this day in disney history

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11/21

1911:
Animator Andy Engman is born in Vasa, Finland.
He will work at the Disney Studios from 1937-1971 on such shorts as Brave Little Tailor and Goofy's Glider and on such classic full-features as Snow White, Fantasia, Make Mine Music, and The Jungle Book.
1943:
An ad for War Bonds featuring Disney art appears in an NFL program for a game between the Pittsburgh Steagles and the Detroit Lions. (The Pittsburgh Steelers have temporarily merged with the Philadelphia Eagles as team rosters have become depleted by the ongoing world war.) The art is from the Ave Maria sequence of Disney's Fantasia.
1961:
Sculptor, animator, designer, comic book artist, and Disney Imagineer Rubén Procopio is born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (his family will move to the U.S. when he is 4). Affiliated with Walt Disney Feature Animation (he trained under Eric Larson, one of Disneys legendary Nine Old Men), Procopio is credited with restoring the maquette process to feature animation film production in the early 1980s - influenced by his dad Adolfo Procopio, a 35-year veteran sculptor at Walt Disney Imagineering. Rubén's extensive Disney credits include The Black Cauldron, The Great Mouse Detective, Rescuers Down Under, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.
1963:
Walt Disney and a group of his top executives land at Herndon Airport (today known
as Orlando's Executive Airport). In the midst of a tour of the eastern Unites States (since November 17)
in search of an ideal location for a new theme park, Walt and his team head toward Ocala in 2 rented cars. Upon
arriving in Ocala, they check into a local hotel under assumed names (Walt uses the name William Brown). The
next morning they will fly over the Orlando-area in search of a spot for Walt's East Coast Disneyland.
1994:
The Timekeeper, a new attraction featuring a CircleVision 360 film and Audio-Animatronics & special effects, opens in WDW's Tomorrowland. Replacing America the Beautiful, the show features a levitating android called Nine-Eye (the 9 eyes she has represents the 9 cameras used in filming From Time to Time in the round, thus showing each of her 9 eyes on each one of the 9 movie screens) who travels back in time while under the complete control of the zany Timekeeper - voiced by Robin Williams.
2001:
Disney World unveils its holiday lights and decorations with The
Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights at Disney-MGM Studios.
(Arkansas businessman Jennings Osborne received worldwide attention when he first created the luminous light show for his daughter more than a decade ago.) The glowing bulbs light Residential Street, Washington Square and New York Street in merry holiday displays that include 170 flying angels, two 30-foot-tall carousels, illuminated trees, and 50 lighted Mickey Mouse figures.
2008:
Disney's 47th animated feature Bolt (a CGI animated film) is released.
The film centers around Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) - a white German Shepherd who has lived
all his life on the set of a TV show in which he portrays a superhero dog, and as a result thinks that his
superpowers are real! The voice cast also includes Miley Cyrus (as Penny) and Malcolm McDowell (as Dr.
Calico). Bolt is Disney's first film made as a 3D feature during its production. The two previously CGI
features from the studio were first produced as 2D movies and later made stereoscopic after completion.

 

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11/22

1963:

Walt Disney and a group of associates fly over the coast of Florida aboard a Grumman turboprop. (Walt and his entourage of top executives are at the end of a tour of the eastern United States in search of an ideal location for a new theme park.) The aerial view confirms Walt's doubts about building a theme park by the ocean. They fly inland over Orlando, circling the forests and swamps for the very first time. From the air they see the good road network below (which includes Interstate 4, Florida's Turnpike and McCoy Air Force Base - soon to be Orlando International Airport). Walt has a good feeling about this site. This is followed with a stop in New Orleans to refuel for the trip back to Burbank, California. It is during the stop in New Orleans that they learn of U.S. President Kennedy's assassination in Texas, just hours before. On the somber flight back home, Walt announces that out of all the stops ... Central Florida appears to be the best choice.

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Disneyland will close the following day in honor of President Kennedy (who visited the park, as Senator, in 1959.)

1971:

Walt Disney Productions releases The Aristocats (the twentieth animated

feature in the Disney animated features canon) in the United Kingdom.
1974:

The Lake Buena Vista Golf Club opens at Walt Disney World.

Located near what will be the Downtown Disney shopping and entertainment district, the course will earn a 4 star rating from Golf Digest.
1991:

The 30th Disney animated feature film, Beauty and the Beast - featuring the
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voices of Robby Benson as the Beast and Paige O'Hara as Belle - is generally
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released in theaters in the U.S. & Canada. (The film's music will win 2 Academy
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Awards and 4 Grammy Awards.)
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Also debuting, Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage - a Broadway-style musical
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]at the 1,500-seat Theater of the Stars, on Sunset Boulevard at Disney-MGM.[/FONT]​

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1992:

Disney Legend & character actor Sterling Holloway, the first voice of Winnie the
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Pooh, passes away in Los Angeles, California at age 87. Making his Hollywood debut in

1926, Holloway's first role for Disney wasn't until the 1941 Dumbo, voicing the messenger Stork who delivers baby

Dumbo to Mrs. Jumbo and then sings "Happy Birthday." His voice can also be heard in such Disney classics as

Bambi, The Three Caballeros, The Aristocats, The Jungle Book, and Alice in Wonderland. (Holloway also voiced

the original Cheerios Honey-Nut Bee and even appeared on an episode of The Twilight Zone[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif].)[/FONT]​

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1994:
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Disney World's All-Star Music Resort opens at 1801 West Buena
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Vista Drive. It is the second phase of what will be 4 themed All-Star resorts.
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The All-Star Music is located on the southern portion of the Disney World property
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]and is divided into 5 areas: Calypso, Jazz Inn, Rock Inn, Country Fair, and Broadway.[/FONT]​

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1998:

The Hollywood & Vine Cafeteria of the Stars opens in the Disney-MGM Studios theme
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park at WDW. Set in the in classic Hollywood style of the 1930’s and ‘40’s, the sit-down restaurant is located
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]on Vine Street off Hollywood Boulevard.[/FONT]
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2004:

It is reported that Hong Kong Disneyland will open September 12, 2005
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11/23

1892:
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Elias Disney (future father of Walt Disney) obtains a building permit to build a two
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story, 18 x 28 foot wood cottage on a plot of land he purchased on Tripp Avenue in
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Chicago last month. Elias will be able to keep the cost low on the cottage (about $800) by acting as his
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own contractor, and doing much of the construction himself.
1951:

Disney's Goofy short No Smoking, directed by Jack Kinney, is released

1963:

D[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]isneyland closes it gates in honor of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, Friday November 22.

1994:

Epcot's Spaceship Earth reopens with a new narration by actor Jeremy

Irons and a new ride score by Edo Guidotti. It is the attraction's third version
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11/24

1826:
Journalist Carlo Lorenzini, better known as Carlo Collodi, Italian author of
The Adventures of Pinocchio, is born in Florence, Tuscany (today known as Italy).


1941:
After suffering a strike and declining revenue because of the war in Europe, Walt Disney's studio is in trouble. Disney animator Ward Kimball notes in his diary for this day: "100 layoffs announced. Studio personnel from 1600 down to 300. Geez, Is this the writing on the wall?" (Disney will save itself by doing defense films for the army & with the post-war release of Cinderella - be back on top.)
1942:
Actor-comedian-musician Billy Connolly, the voice of Ben in Disney's 1995
release Pocahontas, is born in Scotland. He also played the role of Billy Bones in the 1996 Muppet Treasure Island.
1955:
Thanksgiving Day
The Mickey Mouse Club Circus attraction opens at Disneyland the same
day the Mickey Mouse Club airs on ABC-TV. Today's theme ... is appropriately
Circus Day! The Mickey Mouse Club Circus attraction (which will run through early January) is
held under a huge striped tent and features live performances from Professor Keller and His
Feline Fantastics, Serenado the Wonder Horse, Bob-O the Disneyland clown and of course TV's Mouseketeers!

Also at Disneyland, the park debuts its "Christmas at Disneyland Festival" (which will run through January 8, 1956).
1956:
The second of eight installments titled "My Dad, Walt Disney," by Diane Disney Miller as told to Pete Martin (a "celebrity friendly" writer)
appears in the Saturday Evening Post.
1990:
English novelist and playwright Dorothy Gladys "Dodie" Smith passes away at age 94. Smith is best known for her 1956 novel "The Hundred and One Dalmatians" which was adapted into the Disney animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians. The story was inspired by her very own Dalmatian named Pongo!
1994:
Thanksgiving Day
At Epcot Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, a multi-media 3-D movie
experience, officially opens. (It replaces Captain EO at the Journey into Imagination pavilion.)
1999:
At Epcot, The Global Neighborhood - Spaceship Earth's post show - is replaced with The New Global Neighborhood.

Toy Story 2, the third Disney/Pixar feature film, and the
sequel to Toy Story, is released in U.S. theaters. The film features most of the original characters and voices from the first film, including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, Annie Potts, John Ratzenberger, Joe Ranft, John Morris, and Laurie Metcalf. Toy Story 2 also debuts new characters voiced by Jodi Benson, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Estelle Harris, and Wayne Knight. (Not originally intended for release in theaters, Disney had asked Pixar to make a direct-to-video sequel for the original Toy Story with a 60 minute running time. But when Disney executives saw how impressive the in-work imagery for the sequel was, they decided to create a theatrical movie!)
2003:
The Orlando Sentinel reports that Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa's Victoria & Albert's has been named
Central Florida's only AAA five-diamond restaurant
2004:
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights returns to
Disney-MGM Studios for the 2004 holiday season.
2005:
Thanksgiving Day
Mickey Mouse and friends take to the streets of Broadway spreading holiday cheer to
millions, as Walt Disney World Resort joins the 79th Annual Macy's
Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. LeAnn Rimes and Disney characters ride aboard the
"S.S. Celebration" Showboat float, a replica of the riverboats of yesteryear. At 33 feet tall, the Showboat is the
largest vessel to ever float down the parade route! New balloons debuting in this year's parade include Mr. Potato
Head. A vintage toy first introduced in 1952, Mr. Potato Head's popularity has risen due to his appearances in the
Toy Story films.

 

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11/25

[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]Giantland[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] is released. [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]A forerunner to the Mickey
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]and the Beanstalk segment of [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Fun and Fancy Free[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif], it is directed by Bert Gillett.[/FONT]​

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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1938:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]D[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]isney's short [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Ferdinand the Bull[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] is released. [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Narrated by Don Wilson, it tells the story of Little
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Ferdinand who would much rather smell the flowers than butt heads with the other animals. The voice cast
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]includes Walt Disney and animator Milt Kahl. (It will win an Academy Award for Best Cartoon.)[/FONT]​

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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1971:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Thanksgiving Day
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]"[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]A[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]merica the Beautiful," a CircleVision 360° film, debuts in Tomorrowland at Disney World. [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]A film technique, refined by The Walt Disney Company (and Kodak), the system uses 9 cameras for 9 huge screens arranged in a circle. [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]America the Beautiful[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] was originally shot as a Circarama film for the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels. The Circarama version of the film first debuted at Disneyland in 1960 and was later reshot in 1967 as a Circle-Vision 360° film.[/FONT]​

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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1987:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]D[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]isney's Touchstone Pictures releases the comedy film [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Three Men and a Baby[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson.
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1992:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]T[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]he 31st Disney animated feature film, [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Aladdin[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] is generally released in U.S. theaters. It relates a version of the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp from [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]The Book of One Thousand and One Nights[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]. (The film's music will earn 2 Academy Awards and 6 Grammy Awards.)
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]T[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]he Toontown Railroad Station, located outside of Toontown next to the Fantasyland Theater, opens in Disneyland.
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1996:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]D[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]isneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade comes to an end.[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif](It is estimated that
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]some 75 million people have marveled at the bright lights of the parade since its introduction in 1972.)[/FONT]​

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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2009:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]W[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]alt Disney Pictures releases the comedy feature [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Old Dogs[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]. [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Starring
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]John Travolta and Robin Williams as two bachelors who are best friends and co-workers, the cast also includes
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Kelly Preston (wife of John Travolta), Matt Dillon, Justin Long, Seth Green, Rita Wilson, Dax Shepard and Bernie
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Mac. Sadly it is Mac's final film, as he passed away last August 2008[/FONT]​

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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2010:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]T[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]oday is Thanksgiving.
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2010:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]T[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]oday is Thanksgiving[/FONT]​

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11/26

1933:
Legendary star of stage, screen, television and records, Robert Goulet is born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He is the singing voices of Mikey in Recess: School's Out and Wheezy the Penguin in Toy Story 2 (who sings his own version of "You've Got a Friend In Me").
1942:
The Warner Brothers romance film Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Peter Lorre, is released. (A scene from this film is represented in Disney's Hollywood Studios' The Great Movie Ride. It is also among the trailers shown in the ride's queue area.)
1971:
The Orlando Evening Star runs the front page headline:
"Monster Crowd Too Much For Mickey DISNEY GATES CLOSED" Traffic-choking
crowds jam Walt Disney World to capacity on this day after Thanksgiving. Shortly
before noon it is announced that the Florida park must close its gates to outside visitors!
1987:
Tokyo Disneyland welcomes its 50-millionth guest!
1998:
Thanksgiving Day
Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving airs on ABC-TV.
2001:
The Walt Disney Company reiterates its commitment to support
U.S. troops at home and abroad, and assist in the nation's relief
and rebuilding programs. (Disney has become a USO World
Sponsor providing more than $1 million financial aid.)
2003:
Disney's feature The Haunted Mansion opens in theaters. The movie stars Eddie Murphy as real estate agent Jim Evers who drags his family to see the Gracey mansion when he learns it is being put up for sale!
2006:
The Wonders of Life pavilion including the attractions Body Wars, Cranium
Command, and The Making of Me reopen in Epcot. Closed since January 2005, the pavilion now opens seasonally.

 

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11/27

1937:
The final cels for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are painted.
The film's grand premiere is less than a month away.
1955:
Bill Nye the Science Guy is born in Washington, D.C. Besides appearing on
an episode of Disney Channel's MMC, Nye acted as a science consultant for the 1997 feature
Flubber. A comedian, TV host, science educator, and mechanical engineer, Nye appears in
Ellen's Energy Adventure in Epcot and provides the voice in the "antiquated" museum
preshow to Animal Kingdom's Dinosaur. Nye also appears in the "Design Lab" of CyberSpace Mountain inside DisneyQuest at WDW where he refers to himself as "Bill Nye the Coaster Guy."
1963:
Walt Disney, his brother Roy and other top Disney officials have a follow-up meeting about the recent plane trip earlier in the month - in which they searched for an ideal location for a new theme park. The group gathers in Conference Room 2E at the Walt Disney headquarters to discuss building a possible resort in Central Florida.
1996:
Disney's live-action 101 Dalmatians, starring Glenn Close as the villainous Cruella de Vil and Jeff Daniels as Roger, the owner of the 101 dalmatians, is generally released. Unlike the 1961 animated version, Pongo, Perdita, and the 99 Puppies are all played by real-life dalmatian actors and none of the animals speak. The film breaks the record for the biggest Thanksgiving Eve opening ever!
2002:
Disney officially releases its 42nd animated feature Treasure Planet on
this Thanksgiving Eve. Loosley based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic
novel "Treasure Island," the film has the distinction of being the first
to open in wide release, and in large-format (ie, IMAX) theaters on the same day. The
film also employs a novel technique of hand-drawn 2D traditional animation set atop 3D computer animation
2005:
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party debuts for the 2005
holiday season at Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

The Food Network airs Holidays at Walt Disney World Resort (hosted by Raven) for the first time.
2010:
The word famous Harlem Globetrotters bring their mix of hoops and hijinks to Disney World when they play two games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

 

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11/28

1859:
Washington Irving, writer of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, dies at age 76 in Sunnyside, New York. He will be buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery at the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Irving's classic tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, an 1820 short story contained in his collection "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent" will be re-told 90 years later in Disney's animated feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. (One of Irving's most lasting contributions to American culture is in the way Americans perceive and celebrate Christmas. Charles Dickens even credited Irving as an influence on his own Christmas writings, including the classic A Christmas Carol.)
1907:
Boston scrap-metal dealer Louis B. Mayer purchases a small rundown movie
theater in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Within a few years, he will own the largest theater chain in
New England and begin distributing films. In 1917, he will start his own production company, which, through a
series of mergers, will become part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM. (From 1989 to 2007 Disney's 5th theme
park was called Disney-MGM Studios.)
1943:
Academy-award-winning singer-songwriter Randy Newman, whose
music can be heard in such films as Toy Story, James and the Giant Peach, Toy
Story 2, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., Cars, The Princess and the Frog, and Toy Story
3 is born in Los Angeles, California. A professional songwriter since the age of seventeen, Newman
first became known for his mordant (and often satirical) pop songs. He was named a Disney Legend in 2007
1963:
Happy Thanksgiving
1968:
Thanksgiving Day
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York City. Mickey Mouse, Pinocchio, Goofy, and a handful of other Disney characters ride atop a giant birthday cake, while a huge Donald Duck balloon floats over the parade route
1995:
Walt Disney World Speedway (in Bay Lake, Florida) is dedicated. Indy Racing League drivers Arie Luyendyk, Eddie Cheever, Eliseo Salazar, Lyn St. James and Davey Hamilton drive a five-car "Flying V" formation amongst fireworks.
(The track will officially open in January 1996.)
2002:
A new Kermit the Frog balloon debuts at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. A second version, Kermit first premiered in the 1977 parade
2009:
A baby gerenuk (an African antelope) is born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The new calf, named Squirt, is born to mother Sushaunna and father Jingle. She weighs about 8 pounds and is about 1 3/4 feet tall. Squirt is the 28th gerenuk born at Disney World

 

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11/29

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1917:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]B[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]roadcaster and newsman George Russell Walsh is born in Cleveland, Ohio. [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Best known as the voice of TV's [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Gunsmoke[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif], upon retirement Russell worked as a clerk at Disneyland's Candy Palace. Walsh's voice was also featured in both Disneyland attractions Flight to the Moon and Mission to Mars.
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif](Walsh also recorded the signature line for Smokey The Bear: "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires!") [/FONT]​

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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1929:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]L[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]aurie Main, the voice of the "story reader" on many Disney Read-Along cassettes
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]and compact discs, is born in London, England. [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Main provides the narration for such Pooh video
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]releases and TV programs as [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif], [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Welcome to Pooh Corner[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif], [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Winnie the Pooh
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]and a Day for Eeyore[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif], and [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]. He is also the voice of Dr. Watson in the
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1986 animated feature [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]The Great Mouse Detective[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] and appears in the live-action comedies [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Herbie Goes to
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Monte Carlo[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] (1977), [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Freaky Friday[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] (1976) and [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]The Strongest Man in the World[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] (1975).
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1934:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Thanksgiving Day
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]M[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]acy's Christmas Parade (later to be called the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade) features the first set of Disney balloons. [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Joining Mickey Mouse for the stroll down Broadway in New York
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]City are Pluto, the Big Bad Wolf, and one of the [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Three Little Pigs[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]. Constructed
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]by the Goodyear Rubber Company, Mickey measures over 50 feet tall![/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1937:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]W[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]alt Disney receives a letter from conductor Leopold Stokowski,
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]suggesting Walt create a new character to use in "The Sorcerer's
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Apprentice" instead of using Mickey Mouse. [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif](In 1940, Stokowski will make the famous
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]film [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Fantasia[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] together with Walt ... and Mickey.)[/FONT]​

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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1971:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]T[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]he Walt Disney World Open $150,000 Golf Championship begins in Florida.
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1972:
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]C[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]arl W. Stalling, "the most famous unknown composer
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]of the 20th century," passes away at age 81.
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]He wrote and arranged the music for early
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Disney productions such as [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Plane Crazy[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] and [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]The Gallopin' Gaucho[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]. He spent 2 years at Disney, where
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]he invented the "tick" method, a timing device that allows animators to set the tempo of the cartoons, so
​

[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]that the musicians can play along before the cartoon is even drawn. He was the first music director to
​

[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]extensively use the metronome to time scores. He also co-wrote the tune [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Minnie's Yoo Hoo! [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]with Walt
​

[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Disney. (Stalling was also closely associated with the Looney Tunes shorts produced by Warner Bros,
​

[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]where he worked, averaging one complete score each week, for twenty-two years!)
​

[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2004:
[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]I[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]t is reported that [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]The Incredibles[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] has delivered Disney's biggest single weekend ever at the international box office, taking in $45.5 million.[/FONT]
​

[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2005:
[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]I[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]t is[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] announced that Disney has renewed its Emmy-winning animated series [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Kim Possible [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]for a fourth season.
​

[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2009:
​

[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]S[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]tarting on this day, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground at Walt
​

[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Disney World begins offering sleigh rides (for the first time ever) through the
​

[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]secluded beauty of the 700-acre backwoods resort.
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[/FONT]

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[trr1]

11/30

1835:

Writer & humorist Mark Twain is born Samuel Langhorne

Clemens in the small town of Florida, Missouri. (He will be raised

in Hannibal, Missouri.) Walt Disney admired Twain's writing and so the famous

author's name and image can be found scattered throughout Disney theme parks

all over the world. Tom Sawyer Island - based on Twain's classic The Adventures

of Tom Sawyer - is the only Disneyland attraction that Walt personally designed!

Disneyland also features the Mark Twain Riverboat, which takes guests on a

12-minute journey around the Rivers of America. Both Disneyland Paris and Tokyo

Disneyland have versions of the Mark Twain Riverboat as well. In Florida, Mr. Twain appears in Epcot's Audio-Animatronic stage show The American Adventure[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif], and the Magic Kingdom features a version of Tom Sawyer Island (located in Frontierland).

1927:

Actor Robert Guillaume, the voice of Rafiki in The Lion King animated films, is born in St. Louis, Missouri. He also appears in the 1994 television specials The Making of 'The Lion King' and Disney's Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra. (TV fans will know Guillaume from the sitcoms Soap, Benson, & Sports Night[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif].)[/FONT]​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]

1966:

W[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]alt Disney (weeks after undergoing surgery) collapses at his California home. He is revived by medics and readmitted to St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank.[/FONT]​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]

1997:

The Wonderful World of Disney airs "The Love Bug" on ABC-TV. [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]A made-for-television film starring Bruce Campbell, it marks the first new appearance of Herbie in more than 15 years.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]

2003:

Mousefest 2003 (the largest Walt Disney World gathering of Disney fans from around the Internet) begins in Florida. The 9-day event encompasses about 24 online communities such as All Ears Net, Passporter, Mousesavers, WDWMAGIC, Disney Dollarless, and MousePlanet.



It is reported that Roy E. Disney (the nephew of Walt Disney and son of Roy O. Disney) has resigned from the Walt Disney Company

2005:

A purebred Beagle named Nutmeg (or "Meg" for short) is born in California. [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]This pup has the distinction of having an unusual "Hidden Mickey," approximately two-and-a-half inches long on the top of her head! At nine-months of age, the natural "Mickey" markings will enable Meg to help Disneyland celebrate the "tail end" of their 50th Anniversary Celebration.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]

2010:

The much anticipated video game Epic Mickey is released in North America. Designed by Warren Spector, with 2D cinemas by Powerhouse Animation Studios, Inc., and developed by Junction Point Studios for the Wii console, Epic Mickey is part of an effort by The Walt Disney Company to re-brand the Mickey Mouse character
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[trr1]

12/1

1925:
​

Composer-conductor Jaime Mendoza-Nava is born in La Paz, Bolivia. A child prodigy,
​

he will later arrive in the U.S. in the early 1950s and work on Disney television shows and develop Disney's
​

copyright department. Mendoza-Nava will score music for both the Mickey Mouse Club and Zorro series.
​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif](During his forty-year career in motion pictures, he will compose music for more than three hundred feature motion pictures, television series episodes, animated pieces, documentaries, and commercials.)

1937:
​

Final photography of cels for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs takes place.
​

The film is scheduled for a premiere in just 20 days.
1945:

Singer-actress Bette Midler, who hosted a segment of Disney's Fantasia/2000, and supplied the voice of Georgette in the 1988 Oliver & Company (for which she also co-produced) is born in Honolulu, Hawaii. She also co-starred in the 1993 live-action Hocus Pocus[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] portraying Winifred 'Winnie' Sanderson, one of three witch sisters.

1955:

At Disneyland, the Maxwell House Coffee House opens on

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Main Street. (It will close less than 2 years later.)[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
1958:
Construction of Florida's Interstate 4 begins. The final link of the highway

will be completed in February 1965. A diagonal, northeast-southwest route for much of its length, I-4 will
​

provide access to all of Orlando's future theme parks and tourist attractions including Walt Disney World.

1971:

The Roy O. Disney, the 4th engine of the Walt Disney World Railroad - named in

honor of Walt's brother and business partner, goes into service. Like the park's 3 other

engines (all in service since opening day - October 1, 1971), the Roy O. Disney was originally built by Baldwin [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Locomotive Works of Pennsylvania in 1916 - making it the oldest of all the WDW engines.[/FONT]
1988:

The Walt Disney Company announces it will create another movie company, called Hollywood Pictures. Like Disney's Touchstone Pictures brand, it will produce films for a more mature adult audience than Walt Disney Pictures. Officially in busness as of February 1989, Hollywood Pictures' first release will be Arachnophobia in 1990.
1993:

Disney World's Fantasyland Theater in the Magic Kingdom shows the 3D
​

film Magic Journeys for the last time. Originally an opening day EPCOT attraction,
​

Magic Journeys (created by Walt Disney Imagineering) was moved into the Fantasyland Theater in [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1987. It is being removed in order to make room for the Legend of the Lion King show.

2003:
​

It is reported that Stanley P. Gold has resigned from Disney's Board of Directors
​

(following the resignation of Roy E. Disney the day before). Like Mr. Disney, Gold too calls
​

for the removal of CEO Michael Eisner.
​

​

A new website called SaveDisney.com is registered. It will be devoted to those concerned about
​

the welfare of The Walt Disney Company and its future direction. (Roy E. Disney and Stan Gold will use this site
​

as a central information location as they hope to restore Disney to its position as the preeminent entertainment
​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]company in the world.)[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
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[trr1]

12/2

1929:

Disney's Mickey Mouse short Haunted House, directed by Walt Disney, is released. When Mickey takes shelter from a storm inside an old haunted house, he must play the organ for the ghost and

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]skeleton dance. It is Mickey's first ever encounter with supernatural beings!

1933:
​

Clarence Charles Nash from Oklahoma joins Disney's studio as employee number 125. Impressed by Nash's vocal skills, Walt Disney had asked Nash to make an informal audition after first meeting him in 1932. "Ducky" Nash will be best known for providing the voice of Donald Duck.
1935:

Marc Davis begins working as an apprentice animator at the Walt Disney Studios. He is immediately thrown into 2 weeks of intense drawing classes - taught by the studio's resident instructor Donald Graham. Davis will go on to become one of Walt's "Nine Old Men[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]" and create such memorable Disney characters as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Tinker Bell and Cruella de Vil! He will later become one of Walt's original Imagineers and ultimately a Disney Legend.[/FONT]​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]

1965:

Disney's live-action feature film That Darn Cat!, starring Hayley Mills
​

and Dean Jones, is generally released. Based on the book Undercover Cat by
​

Gordon and Mildred Gordon, the film about bank robbers, a kidnapping and a mischievous cat - is directed by
​

Robert Stevenson. The cast includes Dorothy Provine, Roddy McDowall, and Frank Gorshin. (Disney will
​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]remake this film in 1997 starring Christina Ricci - with a cameo appearance by Dean Jones!)[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]

1984:

T[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]wenty-year-old old Margarita Granados gives birth to a baby girl at Disneyland![/FONT]
1990:

Actor Bob Cummings, who helped host the grand opening of Disneyland in 1955, passes away at the age of 80 in Woodland Hills, California. First achieving stardom in the 1939 Three Smart Girls Grow Up, Cummings went on give memorable performances in such notable dramas as Kings Row and Dial M for Murder. He later began a long career on television starting in 1952 with the comedy My Hero[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]. (Cummings was the godson of airplane co-inventor Orville Wright!)

2008:
​

Disney releases The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian on DVD and Blu-Ray. A Walden Media/Walt Disney Pictures production, the film had originally opened in U.S. theaters in May 2008. It is based on Prince Caspian, the second published, fourth chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia​

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[trr1]

12/3

1941:

Disney's animated feature Pinocchio [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]is released in Eritrea (a country in Northeast Africa).

1953:
​

Walt Disney writes his annual birthday letter to his sister Ruth (who will
​

celebrate on December 6). His words include: "I am hoping you will use the enclosed check
​

for yourself - something that you might particularly like to have and let it be my birthday gift to you."
​

He goes on to apologize for not being home when Ruth and her son came to visit during the past
​

summer. Walt writes of his recent trip to Mexico and his Disneyland project.
1965:

Writer, voice actor, director, and animator Andrew Stanton is born in
​

Rockport, Massachusetts. Studying character animation at CalArts, he graduated
​

from the school in 1987 and joined Pixar in January 1990. Stanton was the second animator (John Lasseter being
​

the first) and ninth overall employee hired at the studio. His credits include Toy Story, A Bug's Life,
​

Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo (which earned his first Academy Award), The Incredibles, Cars,
​

Ratatouille, WALL-E (his second Oscar win) and Toy Story 3[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif].[/FONT]​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]

1985:

Dumbo becomes the third "Walt Disney Classic" to be released on video.

1989:

C[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]heer Force One, Walt Disney World’s Mickey Mouse-shaped balloon, topped off with a Santa Claus cap, takes to the Florida skies to help celebrate the holidays.
[/FONT]
1999:

Disney Legend[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] Joe Fowler (a retired U.S. Navy Admiral) passes away at age 99 in Orlando, Florida. Retired from Disney since 1978, Fowler oversaw construction of Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
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[trr1]

12/4

1942:
Disney's Goofy short How to Fish, directed by Jack Kinney, is released.
Goofy demonstrates how to fish ... although he's really showing us how not to fish!
1949:
Actor Jeff Bridges, the star of Disney's 1982 Tron and its 2010 sequel, is born to
Dorothy Dean and actor Lloyd Bridges in Los Angeles, California. He also starred in
Touchstone Pictures' 2006 release Stick It. Bridges will voice Fillmore in Cars 2, replacing the late George Carlin.
1952:
Walt Disney writes his annual birthday letter to his sister Ruth (who will celebrate on December 6). His opening words include: "It's time to wish you Happy Birthday
again, in which I am joined by Lilly and the girls." He writes of family, his hobbies and the retirement of their
brother Herb from the Post Office. As usual, Walt sends along a check as a birthday gift
1957:
The television series Disneyland airs the episode "Mars and Beyond." The
program is hosted by Walt and a mechanical man named Garco. Popular Disney voice artist Paul Frees
narrates as well as provides all the voices. ("Mars and Beyond" is the third installment of what will be a
highly acclaimed and influential series about space exploration.)

Walt's annual birthday letter to his sister Ruth begins with: "It is time for a
Happy Birthday greeting again and I must say it seems only a short time ago
that I sent your last birthday letter ... the years really do tick by, don't they?" He goes on to describe he and Lily's recent trip to Europe. A check is included with the letter as a gift for Ruth.
1960:
Walt Disney Presents debuts the first Daniel Boone episode titled "The Warrior's
Path." A four-part miniseries based on the life of frontiersman Daniel Boone, a fast-talking salesman
convinces Boone (played by Dewey Martin) to pull up stakes and move from North Carolina to the "promised
land" of Kentucky. Boone, his wife Rebecca, and their friends are assured that if they travel along "The Warrior's
Path," a secret Indian trail, their journey will be a safe one. Unfortunately, the Indians they encounter along the
way are dangerous.
1971:
Walt Disney Productions releases The Aristocats (the twentieth
animated feature in the Disney animated features canon) in Sweden.
1996:
Rocker Bryan Adams performs at Pleasure Island in Florida.
2003:
Michael Eisner (Disney chairman-CEO) is honored at the 65th annual Will
Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation's Pioneer of the Year dinner.
Singer Phil Collins (known for his work on Disney's Tarzan) performs at the event at the Century
Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

The Travel Channel airs Inside Walt Disney Studios: Paris for the first time.

Walt Disney World's new Pop Century Resort hosts an "Open Mouse" for
Cast Members only.

 

[trr1]

11/5

1782:
Martin Van Buren, the eighth United States President, is
born in Kinderhook, New York. He is the first president to
be born an American citizen, as his predecessors were born before the
American Revolution. Visit him and all the U.S. Chief Executives at Disney
World's The Hall of Presidents.
1901:Happy Birthday Walt
Sunday
Walter Elias Disney is born to Flora and Elias Disney in their two-story cottage at 2156 N. Tripp Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The third Disney son is named to honor the family's pastor and friend Walter Parr, a preacher at St. Paul Congregational Church. The pastor, in turn, will later name his son Elias, after Walt's father. (The Disney family will move to Missouri in 1906 where Walt and his brothers and sister will grow up on a farm in Marceline, but the family will later return to Chicago in 1917.)
1943:
Walt Disney receives a birthday greeting (in the form of a letter dated December 5) from Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck. Nash has written from Wichita, Kansas, as he is on the road performing live with a Donald Duck ventriloquist figure in a show that includes duck cartoons.
(Throughout the 1930s-1940s it was common for Disney to put "Ducky" Nash on tour.)
His letter to Walt includes these words:
You know doubt have had many felicitations on this day—I too would like to add mine—so “Many Happy Returns of the Day.” Donald and I have been knocking around a lot—it is work, especially the way travel is today. We have been doing pretty well too. In Lawton Okla., they had to turn away about two hundred school children
1951:
Walt write his traditional birthday letter to sister Ruth. He describes his Christmas
television show, his current feature Robin Hood, and his newest production Peter Pan. Walt also writes of his two daughters Diane and Sharon. He states: "I always tell myself I'm going to buy you something for your birthday, but
when I get right down to the matter of color, size, and what, I'm bewildered and stuck. So here it is, the check -
now you go out and buy something that you'll like."
1966:
An ill Walt Disney celebrates - what will be his last birthday - in a California hospital.
1985:
The city of Anaheim salutes Disneyland (on the birthday of Walt Disney) with a world-record release of one million balloons over the park. The 70,000 pounds of helium
used is enough to lift 190 people into the air.
996:
Walt Disney Animation Canada Inc. officially opens at 650 West Georgia Street,
with a grand opening for the arts, entertainment, film and animation
communities in Vancouver.

2001:
Wednesday
Disney fans around the world celebrate Walt Disney's
100th birthday -​

-Walt Disney's Hometown 100th Birthday Celebration (in
Marceline, Missouri) takes place with a variety of activities. The town's Uptown
Theatre hosts free showings of the two Disney movies that first premiered in Marceline, "The Great
Locomotive Chase" and "The Spirit of Mickey." In the early evening, sparkling fruit juice sales begin on Main Street USA in front of Ripley Park where the city will toast Disney during a special ceremony.
-Disneyland holds a special ceremony commemorating the 100th birthday of Walt at 11:30 a.m. in the Plaza Hub at the end of Main Street. Hosted by Disneyland Resort President Cynthia Harriss, the program pays homage to Mr. Disney in story and song with special appearances by legendary Disney Imagineer John Hench and Academy Award-winning composer Richard M. Sherman.
-At Disneyland Paris, guests are greeted by 100 Disney characters in
honor of Walt's birthday. A one-day-only fireworks display over the
castle tops off the day of special events
-The life and career of Walt Disney is celebrated with a tribute by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Academy's
Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Participants for the Academy's CentennialTribute to Walt include his daughter Diane Disney Miller and the three surviving members of Disney's "Nine Old Men."
-The Sorcerer's Hat, Disney-MGM Studios' main icon, is dedicated to commemorate Walt Disney's 100th birthday. A giant showpiece based on the hat worn by Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer's apprentice in Fantasia, the hat sits on a foundation made from enough concrete to cover a football field
2003:
Roy Disney and Stanley Gold officially launch their SaveDisney website
2006:
Pirates Of The Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest makes its Disney DVD debut.

The Advertising Council, in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment, announces the launch of new public service advertisements designed to encourage all Americans to wear seat belts. The seat belt education campaign will prominently feature characters from Disney/Pixar’s Cars.

 

[trr1]

12/6

1915:
​

Delmer J. Yoakum - an artist, oil & watercolor painter, designer, serigrapher, and motion picture studio scenic artist - is born in St. Joseph, Missouri. He painted the Grand Canyon and Primeval World Diorama scenery (viewable from the train of Disneyland Railroad), portions of Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World and the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland in California. (For over 21 years, Yoakum worked for Paramount, 20th Century Fox, and MGM, creating dioramic scenes for such feature films as
​

The King and I, Niagara, North by Northwest and Some Like it Hot[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif].)

1922:

The Laugh-O-Gram silent black & white cartoon Cinderella is released. The short, based on Charles Perrault's classic, is directed, produced, written and co-animated by Walt Disney. (It is one of 6 fairy tales in Walt's Laugh-O-Gram series.)



Also released is the Laugh-O-Gram combination live-action and animated short Tommy Tuckers Tooth, written and co-animated by Walt Disney. It is made for a local Kansas City dentist, Dr. Thomas B. McCrum. The $500 Walt will earn from this short will enable him to begin work on his Alice Comedies[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif].[/FONT]​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]

1924:

Charcter actor Wally is born in Detroit, Michigan. His Disney credits include the
​

live-action films The Barefoot Executive and The Boatniks. (Cartoon fans may remember him
​

as the voice of Underdog - while fans of classic TV know as the star of the 1950s sitcom Mr. Peepers[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif].)[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
1937:
​

A sneak preview for Disney's first full-length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs takes place in a theater in Pomona, California.
​

(The film's grand premiere is scheduled for December 21[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] in Hollywood.)[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
1960:
​

The new Los Angeles American League baseball franchise is awarded to cowboy
​

movie star (and good friend of Walt Disney's) Gene Autry and former football
​

player Bob Reynolds. Walt will later sit on the board of directors. First known as the Los Angeles
​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Angles, in time the team will be called the Anaheim Angels and in 1996 be owned by Disney through 2002.[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
1961:

Walt Disney writes his annual birthday letter to his sister Ruth in which he states:

"We are working like Trojans on the new revamping for Disneyland. [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Right after New Years we will start construction in the Frontierland area on projects involving a Swiss family tree house, New Orleans Square with a pirate museum, and, also, a haunted house with a thousand and one ghosts. We plan to reopen the area next June ... Of course everything won't be completed by that time (there's too much involved and not enough time to get it all done before the 1962 summer season starts.) But we will have a lot accomplished."

1971:
​

The first Auto-Train leaves Lorton, Virginia on its inaugural run down south to Sanford, Florida (located about 43 miles from Disney World). [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]First setup in 1970, the Auto-Train Corporation realized there was a market for trains that could carry both passengers and their autos - specifically down to sunny Florida. Soon known as the "official family railroad of Walt Disney World," the Auto-Train will even sponsor the Magic Kingdom's steam train (for a short time in the mid 1970s). Unfortunately the company will later go bankrupt - but Amtrak will recognize the market demand for such a route and purchase the Auto-Train depots and much of their equipment. (The revived Auto Train service is still in operation today, where it continues to be Amtrak’s highest grossing and most profitable train.)

1997:

The Miami Herald runs an article titled "Disney ride's fan not ready to kiss Mr. Toad goodbye." [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]The article tells the story of Jeff Moskot, a 26-year-old from Miami, and his fight to keep Mr. Toad from being replaced by a new Winnie the Pooh attraction. Moskot will hold his first official "Toad-In" the following day.

2006:
​

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver induct Walt Disney into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts
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[trr1]

12/7

1910:
​

Trumpeter, bandleader, singer, composer, and actor Louis Prima, known for his memorable contribution to Disney's The Jungle Book as the voice (and live-action reference) for King Louie, is born in
​

New Orleans, Louisiana. He performed the hit song "I Wanna Be Like You" on the soundtrack, which led to the recording of two albums with Phil Harris (the voice of Baloo): The Jungle Book and More Jungle Book[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif], on Disneyland Records. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with a New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, a successful Swing combo in the 1930s, a Big Band in the 1940s, a hot Vegas act with his wife Keely Smith in the 1950s, and a pop-Rock go-go band in the 1960s! In 1959, he and Smith won the Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus for "That Old Black Magic". Referred to as the King of the Swingers, Prima also composed the famous jazz anthem "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)".[/FONT]​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]

1941:

Sunday - Walt hears the news over the radio of the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] He receives a phone call from his studio manager telling him that army troops are moving onto their Burbank lot! The troops are going to provide an anti-aircraft installation to protect the nearby Lockheed factory (which manufacture airplanes for the armed forces).
​

[/FONT]

1964:

Compass East Corporation is incorporated in Delaware. It will be responsible for buying up the Florida land that will eventually become Walt Disney World.
​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]The name Compass East Corporation appears (as does other dummy companies) on Donn Tatum's Main Street window in WDW's Magic Kingdom.
​

[/FONT]

1997:

The first (of what will be 4) official "Toad Ins" take place at Disney World's Fantasyland. Toad fans peacefully converge on the Magic Kingdom wearing matching green Save

Toad t-shirts to show their support for the Mr. Toads' Wild Ride attraction (which is scheduled to close).



The Wonderful World of Disney airs "Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book"

on ABC-TV.



Disney Channel debuts a new episode of Muppets Tonight. [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Titled "The Cameo Show," the Muppets search frantically for a host after Bobo the Bear accidentally kills Arsenio Hall, the original guest star! Jay Leno, Kevin Eubanks, Little Richard, Christopher Darden, and Kathy Ireland make cameos.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2006:

The current owners of the house Elias Disney built for his family in Chicago, put
​

the home up for auction on eBay. The four-bedroom frame house at 2156 N. Tripp Avenue was
​

constructed in 1893. This is the house Walt Disney was born and lived in for the first 4 years of his life. The
​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]auction is to last 30 days with a starting bid of $280,000.[/FONT]​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]

2009:
​

Swindon in Wiltshire, England is announced as the world’s first ever Walt Disney World "twin town," thanks to 20-year-old Rebecca Warren. More than 500 people from across the UK nominated their home towns to compete for the official status and a celebratory, magical, Disney twinning party. Warren's entry - a video slideshow with original poem - beat the 24 other shortlisted entries! Swindon’s ‘twinning ceremony’ is set to take place in January 2010 ... bringing a touch of Disney magic from the famous Florida theme parks to Wiltshire​

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12/8

1848:
​

It is believed by most historians that author and journalist
​

Joel Chandler Harris is born near Eatonton, Georgia.
​

(Although some records show he may have been born December 9 and/or in the year 1845.) Harris will
​

best be remembered for his collection of Uncle Remus stories. The tales of Uncle Remus will be
​

translated into 20 languages and immortalized on film in 1946 by Walt Disney in Song of the South.
1916:

Director/producer Richard Fleischer (a 2003 Disney Legend) is born in
​

Brooklyn, New York. He served as the director of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, one of Disney’s
​

most ambitious live-action films. Son of animator/producer Max Fleischer, Richard also direct such classic
​

features as Fantastic Voyage, Dr. Dolittle, and Tora! Tora! Tora!
1936:

An evening story meeting takes place at the Disney Studio to once again discuss the personalities and characteristics of Snow White's dwarfs
1941:

The day after the Pearl Harbor bombing, the U.S. Army has finished setting up
​

camp at Walt Disney's Burbank studio for the repair of military vehicles and
​

antiaircraft guns, and use as a primary defense station to guard the nearby
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Lockheed plant against possible air attacks. (Soon one-third of Walt's animatorswill be drafted.)
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That evening, Walt receives a call from a navy official offering the studio a contract for twenty films on aircraft
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]and warship identification.

1995:
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Touchstone Pictures releases the comedy Father of the Bride II starring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Martin Short, and Kimberly Williams. A sequel to the 1991 hit comedy Father of the Bride[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif], it will be nominated for a Golden Globe.

1997:
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Disney/ABC Cable Networks announced plans to launch Toon Disney, a new
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24-hour basic cable network featuring the company's vast library of animated television programming. It will hit the air in April 1998
1999:

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Disney World is moving ahead with plans to
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develop one of its largest-ever resorts. The 5,760-room economy-style resort,
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spread across 20 buildings near Disney-MGM Studios, is still unnamed. (It will
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]eventually be called the Pop Century Resort.)

2006:
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It is reported that MarketWatch has named Robert Iger of Disney as the CEO of the
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Year for 2006, thanks in part to his commitment to innovation within the
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entertainment industry.
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S[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]trong winds force a full closure of Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris!
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1928:
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Actor ________ Van Patten is born in New York City. His Disney credits
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include the 1975 film The Strongest Man in the World (as Harry) and the 1976 films
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The gy D.A. (as Raymond)and Freaky Friday (as Harold Jennings). TV fans know
​

him best for his role of Tom Bradford, the father on the comedy-drama Eight Is Enough
1953:

Actor John Malkovich, co-star of Disney's 2010 release Secretariat, is born in Christopher, Illinois. His Touchstone Pictures credits include The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and
​

Alive. (Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures including The Killing Fields, Dangerous Liaisons, Being John Malkovich and Changeling[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif].)[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
1957:

Singer, actor, TV talk show & game host, and former teen idol Donny Osmond is born in Ogden, Utah. As a member of the Osmond Brothers, Donny performed many times at Disneyland (the singing siblings were actually discovered at the Anaheim park). He also supplied the singing voice for Captain Li Shang in Disney's Mulan, and between September 2006 and July 2007 played the role of the villainous Gaston in the Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast. Donny also supplied the voice of a farmer for Disney's animated 2009 short Handy Manny's Motorcycle Adventure. He and Kym Johnston, winners of the 2009 Dancing With the Stars, made an appearance at the very first D23 Expo.
1971:

Executive Airlines (one of only two airlines with service to STOLport - Walt Disney
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World's own airstrip) eliminates their Southern Region which includes service within
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Florida. The following day they will file for bankruptcy. (Unfortunately this will be the beginning of the end for the
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]short-lived STOLport.)[/FONT]​

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]

1994:

Disney animators move into their Riverside Drive building in Hollywood. The
​

building becomes known as "The Hat Building" because it features the large conical "sorcerer's hat" at the
​

front entrance.
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The Tomorrowland Terrace, a restaurant in Disney World's
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Tomorrowland, reopens as Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe.
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The Disneyana Fun Fair takes place at the Westcoast Anaheim Hotel. In addition
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]to the show and sale, Disney personalities like the Academy Award wining songwriting team of Robert and Richard Sherman and veteran animator Floyd Norman are on hand.
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[/FONT]

2005:

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Walt Disney Pictures releases The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

2006:
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Donny Osmond, who plays Gaston in Disney's Broadway musical Beauty and the
​

Beast, celebrates his birthday on stage. During the curtain call at the evening performance, "All My Children" and former Beauty and the Beast star Jacob Young surprises Osmond with a birthday cake​

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1903:
Author Mary Norton is born in London, England. Her novels The Magic Bed- (her very first
book) published in 1943 and its 1947 sequel Bonfires and Broomsticks will be the basis for the 1971 Disney
live-action feature Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
1941:
Child actor Tommy Kirk is born in Louisville, Kentucky. Besides
taking part in TV's Mickey Mouse Club he appeared in such Disney
film classics as Old Yeller, Babes in Toyland, and Son of Flubber.

Chad Stuart, the voice of Flaps (one of the four singing vultures) in
Disney's 1967 The Jungle Book, is born in England. (Stuart
is best known as half of the 60s singing duo Chad and Jeremy.)
1969:
Academy Award-winning composer Leigh Harline passes away in Long
Beach, California at age 62. First joining Disney in 1932, his best known Disney tune "When You Wish Upon A Star" was originally used in Pinocchio. Together with Frank Churchill,
Larry Morey, and Paul J. Smith, Harline was also responsible for such songs as "Whistle While
You Work," "Heigh Ho," and "Some Day My Prince Will Come."

Disney's short It's Tough to Be a Bird (a mix of animation and live-action)
flies into theaters. Directed by Ward Kimball and featuring zany, fast paced montages and over-the-top humor, a red bird (appropriately named M.C. Bird) explains how winged creatures
have contributed to human culture. The voice cast includes the singing voice of comedian Ruth Buzzi and the narration of Richard Bakalyan, with music by George Bruns. (It will win the Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons.)
1998:
The Test Track Preview Center at Epcot closes.
(Nine days later Test Track will open.)
1999:
An official agreement is signed between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and the Walt Disney Company regarding the building and operating of Hong Kong Disneyland.
2003:
Walt Disney World begins placing motion-sickness bags in the
capsules of their newest Epcot attraction, Mission:SPACE. It is the
first time Disney has put motion-sickness bags on any of its thrill rides.
2009:
A rare 1932 Mickey Mouse Christmas card signed by Walt Disney sells at auction in Illinois for $13,987. The card - addressed to Chicagoan Henry Scherping - features the original version of Mickey and Minnie Mouse along with a note written less than a month after the cartoonist received his first Oscar. Walt Disney sent out dozens of these Christmas cards, but this is the first one to ever surface.