:
Lifetime magazine, a publication of Lifetime Entertainment Services, jointly owned by The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company, debuts as a bi-monthly.

At Animal Kingdom's 5th birthday celebration, Walt Disney World announces an
opening date of December 14 for their new Pop Century Resort.
2008:
Disney's Animal Kingdom turns 10 years young!
During the park's 10-year anniversary ceremony, a new name and a new logo is introduced for Disney’s conservation outreach efforts, changing the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. The new name helps build on Disney’s commitment to conservation, and communicates the broader vision for the future of the DWCF which is not only wildlife focused but also supports ecosystems and community conservation.

Disney Parks and CareerBuilder.com announce that Justin Muchoney from Seven Fields, Pennsylvania, has been named the first-ever Disney Parks Chief Magic Official! Muchoney, a Director of Music & Fine Arts, emerged victorious from a field of 1,300 candidates nationwide. He is inducted as CMO in a special ceremony with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck at Walt Disney World.
2010:
Disneynature releases its second film Oceans, narrated by Pierce Brosnan, to U.S. theaters. Taking seven years to make, filmmakers Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud shot nearly 470 hours of footage of some 80 underwater species.

As part of its Earth Day Celebrations, guests and local school children help the
Disneyland Resort’s horticulture team release 140,000 ladybugs!
2011:
Disneynature releases African Cats, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Telling the story of two different animal families in the wild by using real-life footage, the film focuses on a young lion cub being raised by his mother, the leader of a pride defending his family from a banished lion, and a mother cheetah who is raising five newborns. The movie's theme song, "The World I Knew" (written and produced by Ryan Tedder), is sung by Jordin Sparks (the winner of the sixth season of American Idol).

 

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4/23

1886:
Actress and vaudeville performer Belle Montrose is born Isabelle Donohue in Illinois. Described by Milton Berle as "the funniest woman in vaudeville," Montrose's Disney credits include The AbsentMinded Professor and Son of Flubber. (She and her husband Carroll Allen were the parents of television celebrity Steve Allen!)
1928:
Shirley Jane Temple, the popular child star who presented Walt Disney with special Oscars for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is born in Santa Monica, California. First skyrocketing to fame in 1934, Temple was caricatured in the 1939 Disney animated short Autograph Hound. As an adult,
she took part in a 1957 Disneyland dedication and later served on the board of directors of some of the largest enterprises including The Walt Disney Company (1974–75).
1957:
The Midget Autopia opens in Disneyland. It is the third (and smallest) Autopia track, following the Tomorrowland Autopia (1955) and the Junior Autopia in Fantasyland (1956). The Midget Autopia, located right next to the Storybook Land Canal Boats, is for very young guests who are too small to ride the other Autopia attractions. (It will close in April 1966.)
1986:
In Florida, a groundbreaking ceremony takes place for Walt Disney World's Grand Floridian Beach Resort. It will open in June 1988
1993:
At a dedication service, Walker Ranch officially becomes Disney
Wilderness Preserve. Disney and the South Florida Water Management Disrict
had come to an agreement in 1992, allowing Disney to develop on an area in Central Florida (closer to their theme parks) if Disney would purchase and preserve Walker Ranch, 8,500 acres of wetlands located about 15 miles south of Disney World. The preserve is home to two endangered species, the bald eagle and the wood stork, as well as several other threatened species.
Disney will use the Central Florida area to build Celebration, a new city themed after a typical small American town of the 1940s and '50s. Today the Disney Wilderness Preserve is owned and operated by The Nature Conservancy.

Touchstone Pictures releases the comedy/drama Indian Summer, featuring the ensemble cast of Alan Arkin, Diane Lane, Bill Paxton, and Elizabeth Perkins.
2004:
Walt Disney World confirms that It's A Small World will be closing for almost a year for improvements. (Disney hopes the boat ride will re-open in March 2005)
2005:
Oscar-winning actor and Disney Legend John Mills, who portrayed Father Robinson in Disney's 1960 live-action film Swiss Family Robinson, passes away in England at age 97. (He is the father of actresses Hayley and Juliet Mills.)

Disneyland Park guests are offered a sneak peek at Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams. The all-new parade highlights classic Disney stories and characters that have contributed to Disneyland over the past five decades.

Romano Scarpa, one of the most famous Italian creators of Disney comics, passes away in Spain at age 77.

 

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4/24

1951:
Film director, producer and screenwriter Steven Lisberger is born in New York City (though raised in Philadelphia). He is best known for directing Disney's 1982 movie Tron and co-producing and co-writing the 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy.
1998:
The ABC-TV sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch airs the episode "Disney World." On a field trip to Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida, Sabrina (played by Melissa Joan Hart), working to pass a critical exam for her witch's license, accidentally turns Libby and Valerie into zebras!
2009:
Imagineering legend Marty Sklar announces in a letter to "All Imagineers" that he will say "goodbye" to Walt Disney Imagineering on July 17. A Disney Legend, Sklar began as a Disney Cast Member 53 years ago at Disneyland’s public relations department and joined WED Enterprises in 1961.

The Food and Wine Festival opens for its fourth consecutive year at Disney’s
California Adventure. This year’s festival, dubbed "World Celebration," focuses on the cultures, experiences, & flavors from all around the world that influence California. The festival will run for 45 days

 

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4/25

1930:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Wild Waves, directed by Burt Gillett, is released. This 7-minute classic features lifeguard Mickey saving Minnie from drowning
1952:
Disney's Donald Duck cartoon Let's Stick Together, directed by Jack Hannah, is released. This short features the last appearance of a bee named Spike (also known as Buzz-Buzz).
1953:
Ron Clements, an animator/director/writer whose Disney credits include The Princess and the Frog, Treasure Planet, Hercules, and Aladdin, is born in Sioux City, Iowa. First seeing Pinocchio at Sioux City's Orpheum Theater when he was 9 years old - Clements instantly knew that he wanted to be
involved in animation. He began his career as an animator for Hanna-Barbera, but later served a two year Disney apprenticeship with famed animator Frank Thomas (one of Walt's Nine Old Men). Clements made his feature debut as a
character animator on The Rescuers (1977) and Pete's Dragon (1977). Together with John Musker, Clements wrote and directed the 1989 smash hit animated feature The Little Mermaid.
1972:
Academy Award-winning actor George Sanders, the voice of Disney's Shere Khan in The Jungle Book (and the husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor) passes away.
1988:
Mickey Mouse and Michael Eisner appear on the cover of TIME magazine.
The issue features an article titled "Do You Believe In Magic?"
2007:
Zagat Survey announces the release of its first "Walt Disney World Insider's Guide." Based on the experiences of 4,841 avid Disney-goers, the guide comprehensively rates and reviews all six of Disney's Orlando theme parks.

At Epcot, the new exhibit space in Spaceship Earth's post show, called Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future, opens
2008:
Michael Eisner, who as Disney’s CEO between 1984 and 2005 oversaw its massive growth into an entertainment giant, is honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame

 

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4/26

1916:
Actor & voice artist Vic Perrin - one time narrator of Epcot's Spaceship Earth and Universe of Energy - is born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. (He is best known as the "Control Voice" in the original version of the 1960s TV series The Outer Limits. Fans of the 1960s cartoon Jonny Quest will remember him as the voice of the evil Dr. Zin.)

Contemporary artist, author and illustrator Eyvind Earle is born in New York City. Walt Disney will hire this famous artist in 1951 to create the distinctive backgrounds and settings for Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, and Paul Bunyan.
1977:
Actor Jason Earles, Jackson Stewart on Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, is born in San Diego, California. His credits include the Disney Channel Original Movie Dadnapped, The Emperor's New School, a few episodes of Disney Channel's Phil of the Future and the feature film National Treasure
1987:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs the 1981 film "The Devil and Max Devlin," starring Elliott Gould and Bill Cosby.
1991:
The Disney/Henson television series Dinosaurs debuts on ABC. Based on an idea by Jim Henson, the show features the live-action combination of Audio-Animatronics and puppets (only the second show to feature this technique). About a family of anthropomorphic prehistoric creatures, Dinosaurs is produced by Michael Jacobs Productions and Jim Henson Productions in association with Walt Disney Television.
2004:
Michael Eisner makes Forbes' list of worst CEOs in America.
2006:
The New Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, a pre-school age targeted show, debuts at the Disney-MGM Studios

 

[trr1]

6/27

1902:
Singer-actor Harry Stockwell (father of actor Dean Stockwell) is born in Kansas City, Missouri. He will go on to supply the singing voice for the Prince in Disney's 1937 classic animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1932:
Announcer and voice actor Casey Kasem is born in Detroit, Michigan. In 1969, he and Paul Frees will record a series of comedic radio ads promoting the debut of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. (Kasem is best known for his syndicated radio show American Top 40 and as the voice of gy for the animated Scooby Doo.)
1962:
Actor and playwright Patrick Page - who played the role of Lumiere in 1999 and 2003 in Disney's Broadway hit Beauty and the Beast - is born in Oregon. He also played the role of Scar in the Broadway production of The Lion King. (Page is married to Paige Davis - best known as a host of the reality television series Trading Spaces.)
1964:
Walt Disney writes a letter to Robert Moses, the president of the New York
World's Fair, 6 days after the fair's opening day. Walt explains the technical
problems plaguing his "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" exhibit (which hasn't
opened with the rest of the fair). He is confident that the bugs will be worked out very soon. (The exhibit will open May 2.)
1990:
Touchstone Pictures releases the science fiction comedy Spaced Invaders.
Directed by Patrick Read Johnson, the film stars Douglas Barr, Ariana Richards and Royal Dano (the voice of Abraham Lincoln for Walt Disney's Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln). As the armed forces of the planet Mars
fight a vast interstellar war, the idiotic & incompetent crew of a small Martian spaceship intercept a rebroadcast of Orson Welles' 1938 The War of the Worlds radio dramatization. Mistaking this for the real thing, they land the
ship in a podunk, drought-stricken farming community in Illinois and ineptly attempt to conquer Earth.
2001:
Disneyland's Rocket Rods, a ride that was the brash new star of Tomorrowland when the aging fun zone got a $100-million face lift in 1998, closes forever. Although shuttered since September 2000 for a refurbishment that was to last until Spring 2001 ... no work was ever actually seen on the attraction. Despite efforts by designers and mechanics, the Rocket Rods was plagued with problems. Essentially a faster version of the PeopleMover, Rocket Rods took riders through the building housing Star Tours, the Star Trader, and the Starcade, offering views of all three through glass panes in a tunnel.
2004:
The US Civil Engineering Research Foundation announces the addition of Dr. Ben Schwegler Jr, vice president and chief scientist of Walt Disney Imagineering, to its board of directors. (Schwegler has been involved in nearly all of Disney’s construction projects over the past 21 years and directs the environment, materials and infrastructure group for the theme park operator.)
2010:
The Angels' newest addtion to their Anaheim baseball team, Hideki Matsui visits Disneyland for the very first time. Prior to his debut against the Cleveland Indians, Matsui poses for a picture with Mickey Mouse in a baseball uniform and experiences It's A Small World with a few Angels fans. Originally signing with the NY Yankees in 2002, he became an Angel last December when he signed a one-year deal with the Anaheim club.