this day in disney history

[trr1]

9/14

Disneyland's only residents were Owen & Dolly Pope. They were hired in 1951 to put together some livestock for Walt's future park. They first lived in a trailer at the Disney Studio where they raised & trained horses. Three days before Disneyland opened, they moved into the park to run the Disneyland Pony Farm.


1928:
Walt Disney (visiting New York) writes a letter to his brother Roy and animator Ub Iwerks about the next day's recording session for Steamboat Willie. Walt has hired Carl Edouarde - who has led pit orchestras in theaters - to conduct the session. (This first session will be a disaster and Walt will realize that a system to indicate the tempo to which the music should be performed, needs to be developed before it is tried again.)
1937:
Walt Disney screens one thousand feet of his newest animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for RKO executives. They believe the picture will make "plenty of money". (At this time RKO is distributing Disney's cartoons.)
1964:
At the White House, U.S. President Johnson presents Walt Disney with the
Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civil honor. Recipients of the medal are those who have made outstanding contributions to the security or national interest of the United States or to world peace, or those who have made a significant public or private accomplishment.
1980:
The Mickey Mouse Revue, an audio-animatronic indoor stage show located in
Walt Disney World's Fantasyland Theater, closes after nearly 9 years in
operation. (It will be dismantled and shipped to Tokyo Disneyland, making it the first major Magic Kingdom attraction to leave the Florida park since its opening.)
1985:
Disney's first Saturday morning animated TV shows Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears (on NBC) and Disney's Wuzzles (on CBS) both air.

The Golden Girls, a sitcom produced by Touchstone Television and distributed
by Buena Vista Television, debuts on NBC. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women who share a Miami, Florida home. The series will win several awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series twice, during its 7-year run. (All four actresses will be named Disney Legends in 2009.)
1991:
The Main Street Electrical Parade has its final performance at Disney World. This version will be shipped to France to be used at Disneyland Paris.
1994:
Disney's Hollywood Pictures releases the historical drama film Quiz Show. Starring John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Ralph Fiennes, Paul Scofield, David Paymer, Hank Azaria, and Christopher McDonald, the film tells the story of the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s.
2001:
Disneyland turns somber at noon as park guests and employees stop to remember those lost in the September 11th terror attacks on this
Day of Prayer and Remembrance.

Michael Eisner addresses several thousand Disney Cast Members gathered around the flag at the Burbank studio. His words include:
"Today I stand here before you without the usual Disney pageantry, but with the usual Disney spirit. I thank you for coming to this plaza to show your support for community and company, your profound sense of compassion, your respect and your unity."

Disney World's "Hurricane Preparedness Plan" enters several phases while a potential major storm works it's way across the Florida region.
All outdoor shows and sporting activities are canceled. Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground guests are relocated to other Walt Disney World Resort hotels. Later, the nightly New Year's Eve celebration held at Pleasure Island is canceled again out of respect for the victims of the terrorist attacks (and the pending hurricane).

Today is a Day of Mourning and Commemoration for the victims of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. by the European Union. Disneyland Paris joins the moments of silence organized Europe-wide at noon. For three minutes all attractions close down, the music-broadcast are halted and all Cast Members stop their activities. Guests are informed by an announcement and are asked to join the employees of Disneyland Paris for three minutes of silence to commemorate the victims and express their support.
2010:
The first Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party of the 2010 season takes place at Walt Disney World. A Magic Kingdom event, it will be held on selected dates through November 1.

 

[trr1]

9/15

1928:
A session to record sound for Steamboat Willie takes place in New York. The day is filled with problems as the orchestra finds it difficult to play in synch with the animated film. By the end of this session, Walt has spent $1,000 at the studio ... and has nothing to show for it.
1955:
Filmmaker Bruce Reitherman, who as a youngster voiced Christopher Robin in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Mowgli in The Jungle Book, is born in Burbank, California. He is the son of Disney animator/director Wolfgang Reitherman.
1958:
The Disneyland Viewliner, a narrow gauge, miniature train running since June 1957, shuts down forever. Billed as "the fastest miniature train in the world," it was the park's first attempt at mass-transit. Two separate trains, designed and built as scale replicas of General Motors' futuristic Aerotrain, traveled
along a figure-eight track through parts of Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. (The Aerotrain was a streamlined trainset introduced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in the mid-1950s.) The Disneyland Monorail System
will take the place of Viewliner in June 1959.
1983:
A special fountain is presented to Tokyo Disneyland by Walt Disney Productions. "Cinderella's Fountain" is in commemoration of the park's 5-millionth guest.
1996:
At Epcot, the Universe of Energy reopens. It now stars comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. (The original Universe of Energy pavilion itself was an innovation in energy technology - its entire roof was covered in
photovoltaic solar panels that partially powered the ride vehicles.) The new DeGeneres version now features Bill Nye 'The Science Guy,' TV game show host Alex Trebek, and actress Jamie Lee Curtis. Although called Ellen's Energy Crisis, the attraction will later be re-named Ellen's Energy Adventure.
1997:
Downtown Disney West Side premieres in Florida. The 66-acre addition is Disney World's third shopping, dining, and entertainment zone and features Wolfgang Puck Cafè, House of Blues, Bongos Cuban Cafè, Virgin Megastore, plus an expanded AMC Pleasure Island 24 Theatres. This waterfront district is the largest of the three Downtown Disney areas - which include Pleasure Island and the Marketplace. (Downtown Disney began life on March 22, 1975 as the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village.)
1999:
Most of Walt Disney World remains closed due to the public threat of Hurricane Floyd. Only essential employees are asked to report to work and guests who were staying at Disney's campgrounds are given shelter at the convention center at the Contemporary Resort. It is the first time in Disney's 28-year history that it has been forced to close almost all of its parks. When the hurricane's impact is not as great as expected, officials decide to open just Animal Kingdom from noon to 8:00 p.m., for resort guests only. (The rest of Disney World will reopen the following day.)
2008:
It is reported that the first center in eastern Africa designed to rescue, rehabilitate and reintroduce orphaned gorillas back into the wild will begin construction later this month in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund will provide funding toward initial operating expenses for the facility. In addition, experts from Disney’s Animal Programs will provide materials and in-kind services to assist with development and construction of the center, help relocate the current orphaned gorillas and provide educational opportunities for students and the community.

WDW's Disney Dining Experience is re-named Tables in Wonderland. It is a dining discount program for eligible Florida Residents and Annual Passholders.
2010:
Radio Disney kicks off the third season of N.B.T. (Next Big Thing). A 10-week search for musical talent and hosted by on-air personality Jake Whetter, Radio Disney and Disney Channel audiences will be invited to look, listen and vote for their favorite artists. Every two weeks, a new artist will be introduced with a winner being announced December 3. Amber Lily, a 13-year-old pop and R&B singer-songwriter from San Francisco, California is introduced on this day with her single, "222L8."

 

[trr1]

9/16

A young Walt Disney and his family lived in Marceline, Missouri from 1906-1911


1919:
Television director, actor and television screenwriter Lawrence Dobkin is born in Los Angeles, California. He was the original narrator of WDW's The Hall of Presidents between 1971-1973 and again later between 2001-2008. (Beginning in 1958 he announced the landmark television series Naked City,
closing each episode with the famous statement, "There are eight million stories in the naked city, and this has been one of them.")
1955:
Disneyland's Canal Boats of the World attraction closes after 2 months of operation. It will be revamped and renamed Storyland Canal Boats.
1963:
Composer-conductor Oliver Wallace passes away in Los Angeles, California.
His work at the Walt Disney Studio included Dumbo (for which he won an Oscar for Best Score in 1941 along with composer Frank Churchill), Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp.
1984:
The Restaurant el Marrakesh opens in the Morocco Pavilion at EPCOT.
2001:
"Walt: The Man Behind the Myth," a TV special about Walt Disney, airs as part of The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC. Narrated by ________ Van , the 2-hour show features interviews with some of the people who knew Walt best.
2006:
Disney World's Cinderellabration gives its final performance.

"Handy Manny," a new animated series for preschoolers, debuts on Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney. Actor Wilmer Valderrama (best known from the hit series That 70's Show) stars in the title role of Manny Garcia, a cheerful handyman.
2008:
Disney World formally reveals plans for its Bay Lake Tower at Disney World's
Contemporary Resort - confirming earlier reports that the 15-story tower rising just beyond the Magic Kingdom will be used for time shares. Disney also unveils plans to sell time shares at the Treehouse Villas at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.

Over at Disneyland, the second new Mark VII, Blue, monorail goes into service.
2010:
The Disney Parks Blog releases concept art and launches its new web page for Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, a new Disney Value Resort under construction at Walt Disney World.
2011:
Marceline, a film by Andy Neitzert, screens at the Uptown Theater in Marceline, Missouri, as part of the town's Walt Disney's Hometown Toonfest weekend. The documentary explores the ways in which the north-central Missouri town’s narrative and the story of Walt Disney himself converge. Marceline will play again on Sunday the 18th.

Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort begins. The spirit of Halloween Time
invades Disneyland Resort with Disney villains, Mickey Mouse and his friends in Halloween costumes, along with the seasonal transformations of Haunted Mansion into Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain into Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy.

 

[trr1]

9/17

The year 1787 over the entrance to The Hall of Presidents (at Walt Disney World) refers to the date the United States Constitution was completed.

1904:
Actor-comedian-singer & composer Jerry Colona, the voice of March Hare in Disney's 1951 Alice in Wonderland, is born Gerardo Luigi Colonna in Boston,
Massachusetts. Remembered best as the zaniest of Bob Hope's sidekicks on Hope's popular radio shows and films of the 1940s and 1950s, Colona also lent his voice to Disney's 1950 The Brave Engineer (as the narrator) and the 1946 Make Mine Music (narrating the Casey At Bat segment).
1917:
Disney Legend & camera effects artist Bob Broughton is born Berkeley, California. First beginning his career with Disney in 1937 in the mailroom, he shortly thereafter moved into the camera department. He worked on nearly every motion picture from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to The Black Hole (in 1979). Broughton also helped D*ick Van dance with
animated penguins in Mary Poppins by using Color Traveling Matte Composite
Cinematography, an award-winning technology that combines live-action and animated actors.
1928:
Actor and photographer Roddy McDowall, the voice of Mr. Soil in the 1998 A Bug's Life, is born in London, England. His Disney live-action credits include the 1965 That Darn Cat!, the 1967 The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin, and the 1979 The Black Hole as the voice of V.I.N.CENT. (Sci-fi fans know McDowall best for his role of Cornelius in the Planet of the Apes series of films.)
1948:
Actor John Ritter (best known for his role of Jack Tripper on the late-1970s hit
sitcom Three's Company) is born in Burbank, California. He appears in the 1971 Disney live-action film The Barefoot Executive, and several Disney television specials including Mickey's 60th Birthday, The Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park Grand Opening, and Walt Disney World Christmas Parade. Ritter also starred in the ABC/Walt Disney Studio sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, until his untimely death in 2003.
1957:
Sterling Holloway (the future voice of Winnie the Pooh) signs his first contract with the Walt Disney Music Company. The agreement ensures him star status on all recordings (unlike many of his contemporaries who perform uncredited).
1991:
The new sitcom Home Improvement, starring comedian Tim Allen, debuts on ABC-TV. Based on Allen's stand-up comedy, the show will be one of the highest-rated sitcoms for almost the entire decade. Among the cast ... is Jonathan Taylor Thomas - playing Randy, one of Allen's sons. He will later be the voice of young Simba in Disney's animated feature The Lion King. The series will launch Allen's acting career which will include supplying the voice for Buzz Lightyear!
2004:
Imagineer Rolly Crump and comedic actor Tim Conway are among the 11 inducted as Disney Legends.
2005:
A tribute to and a celebration of Pixar's Joe Ranft (who passed away August 16) is held for a few hundred guests at the Emeryville studio.
2010:
Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort kicks off (through October 31). Over in Frontierland, Rancho del Zocalo honors Dia de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead) with traditional skeleton figures on display until November 2 (which is Day of the Dead - a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Mexican Americans living in the U.S. and Canada.).
"I had one of the best jobs anyone could have, with a one-of-a-kind organization and incredibly talented people." -Bob Broughton

 

[trr1]

9/18 and fact for the day

In 1935, Walt Disney was presented with a medal by the League of Nations (whose goals included disarmament, preventing war, settling disputes between countries, & improving global welfare) in Paris, France.


2010:
Ape Pen Publishing and the 1313 Club hosts an event celebrating the incredible mechanical story of Disneyland. "Walt Disney’s Marvelous Mechanized Magic Kingdom" takes place at the Disneyland Hotel with such special guests as Kathryn Beaumont, Bob Gurr, Floyd Norman,
X Atencio and Rolly Crump. The event is hosted by actor & Disney fan Neil Patrick Harris.

 

[trr1]

9/19 and fact for the day

Snow White was the first film ever to have a complete merchandising campaign ready to roll on the day the movie opened! Movie fans were able to purchase Snow White mementos from Sears and Woolworth's.


2010:

Duffy the Bear, already popular at Tokyo DisneySea, makes his first appearance at the Disneyland Resort at a special event for Annual Passholders at Disney California Adventure. The character will officially premiere to the public at both Disneyland and Epcot on October 14.

 

[trr1]

9/20 and fact for the day

Among the Disney treasures on display at the 2009 D23 Expo -the actual Volkswagen Beetle that "played" the role of Herbie in The Love Bug, the
costume worn by Michael Jackson as "Captain EO," and a Nautilus submarine prop from Disney's feature 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

2010:
The Flame Tree Barbecue at Disney's Animal Kingdom reopens after being closed for refurbishment.
2011:
Disney CEO Bob Iger and Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Tom Staggs announce a long-term creative partnership with James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring the fantasy world of AVATAR to life at Disney Parks. Cameron and his producing partner Jon Landau and their team at Lightstorm Entertainment will serve as creative consultants and work side-by-side with Walt Disney Imagineers on the first
AVATAR-themed land in Disney's Animal Kingdom. (Construction is expected to begin by 2013.)

 

[trr1]

9/21 and fact for the day

Fantasia premiered at the Broadway Theater in New York in 1940 ... the same theater previously known as the Colony, where Steamboat Willie had opened in 1928!

2010:
Tinker Bell receives the 2,418th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame the same day as the DVD release of Disney's Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue. Tinker Bell first became a Disney character in the 1953 animated film Peter Pan and was later featured in the opening of the long-running Disney anthology television series. Tinker Bell joins Kermit the Frog, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snow White and Winnie the Pooh with stars on the Walk of Fame.

Private cabanas open at Castaway Cay, Disney's island in the Bahamas. Each cabana is furnished with cushioned chairs, lounge chairs, a dining table, a refrigerator, a locked storage unit, outside fresh water shower and shade on the front deck.

Fans relive some of Pleasure Island’s glory days when former members of Disney’s Comedy Warehouse perform together at the Orlando Improv Festival. Brian Bradley, Mark Daniel, Lisa Glaze, Matt Horohoe, Robby Pigott and John Telfer take the stage for "Island Time" - some of the old set-ups used at the late, lamented Comedy Warehouse (once located at Disney's Pleasure Island, Florida).

 

[trr1]

9/22 and fact for the day

Although Elephant Appreciation Day is celebrated every September 22, for the care team at Disney's Animal Kingdom ... every day is Elephant Appreciation Day. DAK is part of a breeding program coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that focuses on sustaining the elephant
population in North America.

2010:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom celebrates Elephant Appreciation Day with a host of activities for children and families at Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes debuts on Disney XD with the episode "Iron Man is Born!" (The cartoon series by Marvel Animation is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers.)

 

[trr1]

9/23 and fact for the day

Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt, the star of Ghost Whisperer (co-produced by Touchstone/ABC),also voiced Madellaine in the 2002 Disney animated film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II.
2010:

At a press conference in New York City, Disney announces next year's marketing campaign that will focus on vacation memories and images of family scenes at the theme parks. Starting in January 2011 "Let the Memories Begin" will feature projected images nightly of Disney guests on the facade of the It's a Small World ride at Disneyland and on Cinderella's Castle at Walt Disney World in Florida. Images shot by Disney photographers at the park will be displayed each night on the building facades, accompanied by a new song written for the campaign.
Disney also launches a new website with the sole purpose of showcasing photos, videos and other user-generated content from park visitors and fans. The site goes live on this day at noon.
- LET THE MEMORIES BEGIN -

2011:
ABC airs the final episode of its long-running soap opera All My Children.

 

[trr1]

9/24 and fact for the day

In the months before his death in 1990, Jim Henson pursued extensive discussions with The Walt Disney Company based on his strong belief that Disney would be a perfect home for his Muppets. It wasn't until 2004 that Disney and the Jim Henson Company came to an agreement under which Disney acquired the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House.
2010:
Touchstone Pictures releases the comedy You Again, starring Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Odette Yustman, Betty White, and Kristin Chenoweth.

Destination D: Disneyland '55 kicks off in the Grand Ballroom at the Disneyland Hotel. The two-day event takes D23 Members on a mesmerizing journey through the design, creation, debut and magical history of the world's first Disney theme park.

The El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood presents "Beauty and the Beast Sing-a-Long" for the next 2 weeks.

Fish Hooks, an animated television series created by Noah Z. Jones, premieres on Disney Channel. The series revolves around adolescent fish Milo (voiced by Kyle Massey), his shy brother Oscar (Justin Roiland), and their "overly dramatic" best friend Bea Goldfishberg (Chelsea Staub).

 

[trr1]

9/25 and fact for the day

The original Disneyland Monorail was a round trip sightseeing ride with no stops. In 1961, the monorail track was expanded to connect the park with the
Disneyland Hotel.

2011:
Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World is featured on the season premiere of ABC-TV's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The two-hour episode focuses on the Marshalls, a military family residing in Fayetteville, North Carolina, who are committed to helping homeless female veterans. While the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team work their magic at the the Steps-N-Stages Jubilee House in Fayetteville, the family vacations at Disney World, where they serve as the guests of honor at a military-family themed parade.

 

[trr1]

9/26 and fact for the day

In its earliest stages of planning, Walt Disney World was regarded as a top-secret project and was given code names like Project Winter and Project X.


2010:

D23 holds the first public scavenger hunt at Disneyland.

 

[trr1]

9/27 and fact for the day

The United States Government, through the Library of Congress, has each year since 1989 named 25 films it deems as "culturally, historically, or esthetically important." Included in this list: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Pinocchio, Steamboat Willie, and Beauty and the Beast.

 

[trr1]

9/28 and fact for the day

Disney Legend Norman "Buddy"Baker was originally the Musical Director on Bob Hope's radio show, before becoming a big band arranger for the Stan Kenton Orchestra. He later was a professor at L.A. City College in the early 1950s. Among Buddy's early students was famed film composer
Jerry Goldsmith (who went on to score Disney's Soarin' attraction)!

2010:
Disney opens an all new store in Chicago, Illinois. The Disney Store, located at 1 W. Randolph, Space 150, underwent a total floor-to-ceiling transformation.

Disney Online, part of the Disney Interactive Media Group, debuts a second season of "The Possibility Shop," an original web series produced by The Jim Henson Company. The site will be updated every two to three weeks with content designed to inspire the imagination of the entire family through creative projects, activities and games.

ABC Studios premieres its newest series No Ordinary Family on ABC-TV. The sci-fi drama stars Michael Chiklis as Jim Powell whose family has gained special super abilities after their plane crash landed in the Amazon River.

 

[trr1]

9/29 and fact for the day

Award-winning actress Jodie Foster made her motion picture
debut in Disney's 1972 live-action film, Napoleon and Samantha,
playing the role of Samantha.

 

[trr1]

9/30 and fact for the day

"The day before the brand-new Haunted Mansion opened at Walt
Disney World in 1971, the first custodial crew cleaned out all
the cobwebs. The Imagineers had to go back in and reapply all the
cobwebs!" - Wayne Culver (a fixture of Disney's clean team
in Orlando and Anaheim for 39 years)


2010:
The Walt Disney Company launches Disney Magic of Healthy Living; a national multimedia initiative designed to partner with parents in their quest to raise healthy, happy kids. Highlights of Disney Magic of Healthy Living will include a year-long series of inspirational television public service announcements featuring Mrs. Obama and Disney Channel stars, two new web sites (Disney.com/healthyfun and Family.com/healthymagic), and a national essay contest calling on kids to write about ideas for living a healthy life.
2011:
Walt Disney World hosts the 16th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The 45-day outdoor festival (running through November 13) serves up authentic cuisine; wine, beer and inventive new cocktails; entertainment; and cultural exhibits of more than 25 international regions. Singer Taylor Dayne kicks off the Eat to the Beat concert series with the first of a 3-day engagement at the America Gardens Theatre.

 

[trr1]

10/1 and fact for the day

Nineteen-year-old Debbie Dane, originally a hostess for Walt Disney
World's Preview Center, was chosen as WDW's very first ambassador.
"It was probably the most incredible and magical experience a girl could
ever have had!"

"Here in Florida, we have something special we never enjoyed at Disneyland ... the blessing of size. There's enough land here to hold all the ideas and plans we can possibly imagine."

-Walt Disney (1965)

2011:

Walt Disney World turns 40! At 9:45 a.m. at the Magic Kingdom, a parade of Disney characters work its way to Cinderella Castle for a ceremony with Walt Disney World President Meg Crofton. Folks who have been Cast Members for 40 years participate, and a sing-along with the Dapper Dans barbershop quartet is held.

Special 40th anniversary merchandise is offered for sale and creators of limited-edition artwork are on hand for autographs. In the evening, an expanded edition of "Wishes" fireworks display fills the sky at 9 p.m.

 

[trr1]

10/2 and fact for the day

In the beginning Disney's Florida theme park was to be called simply
Disney World. But when Walt past away in December 1966, his brother Roy renamed the project Walt Disney World.

2010:

Anton Van Zyl, 37, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida wins the men's division of the inaugural Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon at Walt Disney World. He finishes in 1 hour, 14 minutes, 51 seconds, just ahead of second-place finisher Matthew Dobson, 41, of Jay, Florida.

Melissa Wisner, 27, of Washington D.C., wins the women's division in 1:32:22.

 

[trr1]

10/3 and fact for the day

In 1986, the Golf Resort at Disney World changed its name to the
Disney Inn.

2010:

A premiere screening for Disney's Secretariat, a film about the 1973 Triple Crown winner, takes place at The Kentucky Theatre in downtown Lexington. The screening is a benefit for the Secretariat Foundation, which supports charities that serve the Thoroughbred industry through activities including veterinary research and Thoroughbred retirement. Co-produced with Mayhem Pictures and starring Diane Lane as Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery, the film will open October 8.