this day in disney history

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12/23 and fact for the day

The giant squid in Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea movie was constructed of rubber, steel spring, flexible tubing, glass cloth, lucite, and plastic. It had tentacles measuring 40 feet with 2 feelers of 50 feet & took a staff of 28 to operate its intricate remote controls! The film
later inspired two theme park attractions.

 

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12/24 and fact for the day

Each Christmas season Walt Disney World Resort is decorated with more than 11 miles of garland, 3,000 wreaths and up to 1,500 Christmas trees!

 

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12/25 and fact for the day

Walt Disney led Disneyland's very first Christmas Parade in November 1955.


2010:

The 27th year of the Emmy Award-winning Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade airs

on ABC-TV. Hosted for the first time by Ryan Seacrest at Walt Disney World and Nick Cannon at

Disneyland, guests include Mariah Carey; country-music chart-topper Darius Rucker; Amber Riley (who plays

Mercedes on Glee); Disney Channel stars Selena Gomez and Debby Ryan; young soprano sensation Jackie

Evancho (of America’s Got Talent fame); American Idol Lee DeWyze, swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy;

professional dancers from ABC-TV’s Dancing with the Stars and R&B singer Sean Kingston.


2011:

Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida present the 28th annual Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade TV special on ABC. Nick Cannon and Mario Lopez host the telecast, along with co-host Maria Menounos and special guests singer Christina Aguilera

and headliner, teen sensation Justin Bieber. :lookaroun

 

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12/26 and fact for the day

Ron & Dawn DeFore, two of the children of actor Don DeFore (owner of
Don DeFore's Silver Banjo Barbecue restaurant - at one time located in
Disneyland) once "filled in" for Walt Disney's grandchildren during the
annual Disneyland Christmas Parade.

 

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12/27 and fact for the day

Soon after the completion of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, someone said, "Isn’t it too bad Walt Disney didn’t live to see this?" Mike
Vance, then dean of Disney University, replied, "He did see it. That’s why it’s here."

2011:

Continuing a tradition started by Walt Disney in 1959, this year's Rose Bowl teams

– Big Ten Conference champion Wisconsin Badgers and Pac-12 Conference

champion Oregon Ducks – kick off tournament week at Disneyland park.

 

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12/28 and fact for the day

Designed to resemble a turn-of-the-century Nantucket seaside resort, Disney World's Yacht & Beach Clubs are situated on a 25-acre freshwater lake.

2010:

Disneyland Resort temporarily halts ticket sales at both of its Anaheim theme parks because of massive crowds.

 

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12/29 and fact for the day

It would take more the 20 million 12 ounce cans of Coca-Cola to fill one of the humongous Coke cups at the Home-Run Hotel in Disney's All-Star Sports
Resort!

 

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12/30 and fact for the day

Hidden Mickeys started out as an inside joke by Disney
Imagineers in the 1980s.

 

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12/31 and fact for the day

More than 8,000 construction workers
were originally employed to build Walt Disney World.

 

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1/1 and fact for the day
Cinderella's Golden Carousel (located in Disney World) came from Olympic Park, a defunct New Jersey amusement park.Disney Imagineers rescued the carousel from destruction and replaced many of its wooden horses with
ones constructed of fiberglass. No two horses are alike!


2012:

Disney Announces that on February 29 For the first time ever, both Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom Park will be open for 24 hours of wonder, imagination and magic starting February 29 at 6:00 a.m.
also
Starting January 1, 2012, enter every day through February 29, 2012 for a chance to win one of 60 vacation packages for 4 to either Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort.

 

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1/2 and fact for the day

The work Disney did for the 1964 New York World's Fair was
of tremendous use to him for planning a second theme park.
The fair proved that people on the East Coast were receptive
to Disney-style attractions.

 

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1/3 and fact for the day

Disney World's Pop Century Resort features 'larger than life' icons of the 20th Century, including 4-storey Rubik’s Cubes & yo-yos and 55-foot cell phones. Phase I, the Classic Years, opened December 14, 2003.
The resort is built around Hourglass Lake and features a bridge called Generation Gap Bridge that was to join the Classic Years with the unbuilt Legendary Years.

 

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1/4 and fact for the day

In 1937, the Boy Scouts of America bestowed upon Mickey Mouse
membership in the Cub Scouts in honor of his 9th birthday.

2010:

It's a busy day at the Disneyland Resort when "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience"
closes so that the Tomorrowland theater can be prepared for the February return of Captain EO. Meanwhile workers begin to empty the Rivers of America - a waterway surrounding Tom Sawyer Island for a 4-month
rehabilitation and upgrade project. The 6 million gallons of water will go to a recycling facility instead of being dumping into the ocean, as Disney has done the previous times it drained waterways. Among the improvements
(once the river is drained) - installing a new 2,500-foot track for the Mark Twain Riverboat and the Sailing Ship Columbia for the first time since the parks opening in 1955.

Later in the day, walls go up in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area of Disney’s California Adventure, as workers begin the first phase of the Red Trolley Cars attraction. The project is part of a major, $1 billion renovation, and when completed in 2012, the trolleys will travel and carry guests from the park’s entrance around to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride area.

2011:
At approximatley 6:30 a.m., Disney's newest cruise ship the Dream arrives at Port Canaveral, Florida for the very first time. Four years in the making, the 130,000 ton ship can carry 4,000 passengers. Port Canaveral made $32 million in improvements to its facilities in order to accommodate the Disney
Dream, which will set sail on its maiden voyage later this month.

The Producers Guild of America announce the television and motion picture nominations for the 2011 Producers Guild Awards. Among the nominations:
Toy Story 3; Producer: Darla K. Anderson for The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures Toy Story 3; Producer: Darla K. Anderson for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures Winners will be announced at the Producers Guild Awards ceremony on Saturday, January 22nd at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

 

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1/5 and fact for the day

In Autumn of 1998, Cinderella Castle's lighting system was upgraded at
Disney World. It now has the power to illuminate in some 16 million colors!

2011:
At the People's Choice Awards, Toy Story 3 wins Favorite Family Movie and
Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam is awarded Favorite Family TV Movie.

 

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1/6 and fact for the day

Disney World's Country Bear Jamboree was originally designed for
Mineral King, an alpine area resort in California's Sierra Nevada
mountains. Mineral King was never built, so the bears found
a home in Florida.

2010:

The 36th annual People's Choice Awards are handed out in Los Angeles.
Favorite Family Movie is awarded to Disney'Pixar's Up (beating out Hannah Montana: The Movie, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, and Where the Wild Things Are).
Miley Cyrus wins Favorite Breakout Movie Actress (edging out Anna Kendrick, Emily Osment, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Zoe Saldana). Johnny Depp is named Favorite Movie Actor of the Decade!
2011:

Disney Publishing reaches an important milestone, with 1 million downloads for
its Disney Book Apps globally on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

2012:
Disney confirmed the long-standing speculation of a makeover for Test Track in Epcot's Future World. Test Track will close in April of 2012, and will reopen in the fall of 2012.
Significantly, the attraction will become "Test Track Presented by Chevrolet"

 

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1/7 and fact for the day

In the early 1950's, Walt Disney hired Harrison "Buzz" Price (a consultant from Stanford Research who would later become a Disney Legend) to find a major piece of land in Southern California ... large enough to build an amusement park.

2011:
The plaque and key exchange for the Disney Dream takes place, commemorating the ship’s inaugural call on Port Canaveral in an official maritime ceremony. Newly elected Florida Governor Rick Scott, along with other local officials participate in the event with Disney Dream Captain Tom Forberg and Disney Cruise Line President Karl Holz. The ship’s maiden voyage will take place January 26.

2012:

At Disneyland park, Jolly Holiday Bakery Café officially open its doors. The new bakery,located at the top of Main Street, U.S.A., features familiar bakery and coffee items in addition to a new menu of sandwiches and salads.

 

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1/8 and fact for the day

Beginning in 1996, entry to all Walt Disney World
parks required use of new, credit-card size tickets.

2011:

Tim Young of Rochester Hills, Michigan, is the top overall finisher of the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in 1:05:29.

2012:

Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Disney Fantasy leaves the Meyer Werft enclosed

dock (in Germany) for the very first time. Slowly floated out of the building into the harbor for a few tests,

she will be delivered to Disney Cruise Line on February 9 in Bremerhaven.



Brazilian runner Fredison Costa wins the 19th Annual Walt Disney World Marathon in

2 hours, 19 minutes and 1 second. It is Costa's second consecutive Disney Marathon title. Renee High of Virginia Beach, Virginia, is the first woman to cross the finish line in 2:48:33. More than 26,500 runners took part in the

26.2-mile race taking athletes through all four Walt Disney World theme parks and several Disney resort hotel areas.

 

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1/9 and fact for the day

The now extinct Epcot attraction Horizons was originally to
be named Century 3 (or Century III), to recognize the third
century of American existence (1976-2076).

2011:

Fredison Costa of Brazil, last year's runner-up, ends the domination of countryman Adriano Bastos at the Walt Disney World Marathon, pulling away over the second half of the 26.2-mile race and winning by nearly 61/2 minutes. Costa, 33, leads the field of approximately 17,500 runners across the finish line in 2 hours, 21 minutes, 14 seconds. Michael Wardian of Arlington, Virginia, is second in 2:27:39, and Oviedo's Paul Nielsen, 24, finishes third in 2:31:44. Leah Thorvilson of Little Rock, Arkansas, celebrates her 32nd birthday with an easy victory in the women's

race with a time of 2:42:10.

Other 2011 winners (over the last two days) include:

Men’s Masters: Pat Bragassa, Rigby, Idaho, 2:38:41

Women’s Masters: Myriam Grenon, Longueuil, Can., 2:58:30

Men’s Chair: Krige Schabort, Cedartown, Ga., 1:47:13

Men’s Half: Tim Young, Rochester Hills, Mich., 1:05:35

Women’s Half: Jenny Scherer, Delavan, Wis. 1:17:35

Men’s Half Chair: Mark Feltner, Orlando, Fla., 1:15:00

 

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1/10 and fact for the day

Roy E. Disney voiced a cameo of himself in the animated series Disney's House of Mouse where Mickey accidentally sends him
an angry fax meant for Mortimer Mouse.

2011:

The Visual Effects Society (VES) announces the nominees for the 9th Annual VES Awards ceremony recognizing outstanding visual effects artistry in film, animation, television, commercials and video games. Among the Disney nominees:

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual-Effects Driven Feature Motion Picture - TRON: Legacy and Alice in Wonderland

Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture - Tangled and Toy Story 3

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie or a Special - Prep and Landing: Operation Secret Santa

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture - Tangled – Rapunzel

Outstanding Animated Character in a Broadcast Program or Commercial - Prep and Landing: Operation Secret Santa – Lanny

Outstanding Effects Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture - Toy Story 3

Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture - TRON: Legacy – Disc Game

Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture - TRON: Legacy and Alice in Wonderland

The 9th Annual VES Awards will take place on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel

 

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1/11 and fact for the day

During its early planning stages, the Space Mountain attraction was referred to as Space Port. WDW's Space Mountain is currently the oldest operating roller coaster in the state of Florida.