This Day In Disney History...

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July 17th

1912:
Radio-TV host Art Linkletter is born in Canada. Exactly 43 years later he will take part in the
televised grand opening of Disneyland.
1917:
Comedienne Phyllis Diller - the voice of The Queen in
the 1998 Disney/Pixar A Bug's Life - is born in Missouri.
1927:
Disney Legend Gunnar Mansson is born in Stockholm, Sweden. He will be Disney's representative in the Nordic countries of Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden.
1929:
Actress Helene Stanley - the live-action model for Disney's 1950 Cinderella & 1959 Sleeping Beauty - is born in Gary, Indiana.
1943:
Disney's film Victory Through Air Power is released. This strong propaganda film (based on Major Alexander P. de Seversky's book of the same title) combines live action with animation. It promotes the idea that only long range airpower can win World War II.
1955:
Television crews, Walt Disney, Art Linkletter, Ronald Reagan, Bob Cummings, the Mouseketeers, Thurl Ravenscroft, California Governor Goodwin J. Knight and over 28,000 guests witness the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Broadcast on ABC, it is the biggest live telecast to date. (This was also the Mouseketeers' first television appearance.)
1963:
Disney's live-action feature film Savage Sam is generally released.
(It is a sequel to the film Old Yeller.)
1965:
A second Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln opens, this time in Disneyland. The original Great Moments is still running at this time at the New York World's Fair. Housed in a new Main Street facility called the Opera House, Walt Disney himself dedicates the new attraction. This Disneyland production is not completely identical to the Fair's. A new pre-show, "The Lincoln Story," replaces the Fair's which centeres around the state of Illinois.
1970:
Disneyland celebrates its 15th birthday along with 130 of the park's original Cast Members (who are known as Club 55).
1971:
Cliff Edwards, the voice of Jiminy Cricket, passes away at the Virgil Convalescent Hospital in Hollywood, California.
1980:
Disneyland celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary with a 25 hour party starting at midnight and ending at 1 AM on the 20th.
1989:
The Splash Mountain dedication ceremony takes place at Disneyland on the park's 34th birthday. Actors Jim Varney and Nick Stewart (the voice of Brer Bear) join Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Eisner, Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Mickey Mouse in turning on the water pump to create a big splash. (The attraction will officially open to the public the following day.)
1992:
Disney Legend Lucien Ad?s, who pioneered the first "read-along" record album for Disney Consumer Products in France, in 1953, passes away in Paris.
1995:
Disneyland celebrates its 40th birthday. Special events include burying a time capsule (which is to be opened in 40 years), Randy Travis performing on top of the Matterhorn singing "The Mickey Mouse Club March" and a sing-along version of "Happy Birthday," and free birthday cake to all guests. The 62 items in the time capsule include "40 Years of Adventures" Disneyland Cast Member Name Tag, with the name "Mickey," a photo of the Disneyland Ambassador Team, and an aerial photo of the Disneyland Resort and surrounding area.
1996:
Disney announces plans to open Disney's California Adventure theme park as part of the expanded Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.

At Disneyland Paris, Planet Hollywood receives a star-studded opening at Disney Village. Guests at the opening celebration include Lion King voice artist Whoopi Goldberg.
2000:
Disneyland celebrates it's 45th anniversary with an all new
45 Years of Magic Parade. Meanwhile the final performance of The All-New Woody's Roundup takes place on the Golden Horseshoe Stage.
2001:
A dedication of the new Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln takes place at Disneyland as part of the park's 46th anniversary. Academy-Award winning actor Martin Landau takes part in the ceremony by delivering Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
2002:
Daniel Rodriguez, the New York City police officer and tenor who made memorable appearances singing patriotic songs following the September 11, 2001 attacks, performs in a ceremony celebrating the 47th Anniversary of the opening of Disneyland.

An electrcial fire at around 3:30 in the morning at Walt Disney World's Epcot forces the theme park to close for the day. The fire cuts electricity to several areas of the Florida resort.
2003:
At Disneyland, a ceremony is held at 7:45 a.m. on Main Street, U.S.A. to celebrate the park's 48th birthday.
2004:
Disneyland introduces "The Happiest Faces on Earth ... A Disney Family Album" on the park's 49th anniversary during a ceremony in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. The program is an invitation to people around the world to send in their cherished Disney memories (especially their favorite Disneyland memories) in the form of photographs, snapshots or digital images. The submissions will be woven together to create a series of extremely unique photo collages for the park's 50th anniversary.
2005:
At 10:00 a.m., Disneyland hosts a ceremony to celebrate
the park's 50th anniversary. Art Linkletter (who helped
host the opening in 1955), Bob Iger, Michael Eisner,
California Governer Arnold Schwarzenegger and Diane Disney Miller (Walt's eldest daughter) are in attendance. At exactly 4:45 in the afternoon, Walt Disney's Disneyland opening day dedication speech
is shown on Jumbotrons around the park.


FACT OF THE DAY
From groundbreaking to opening, Disneyland was built in just 365 days.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Disneyland will
never be completed. It will continue to grow as
long as there is imagination left in the world."
- Walt Disney

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July 18th

1910:
Musician Charles LaVere, the man who wrote the Golden Horseshoe Revue music, is born Charles LaVere Johnson in Salina, Kansas.
1913:
Marvin Miller, the narrator of Disney's 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty, is born in St. Louis, Missouri.

Legendary funnyman Red Skelton is born in Vincennes, Indiana. He will appear on the 1976 TV special Monsanto Night Presents Walt Disney's America on Parade.
1932:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey in Arabia is released.
1944:
Mouseketeer Bonnie Lynn Fields - who joined The Mickey Mouse Club for the 1957-1958 season - is born in Waterboro, South Carolina.
1955:
Monday
Disneyland in Anaheim, California first opens to the general public at 10 a.m. on this humid day with admission costing $1.

Dave MacPherson, a 22-year-old college student from Long Beach, is the first paying guest into the new park (he has waited on line all night to purchase the first ticket). MacPherson will win lifetime passes (good for any three persons and himself) to the Anaheim park (and eventually the Florida and France theme parks as well).

The first children to enter the park are cousins Michael Schwartner, age 7, and Kristine Vess, 5. Walt Disney himself poses for a photo with the lucky two (who will both receive lifetime passes).

The park stays open until 10 p.m. and is visited on this day by some 50,000 people. Puffin Bakery also opens for business on Main Street.

The Los Angeles Times announces the opening of Disneyland when it runs "Dream Realized ... Disneyland Opens," a full page article (with photos) in its Part 2 section.
1956:
Disney's animated Jack and Old Mac
(a combination of 2 nursery rhymes) is released.
1962:
Actor Lee Arenberg - known for his role of Pintel in both Disney features Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - is born in Palo Alto, California.
1967:
Actor Vin Diesel, the star of Disney's 2005 comedy
The Pacifier, is born in New York City.
1989:
Splash Mountain officially opens to the public in Disneyland.
1992:
Animator, director and producer Rudolph Ising passes away.
He got his start with Disney back in the silent era, where he worked on the studio's first animal star, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, then went on to co-found the animation departments of both Warner Bros. and MGM.
2003:
The Disney Channel Original Movie
Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off debuts on television.
2004:
The Walt Disney Family Foundation and the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society celebrate the 5th anniversary of Walt Disney's Barn in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. (In July 1999 the barn, which was the centerpiece of Walt's miniature backyard railroad, was relocated from the family's Holmby Hills property to Griffith Park. Since that time more than 10,000 Disney fans have visited the barn!)


FACT OF THE DAY
Actor John Stamos was the winning Ebay bidder for the galvanized steel Disneyland sign that stood in front of the park from 1989 to 1999. He paid $30,700 for the marquee.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I just want to leave you with this thought, that
it's just been sort of a dress rehearsal and we're just getting started.
So if any of you start resting on your laurels, I mean just forget it because ... we are just getting started."
- Walt Disney on Disneyland

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July 19th

1919:
Dal McKennon - the voice of Benjamin Franklin in Disney's American Adventure (located in Epcot) and the narrator of the now-retired Disneyland attraction Mine Train thru Nature's Wonderland - is born in Oregon. His Disney credits also include the voice of the animated bear in Bedknobs and Broomsticks and appearances in the films Son of Flubber, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, and The Cat from Outer Space.
1934:
Disney signs a contract with the Lionel Corporation to produce a Mickey Mouse wind-up hand-car.
1942:
Character actor & Disney voice star Sterling Holloway enlists in the U.S. Army.
1950:
Disney's Treasure Island (based on the book by Robert Louis Stevenson) is released. It is the first Disney live-action film without any animation and the first Disney film to be shot in England.
1999:
Disney fans, railroaders, members of the Disney family, local government officials and press gather in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, for the official dedication of Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn. (Disney had a miniature railroad in his backyard on Carolwood Drive and a barn where he could monitor and control the 2,615 feet of track that made up his railroad. The barn also served as a workshop and a place for Walt to relax.)
2002:
The Walt Disney Company signs a letter of intent with the city of Shanghai to builds its third Asian theme park there.

The Lizzie McGuire episode "Best Dressed for Much Less" debuts on Disney Channel.
2005:
A tragedy is averted when famed sports agent Drew Rosenhaus performs life-saving CPR on a 3-year-old at Walt Disney World. After being pulled from the kiddie pool at the Grand Floridian, the young child from Chicago is revived by Rosenhaus (who is in town for a function at ESPN Club).


FACT OF THE DAY
In the early 1970s, Walt Disney World had plans to build a Thai style hotel called the Asian Resort. It was to be built about midway between the Magic Kingdom and the Polynesian on the monorail line ... in a spot now occupied by the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

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[Neo]

July 20th

1890:
Verna Felton, the voice of the Fairy Godmother in Disney's Cinderella and the Queen of Hearts in Alice In Wonderland, is born in Salinas, California.
1923:
Journalist-turned-publicist and Disney Legend Charlie Ridgway is born in Chicago, Illinois. He will help promote more than 150 major press events for Disney theme parks.
1941:
Walt Disney generally releases the compilation feature The Reluctant Dragon. In this film, humorist Robert Benchley visits the Disney Studios to sell Walt on the idea of animating the story of The Reluctant Dragon. While evading an officious young studio guide, Benchley stumbles into various studio activities and departments. Members of the studio staff, like animator Ward Kimball and voice artist Clarence Nash, make appearances as themselves. (This is Disney's first animated feature to blend live-action.)
1955:
The Tomorrowland Boats (later called the Phantom Boats) open in Disneyland.
1969:
The historic Apollo 11 moon landing is televised on Disneyland's Tomorrowland Stage. Neil Armstrong (who in July 2005 will take part in the re-opening of Disneyland's Space Mountain) becomes the very first human to set foot on the moon. Also playing a key role in the landing is Stephen Bales, a member of mission control at NASA's Johnson Space Center. He was inspired to become an aeronautical engineer by a 1950s Disney television show that predicted how men might travel to and explore the moon.
1981:
TIME magazine runs an article titled "The Great Era of Walt Disney" in this week's issue.
1985:
Virgil Waytes, Jr. becomes the 200,000,000th guest at Walt Disney World!
2000:
Artist, author and illustrator Eyvind Earle, known for his beautiful background work on such Disney animated films as Sleeping Beauty and Lady and the Tramp, passes away at age 84. He also designed 5 murals for Disneyland.


FACT OF THE DAY
From the Earth to the Moon (the Space Mountain attraction in Disneyland Paris) was built by coaster designers Vekoma (who also designed Rock 'n' Roller Coaster).

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"For 70 years I've painted paintings, and I'm constantly and everlastingly overwhelmed at the stupendous infinity of creation ... Art is the search for truth."
- Eyvind Earle

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July 21st

1924:
Veteran actor Don Knotts is born Jesse Donald Knotts in Morgantown, West Virginia. He will go on to appear in Disney's 1975 The Apple Dumpling Gang, the 1977 Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, and the 1979 The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again. Knotts is also the voice of Mayor Turkey Lurkey in the animated 2005 Chicken Little. (TV fans will know him best from his Emmy Award winning role of Deputy Barney Fife on the classic series "The Andy Griffith Show.")
1939:
Disney releases the Oscar-nominated Mickey Mouse short The Pointer.
1943:
Mouseketeer Margene Storey (who joined The Mickey Mouse Club for its second season in 1956) is born in Orange, California.
1952:
Comedian-actor Robin Williams, the voice of the Blue Genie of the Lamp in Disney's 1992 Aladdin and the voice of Timekeeper in the 1992 From Time to Time (which played in the Walt Disney World attraction The Timekeeper) is born in Chicago, Illinois. He also starred in Disney's 1997 live-action feature Flubber.
1967:
Actor Basil Rathbone (known for his role of Sherlock Holmes) passes away in New York City. His Disney voice credits include the 1986 The Great Mouse Detective and the 1949 The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
1992:
The Boiler Room Barbecue, a restaurant at Tokyo Disneyland, opens for business.
1999:
Disney Wonder - the second of the Disney cruise ships - visits Southhampton, England on her delivery voyage from Italy (where she was built) to Florida. The vessel is 965 feet long and can hold a maximum of 3,325 passengers.
2002:
Herman's Hermits featuring Peter Noone begin a 2-day engagement at Disney's California Adventure.
2003:
An unfortunate accident occurs at Disney World's Animal Kingdom when a giraffe is struck and killed by lightning.
2004:
The NFFC's 20th Anniversary Convention kicks off at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Garden Grove, California. The Club for Disney Enthusiasts, is an international, non-profit organization committed to preserving and sharing the rich legacy of Walt Disney.

Legendary film composer Jerry Goldsmith, whose Disney credits include the animated feature Mulan and the theme park attraction Soarin' Over California, passes away at 75 in Beverly Hills, California.
2005:
At Tokyo DisneySea Raging Spirits opens in the Lost River Delta section of the park.


FACT OF THE DAY
Disneyland replaced ticket books (in use since 1955) with its new passports in 1982.

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[Neo]

July 22nd

1939:
Actor Terence Stamp - who portrays Ramsley in Disney's 2003 The Haunted Mansion - is born in London, England.
1943:
Bobby Sherman, singer-actor turned EMT officer for the L.A. Police Department, is born in California. He will perform at Disney-MGM Studios as part of The Teen Idols tour in 1998.
1947:
Actor-writer-director Albert Brooks, the voice of Marlin in the 2003 Finding Nemo, is born in Beverly Hills, California.
1949:
Academy Award-winning songwriter Alan Menken, known for his work in such Disney classics as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas, is born in New Rochelle, New York.
1955:
At Disneyland, the Candy Palace opens on Main Street. Over in Tomorrowland, Rocket to the Moon debuts.

Actor Willem Dafoe, the voice of Gill in the 2003 Finding Nemo, is born in Appleton, Wisconsin.
1967:
Irene Bedard, the voice of Pocahontas in Disney's 1995 animated film, is born in Anchorage, Alaska.
1986:
Floyd Gottfredson, the man who gave Mickey Mouse his comic strip personality, passes away at his Southern California home.
1994:
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction opens on Sunset Boulevard in Disney World's Disney-MGM Studio.
2003:
Walt Disney Records releases the soundtrack to the hit Disney Channel original animated series Kim Possible.
2004:
The Walt Disney Company honors some of the most creative teachers across the country with the annual DisneyHand Teacher Awards. Thirty-nine talented educators are recognized during a 4-day event at the Disneyland Park.

Christy Carlson Romano (the current Belle in Disney's Broadway show Beauty and the Beast) takes part in "Broadway at Bryant Park" in New York City. The event includes casts from other Broadway shows as well.
2006:
In celebration of its 10th birthday, Radio Disney presents a concert at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in Anaheim, California. This Radio Disney Totally 10 Birthday Concert features Jesse McCartney, Bowling For Soup, The Cheetah Girls, Aly & AJ and Everlife.


FACT OF THE DAY
At 199 feet, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is the tallest attraction on Walt Disney World property.

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[Neo]

July 23rd

1908:
Actor Karl Swenson, the voice of Merlin in Disney's 1963 release The Sword in the Stone, is born in Brooklyn, New York.
1928:
Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon Sleigh Bells is released.
1931:
Architect Arata Isozaki - the designer of the Team Disney Building in Orlando, Florida - is born in Japan. The building's oddly looped gateway suggests a giant pair of Mickey ears!
1951:
Actress Edie McClurg, the voices of Minny in the 2006 Cars and Carlotta in the 1989 classic The Little Mermaid, is born in Kansas City, Missouri. McClurg's Disney credits also include Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas, Home on the Range, Air Bud: Spike's Back, and A Bug's Life. (Fans of Ferris Bueller's Day Off will recognize her as Grace, the secretary.)
1996:
Legendary singer-songwriter Mel Torme records his live CD A&E: An Evening With Mel Torme' Live From the Disney Institute at Disney World. (It will be released the following October on the Concord Jazz label.)
1999:
The Disney film Inspector Gadget, starring Matthew Broderick, is released.
2002:
Disney's Tarzan & Jane is released straight to DVD and video. Also released on DVD are the classic animated features Robin Hood, The Rescuers Down Under, The Great Mouse Detective, and The Fox and the Hound.

The soundtrack for the upcoming Disney film The Country Bears is released. It contains songs from Don Henley, John Hiatt (who penned 7 of the 14 tracks), Bonnie Raitt, Men At Work's Colin Hay, Elton John, Brian Setzer, Bela Fleck, and The Byrds. (The film will open 3 days later.)
2003:
It is reported that for the first time Walt Disney World will run national TV ads about a single ride. The company's new campaign will be centered around Epcot's thrilling attraction, Mission: Space (which officially opens August 15th).


FACT OF THE DAY
Mickey Mouse was added to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (in London) in 1930.

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[Neo]

July 24th

1948:
Christopher Milne (son of Winnie the Pooh author A.A. Milne) marries his cousin Lesley de Selincourt. His parents do not approve.
1949:
Comedic actor Michael Richards, who appears on the 1994 TV special The Wonderful World of Disney: 40 Years of Television Magic, is born in Los Angeles, California. (TV fans know him best as Cosmo Kramer from the hit series Seinfeld.)
1951:
Actress Lynda Carter, Principal Powers of Disney's 2005 Sky High, is born in Phoenix, Arizona. (TV fans remember her as Wonder Woman.)
1964:
Chicago Tribune runs a story titled "Lincoln Still Holds Hearers Spellbound." The article describes a new animated figure (at the New York World's Fair) created by Disney that is "so lifelike many find it hard to believe he isn't alive."
1966:
The New Orleans Square area opens at Disneyland, California, with a ceremony presided over by Walt Disney and the real mayor of New Orleans, Victor Schiro. The 3-acre site, the first new themed "land" added to Disneyland after its 1955 opening, has cost $18 million to build. (This will turn out to be Walt's last major public appearance in the park.)
1985:
Walt Disney's 25th animated feature The Black Cauldron (based loosely on the first two volumes of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain) premieres in U.S. theaters. This film was 12 years in the making, at the cost of over $25 million. It is the first Disney animated movie to get a PG rating and the first animated movie to ever use 3-D graphics.
1989:
The Town Square Cafe/Restaurant (located on Walt Disney World's Main Street USA) re-opens as Tony's Town Square Restaurant.
1991:
The 100th Disney Store opens - in Daytona Beach, Florida.
2005:
The premiere of Disney's live-action feature Sky High takes place at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California.


FACT OF THE DAY
The Black Cauldron was the first animated Disney film made in cooperation with Silver Screen Partners II.

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[Neo]

July 25th

1894:
Legendary actor Walter Brennan, who appears in the live-action Disney films The Gnome-Mobile (1967) and Those Calloways (1965), is born in Swampscott, Massachusetts.
1917:
Writer/producer Arthur Alsberg is born in New York City. His Disney credits include Hot Lead & Cold Feet, Gus, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, and No Deposit, No Return.
1935:
Actress Barbara Harris - the mother in Disney's 1976 version of Freaky Friday - is born in Evanston, Illinois.
1936:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Alpine Climbers is released. It features the only animated appearance of Donald Duck's St. Bernard pet.
1937:
Paul Collins - the voice of John in the 1950 Disney classic Peter Pan - is born in London, England.
1959:
The Ernest S. Marsh locomotive (Engine No. 4) takes its first inaugural run around Disneyland at the hands of Chief Engineer, Walt Disney. Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1925, it is named for the current president of the Santa Fe Railroad.
2003:
The Disney Institute (located in Walt Disney World) officially closes after 7 years in operation.
2006:
Stars from Disney?s three current Broadway musicals - Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Tarzan - perform a free concert at the J&R Music and Computer World at City Hall Park in New York City.


FACT OF THE DAY
The "Tip Top Club" occupies the top floor of the Hollywood Tower Hotel at the Disney-MGM Studios.

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[Neo]

July 26th

1921:
Writer, humorist, and actor Jean Shepherd - the voice of the Father in Disney's Carousel of Progress attraction - is born in South Chicago, Illinois. (Movie fans may recognize his voice as the narrator of his 1983 holiday classic A Christmas Story.)
1951:
Disney's animated Alice in Wonderland has its world premiere in England, at London's Leicester Square Theatre. It will be released in the U.S. two days later. (The film will be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.)
1955:
Walt Disney and Fess Parker (dressed as Davy Crockett) appear on the cover of LOOK magazine.
1959:
Actor Kevin Spacey, who supplies the voice of Hopper in Disney/Pixar's 1998 A Bug's Life, is born in South Orange, New Jersey.
1993:
Marcellite Garner, the original voice of Minnie Mouse in such early classics as The Gallopin' Gaucho, Plane Crazy, and Steamboat Willie,passes away.
2002:
Disney's movie The Country Bears debuts at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California. The film is followed by a live stage show featuring "the greatest bear rock band in history."

The Lizzie McGuire episode "You're a Good Man, Lizzie McGuire" debuts on Disney Channel as does the Disney Channel Original Movie Gotta Kick It Up.

Buddy Baker, composer and arranger for almost 200 Disney feature films, TV shows, and theme park attractions, passes away at his home in Sherman Oaks, California. He is 84. (Baker first joined Disney in 1954.)
2003:
Hilary Duff's first single, So Yesterday is released to all major radio stations around the world.


FACT OF THE DAY
Walt Disney World's telephone system was the first totally electronic system to use underground cable instead of standard poles with overhead lines.

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[Neo]

July 27th

1916:
Actor Keenan Wynn (son of legendary comic Ed Wynn) whose Disney credits include the 1976 The Shaggy D.A., the 1974 Herbie Rides Again, the 1961 The Absent Minded Professor, and the 1963 Son of Flubber is born in New York City. (TV fans may recognize his voice as the Winter Warlock in the 1970 holiday special Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town.)
1945:
Disney's Pluto cartoon Canine Casanova is released.
1962:
The Firehouse Five Plus Two (a spare-time musical group made up of writers, animators, producers and directors at the Walt Disney Studios) are recorded live at The Golden Horseshoe in Disneyland. Their performance the following day will also be recorded and eventually be released on Good Time Jazz Records.
2005:
Disney announces that David Vixie, an 8th-grade Humanities teacher from Paradise, California, has been named the 2005 Teacher of the Year.


FACT OF THE DAY
Walt Disney World was the first to use the 911 emergency system in Florida.

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[Neo]

July 28th

1931:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon The Cat's Out is released.
1940:
Voice actor Philip Proctor, who can be heard in such animated features as Monsters, Inc., Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Lifeand The Lion King is born in Goshen, Indiana. (Comedy fans may recognize him as a member of the Firesign Theater.)
1951:
Walt Disney's 13th animated film Alice in Wonderland is released in U.S. theaters by RKO Radio Pictures. Kathryn Beaumont, the voice of Alice, will later narrate the Alice attraction at Disneyland. The film's musical score, written by Oliver Wallace, will be nominated for an Academy Award.
1987:
Disney's experimental computer animated film Oilspot and Lipstick is released at a computer convention in Anaheim, California.
1993:
In Disneyland, the Main Street branch of the Bank of America closes.
1995:
The 400th Disney Store opens - in Rochester, New York.
1997:
TIME magazine runs an article titled, "The Lion King A Different Breed Of Cats." The article focuses on the Minneapolis production and the question of whether or not Broadway audiences in New York are ready for Disney's version of its classic animated film.
1998:
Disney's first cruise ship The Magic, is christened. (It will embark on its maiden voyage two days later.)
2002:
The life and contributions of the late animator Ward Kimball is celebrated at the Walt Disney Barn Museum. Kimball was one of the founding governors of the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society, which operates Walt's Barn in Griffith Park, California.
2003:
Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin (of the famous Apollo 11 crew) takes the controls aboard Mission: SPACE at Epcot during the filming of an ABC television segment that features the new attraction. The segment will be shown Aug. 15, 2003, on ABC-TV during the network's airing of the feature film Mission to Mars.
2004:
Character actor Sam Edwards passes away in Colorado. His Disney voice credits include Thumper in Bambi and Ollie the Owl in the America Sings park attraction. He also appears in the live-action 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain. Edwards performed the voice of Tigger (a role most commonly assocaied with Paul Wincell) for various projects as well.


FACT OF THE DAY
L.A. Times staff writer Joel Sappell became Disneyland's first Mowgli (the Man-Cub from Disney's The Jungle Book) in 1967. As a 14-year-old, he roamed the park with an ape named King Louie and a bear named Baloo.

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July 29th

1922:
The Laugh-O-Gram silent black & white cartoon Little Red Riding Hood is released. It is written, produced, and directed by Walt Disney and animated by Rudolph Ising. This is Disney's first full-length short cartoon.
1933:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon Old King Cole is released.
1938:
Disney's Donald Duck cartoon The Fox Hunt is released.
1941:
Actor David Warner, who appeared in Disney's 1982 Tron, is born in Manchester, England.
1998:
The Parent Trap (a remake of the 1961 Disney film originally starring Hayley Mills) is released.
1999:
Walt Disney World's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is dedicated at the Disney-MGM Studios. (It will officially open to the public the following day.)
2000:
To mark the first anniversary of the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Walt Disney World takes 80 Corvettes and forms the signature guitar in the Disney-MGM Studios parking lot.
2002:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers with head coach Jon Gruden begin their first summer training camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex in Florida.
2005:
The family stage show Disney Live! Winnie the Pooh launches a U.S. tour in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The new interactive and three-dimensional production is produced by Field Entertainment, Inc.

Disney's live-action film Sky High, starrring Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston, opens in theaters.


FACT OF THE DAY
At Disneyland, Tomorrowland was originally designed to be a small scale city of the future. When the park opened in 1955, Tomorrowland represented the distant future of 1986.

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[Neo]

July 30th

1907:
Writer and actor Roy Williams - Roy, the "Big Mooseketeer" on TV's The Mickey Mouse Club - is born in Coleville, Washington. His writing credits for Disney include such animated classics as Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Cured Duck, Donald's Double Trouble, and Make Mine Music.
1932:
Disney's first full-color animated film (and the first Technicolor cartoon), Flowers and Trees, is released. This 29th Silly Symphony will be considered a landmark in Disney animation. (It will earn Disney his first Academy Award for Best Cartoon Short Subject.)

Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon Just Dogs is also released on this day.
1956:
At Disneyland, the Mineral Hall Exhibit opens. (The attraction will remain in operation until 1963.)
1973:
TIME magazine runs the article "Disney After Walt Is a Family Affair" in this week's issue.
1975:
Tiffini Hale, a member of Disney Channel's The All New Mickey Mouse Club, is born in Palm Springs, California.
1986:
Disney's Flight of the Navigator is released in theaters.
1993:
Indiana Jones et le Temple du P?ril (a wild roller coaster) debuts at Disneyland Paris.
1998:
Disney launches its first cruise ship, the Disney Magic. It is one of the three largest ships in the world.
1999:
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, officially opens to guests as part of the largest property-wide expansion in Disney World history. The indoor roller coaster features a high-speed launch of 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds, three inversions, rock-concert lighting and a specially created Aerosmith soundtrack blasting from 120 on board speakers in each coaster train - all firsts for a Disney World attraction.

Also at Walt Disney World, FASTPASS begins in the Magic Kingdom on Space Mountain and Splash Mountain.
2005:
The Disneyland Resort Alumni Club hosts a 50th Reunion/Dinner at the Disneyland Hotel Grand Ballroom.


FACT OF THE DAY
Roy Williams (the "Big Mooseketeer") designed the famous "Mouse" ears while working as a cartoonist.

Info Provided by This Day In Disney History (http://thisdayindisneyhistory.homestead.com/aboutthissite.html)

[Neo]

July 31st

1929:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon The Karnival Kid is released.
1934:
Disney files a lawsuit against the United Biscuit Company of America, Sawyer Biscuit Company, and the Chicago Carton Company. The case involves the unauthorized use of Disney characters for animal crackers. (The suit will be settled in favor of Disney after four months.)
1946:
Singer/drummer Gary Lewis (son of famed comedian Jerry Lewis) is born in California. In 1964 he and his group the Playboys will perform at Disneyland where they will be discovered by record producer Snuff Garrett. Gary Lewis and the Playboys will go on to have a strings of hits that include This Diamond Ring, She's Just My Style, and Everybody Loves A Clown.
1955:
The Casey Jr. Circus Train debuts at Disneyland's Fantasyland. (It was to open with the rest of the park on July 17, but it wasn't operating properly.)
1960:
At Disneyland, the Sunkist Citrus House opens on Main Street. (It will remain open until June 1989.)
1967:
Animator Tom Bancroft is born. After studying at the California Institute of Arts, he will move to Florida to work for Walt Disney Feature Animation at the Disney/MGM Studios. Over the next 12 years Bancroft will work on such features as The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Mulan, and Tarzan.
1995:
Disney announces the acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC. As a result of the $19-billion merger, Disney will add the entire ABC television network, key affiliates, ABC radio networks, publishing enterprises, and much more to its rapidly expanding roster of business units.
1997:
Bob Penfield, the last original Disneyland Cast Member, puts in his final day of work. He will be honored with a window on Main Street. Penfield began working at Disneyland at age 18 in July 1955!
2004:
ESPN holds a 2-day event at the Walt Disney-MGM Studios to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
2005:
The Hong Kong Economic Times reports that Disney plans to open a theme park in Shanghai in 2012.

Disney's On The Record has its final performance in Denver.


FACT OF THE DAY
In Disney's Fantasia the sorcerer's name is Yensid... that's Disney spelled backward.

Info Provided by This Day In Disney History (http://thisdayindisneyhistory.homestead.com/aboutthissite.html)

[Fantasmic!kid]

With Neo's permission, I'm continuing this thread.

August 17


1786: American-folk hero, Congressman, and explorer Davy Crockett is born in Greene County, Tennessee. (In 1954, Crockett will become wildly popular through Disney movies, television programs, and even a hit theme song!

1882: Actor Charles Judels - the voice of Stromboli in Disney's classic 1940 release Pinocchio - is born in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1925: Disney's Alice comedy film Alice Chops the Suey previews at Bard's Hollywood Theater in Los Angeles.

1936: Veteran Disney animator Les Clark speaks at a studio training course for new animators. Since the departure of Ub Iwerks, Clark has animated Mickey Mouse in numerous films, thus becoming a specialist on the character's personality and movement.

1941: Walt Disney leaves on a goodwill tour of Latin America (underwritten by a $70,000 government grant) accompanied by Mary Blair and other animators and designers.

1984: The Walt Disney Company informs its Chairman Ron Miller that they wanted his resignation. Disney has fallen to 14th in film box office. Miller's only qualifications to run a conglomerate, other than being Walt's son-in-law, was that he was a tight end for the L.A. Rams. (Within two years of the Michael Eisner regime taking power, Disney will be number one.)

1992: Original Mouseketeer Annette Funicello appears on the cover of People magazine.

1999: Disney releases Belle's Tales of Friendship direct-to-video.

2001: The DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) Jumping Ship premieres; as does the Lizzie McGuire episode: "Gordo and the Girl".

2002: The Orlando Rays, the Class AA affiliate of MLB's Tampa Bay Devil Rays, take on the California Mudcats (for the first of a 4-game series) at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex in Florida.

2004: Disney releases The Three Musketeers - starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy - on Disney DVD and Video.



Fact for the Day

EPCOT's Test Track replaced World of Motion in 1998

[Fantasmic!kid]

August 18

1922: Actress Shelley Winters - who appears in Disney's 1977 Pete's Dragon - is born in East St. Louis, Missouri.

1930: The Mickey Mouse cartoon short - The Chain Gang - is completed. It features the debut of Pluto (though he is not yet named). The film will be released September 5.

1931: Disney's 7-minute (black & white) Mickey Mouse cartoon Blue Rhythm is released. Mickey plays an orchestra leader in this take-off of popular music man: Ted Lewis.

1943: Actor-comedian Martin Mull is born in Chicago, Illinois. He is the voice of Governor Kevin in the Disney animated television series: Teamo Supremo.

1956: Emmy Award-winning composer John Cardon Debney, whose music can be heard throughout the Disney parks and in the animated feature, Chicken Little, is born in Burbank, California.

1957: Comedian/actor Denis Leary - the voice of Francis the ladybug in A Bug's Life - is born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1986: Crockett's Tavern opens in Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness Campground. It is located at the northern end.

1989: Disney's live-action film Cheetah - starring Keith Coogan - is released. (Movie fans may recall Coogan from his appearances in such films as Toy Soldiers and Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.)

2002: The 5th Anniversary Disney Institute Animation Event - Drawn To Be Bad, a 6-day event featuring workshops and visiting artist presentations, begins at Walt Disney World.

2004: Oscar-winning composer Elmer Bernstein, who composed the music for The Black Cauldron, passed away at age 82.

2006: High School Musical is performed, for the very first time, at a kid's summer camp in the Catskill Mountains. The world premiere is held at a 300-seat theater near the town of Liberty, New York, for proud parents, fellow campers, and a few Disney representatives.



Fact for the Day
Disneyland has its own plain clothes security.

[Fantasmic!kid]

August 19

1692: The Reverend George Burroughs - an ancestor of Walt Disney - is hanged in Massachusetts as The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 rages on.

1933: Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon Lullaby Land is released.

1935: Story Musgrave, six-time NASA shuttle astronaut and consultant for the EPCOT attraction Mission: Space, is born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1938: Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon The Whalers is released. It features the voices of Walt Disney (Mickey), Pinto Colvig (Goofy), and Clarence Nash (Donald).

1955: The Disney short Bearly Asleep, featuring the voices of Clarence Nash (Donald Duck) and James Macdonald (Humphrey the Bear), is released.

1963: Actor-musician-producer John Stamos who was the winning e-bay bidder for Disneyland's entrance sign (used between 1989 and 1999) is born in Cypress, California.

2001: Scuttle's Landing (a small refreshment/snack booth) in Walt Disney World's Fantasyland closes for a 6-day rehab.

2002: The Travel Channel airs Disney's Imagineers for the first time.

2004: Disney producer/supervisor & Disney Legend Harry Tytle passes away at age 95. For 40 years he worked, alongside Walt Disney, as co-producer of the Disney television series and he was the author of the book: "One of Walt's Boys".

2005: Disney's animated feature Valiant opens in theaters.

2006: Kumiko Mori, Japan's popular TV personality, makes her world wide debut on Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Mori is the host of Disney Paradise, a variety show based on Disney trivia.

Disney~MGM Studios' Who Wants To Be A Millionaire closes.




Fact for the Day
Marcellite Garner, from Disney's ink & paint department, was the original voice of Minnie Mouse.

[Fantasmic!kid]

August 20

1907: Veteran radio actor Alan Reed, the voice of Boris in Disney's 1955 classic Lady and the Tramp, is born Edward Bergman in New York City.

1928: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon Hot Dog is released. It would be the last Oswald cartoon produced.

Imagineer and Disney Legend Harriett Burns is born in San Antonio, Texas. She is the first woman ever hired by Walt Disney Imagineering in a creative rather than office capacity. Burns helped to complete The Haunted Mansion, New Orleans Square, and the incomparable Sleeping Beauty Castle.

1932: Disney's black & white Mickey Mouse cartoon Trader Mickey is released.

1933: United States political leader George Mitchell is born in Waterville, Maine. A member of the Walt Disney Company Board of Directors since 1995, he became Chairman of the Board in 2004.

2003: Disney releases the CD Disney's Greatest Hits Vol. 3. It features a collection of performances by Elton John, Sarah McLachlan and Randy Newman.

2005: Conductor John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra pay tribute to Walt with Walt Disney: 75 Years of Music. Special guests include Dick Van Dyke, Jodi Benson, Paige O'Hara, and Alan Menken.

2006: The evening performance of Disney's Tarzan (the musical) benefits the Actors' Fund of America.




Fact for the Day
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln was the first Disney-created attraction to feature an Audio-Animatronic human figure.

[Fantasmic!kid]

August 21

1920: Daphne Milne, wife of writer A.A. Milne, gives birth to a son who the couple names Christopher Robin Milne. Christopher will be immortalized in his father's books Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.

1921: An 18" high teddy bear from Harrod's in London, is given to Christopher Robin Milne on his first birthday. The bear will first be named Edward Bear before being known as Winnie-the-Pooh.

1956: Actress Kim Cattrall, who appeared in Disney's Ice Princess, is born in Liverpool, England.

1989: Actress Hayden Panettiere - who also appears in Disney's Ice Princess, is born in Palisades, New York. She supplies the voices of Sumi in Dinosaur and Dot in A Bug's Life. And she also appeared in the moving drama: Remember the Titans.

1995: The Peoplemover closes at Disneyland. It will be replaced by a faster attraction called Rocket Rods. (Sorry, Matt. :frown: )

1999: The DCOM Genius premieres.

2004: A new half-hour animated series Brandy and Mr. Whiskers premieres on Disney Channel.

2005: At Westville Trumbull Mall in Trumbull, Connecticut, Disney celebrates the grand opening of the first in a series of completely remodeled Disney Stores.



Fact for the Day
Disney's Animal Kingdom is the largest of the Walt Disney World parks. It encompasses 500 acres!

[Fantasmic!kid]

August 22

1920: Science-fiction writer Ray Bradbury - who helped Imagineers design EPCOT's Spaceship Earth and who was a friend of Walt Disney's - is born in Waukegan, Illinois.

1929: The Silly Symphony cartoon The Skeleton Dance is released. Directed by Walt Disney and animated by Roy Disney, Ub Iwerks, Wilfred Jackson, and Walt, it is the first of the Silly Symphony series.

1936: Another Silly Symphony cartoon Toby Tortoise Returns is released.

1996: Imagineer and Disney Legend Al Bertino, who helped design Disneyland attractions - like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and The Haunted Mansion - and animate Disney's 1946 Make Mine Music, passes away in California. (Big Al, from the Country Bear Jamboree, was based on Bertino!)

2002: Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones (of The Monkees) perform together at Disney's California Adventure.

The 2002 Disneyana Mystery Event takes place (for 3 days) at EPCOT's World Showcase.

2003: Disney Channel airs the That's So Raven episode Psychics Wanted for the first time.

2006: It is reported that Celebration, the Florida community Disney created in Osceola County, will be getting its third hotel (a 450-room condo hotel).



Fact for the Day
Walt Disney World's Contemporary Resort was to be originally named The Tempo Bay Resort Hotel.

[Fantasmic!kid]

August 23

1962: Curtis Wong, a member of the 70's series The New Mickey Mouse Club, is born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

1965: Disney's Mary Poppins is released in Sweden.

1986: The U.S. Senate passes a bill, Public Law 99-391, designating December 5, 1986 as Walt Disney Recognition Day.

2002: The Lizzie McGuire episode Lizzie in the Middle debuts on the Disney Channel.

2004: Marceline, Missouri honors the memory of Walt Disney with a ceremony renaming the Marceline Post Office as the Walt Disney Post Office.



Fact for the Day
Although it was always rumored that Marilyn Monroe was the model for Disney's Tinker Bell... Actress Margaret Kerry actually was!

[Fantasmic!kid]

August 24

1914: Lieutenant Harry Colebourn (a Veterinary Officer) stops at White River Ontario, Canada, on his way to fight in the ongoing war in Europe. There he purchases a small black female bear whom he names Winnie (after his hometown of Winnipeg). In October, his regiment was sent to England and Colebourn left Winnie in the care of the London Zoo.

1916: Voice artist, writer, and actor Hal Smith is born in Petoskey, Michigan. His voice credits include Phillipe in Beauty and the Beast, Owl in Winnie the Pooh: Tigger-ific Tales, and Goofy in countless T.V. cartons.

1942: Disney's 6th feature film Saludos Amigos has its world premiere in Rio De Janeiro.

1958: Actor Steve Guttenberg, who starred in Disney's 1997 Tower of Terror, is born in New York.

1974: Actress Jennifer Lien, the voice of Vitani in Disney's 1998 The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, is born in Illinois.

1978: Trumpeter, band leader, singer, and composer Louis Prima, known for his memorable contribution to The Jungle Book, dies in a New Orleans nursing home. (He provided the speaking and singing voice of the orangutan King Louis.)

1992: Tokyo Disneyland welcomes its 120-millionth guest.

2001: The Lizzie McGuire episode Educating Ethan debuts on Disney Channel.

2002: Disney's California Adventure hosts the first ever ABC Primetime Review Weekend. The 2-day event inaugurates the new ABC-TV fall line-up. Actors Jon Ritter and Kaley Cuoco brave California Screamin' together.

2005: Aly and A.J., recording artists and co-stars of Disney Channel's Phil of the Future, begin a 5-day run at Disneyland's Club Buzz.

2006: It is reported that two white rhinos have taken their first steps on African soil after being flown into the country from Disney's Animal Kingdom to boost stocks.




Fact for the Day
Walt Disney World covers 30,500 acres (or 46 sq. miles), which is twice the size of Manhattan, New York!

[Fantasmic!kid]

August 25

1913: Actor Don DeFore, who appeared on the T.V. programs Disneyland '59 and Dateline: Disneyland, is born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa He was the proprietor of The Silver Banjo Barbecue Restaurant located in Disneyland from 1957-1961.

Cartoonist Walt Kelly, best known for his comic strip Pogo, is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Between 1935-1941, he worked for Walt Disney Studios as a story man and animator on such classics as Pinocchio, Dumbo, and Fantasia.

1923: Walt Disney (now residing in California) writes a letter to film distributor M. J. Winkler of New York City informing her that he is longer connected with the Laugh-O-Grams Films in Kansas City, Missouri. Walt writes: "I am establishing a studio in Los Angeles for the purpose of producing the new and novel series of cartoons I have previously written you about. (The series would be called: Alice Comedies.)

1930: Actor Sean Connery, who appears in Disney's 1959 Darby O'Gill and the Little People, is born in Scotland.

1933: Regis Philbin, the original host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, is born in New York City. (Live with Regis and Kathie Lee is the first daytime television talk show to be produced by Disney.)

1958: Tim Burton, filmmaker and producer of such joint Disney films as James and the Giant Peach and The Nightmare Before Christmas, is born in Burbank, California.

1961: Singer/actor Billy Ray Cyrus - Robbie Ray Stewart on Disney Channel's Hannah Montana - is born in Flatwoods, Kentucky.

1985: Three-year-old Brooks Arthur Charles Burr is welcomed as Disneyland's 250-millionth guest!

1989: The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular opens at the Disney~MGM Studios in Florida.

2000: Carl Barks, the cartoonist who drew Donald Duck cartoons for over 3 decades, passes away at the age of 99 at his home in Grants Pass, Oregon.

2006: Disney's live-action feature Invincible - based on real-life football hero Vince Papale and starring Mark Wahlberg and Greg Kinnear - opens in theaters.

In response to the news that a team of astronomers had demoted Pluto to "dwarf planet" status, the Seven Dwarfs themselves issue a statement, via their friends at the Walt Disney World Resort:
"Although we think it's Dopey that Pluto has been downgraded to a dwarf planet, which has made some people Grumpy and others just Sleepy, we are not Bashful in saying we would be Happy if (Disney's) Pluto would join us as an eighth dwarf. We think this is just what the Doc ordered and is nothing to Sneeze at.

Disney Channel's The Cheetah Girls 2 airs. An amazing 7.8 million viewers tune-in to watch the original movie, that stars Raven-Symone (That's So Raven), Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams,and Sabrina Bryan (The Cheetah Girls).




Fact for the Day
The Disneyland television series switches from ABC to NBC in 1961 to take advantage of the network's ability to broadcast in color.





August 26

1918: A young Walt Disney forges his parents' signatures and enlists in the American Ambulance Corps (part of the Red Cross). He changes his birth from 1901 to 1900.

1951: Walt Disney tells journalist & animation historian John Culhane: "The most important aim in any of the fine arts, is to get a purely emotional response from the beholder."

1979: The Wonderful World of Disney airs part one of The Sky's the Limit on NBC.

2003: Buena Vista Records/Hollywood Records releases Hilary Duff's debut album Metamorphosis - which features the single So Yesterday.

2005: Fred Joeger, a master model maker who helped to create Disneyland's look by molding Sleeping Beauty Castle and other attractions in miniature, passes away at 91.

2006: Thousands of fans, along with That's So Raven's Kyle Massey, gather at Toonfest 2006 held at Disney Studios in Burbank, California. The first official fanfest of the family-friendly game, Disney's Toontown Online, features contests, games, and a parade.





Fact for the Day
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs cost Disney nearly $1.5 million and bankrupt the company!

[Fantasmic!kid]

August 27

1927: The last of the "Alice Comedies" Alice in the Big Leagues is released.

1931: Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon Egyptian Melodies is released.

1934: Fifteen months after its release, Disney's short Three Little Pigs grosses $150,000.

1950: Funnyman/actor Charles Fleischer - best known as the voice of Roger Rabbit - is born in Washington, D.C. His voice credits include Disney Channel's House of Mouse, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and the DCOM Genius.

1952: Paul Reubens, (a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman) the voice of R.E.X. in Star Tours, is born in Peekskill, New York. Reubens also provided the voices of Fife in Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and Lock in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

1955: The Mickey Mouse Club Theater opens in Fantasyland (Disneyland).

1964: Disney's live-action and animated feature Mary Poppins has a lavish world premiere at Graumann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The comedy-musical starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke and won 5 Academy Awards (Best Actress, Best Film-Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Song, {Chim Chim Cher-ree} and Best Original Score).

1968: Disney rejects the final attempt of master animator Bill Tytla (creator of Grumpy and Dumbo) from getting his old job back. He died later that year.

1998: Town Square Exhibition Hall - which houses the Camera Center - opens in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

2006: The top 10 water parks in the U.S. are announced. Walt Disney World's Blizzard Beach places at #6 and Typhoon Lagoon at #9.



Fact for the Day
The petrified tree in Frontierland (Disneyland) was an anniversary present that Walt Disney gave to his wife, Lillian. She later donated the tree to Disneyland, where it was given its spot overlooking the Rivers of America.


Famous Quotes:
~~~~~~~~~~~
Practically perfect people never permit sentiment to muddle their thinking. - Mary Poppins

[Fantasmic!kid]

August 28

1928: Disney's Mickey Mouse film Gallopin' Gaucho is previewed in Los Angeles, California.

1929: Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey's Follies is released. It features Mickey's theme song: Minnie's Yoo Hoo.

1957: Disney's animated 15-minute film The Truth about Mother Goose is released. (It would be nominated for an Academy Award the following year.)

1982: Grammy award-winning singer LeAnn Rimes, who was chosen to sing Remember When - Disneyland's 50th Anniversary anthem - is born in Jackson, Mississippi.

1994: The Art of Disney shop opens in the Disney Village Marketplace at Walt Disney World.

2001: Disney releases The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, direct-to-video and DVD.

The Broadway musical, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, celebrates its 3,000th performance in New York City.

2003: A test-run of the Magic Kingdom's newest attraction, Mickey's PhilharMagic, takes place at Walt Disney World.

Lucky the Dinosaur, the first Audio-Animatronic to walk freely and interact with park guests, is introduced at Disney's California Adventure as a test.



Fact for the Day
When New Orleans Square was being added to Disneyland, Walt Disney wanted to put a private club at which he and other dues-paying members could entertain. Unfortunately he was not able to see the club completed, but it is now a members-only club that occupies much of the Square's second floor. It's called Club 33, for its address 33 Rue Royale.





August 29

1905: Cartoonist and Disney Legend Charles Alfred Taliaferro is born in Montrose, Colorado. Originally hired by Disney in 1931 as an animator, he later moved to the comic book department where he lettered the Mickey Mouse strips. Starting in 1938, he began drawing the daily Donald Duck strips - which contributed greatly to the development of the character. He drew Donald until his death in 1969.

1955: At Disneyland, the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship and Restaurant opens in Fantasyland. In 1983, the ship was replaced by the new version of Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

1964: Disney's Mary Poppins (starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke) is released in theaters.

1977: All new 12 Mouseketeers depart from LAX Airport bound for Florida, where they will spend 4 days at Walt Disney World.

1982: At Disneyland, Peter Pan's Flight closes for extensive remodeling. It will reopen in 1983.

1989: Disney announces an agreement-in-principle with Jim Henson to acquire the merchandising, licensing, and publishing rights to the Muppets. Henson's death in May 1990 causes the deal to temporarily end until the following December.

1998: The DCOM Brink premieres.

2006: Disney releases Brother Bear 2, TaleSpin: Volume 1, and Darkwing Duck: Volume 1 on DVD.



August 30

1908: Actor Fred MacMurray - star of such live-action films as The Absent Minded Professor (1961), Son of Flubber (1963), and The Happiest Millionaire (1967) - is born in Kankakee, Illinois. In 1987, he was the first recipient of the Disney Legend award.

1936: The first comic strip devoted entirely to Donald Duck debuts in newspapers. In 1938, Donald received a daily strip.

1938: Actor Don Pedro Colley is born in Klamath Falls, Oregon. His Disney credits include Herbie Rides Again and The World's Greatest Athlete.

1940: Disney's cartoon Pluto's Dream House is released.

1987: The Wonderful World of Disney airs Disney's Fluppy Dogs.

1994: A groundbreaking ceremony for Disney's Wedding Pavilion at Walt Disney World.

2001: The Disney Cruise Line greets its one-millionth guest family.

2002: The Lizzie Mcguire episode Inner Beauty premieres on Disney Channel.

2005: Disney releases Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch Has A Glitch direct-to-video and DVD.




Fact for the Day
As early as 1963, Walt Disney sent his brother, Roy, with several close friends and business associates to find a place where he could build his new park. His team traveled across the country in secrecy, checking into hotels under assumed names, and making anonymous inquirements on available land. They knew that if anyone heard Disney was interested in buying land, prices would skyrocket and the adjoining land would be bought up quickly. Several parts of the U.S. were considered, among them St. Louis, the Great Smokey Mountains, and Niagra Falls. Walt's team eventually set their eyes on.............Florida.

[Fantasmic!kid]

August 31

1834: Italian composer Amilcare Ponchielli is born in Paderno Fasolaro, Italy. His ballet Dance of the Hours will be featured in Disney's 1940 Fantasia.

1903: Buddy Hackett, famed comedic actor and 2003 Disney Legend honoree who portrayed Tennessee Steinmetz in Disney's The Love Bug and Scuttle in The Little Mermaid - is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1928: Actor James Coburn - the voice of Henry J. Waternoose in Disney/Pixar's 2001 Monsters, Inc. - is born in Laurel, Nebraska.

1935: The Disney cartoon Pluto's Judgment Day is released.

1938: Walt and Roy Disney place $10,000 deposit on a 51-acre property on Buena Vista Street in Burbank, California. They used the land to build a new studio.

1948: Walt Disney circulates a memo in his studio describing ideas for an amusement park, which he names "Mickey Mouse Park"...

1964: The Dapper Dans - Disneyland's barbershop harmony group - sing at the groundbreaking ceremony for the 24-million dollar Anaheim Stadium. In front of 4,000 guests and dignitaries, the Dapper Dans sing Take Me Out To The Ball Game with Mrs. Jack Norworth, the widow of the composer.

1973: Ward Kimball, one of Walt's Nine Old Men, officially retires.

1998: The syndicated show Disney's Hercules premieres on T.V. with the episode Hercules and the Apollo Mission.

2001: The Lizzie McGuire episode Lizzie Strikes Out debuts on Disney Channel.

2004: Disney's The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride Special Edition is released on DVD.

Disney's Swim with the Stars tour kicks off at Walt Disney World. America's first ever eight-time medalist Michael Phelps and his gold medalist teammates Lenny Krayzelburg and Ian Crocker meet and swim with young American swimming stars of the future.

2005: The Walt Disney Company announces it will pledge $2.5 million to aid relief and rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.



Fact for the Day
Buena Vista means "pleasant view" in Spanish. It is frequently used as a name for divisions of the Walt Disney Company.




September 1

1875: Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan, is born in Chicago, Illinois. He wrote more than 20 novels depicting the adventures of Tarzan. After the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, he wrote a letter to Walt Disney about the possibility of making his creation into an animated feature. It eventually did in 1999.

1910: Disney Legend Cyril James is born in South Wales. He was known as Roy O. Disney's British counterpart because of his business genius and skill at handling all of the financial and administrative affairs for Walt Disney Productions, Ltd. in London England.

1925: The Paramount Theater in Los Angeles previews Disney's Alice Comedy film Alice the Jail Bird.

1934: Disney's 6-minute Silly Symphony cartoon Peculiar Penguins is released.

1940: Disney's The Volunteer Worker - starring Donald Duck - is released.

1989: Disneyland welcomes its 300-millionth guest, Claudine Masson.

1993: Disney announces that AT&T has renewed its sponsorship of Spaceship Earth at Walt Disney World.

2000: Pooh's Hunny Hunt, an attraction at Tokyo Disneyland, opens.

2002: The Disney Poster Book by Tony Anselmo - the voice of Donald Duck (who originally started at Disney as an animator) - is published by Hyperion Press.

2003: Disney's Treasures, a unique treasure trove of nostalgia by Robert Tieman from Disney Editions, is released in bookstores.

Tokyo Disneyland premieres Blazing Rhythms - a spectacular nightly show - through Semtember 19.

2005: Disney Editions releases Ridley Pearson'sThe Kingdom Keepers. The suspense thriller is about 5 teenagers who end up inside Walt Disney World at night, and must solve a riddle to save the park from the dark side of Walt Disney's imagination.

2006: The Tom Joyner Family Renuion kicks off its 4-day annual gathering at Walt Disney World.

Second-grader Whitney Hamilton wins a trip for 4 to Walt Disney World as part of the American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart program. A student at Deer Creek Prairie Vale Elementary School in Oklahoma, she was chosen out of all students who helped to raise more than $150 to cure heart disease in a 5-state area.



Fact for the Day
World Showcase in EPCOT originally opened with only 9 countries surrounding the World Showcase Lagoon.
They were: France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Japan, China, Mexico, and Canada.

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 14

1928:
Walt Disney (visiting New York) writes a letter to his brother Roy and animator Ub Iwerks about the upcoming recording session for Steamboat Willie. Walt has hired Carl Edouwarde - 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.)

1935:
Russi Taylor, the voice of Minnie Mouse since 1985, is born in California. (She is married to Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey!)

1955:
The Disneyland television series opens its second season on ABC with an edited version of the 1941 Dumbo.

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. Actress Faith Ford, who appears in Disney's 2005 comedy feature The Pacifier, is born in Alexandria, Louisana.

1969:
Disney's long-running weekly television series changes its name (for the 3rd time since its 1954 debut on ABC) to The Wonderful World of Disney.

1980:
The Mickey Mouse Revue, an attraction 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.)

1984:
Actor Adam Lamberg, David 'Gordo' Gordon on the Disney Channel sitcom Lizzie McGuire, is born in New York City. Lamberg also made a brief appearance in the 2001 film Max Keeble's Big Move.

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.

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.

1993:
The All New Mickey Mouse Club make their recording debut with the release of their self-titled album MMC. Recorded during the hiatus of the popular Disney Channel series, MMC features 12 songs and 13 members of the hit show.

1999:
Hurricane Floyd clobbers the Bahamas, toppling power lines and ripping roofs off homes. Meanwhile Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina brace for Floyd (a category 4 hurricane) as people evacuate to the west away from the coast. Even Walt Disney World closes its doors in the afternoon to prepare and ride out the storm. It is the resort's very first unscheduled closing.

2000:
The sounds of salsa, and Latin pop enliven the streets of Downtown Disney Pleasure Island during the sixth annual Latin Rhythm Nights celebration.

2002:
New York's Lion King comes to Dallas at the Music Hall at Fair Park. All proceeds of this spectacular evening will benefit the children and families of the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas.
Disney's Fillmore debuts on ABC-TV's morning line-up. The new animated series centers around Safety Patrol Officer Cornelius Fillmore (voiced by actor Orlando Brown).

Fact of the day
Disneyland's only residents were Owen and Dolly Pope. They were originally 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 and trained horses. Three days before Disneyland opened, they moved to the Anaheim park to run the Disneyland Pony Farm.

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 15

1889:
Humorist, newspaper columnist, and actor Robert Charles Benchley is born in Worcester, Massachusetts. He will star in the 1941 feature film The Reluctant Dragon, giving a loose tour of the then-new Walt Disney Studios facility in Burbank, California. (Robert is the grandfather of Jaws writer Peter Benchley!)
1904:
Tom Conway, the narrator of Disney's 1953 classic film Peter Pan, is born in St. Petersburg, Russia.

1925:
Disney's Alice comedy Alice the Jailbird is generally released.
1941: Original Mouseketeer Don Underhill is born in Alhambra, California.

1955:
Bruce Reitherman, the voice of 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 film director (and one of Walt's Nine Old Men) Wolfgang Reitherman.

1963:
"Davy Crockett Goes to Congress" airs on the NBC-TV series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color.

1967:
An article about Disneyland's new Pirates of the Caribbean attraction appears in LIFE magazine.

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/talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

1998:
Walt Disney Home Video hosts the first-ever "Canine Carnival" in celebration of the much-anticipated video re-release of Disney's "Lady and the Tramp," at Los Angeles Griffith Park. Attending celebrities and their pooch pals include Charlton Heston, Lorenzo Lamas, and Leeza Gibbons. The soundtrack for Disney's A Bug's Life, featuring the music of Randy Newman, is released.

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.)

2000:
Tokyo Disneyland celebrates Respect For The Aged Day (a national holiday in Japan) with a dance party for guests age sixty and older.

2001:
Disney's ABC-TV replaces The Peacemaker a 1997 movie about a terrorist plotting an attack in New York, with the romantic comedy Hope Floats (in response to the September 11th terrorist attack). Disney Channel debuts a new animated interactive series titled Stanley.

2002:
Tony Anselmo, Disney Animator and the voice of Donald Duck, appears at Walt's Barn in Griffith Park, California. Fans at the event (hosted by The Carolwood Pacific Historical Society) purchase and have Anselmo sign a copy of The Disney Poster Book.

2004:
Tokyo Disneyland's 2-month long celebration "Disney's Halloween" begins. The stage musical Mary Poppins (produced by Disney and Cameron Macintosh) opens for previews in England at the Bristol Hippodrome. (Regular performances will begin sixteen days later.)

2005:
The El Capitan's limited engagement of Cinderella kicks-off with a special filmmakers' panel featuring Ilene Woods-Shaughnessy (the original voice of Cinderella), June Foray (the voice of Lucifer the cat), Lucille Bliss (the voice of stepsister Anastasia), and legendary Disney animator Ollie Johnston.

2006:
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is held for the first time this season at Walt Disney World. The 3-day Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend kicks off in Anaheim. The 13.1-mile route takes runners through the two Disneyland Resort theme parks.

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 16

1908:
Writer Milt Banta is born in London, England. His Disney work will include Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and TV's Wonderful World of Disney.

1933:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon The Pied Piper is released.

1955:
Disneyland's Canal Boats of the World attraction closes after 2 months of operation. It will be revamped and renamed Storyland Canal Boats.

1958:
Actress Jennifer Tilly, the voice of Celia in Disney's 2001 Monsters, Inc. and Madame Leota in Disney's 2003 live-action The Haunted Mansion, is born in Harbor City, California.

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.

1979:
Disney's Wonderful World airs part 2 of "The Absent-Minded Professor."

1984:
The Restaurant el Marrakesh opens in the Morocco Pavilion at EPCOT.

1986:
Sabrina Bryan, a member of Disney's The Cheetah Girls, is born Reba Sabrina Hinojos in Yorba Linda, California.

1993:
The Disneyana Convention 1993 kicks off for 4 days at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California.

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 Dick Van Dyke, the 2-hour show features interviews with some of the people who knew Walt best.

2005:
Marceline, Missouri, boyhood home of Walt Disney, begin their 2-day Walt Disney?s Hometown Toonfest event.

2006:
Disney World's Cinderellabration gives its final performance. andy 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. e 8th Annual Walt Disney's Hometown Toonfest takes place in Marceline, Missouri.

Fact for the day.
A young Walt Disney & his family lived in Marceline, Missouri from 1906-1911.

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 17

1904:
Actor-comedian-composer Jerry Colona, the voice of March Hare in Disney's 1951 Alice in Wonderland, is born in Boston, Massachusetts. He also lent his voice to The Brave Engineer and Make Mine Music.

1917:
Disney Legend & camera effects artist Bob Broughton is born Berkeley, California. He will work on nearly every motion picture from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 to The Black Hole in 1979. Broughton will help Dick Van Dyke 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.

1927:
Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit film Rickety Gin is shipped to New York distributor M. Winkler.

1928:
Actor Roddy McDowall, the voice of Mr. Soil in the 1998 A Bug's Life, is born in London, England. His Disney credits also include the 1967 live-action feature The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin and the 1965 live-action That Darn Cat!

1932:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon The Whoopee Party is released.

1945:
Actor Bruce Spence, the voice of Chum in the 2003 Finding Nemo, is born in Auckland, New Zealand.

1948:
Actor John Ritter (best known for his role as Jack Tripper on the TV series Three's Company) is born in Burbank, California. He appears in the 1971 Disney live-action film The Barefoot Executive, the 1989 TV special The Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park Grand Opening and the 2002 TV special Walt Disney World Christmas Parade.

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).


1961:
The ABC-TV series Walt Disney Presents airs for the last time. The following week the series will be called Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color ... and air on NBC.

1995:
A Golden Horsehose Revue Reunion takes place at the Wells Fargo Theater in California. Performers Wally Boag, Fulton Burley, and Betty Taylor (who all starred in the popular Disneyland stage show) appear.

1998:
The world premiere preview of Walt Disney Theatrical Productions' musical Elaborate Lives: The Legend of Aida takes place at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. (Opening night will be October 7, 1998.)

2002:
Walt Disney Records' Disneymania, featuring classic Disney songs performed by acts like 'N SYNC, Usher, Aaron Carter, Hilary Duff, and Christina Aguilera, is released in the U.S. Disney also releases its 2001 blockbuster Monsters, Inc., on a 2-disc special edition DVD and VHS. It features an all-new animated short Mike's New Car, created exclusively for this release.

Fact for the day
Walt and Lilly Disney spent their honeymoon in 1925 at Mount Rainier and Seattle, Washington.

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 18

1917:
Versatile voice actress June Foray (famously known as the voice of Rocket J. "Rocky" Squirrel for The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show) is born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Her Disney credits include the sounds of Lucifer the cat in Cinderella and Peter Pan for which she played a live-action mermaid to serve as a reference for the animators. She also supplied the voice of Grandmother Fa in Mulan II and Grammi in the animated TV series The Gummi Bears. Foray also lent her voice to the Disney attraction Pirates of the Caribbean, as the wife of the man getting dunked!

1925:
The Apollo Theater in Los Angeles premieres Disney's Alice Comedy film Alice Plays Cupid.

1928:
Walt Disney's "Mickey Mouse" trademark application is granted.

1939:
Actor and master of sketch comedy Fred Willard, the voice of Melvin in the 2005 animated feature Chicken Little, is born in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

1957:
The Disneyland television series airs "Four Fabulous Characters."

1998:
Secrets of the Animal Kingdom, a syndicated half-hour television series, first airs. Taped at Disney's Animal Kingdom, it is the first series produced by Walt Disney Attractions Television.

2000:
Production begins on Disney's newest live-action film The Princess Diaries in San Francisco.

2001:
The touring production of Disney's Aida opens at the Austin Performing Arts Center located at the University of Texas. (The show will run through the 23rd.)

2004:
Marceline, Missouri (boyhood home of Walt Disney) hosts their sixth annual Toonfest celebration.

2005:
Actress Brooke Tansley offers her final performance as Belle in Disney's Broadway hit Beauty and the Beast. She has played Belle since September 14, 2004.

2006:
Starting this day, Disney Channel expands its weekly Mickey Mouse Clubhouse series to a daily format.

Fact for the Day.
In 1935, Walt Disney was presented with a medal by the League of Nations in Paris, France.

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 19

1927:
Disney's second Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon Oh, Teacher is released.

1928:
Actor Adam West, the voice of Ace in the 2005 animated feature Chicken Little, is born in Walla Walla, Washington. He is also the voice of Timothy 'Fearless Ferret' North on Disney's Kim Possible - a washed-up actor who believes he is the superhero he portrayed on television! (Adam is best known as TV's Batman.)

1948:
Actor Jeremy Irons, the narrator for Epcot's Spaceship Earth and the voice of H.G. Wells for The Timekeeper attraction film From Time to Time, is born in Cowes (Isle of Wight), England.

1952:
The Mickey Mouse cartoon Pluto's Party is released.

1956:
The Disneyland television series airs "The Great Cat Family."

1959:
Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev arrives in Los Angeles during his eleven-day U.S. visit. He is suppose to tour Los Angeles housing projects, while his wife and children visit Disneyland. Although he wishes to accompany them to Disneyland, he is turned down when security officials cannot guarantee his safety. The disgruntled Premier and his family attend a luncheon at Twentieth-Century Fox Studios instead.

1966:
Walt Disney gives what will be his last press conference. He speaks about the development of the Mineral King ski resort in southern California. It will feature skiing, an alpine village, skating rink, hotels, dormitories for young people, and restaurants. (Disney's plans will quickly be put to a stop when critics and environmentalists feel the untouched land would be desecrated. Congress will eventually vote to turn Mineral King into a part of Sequoia National Park.) Disneyland's Monsanto Hall of Chemistry is removed to make way for the new Adventure Through Inner Space attraction.

1974:
Raquel Herring, a member of Disney Channel's The All New Mickey Mouse Club, is born in Miami, Florida.

1987:
Actress Danielle Panabaker, Layla of Disney's 2005 Sky High, is born in Georgia. (TV fans may recognize her from the popular but short-lived series Summerland.)

2000:
Disney's direct-to-video The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is released.

2001:
In response to recent world events in Washington, DC, New York City, and elsewhere, the Walt Disney World Resort further heightens security measures on property.

2006:
Sarah Uriarte Berry and Donny Osmond join the cast of Disney's Broadway hit Beauty and the Beast. Berry returns to the role of Belle as Osmond steps into the part of Gaston for the first time.

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.

[Jen-Ness]

September 20

1863:
Writer and linguist Jacob Grimm dies in Berlin, Germany. He and his brother Wilhelm were the first to write down such classic tales as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.

1878:
Author Upton Sinclair is born in Baltimore, Maryland. His book The Gnomemobile will be the inspiration for Disney's 1967 musical film The Gnome-Mobile.

1925:
Walt Disney's Alice Comedy Alice's Tin Pony premieres at Warner's Theater in New York City.

1926:
The Alice Comedy Alice's Monkey Business is released.

2001:
It is reported that Disney's extraterrestrial animated feature, Lilo & Stitch, may get a makeover. The ending scenes have a cute little alien sneaking on board a 747 and taking the jumbo jet for a joy ride through the towers of Honolulu. Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001 Disney has asked screenwriters to rewrite the last scenes. They may replace the airplane with a spaceship.

2002:
The second annual Disney's Pin Celebration begins at Epcot. The Lizzie McGuire episode "Party Over Here" debuts on Disney Channel.

2003:
A "Sneak Peek" at the new Mickey's PhilharMagic takes place for Annual and Premium Annual Passholders at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Walt Disney's Hometown Toonfest takes place in Marceline, Missouri (Walt's boyhood home). The Series Lilo & Stitch debuts on ABC-TV. Disney's California Adventure presents Disney's Fiesta Latina (a celebration featuring mariachi bands, craft booths and spicy food) for the first of three weekends.

2004:
The Walt Disney Company names the 2004 Disney Legends during a ceremony at the Disney Legends Plaza at the Disney Studios in Burbank, California.

2005:
Ashley Brown, formerly featured in the recent tour of Disney's On the Record, joins the Broadway company of Beauty and the Beast. She is the 15th actress to portray Belle in the long-running Disney hit. The Disneyland Opera House hosts this year's Disney Legends program in honor of the park's 50th anniversary. This year's awards mark the first time that an hourly Cast Member is recognized.

Fact For The Day
Disney's "Alice" series were live-action films combined with animation that placed a young girl within a cartoon world.

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 21

1945:
The Disney short Hockey Homicide premieres.

1947:
Walt Disney appears on a live radio broadcast of The Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy Show. Walt promotes his newest picture, Fun and Fancy Free (which features Bergen as himself).

1951:
Disney's Pluto cartoon Cold Turkey is released.

1996:
IllumiNations 25 - a new show to celebrate Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary - debuts at Epcot (although it will have an official debut in October).

1998:
Infoseek and Walt Disney announce that their Internet portal site will be called GO NETWORK. The companies expect to launch it before December. (A portal site is an all-purpose Web page from which users can get onto the Internet as well as take advantage of functions such as e-mail, online shopping, and chat groups.)

2001:
Marceline, Missouri, the small mid-western town that Walt Disney used as his model for Main Street USA hosts his 100th birthday celebration starting today through the 23rd. A spokesman confirms that the Bass family of Texas has sold a sizeable chunk, 135 million shares, of their stake in the Walt Disney Company. The sale generates about $2 billion at about $15 a share. 650 Walt Disney World volunteer Cast Members do their part in support of a multi-network two-hour TV broadcast to benefit victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The Disney World reservations phone system is used as part of the network to take calls of people wanting to donate money. More than 40,000 calls are received by Disney staffers alone, helping contribute to the 150 million dollars collected. The Proud Family, an animated sitcom, premieres on Disney Channel as does the Lizzie McGuire episode "The Untitled Stan Jansen Project".

2002:
The city of Marceline, Missouri hosts the fourth annual Walt Disney's Hometown Toonfest.

2004:
AOL Music First View hosts the online premiere of Clay Aiken's "Proud Of Your Boy" music video. The song was originally composed for Aladdin and was recovered from the Disney vault for the film's 2-disc special edition DVD (to be released October 5).

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!

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 22

1950:
Disney's Pluto cartoon Camp Dog is released.

1955:
The Disney short Breezy Bear, featuring Donald Duck and Humphrey the Bear, is released.

1961:
Nurse-turned-actress Bonnie Hunt - the voices of Sally in the 2006 Cars, Flint in the 2001 Monsters Inc., and Rosie in the 1999 A Bug's Life - is born in Chicago, Illinois. (Movie fans may recognize her as the mom in the 2005 Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and the 2003 Cheaper by the Dozen.)

1963:
"Davy Crockett at the Alamo" airs on the NBC-TV series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color.

1984:
Michael Eisner is elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Walt Disney Productions (replacing Ray Watson) and Frank Wells is elected President and Chief Operations. At this time, Walt Disney Productions is approximately $900 million in debt. (By 1987, Walt Disney Productions will be worth $340 million!)

1991:
Disney World's 20th Anniversary Surprise Celebration Parade kicks off down Main Street USA.

1999:
IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth begins thrilling Epcot guests. (The new show will not officially debut until October.)

2000:
Larry King Live with guest Dick Van Dyke airs on CNN. When asked if "Mary Poppins" was his first big movie, Van Dyke says: "Yes, absolutely. And Walt Disney, for some strange reason, thought of me. God bless him. Everybody else in the show was British. And I don't know why..."

2001:
The Themed Entertainment Association (or TEA) hold their Thea Awards Ceremony at the Alex Theater in Glendale, California. Among the Disney winners are: Imagineer Tony Baxter (Lifetime Achievement), Epcot's Millenium Village (Award for Outstanding Achievement - Attraction), DisneyQuest's Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold (Award for Outstanding Achievement - Attraction), and Disney's Fastpass (Award for Outstanding Achievement - Breakthrough Innovation). (TEA is an international alliance of the world's most talented and experienced professionals in the location-based entertainment industry.)

2003:
Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort hosts a 4-day Native American Business Conference and Trade Show. The event, organized by the United Indian Development Association, allows American Indians as well as other small-business people to network with representatives of large companies.
Starting on this day, a new program allows Disney World guests to have lunch or dinner with a Walt Disney Imagineer at the Hollywood Brown Derby (located in Disney-MGM Studios).

2005:
The 2006 Walt Disney Studios Showcase takes place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. The invitation only, all-day event is to show studio partners (such as theater owners and movie distributors) what Disney is planning for the new year. Hosted by Dick Cook (chairman of The Walt Disney Studios), special guests performing include Elton John and in attendance is Roy Disney.

2006:
The Walt Disney World Triathlon Weekend kicks off at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.

Fact For the Day
The five-millionth Mickey Mouse watch was sold in 1949.

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 23

1920:
Actor Mickey Rooney, the voices of Sparky in the 2001 animated release Lady and the Tramp II: Scamps' Adventure, and Adult Tod in the 1981 The Fox and the Hound, is born in Brooklyn, New York. He also appears in the 1977 live action/animated musical Pete's Dragon, as Lampie.

1938:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon The Brave Little Tailor is released. The most elaborate and expensive Mickey Mouse cartoon ever produced to date, it will be nominated for an Academy Award.

1945:
Original Mouseketeer Paul Petersen is born in Glendale, California. Besides appearing on The Mickey Mouse Club, he portrayed Jeff Stone on The Donna Reed Show. In later years, he will become an author, spokesman, and child rights activist.

1949:
Disney's Goofy cartoon Goofy Gymnastics is released.

1955:
The LP record Firehouse Five Plus Two Plays for Lovers is released on the Good Time Jazz label.

1959:
Actor Jason Alexander, the voice of Hugo in Disney's 1996 release The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as in TV's House of Mouse, is born in Newark, New Jersey. (Alexander is probably best known to TV fans for his role of George Costanza on the hit series Seinfeld.)

1961:
Actress Elizabeth Pe?a, the voice of Mirage in the 2004 Disney-Pixar animated feature The Incredibles, is born in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

1962:
The NBC-TV series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color airs "The Golden Horseshoe Revue" (it is the first episode of Disney's ninth season on television). The program features the 10,000th show of Disneyland's famous stage show!

1971:
The Dapper Dans (a barbershop quartet soon to be a staple at Disney World) perform their first set at the GAF Photo Shop on Main Street. Jerry Siggins, Bob Mathis, Dick Kneeland, and Bub Thomas sing for Cast Members and their families a week before the grand opening of Walt Disney World in Florida.

1980:
The Big Thunder Mountain attraction debuts at Disney World.

1983:
All That Jazz (a 3-day event featuring a variety of jazz artists) takes place on the Castle Forecourt Stage at Tokyo Disneyland.

1984:
Michael Eisner and Frank Wells officially become Chairman and President of Walt Disney Productions. Actress Anneliese van der Pol - Chelsea Daniels of Disney Channel's That's So Raven - is born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

1990:
The Magical World of Disney presents "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" on the Disney Channel.

1999:
The large and small Horizons signs are removed from the closed Epcot attraction at Walt Disney World. The Disney Stores begin to sell a series of pins counting down the last 101 days until the millenium.

2001:
President George W. Bush orders American Flags to be raised full staff on this day around the country for the first time since the tragedy of September 11th. A ceremony is held at noon at Disneyland's Time Square to raise the flag. Disneyland Resort President Cynthia Harriss and the CEO of the Walt Disney Company Michael Eisner are in attendance. Fifty white doves are released while the flag is raised. Robert Abel, the computer animation and graphics guru who used multimedia to create award-winning commercials, films and classroom educational materials, dies at age 64 in Los Angeles. Abel used his techniques to create special effects for many motion pictures, including Disney's Tron. A new attraction "Walt Disney: One Man's Dream," showing memorabilia about Walt Disney's career and heritage to the public for the first time, opens at Disney-MGM in Florida.

2004:
Hong Kong Disneyland holds a ceremony to celebrate the "topping off" of Sleeping Beauty Castle. A 'Topping Off' ceremony is traditionally celebrated when the last structural element is placed on a building. (The park is scheduled to open in late 2005 or early 2006.)

2005:
Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, presents "Behind the Magic: 50 Years of Disneyland." The exhibit (in partnership with Walt Disney Imagineering) features 250 items, including artwork, hand-crafted models and marketing materials.

Fact For the Day
In July 1953, Walt Disney hired the Stanford Research Institute to scout a location in Southern California for Disneyland. By August a site in Anaheim had been found.

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 24

1894:
Actor and voice-artist Billy Bletcher, the voice of the clown in Disney's 1941 classic Dumbo, is born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (Billy was also among the midgets in Laurel & Hardy's 1934 Babes in Toyland and trouped with the Munchkins in the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz. Our Gang fans may remember him as Spanky's dad.)

1934:
Animator Frank Thomas joins the Disney Studios as employee number 224. He will go on to animate dozens of feature films and shorts until his retirement in 1978. (He will become one of "Walt's Nine Old Men" and a Disney Legend!)

1936:
Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets and the voice of Kermit the Frog, is born James Maury Henson in Greenville, Mississippi. Henson will first name his puppets, "Muppets," in 1954 while working as a producer of the Washington, D.C. TV show, Sam and Friends. (Sadly in May 1990, Henson will suddenly pass away at the age of 53 while in negotiations with Disney.)

1937:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon "Hawaiian Holiday" is released.

1947:
Major Harry Colebourn, the man whose pet bear became the inspiration for A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh, passes away in Canada.

1948:
Actor and Saturday Night Live star Phil Hartman is born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. His Disney credits include the voice of SIR for Disney World's Alien Encounter (1992-1996), the 1990 TV series Tale Spin and the 1987 animated film The Brave Little Toaster. (TV fans will remember Hartman for his role on the series NewsRadio.)

1959:
The last episode of the Disney-produced TV show Zorro airs.

1961:
Sunday: Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color makes its debut in color and on NBC for its 8th season on television. The episode consists of "An Adventure in Color," "Donald in Mathmagicland," and a brand new character called Professor Ludwig Von Drake. (Before this, the show had been called Disneyland and then Walt Disney Presents - both broadcast on ABC.)

1973:
Construction begins on a one story pavilion to house General Electric's Carousel of Progress (an attraction shipped in from Disneyland) in Disney World's Tomorrowland.

1983:
The TV series Walt Disney (which originated on ABC as Disneyland) airs for the last time on CBS with the episode "Walt Disney?s Mickey and Donald." (Three years later the series will be revived on ABC as The Disney Sunday Movie.)

1985:
The Lotus Blossom Cafe restaurant opens in EPCOT's China Pavilion.

1984:
Disney's new executive team - which now includes Chairman & CEO Michael Eisner - is voted in at a meeting of the board. A celebration is later held at the Lakeside Country Club.

1992:
The very first Official Disneyana Convention takes place at Walt Disney World. Although enthusiasts around the world have organized conventions in the past, this marks the first time that the Disney Company itself sponsors the 4-day event (held at Disney's Contemporary Resort).

1993:
The ABC-TV series Boy Meets World premieres. (Years later it will become a Disney Channel favorite.)

1998:
The sky above the Seven Seas Lagoon fill with fireworks and music as Disney World joins forces with the American Pyrotechnics Association to launch Disney's Rock 'n Rockets (for the next 2 nights). This first-ever event is held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the association and features the latest in fireworks technology along with a collection of classic displays. Accompanying the fireworks show is live musical performances by Kenny Loggins (on September 24) and the B52's along with 10,000 Maniacs (on September 25). Michael Eisner's book Work in Progress is published.

1999:
Previews begin for the London West End production of Disney's musical "The Lion King" at the Lyceum Theatre. Disney Channel's half-hour original series The Jersey debuts.

2001:
Tapestry of Dreams opens at Epcot (replacing Tapestry of Nations).

2003:
The University of Maryland honors Muppet creator Jim Henson by holding a dedication ceremony. A life-sized statue of Henson (a University of Maryland alumnus), conversing with one of his favorite creations, Kermit the Frog, is dedicated in front of the Adele Stamp Student Union on the College Park campus.

2004:
Disneyland debuts "Mysteries, Myths, and Legends Tour" - an interactive tour that allows guests to be a part of a fictional storyline woven by the host.

2006:
The cruise ship Disney Wonder makes its inaugural visit to St. Kitts and Nevis. The 2,600 passenger capacity vessel docks at Port Zante at 7:00 a.m., its fifth stop on an eleven night South Caribbean cruise.

Fact For the Day
Walt Disney was selected to be in charge of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1960 Winter Olympics (held in Squaw Valley, California)

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 25

1902:
Songwriter Hall of Famer Al Hoffman is born in Minsk, Russia. (At age 6, he and his family will move to Seattle, Washington.) Along with Mack David and Jerry Livingston, he will write such classic Disney tunes as "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" and "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo".

1931:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Fishin' Around is released.

1956:
Inventor, scientist, author and engineer W. Daniel Hillis is born in Baltimore, Maryland. He will go on to work for Disney Imagineering.

1957:
The Disneyland television series airs "Adventure in Wildwood Heart."

1959:
ABC-TV's Walt Disney Presents airs the episode "Tomorrow the Moon."

1960:
The Walt Disney Presents TV series airs for the first time on a Sunday evening with the episode "Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race." (The Disney series had previously aired on Fridays and as the former Disneyland on Wednesdays.)

1963:
Actor Tate Donovan, the voice of Disney's Hercules, is born in New Jersey. (Fans of The O.C. will know him better as Jimmy Cooper.) Beach Party, starring original Mouseketeer Annette Funicello and teen idol Frankie Avalon, debuts. The film is the first of several such frothy beach films the popular duo will star in.

1966:
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color airs the episode "The Legend of El Blanco" on NBC.

1977:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs the 2-hour episode "King of the Grizzlies" on NBC.

1982:
The CBS television series Walt Disney airs part 1 of "The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again."

1984:
Disneyland workers, including the "rubberheads" - a nickname given to the costumed characters that roam the park - go on strike.

2001:
Disney's touring production of Aida opens in Dallas, Texas. (The show will run through October 20th.)

2004:
In preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Jeanne - which is expected to come ashore late in the evening or early the following day - Walt Disney World closes its theme parks at 7 pm.

Fact For the Day
In 1961, the monorail track was expanded at Disneyland to connect the park with the Disneyland Hotel.

[Jen-Ness]

September 26

1924:
Cartoonist Tony Sgroi is born. He will go on to create such Disney comics for Dell Publishing as Robin Hood, Stormy the Thoroughbred, Young Davy Crockett, Man in Space, Mars and Beyond and Spin & Marty.

1930:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon Monkey Melodies is released.

1936:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon Three Blind Mousketeers is released.

1948:
Singer-actress Olivia Newton-John, whose version of "Part of Your World" appears on the CD Disney's Music From The Park, is born in Cambridge, England.

1953:
Walt Disney phones artist Herb Ryman at his home to inquire about the possibility of Ryman drawing the first overall concept sketch of a new theme park. Walt's brother Roy is to leave for New York in a few days to meet with a group of investors and he needs something to present. The work Walt and Herb will do together over the upcoming "lost weekend" will help define the look of Disneyland and hopefully intrigue investors. (Ryman, a master artist and teacher will have a career spanning more than fifty years as a production designer, art director and illustrator at many top Hollywood studios.)

1956:
The Disneyland television series airs "Searching for Nature's Mysteries."

1967:
Compass East Corporation (the company responsible for purchasing the Florida land for the new Disney World theme park) is renamed Walt Disney World Company.

1981:
Walt Disney (a new version of the popular long-running series that first started out on ABC in 1954 as Disneyland) premieres on CBS with part one of the 1969 hit The Love Bug. It is the first time the series airs on a Saturday. (This makes Disney's show the first prime-time series to have appeared on all three major networks)!

1984:
Disney World's Frontier Shooting Gallery changes its name to Frontierland Shootin' Arcade.

1986:
The Magic Eye Theater (presented by Kodak) opens at Disneyland's Tomorrowland.

2000:
Wild Life, a Disney animated feature originally to be released in 2002, is put into turnaround (or cancelled). Described as a retro-1960's New York version of My Fair Lady, some of the Disney staff believe the story is not strong enough. Filming begins for the Lizzie McGuire episode "When Moms Attack" (which will air on Disney Channel January 26, 2001).

2001:
Disney's touring production of Beauty and the Beast opens at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in Colorado. (The show will run through October 7th.) Disney World hosts the seventh annual Latin Rhythm Nights Festival at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island.
It is reported that Richard W. Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, has been elected (along with 4 others) to the Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital Foundation's board of trustees. The hospital is a recognized world leader in research, teaching, and patient care in orthopedic medicine. (Cook began his career in 1970 as a ride operator at Disneyland.)

2004:
Walt Disney World's theme parks close for the day as Hurricane Jeanne strikes Florida! Jeanne is the tenth named storm, the seventh hurricane, and the fifth major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. (Millions in Florida will be left without electricity.)

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.

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 27

1927:
European Disney Comics legend Romano Scarpa is born in Venice, Italy.

1938:
Disney's first full-length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is released in Sweden.

1947:
Disney's 9th animated feature film, Fun and Fancy Free (featuring two stories) is released. The two segments include Mickey and the Beanstalk and Bongo The Bear. This marks the beginning of sound effects man Jim MacDonald as the voice of Mickey Mouse (as Walt Disney is too busy). Walt has hand-picked MacDonald to follow in his footsteps. (After this picture, MacDonald will be Mickey's voice for the next 3 decades.)

1955:
On a stopover at Idyllwild Airport in New York City (later named John F. Kennedy Airport) Walt Disney is interviewed for radio. He is quizzed about his new live-action feature The Great Locomotive Chase (to be released in 1956).

1982:
At EPCOT Center's Future World, the attractions Energy Exchange, FutureCom, Kitchen Kabaret Revue, Universe of Energy and Harvest Theater all open as the park prepares for its October 1 grand opening.

2001:
At a rally at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, to announce new measures for airline safety (since the September 11th terrorist attacks) President Bush urges citizens to: "Fly and enjoy America's great destination spots. Go down to Disney World in Florida, take your families and enjoy life the way we want it to be enjoyed."

2003:
The Sioux City Arts Center (in Iowa) holds an opening night reception for a new exhibit, "The Animation Art of Ron Clements," dedicated to legendary Disney artist and film director, Ron Clements. Clements, who was born in Sioux City, worked on such classics as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, The Rescuers, Pete's Dragon, Aladdin, and Treasure Planet.

2004:
All Disney World theme parks (with the exception of Typhoon Lagoon) open after being closed the day before due to Hurricane Jeanne.

2005:
Sotheby?s and The Walt Disney Company conclude the celebration of Mickey Mouse?s 75th anniversary with an auction of 75 statues of Mickey - which have toured the country since Mickey?s 75th birthday on November 18, 2003.

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." So far, 5 Disney films (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Pinocchio, Steamboat Willie, and Beauty and the Beast) have been added.

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 28

1925:
Walt Disney's short, Alice Chops the Suey (an Alice Comedy) is released.

1931:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon The Clock Store is released.

1934:
Actress Janet Munro is born in Blackpool, Lanacashire, England. She appears in such live-action Disney films as Swiss Family Robinson, Third Man on the Mountain, and Darby O'Gill and the Little People.

1947:
Actor Jeffrey Jones - the voice of Chariman L.C. Clench of XS Technology in Disney World's now extinct Alien Encounter - is born in Buffalo, New York. (Movie fans may recognize him from such films as Stuart Little, Ed Wood, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.)

1953:
Artist Herb Ryman and Walt Disney sketch out plans for an amusement park in California.

1955:
The ABC television series Disneyland airs "Bongo" - which is actually the first half of the animated 1947 film, Fun and Fancy Free.

1961:
The live-action Disney film Greyfriars Bobby - which is based on a true story about a unique Skye terrier who affected a small town in Scotland - is released.

1963:
English teacher-turned-animation writer & producer Greg Weisman is born in Woodland Hills, California. He is most famous for creating the acclaimed animated television series, Gargoyles.

1982:
At EPCOT Center, Canada, China, and France open around the World Showcase as the park prepares for its grand opening. Annual passports (special year-long admission passes) are introduced at Walt Disney World.

1987:
Actress/singer Hilary Ann Duff, the star of Disney's Channel's "Lizzie McGuire," is born in Houston, Texas. Her Disney credits include the 2002 Cadet Kelly (the highest rated Disney Channel original in history) and the 2003 The Lizzie McGuire Movie.

1996:
Walt Disney World's Grand Prix Raceway changes its name to Tomorrowland Speedway.

1997:
Disney's long-running series (which first aired in 1954 as Disneyland) returns to ABC after nearly a 7-year absence on television as The Wonderful World of Disney.

2001:
Disney Channel debuts the Lizzie McGuire episode "Last Year's Model".

2003:
Over one hundred people attend a musical tribute at the University of California to honor Grammy and Oscar-nominated musician-composer Buddy Baker, a 28-year veteran at Disney (who passed in July 2002). From 1954 to 1983 he wrote or scored virtually every Disney TV program, numerous feature films, and beloved theme park attractions (including the Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World).

2004:
Disney's Aladdin Special Edition Soundtrack is released. The collection features all 21 original tracks plus recordings of two deleted songs ("Proud of Your Boy" and "High Adventure" written by the movie's Academy Award winning songwriting team of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman).
AOL Music First View debuts Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey's "A Whole New World" music video. The new version is from Disney's 2-disc special edtion DVD of Aladdin (to be released October 5). Hollywood Records (owned by Disney) releases Hilary Duff's second album, the self-titled Hilary Duff, on her 17th birthday. The stage musical Mary Poppins begins regular performances at the Bristol Hippodrome in England. The show (produced by Disney and Cameron Macintosh) will later move to the Prince Edward Theatre in London.

Fact for the Day
Walt Disney grew his famous mustache at age 25.

[Jen-Ness]

SEPTEMBER 29

1904:
Actress Greer Garson is born in London, England. She will play the role of Mrs. Cordelia Biddle in Disney's 1967 live-action musical feature The Happiest Millionaire.

1934:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey Plays Papa is released.

1938:
Walt Disney Enterprises, Disney Film Recording Company, and Liled Realty and Investment Company are merged into Walt Disney Productions.

1958:
The LP record Firehouse Five Plus Two - 16 Dixieland Favorites is released. The band is made up of such notable Disney employees as Harper Goff (on banjo), Ward Kimball (on trombone), and Frank Thomas (on piano).

1962:
Actor/singer Roger Bart - the voice of young Hercules in Disney's 1997 animated feature - is born in Norwalk, Connecticut.

1963:
The NBC-TV series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color airs part 1 of "The Horse Without a Head." This episode marks season ten of Disney's television series.

1971:
Actor Mackenzie Crook - known for his role of Ragetti in both Disney features Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - is born in Kent, England.

1973:
Singer-actor Brad Kane, the singing voice of Disney's Aladdin, is born in New Rochelle, New York.

1986:
Disneyland's Magic Eye Theatre opens in Tomorrowland.

1994:
Innoventions grand opening takes place at Epcot (although the attraction has been open since July).

1998:
The popular Disney barbershop harmony group, the Dapper Dans appear on an episode of TV's Home Improvement. They appear as the 'Flannels' singing a rendition of the Tool Time theme song.
The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story is released direct-to-video. It is a live-action sequel to the the 1967 animated feature.

2000:
In Disneyland, Mickey's Mouseworks opens on Main Street.
Disney invites over 1,200 children from across Europe, South Africa, and Israel, to join Winnie the Pooh and his friends in Disneyland Paris for The Winnie the Pooh Friendship Celebration.
Disney's Remember the Titans, starring Denzel Washington as football coach Herman Boone, is released in theaters.
Disney World announces plans for an attraction and merchandising area based on their 1992 animated feature Aladdin. "The Magic Carpets of Aladdin" will take Magic Kingdom guests on a carpet ride in the Adventureland area of the park.

2002:
Disney names James Rasulo, who had been chairman and chief executive of Euro Disney, to be the new president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide. Rasulo, 46, succeeds Paul Pressler, who suddenly left Disney to become president and chief executive of the clothing retailer Gap Inc.
The Disney-owned Anaheim Angels wrap up their regular season with a 7-6 victory over Seattle. At 99-63, it is the most successful season in franchise history.

2003:
Country & western singer Wesley Tuttle (who in 1944 was the second country artist ever to sign with Capitol Records) passes in California. Tuttle yodeled as one of the dwarfs in Disney's 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The Walt Disney company introduces a new video-on-demand service called MovieBeam, that lets users download and store films via a set-top device.

2004:
The late Frank Thomas is remember