Disney History

[Isafari]

Welcome to DISNEY HISTORY a little useless information every day in the life of Disney.

Today Monday 28th July.....

1951....Walt Disney's 13th animated film Alice in Wonderland is released in the US.

1998....Disney's first cruise ship The Magic is christened and will embark on it's maiden voyage two days later

2004....Sam Edwards passes away in Colorado. His Disney voice includes Thumper in Bambi

[PsychoAlice]

Sam Edwards passes away in Colorado. His Disney voice includes Thumper in Bambi He died in Durango! I used to live there!!

[Isafari]

Today Tuesday 29th July....

1922....The first Laugh-O-Gram cartoon Little red Riding Hood is released. Written, produced and directed by Walt Disney, this is a silent, black and white film. This is considered to be Walt's first full length cartoon as prior to this, only minute long cartoons had been released.

1957....Time magazine runs an article about Walt's success entitled 'How to make a Buck'

1999....Aerosmith are the guests of honour at Disney World's MGM. This is a special invitation only party to mark the opening of the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. It will officially open to the public tomorrow.

[Isafari]

Today, Wednesday 30th July....

1932....Disney's first full colour animated film Flowers and Trees premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. It will earn Disney his first academy award for best short cartoon.

1993.... Indiana Jones roller coaster debuts at Disneyland Paris

1998....Disney launches it's 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 all guests at Disney World. The indoor roller coaster features a high speed launch of 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds.

Also at Disney World, the Fastpass begins at Magic Kingdom on Space Mountain and Splash Mountain.

[Isafari]

Today, Thursday 31st July….

1960….The Sunkist Citrus House opens on Main Street in Disneyland (it will remain open until June 1989)

1997….Bob Penfield, the last original Disneyland cast member, has his final day of work. He will be honoured with a window on Main Street. He began work in Disneyland in 1955 when he was 18 years old.

2007….The Mickey Mouse Treasures is released today. The book describes Mickey’s life over the decades. The author is Robert Tieman.

[Isafari]

Today, Friday 1st August….

1991….Walt Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort opens with 1,967 rooms and suites.

2002….Once Upon A Toy, a 16,000 square foot toy store officially opens its doors at Downtown Disney Marketplace.

[Isafari]

Today, Saturday 2nd August….

1992….Due to the threat of Hurricane Erin, all Disney World parks open late at 11am

1999….Disney’s newest ship the Disney Wonder is escorted into Port Canaveral for the first time by its sister ship Disney Magic.

[Isafari]

Today, Sunday 3rd August...

1933....The Mickey Mouse watch is introduced at a cost of $2.75

1955....The 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Exhibit opens at Disneyland. Featured are props and set pieces from the 1954 Disney release 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. (It will remain open until August 1966 when it was replaced with Star Tours)

[Isafari]

Today, Monday 4th August....

1989....Disney illustrator Paul Murry passes away. During his career, Murry drew thousands of pages of comics and was one of the very few artisits who could essentially draw all of the Disney characters.

1995....Ground is broken for Disney's newest Florida theme park - Animal Kingdom.

[Isafari]

Today, Tuesday 5th August....

1992....Walt Disney World welcomes it's 400 millionth guest - Brandon Adams.

[Isafari]

Today, Wednesday 6th August....

1928....Poor Papa is released. This is Disney's first Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short cartoon.

1970....Hippies try to take over Disneyland when 750 of them infiltrate the park and take over the Wilderness Fort. They raise the Vietcong flag and pass reefers out to passersbys. Later, they march in a Main Street parade, and sing their own lyrics to "Zipadee Doo Dah" ("Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Mihn is going to win..."). More conservative park guests try to drown them out by singing "America the Beautiful." Before the confrontation can heat up, a platoon of Anaheim Police officers in full riot gear pour into the park from backstage areas! A riot is adverted, and for many years afterward Disneyland will selectively enforced a "dress code" at the park, occasionally refusing admission to "long-haired hippies".

(This incident is the only time an outside security force has ever made a full-blown public appearance in the Anaheim park.)

[Isafari]

Today, Thursday August 7th....

1964....The Astro-Jets at Disneyland become known as the Tomorrowland Jets.

1988....Awardm winning director and Disney veteran Wilfred jackson passes away. He started his career in 1928 as an unpaid helper at the Walt Disney Studios. During his 33 year carer, he worked on early Mickey shorts, the Silly Symphony cartoons and features such as Snow White and Peter Pan. He retired in 1961. Jackson will be named as a Disney Legend in 1998.

[Isafari]

Today, Friday 8th August….

1942….Disney’s 5th animated feature Bambi has its world premiere in London, England.

[Isafari]

Today, Saturday 9th August

1934….Walt Disney gives his animators an outline of what will be his first full length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

2001….Disney World hosts its first ever “Pins Around Our World” festival at Epcots World Showcase.

2004….It’s a moist day for some Disney World guests as a water main on the 12th floor of the Contemporary Resort bursts. The water cascades from the 12th floor down to the 5th floor around 7pm. Hundreds of guests are evacuated and given the option of staying somewhere else.

2007…. Disney World announces that beginning January 2008, Disney’s MGM-Studios will be known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

[Isafari]

Today, Sunday 10th August....

1934....Walt and Lillian Disney sail for Hawaii from Los Angeles. It will be their first visit to the islands.

1955....Chick Abott begins work at Disneyland as a ride operator on the Autopia. Abbot has to really pay attention as there is no track on the attraction (at this time) and drivers frequently crash into anything and everything including other cast members! He will go on to become a foreman at Disneyland for 36 years and be named a Disney legend in 2005.

1994....The Concourse Steakhouse opens in the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World.

[Isafari]

Today, Monday 11th August....

1934....Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Orphan's Benefit is released. This short marls Donald Duck's first appearance with Mickey Mouse. It is also the first cartoon in which Donald loses his temper.

2006....Mike Douglas, the singing voice of Prince Charming passes away on his 81st birthday at North palm Beach, Florida.

[Tink]

Today, Tuesday August 12th...

1929:Walt Disney is granted a trademark for the use of the image of Mickey Mouse in motion pictures

2000:The Disney Magic embarks on its first seven-day cruise. The luxury liner has previously only offered three- and four-day cruises

2004....Manatees, dolphins, and turtles are evacuated from Mote Marine in Sarasota to Epcot’s Living Seas (and to SeaWorld) as Central Florida braces for Hurricane Charley - the third named storm, the second hurricane, and the second major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season.

[Isafari]

Today, Wednesday 13th August....

1932: Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey's Nightmare is released.

1942: Disney's 5th full length animated feature Bambi has its U.S. premiere at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Directed by David Hand, the voice cast includes Hardie Albright, Donnie Dunagan, Sam Edwards, and Sterling Holloway. (It will receive 3 Academy Award nominations.)

2004:Walt Disney World and other anxious Orlando tourists and residents hunker down as Hurricane Charley with 110 mph winds hits Central Florida. Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom all close at 1 p.m. It is the third closing in Disney World history.

[Isafari]

Today, Thursday 14th August...

1958:The grand opening of Disneyland's Alice in Wonderland dark ride takes place with a ceremony hosted by Walt Disney himself and Mouseketeer Karen Pendleton - dressed as Alice.

1995:Michael Ovitz is appointed president of the Walt Disney Company under Michael Eisner. (He will leave after trying for 14 months to share power with Eisner.)

[Isafari]

Today, Friday 15th August....

1994:As part of the re-Imagineering of Future World's pavilions, the Spaceship Earth attraction at Disney's Epcot park closes. (The revamped attraction will open November 23, 1994 with 12 new scenes and a new musical score.)

1999: Disney's newest ship the Disney Wonder embarks on its maiden voyage.

2006:After nearly 13 years of entertaining Walt Disney World guests, Merlin performs his last Sword in the Stone show in front of Cinderella's Golden Carousal. Merlin has been challenging young guests to pull the sword from the stone several times a day in Fantasyland (at the Magic Kingdom) since 1994.

[Isafari]

Today, Saturday 16th August....

2004:Walt Disney World announces relief efforts for Central Florida families and Cast Members impacted by Hurricane Charley.

2007:The United States Post Office debuts a new set of four 41-cent Disney character stamps at Disney World. Honoring the theme of magic, the
stamps feature Dumbo & Timothy Mouse, Peter Pan & Tinker Bell, Mickey Mouse as "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," and Aladdin & Genie.

[Isafari]

Today, Sunday 17th August....

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

2007: Disney Channel debuts the much-anticipated sequel High School Musical 2. An amazing 17.2 million viewers tune in, making it the most watched cable telecast ever.

[Isafari]

Today, Monday 18th August....

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.


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

[Isafari]

Today, Tuesday 19th August....

1692:The Reverend George Burroughs - an ancestor of Walt Disney - is hanged in Massachusetts, as the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 rages on. Disney through maternal lines is a descendant of this minister, who along with George Jacobs, Sr., John Proctor, John Willard, and Martha (Allen) Carrier are wrongfully put to death on this day. Burroughs had been the minister at Salem Village from 1681 to 1683 and had made several enemies there, in particular, the Putnam family, who accused him of witchcraft!

1965:Walt Disney is issued a passport for an upcoming trip to London, England

2006: Disney-MGM Studios' Who Wants to Be a Millionaire - Play It closes.

[Isafari]

Today, Wednesday 20th August....

1928: Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon Hot Dog is released.
It is the final Oswald short produced.

1933:United States political leader George Mitchell is born in Waterville, Maine. A member since 1995 of the Walt Disney Company board of directors, he became Disney’s board chairman in 2004.

[Isafari]

Today, Thursday 21st August....

1995:The Peoplemover closes at Disneyland. It will be replaced by a faster new attraction called Rocket Rods.

2004.Mickey Mouse and Radio Disney welcome the Mickey Statue
Tour to Minnesota. Fourteen (of the 75) Mickey statues are unveiled at the Galleria in Edina.

2007:The "Muppet Mobile Lab," featuring robotic Muppets Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his able assistant Beaker riding a two-wheeled rocket-ship, interact with guests at Epcot. The Lab is part of a play test that Walt Disney Imagineering is running for the next few weeks, giving the research and development staff a chance to try out more advanced robotic, interactive and transportation technologies, mixed with human comedy talent.

[Isafari]

Today, Friday 22nd August....

1996:Imagineer & Disney Legend Al Bertino, who helped design such Disneyland attractions as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride & The Haunted Mansion, and animate Disney's 1946 Make Mine Music, passes away in California. (Big Al, the animatronic bear in the Country Bear Jamboree attraction, is based on Bertino!)

2006:It is reported that Celebration, the Florida community Disney
created in Osceola County, will be getting its third hotel (the largest one
to date). Mona Lisa Development, the U.S. affiliate of Mona Lisa Hotels
and Residences of France, is partnering with the Related Group of Florida, one of the state's biggest condo builders, to build a 450-room condo hotel in the southern part of Celebration.

[Isafari]

Today, Saturday 23rd August....

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

2001:Running since June 16, The Power of BLAST! performs its final show at Epcot's America Gardens Theatre.

[Isafari]

Today, Sunday 24th August....

1914:Lieutenant Harry Colebourn (a Veterinary Officer) stops at White River Ontario, Canada, on his way to fight the ongoing war in Europe. There he purchases a small black female Canadian bear cub (for $20) and names her Winnie, after his home town of Winnipeg. In October, his regiment will be sent to England (and ultimately France) and Colebourn will leave Winnie in the care of the London Zoo. Mascots and pets are not uncommon among the
Canadian soldiers. (Writer A.A. Milne and his son Christopher will later visit the zoo ... and become fond of the bear - later known as Winnie the Pooh.)

1978:Trumpeter, bandleader, singer and composer Louis Prima, known
for his memorable contribution to Disney's The Jungle Book, passes away in a New Orleans nursing home at age 67. Prima provided the voice of the orangutan King Louie in the Disney animated feature, and sang the film's hit song, "I Wanna Be Like You." His tombstone will read: "When the end comes I know they'll say just a gigolo and life goes on without me."

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. (The two bring the number of endangered white
rhinos in the country to just eight.) They were released in the Ziwa RhinoSanctuary in Nakasongola district, about 110 miles northwest of Uganda's capital Kampala after a four-day journey from their home in Florida

[Isafari]

Today, Monday 25th August....

1989:The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular attraction opens at the Disney-MGM Studios in Florida. It is the first theme park attraction to use a computer based show control system in conjunction with a programmable logic controller system to trigger, control and sequence complex live events in real time ... in many cases controlled by the actors!

2000:Carl Barks, the cartoonist who drew Donald Duck comic books for three decades, passes at the age of 99 at his home in Grants Pass, Oregon. (From 1943 to 1966 Carl Barks, often referred to as "The Duck Man," wrote and drew hundreds of Disney's Donald Duck comics.)

[Isafari]

Today, Tuesday 26th August....

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

1990:Retta Scott, the first woman to receive screen credit as an animator at Walt Disney Studios, passes away in Foster City, California. First hired in 1938, her Bambi work includes the vicious hunting dogs in the sequence where the dogs pursue Faline and fight with Bambi. Scott also worked on Fantasia, Dumbo, and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. She will be named a Disney Legend in 2000.

[Isafari]

Today, Wednesday 27th August....

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

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. Disney World's Blizzard Beach (at number 6) and Typhoon Lagoon (at number 9) are included on the select list

[Isafari]

Today, Tuesday 28th August....

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

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 figure to walk freely and interact with park guests, is introduced at Disney's California Adventure as a test

[Isafari]

Today, Friday 29th August....

1955:At Disneyland, the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship and Restaurant opens in Fantasyland. It will be a popular park landmark. (When the new Fantasyland opens in 1983, the ship will be replaced with a new version of the Dumbo attraction.)

1964: Disney's Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns is generally released. Based on a series of children's books by P. L. Travers, the film features music by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman

[Isafari]

Today, Saturday 30th August....

1936:The first comic strip entirely devoted to Donald Duck debuts in newspapers. Prior to this Donald has only appeared in the Silly Symphonies Sunday pages. (Donald will get a daily strip in 1938.)

1995:Ground is broken for Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort.
Set around a lake, it will be themed to regions of Mexico and the American Southwest. Coronado Springs will have its grand opening August 1, 1997

[Isafari]

Today, Sunday 31st August....

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

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

1985:At 5:00 PM, the Walt Disney World Resort closes, due to advancing Hurricane Elena! The eye of Elena will remain essentially stationary this day off the Florida coast (near the town of Cedar Key) but will continue to intesify. The fifth tropical storm, fourth hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season, Elena first developed near Cuba from a tropical wave.

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

[BevW]

I love this thread! Thanks Isa!

[Isafari]

I love this thread! Thanks Isa!

Thanks Bev.....wasn't sure if anyone was taking any notice of it :lol:

[Isafari]

Today, Monday 1st September....

1934: Disney's 6-minute Silly Symphony cartoon Peculiar Penguins is released.
Walt and Lillian Disney return home to Los Angeles from a trip to Hawaii aboard the Matson liner Malolo



2007:Epcot re-opens the film "O Canada." It is an updated version hosted by Martin Short. Walt Disney Imagineers collaborated with the Canadian Tourism Commission to revise the film, which now includes new orchestration and images, and Canadian Idol winner Eva Avila singing the music of "O Canada!"

[lisaw]

Thanks Bev.....wasn't sure if anyone was taking any notice of it :lol:

I'm loving it as well Diane - just didn;t want to make the thread messy by posting :lol:

Thank you for doing it :hug2:

[Isafari]

Today, Tuesday 2nd September....

1933: Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Puppy Love - featuring the voices of Walt Disney as Mickey and Marcellite Garner as Minnie - is released.

2004:Epcot's newest gallery exhibit, Echoes of Africa, opens in the American Adventure.

Walt Disney World announces that its theme and water parks will operate on an abbreviated schedule on Friday September 3, due to the threat of Hurricane Frances. Downtown Disney will close at 6 p.m. and Pleasure Island will not open for the evening.

[Isafari]

Today, Wednesday 3rd September....

1918:Postal employee Walt Disney (who is a substitute mail carrier) is walking through the post office in the Chicago Federal Building when he hears a deafening blast that shakes the ground. Someone has planted a bomb. Thirty are injured and four are killed - including a co-worker of Walt's.

1919:Red Cross volunteer Walt Disney leaves Paris, France for Marseilles and the voyage back to the United States. (Unfortunatley a dock strike will prevent him from sailing as scheduled and he will spend 23 days waiting out the strike.)

[Isafari]

Today, Thursday 4th September....

1998:Fifty-one Miss America contestants, led by reigning Miss America Kate Shindle, greet fans and sign autographs at Disney World's BoardWalk.

2004:Florida's major central Florida resorts and theme parks, including Walt Disney World, close due to Hurricane Frances. This is Disney World's fourth closing ever since its 1971 grand opening. The Disney Magic pulls into Galveston’s harbor (in Texas) as Hurricane Frances forces the liner from its course home to Port Canaveral, Florida.

Some areas of Florida will receive over 13 inches of rain during the slow onslaught. Similar to Hurricane Charley earlier in the month, the Florida citrus crops will be heavily damaged by Frances

[Isafari]

Today, Friday 5th September....

1911:Walt Disney begins attending Benton Grammar School located at 3004 Benton Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri. He will continue his formal education there until he graduates from the 7th grade in 1917.

2003:Michael W. Smith, Jars of Clay, and other top names in Christian music kick off Night of Joy 2003 at Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

2004:Disney World theme parks remain closed for the second day in a row as slow-moving Hurrican Frances continues to slam Florida.

[Grammiepo]

Keep up the good work, i am loving this!

[Isafari]

Today, Saturday 6th September....

2001:A 24-karat gold sculpture called "Celebration Mickey ... 100 Golden Years of Magic" is the main auction item at the 2001 Official Disneyana Convention. The live auction, held at the Disneyland Resort, starts at 7 p.m. Valued at over $1 million, the two-foot tall "Celebration Mickey" was created to observe Walt Disney's 100th birthday. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Walt Disney Company's compassion program for children with life-threatening illnesses.

2007:Mickey's Mystery Pin Machine makes its debut at MouseGear in Epcot

[Isafari]

Today, Sunday 7th September....

1984:Morocco - the first new World Showcase pavilion to be added to the original roster since the park's 1982 opening - debuts at EPCOT.

1984The Disney board asks for, and receives, Ron Miller's resignation. (Despite rumors, Michael Eisner president of Paramount Pictures, is not chosen as new CEO at this time.)

1996:At Disneyland Paris, a major fire damages portions of the Sequoia Lodge hotel at 6:45 a.m., forcing hundreds of groggy guests to flee.
Thankfully, most guests are already awake ready for the park's Saturday opening, but about 100 people flee with little more than the pyjamas on their backs. Disney officials give these guests a free spending spree in the park's shops to re-clothe themselves. The blaze is extinguished in three hours, but guts much of the roof of one section, and damages dozens of rooms

[Isafari]

Today, Monday 8th Deptember....

1955:Elsa Marquez is welcomed as the one-millionth guest entering Disneyland (just 7 weeks after the park's grand opening)!

1994:The Disneyana Convention 1994 kicks off for 4 days at Walt Disney World.

1995:Night of Joy 1995 debuts at Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

2005:It is reported that an 11-year-old boy from Chicago (who battles cerebal palsy) has convinced his family to donate the $2500 they had saved up for a Walt Disney World vaction to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina

[Isafari]

Today, Tuesday 9th September....

1973:At Disneyland, the General Electric Carousel of Progress closes. It will be moved to Walt Disney World and be replaced in Disneyland by America Sings in June 1974. The popular COP attraction had originally been part of the 1964-1965 World's Fair in New York

1994: Disney World's Night of Joy kicks off in the Magic Kingdom the same day the ;staple attraction 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is officially closed.

2004: In a letter dated September 9, Walt Disney Company CEO Michael Eisner announces that he will retire from the Walt Disney Company after September 2006, when his contract with the company expires.

[Isafari]

Today, Wednesday 10th September....

2005:Mickey and Minnie Mouse, along with Goofy and Pluto visit Reliant Center in Houston, Texas, a Red Cross Shelter and home to many New Orleans Hurricane Katrina survivors

2007: Walt Disney World honors the crew of the NASA space shuttle Endeavour mission and the achievement of teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan. This is the first official appearance of the STS-118 crew since returning to Earth on August 21. Epcot and Magic Kingdom hold ceremonies (which include a dedication at Mission: SPACE) and allow school children to interact with the Endeavour astronauts.

2007: Disney Legend Ralph Kent (a 41-year veteran) passes away in Orlando, Florida. Retired since 2004, Kent was a merchandise artist, marketer, and Director of Walt Disney Imagineering East overseeing Florida staff support for EPCOT Center and Tokyo Disneyland.

[Isafari]

Today, Thursday 11th September....

2001:Following the morning terrorist attacks on The Pentagon, New York City's Trade Center, and in the air over Pennsylvania, the Walt Disney Resort in Florida and the Disneyland Resort in California close without incident.

[Isafari]

Today, Friday 12th August....

1984:Michael Eisner resigns from Paramount Pictures. He hopes to become CEO of Disney.

2001:The day after the U.S. is attacked by terrorists, all Disney parks in the U.S. re-open for business. To help insure the safety of all Disney guests, a decision is made to increase the security measures within the parks, effective immediately. The most obvious of these increased measures include the inspection of all packages, parcels, backpacks, etc., being carried by guests prior to entering the parks. The New Year's Eve nightly celebration in Pleasure Island is cancelled.

2005:After six years of planning and building costs of $1.8 billion, Hong
Kong Disneyland has its grand opening.

[Isafari]

Today, Saturday 13th September....

1929:A special afternoon event takes place at the Fox Dome Theater in Ocean Park, California. Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks, and Carl Stalling (Disney's musical director) give a live presentation on how the Mickey Mouse shorts are created.

1941:Walt Disney's father Elias passes away in Los Angeles, California at the age of 82.

2001: Disney World enters what they call "Level 5 Hurricane Preparedness" as tropical storm Gabrielle threatens Florida.

2007: Disney World's Haunted Mansion reopens after a summer refurbishment ... just in time for the Halloween season

[Isafari]

Today, Sunday 14th September....

1964:At the White House, U.S. President Johnson presents Walt Disney with the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civil honor. Recipients of the medal are those who have made outstanding contributions to the security or national interest of the United States or to world peace, or those who have made a significant public or private accomplishment.

1980:The Mickey Mouse Revue, an audio-animatronic indoor stage show located in Walt Disney World's Fantasyland Theater, closes after nearly 9 years in operation. (It will be dismantled and shipped to Tokyo Disneyland, making it the first major Magic Kingdom attraction to leave the Florida park since its opening

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.

[Isafari]

Today, Monday 15th September......

1928:A session to record sound for Steamboat Willie takes place in New York. The day is filled with problems as the orchestra finds it difficult to play in synch with the animated film. By the end of this session, Walt has spent $1,000 at the studio ... and has nothing to show for it.

1996:At Epcot, the Universe of Energy reopens. It now stars comedian/talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

1997: Downtown Disney's West Side premieres in Florida. The 66-acre West Side features Wolfgang Puck Cafe, House of Blues, Bongos Cuban C Virgin Megastore , plus the expanded AMC Pleasure Island 24 Theatres

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.)

[Isafari]

Today, Tuesday 16th September...

1984 The restaurant el Marrakesh opens in the Morocco pavilion at Epcot

2006 Disney World’s Cinderellabration gives its final performance

[Isafari]

Today, Wednesday 17th September....

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

1957:Sterling Holloway (the future voice of Winnie the Pooh) signs his fircontract with the Walt Disney Music Company. The agreement ensures him star status on all recordings (unlike many of his contemporaries who perform uncredited).

[Isafari]

Today, Thursday 18th September....

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

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

[Isafari]

Today, Friday 19th September...

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.)

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.

[Isafari]

Today, Saturday 20th September....

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.

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.

Meanwhile over at Epcot, construction begins on Soarin'.

[Isafari]

Today, Sunday 21st September....

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).

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).

[Isafari]

Today, Monday 22nd September....

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.

2003Starting 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)

[Isafari]

Today, Tuesday 23rd September....

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

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 Railroad attraction debuts at Walt
Disney World with a soft opening. Designed by Imagineer Tony Baxter and ride design engineer Bill Watkins, it has been manufactured by Arrow Dynamics (a roller coaster design company based in Clearfield, Utah).

1984: Michael Eisner and Frank Wells officially become Chairman and President of Walt Disney Productions.

2001: 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.

[Isafari]

Today, Wednesday 24th September....

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

1999:Previews begin for the London West End production of Disney's musical "The Lion King" at the Lyceum Theatre.

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

[Isafari]

Today, Thursday 25th September....

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.

[Isafari]

Today, Friday 26th September...

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 possible investors.) The work Walt and Herb will do together over the upcoming "lost weekend" will help define the look of Disneyland and later 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.)

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

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.)

[Isafari]

Today, Saturday 27th September....

2001:At a rally at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, to announce new measures for airline safety (since the September 11th terrorist attacks) U.S. 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."

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

2008:The live ‘Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends’ show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom closes after running for 10 years

[Isafari]

Today, Sunday 28th September....

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

Meanwhile in New York, Walt's brother Roy meets with the 3 major TV networks, seeking financing for Disneyland. Unfortunately CBS TV executives are not interested. NBC's parent company RCA, stalls in making a commitment. But ABC's Leonard Goldenson eagerly agrees to participate! (The final agreement - which won't be signed until April 1954 - will include a $500,000 investment from ABC-Paramount, guarantee for $4.5 million line of credit, in return for 35% interest in Disneyland and a weekly one-hour TV program with Disney films and production for TV.)

1982:At EPCOT Center, Canada, China, and France open around the World Showcase as the park has a soft opening in preparation for its grand opening.

Annual passports (special year-long admission passes) are introduced at Walt Disney World.

[Isafari]

Today, Monday 29th September....

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

2000: In Disneyland, Mickey's Mouseworks opens on Main Street

[Isafari]

Today, Tuesday 30th September....

1928: A second recording session for Steamboat Willie takes place in New York with conductor Carl Edouarde and a 15-piece band. The first session on September 15 was a disaster as the musicians couldn't play in time with the animated film. This time Walt is prepared to deal with the problem of synchronization. Ub Iwerks has made a special print of the film with an animated bouncing ball - on both the sound track and the film. The ball rises and falls to the accent of the beat, thus creating a visual signal and a soft audio click. Instead of being projected above the band, Iwerks's print is projected directly down onto Edouarde's printed score. The session takes place in just three hours and is a complete success!

1961: Legendary trumpet player & vocalist Louis Armstrong performs at Disneyland for the shooting of an upcoming television episode - Disneyland After Dark (to be broadcast in April 1962).

1991: U.S. President George Bush and his wife Barbara speak at a luncheon in the Grand Harbor Ballroom at the Yacht and Beach Club Resort in Walt Disney World. The event is for participants in the Daily Points of Light Celebration.

2006: "Dream Along With Mickey" - a new live show debuts at Disney World. It is part of the Year of a Million Dreams celebration and will be performed daily at the Castle Forecourt stage in the Magic Kingdom.

[Isafari]

Today, Wednesday 1st October....

1955: Mickey Mouse appears on the cover of this week's TV Guide magazine. (The Mickey Mouse Club is scheduled to air on ABC October 3.)

1971: Almost 10,000 visitors converge near Orlando, Florida, to witness the grand opening of Walt Disney World, which includes the Magic Kingdom - Disney's second theme park, and two resorts.

1972: Nearly 11 million people have visited Walt Disney World since its opening!

1979: Ground is broken for EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World.

1982: EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World has its grand opening with more than 100 television crews from all over the world covering the event. Bands and orchestras play to the huge crowds and Walt Disney's wife Lillian helps in the dedication. EPCOT is an acronym coined by Walt Disney in 1966 meaning Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. It is Disney's third theme park

1986: The second major anniversary celebration, in honor of Walt Disney World's 15th anniversary, begins. Upon arriving at the Magic Kingdom, guests are greeted by a large Mickey Mouse clock in the courtyard area outside of the turnstiles; all the numbers on the clock are 15. Also on this day, the Diamond Horseshoe Revue becomes known as the Diamond Horseshoe Jamboree.

1988: The Caribbean Beach Resort opens at Walt Disney World. Featuring 2,112 rooms, it is the first moderately priced resort on Disney property. The Caribbean is set on 200 acres of land to the south-east of Epcot

1991: Walt Disney World's Surprise Celebration - to honor the park's 20th anniversary - begins.

2001: Walt Disney World's yearlong celebration, marking the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney's birth, originally scheduled to officially begin today, is put off until December. Low attendance in the parks since the terrorist attacks on September 11th against the U.S., and the current state of the economy are the probable reasons. Although many of the planned events for the celebration are held - the park keeps a low profile.

[Isafari]

Today, Thursday 2nd October....

1981: At Disney World, the live stage show "Disney World is Your World" begins performances on the Tomorrowland Stage in the Magic Kingdom.

1987: Disney Dollars debuts in EPCOT Center. They are the same $1 and $5 bills that are being used in Disneyland

[Isafari]

Today, Friday 3rd October....

1971: Peter Pan's Flight opens at Walt Disney World, on the park's third day in business. Based on the 1953 animated film, guests board vessels (attached to rails above) and "soar" over the skies of London

1996: The World of Disney (the world's largest Disney store) opens at Walt Disney World's Village Marketplace in Florida.

Epcot's new IllumiNations 25 officially debuts to the public (although it has been entertaining guests since September).

The Flying Fish Cafe opens at the Boardwalk Resort at Walt Disney World

[Isafari]

Today, Saturday 4th October....

1982: Fortune magazine features a cover story on Florida's newest theme park - EPCOT Center. An article entitled Disney Gambles on Tomorrow, explains that "The success of Epcot is critical to Disney's future prosperity, for the fabled entertainment company has recently suffered unaccustomed reverses."

1993: Disney World's Mission to Mars attraction, running since June 1975, closes in Tomorrowland. (It will be replaced in 1995 with
ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter.)

2006: The Spangler family from Randolph, Ohio spend the morning at Disney World as the Magic Kingdom's only guests! The family of four are the
first big winners of Disney's "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration

[Isafari]

Today, Sunday 5th October....

1992: The Walt Disney Story (and attraction on Walt Disney World’s Main Street) is shown for the last time when the Main Street cinema closes. The cinema will be refurbished and reopened as a merchandise location in 1998.

[Isafari]

Today, Monday 6th October....

1927: Walt Disney watches the Warner Brothers preview of The Jazz Singer (one of the first films to feature sound) at the Warner Theatre in New York City. Walt realizes that he needs to add audio to his cartoons.

1992: Walt Disney World announces plans to build three resorts - with sports, music, and wilderness themes - that will offer over 4,500 rooms.
The Florida resort also plans to build a new water theme park.

[Isafari]

Today, 7th October....

1971: The Disney animated and live-action feature film, Bedknobs and Broomsticks premieres in London, England. (It will be released in the U.S. two months later.)

1990: Legendary animator Myron "Grim" Natwick passes in Los Angeles, California, at age 100. Best known as the creator of the animated character Betty Boop, he also worked on Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

2006: A female giraffe is born at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The calf is the first offspring for her mother, a 9-year-old giraffe named Aibuin

[sazzledazzle]

Aah I've really enjoyed reading these facts Isa! I shall be coming back for more.... X

[Isafari]

Aah I've really enjoyed reading these facts Isa! I shall be coming back for more.... X

Thank you :)

[Isafari]

Today, 8th October....

1996: A full-service spa and health center opens at Disney World's Grand Floridian Beach Resort. It will now be called Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

2001: Epcot's Journey into Your Imagination ride closes for renovations. The character Figment will be added and the attraction will reopen in June 2002 as Journey into Imagination with Figment.

2002: Walt: The Man Behind The Myth (originally broadcast on TV in September 2001) is released on DVD

2003: Mickey's PhilharMagic, a new computer-animated 3-D attraction, has its official grand opening in the PhilharMagic Concert Hall at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Pop idols Howie Dorough of The Backstreet Boys and Joey Fatone of 'N Sync are on hand for the premiere.

Over at Epcot, the Wayne Brady Show tapes at the American Gardens Stage. Guests include tennis star Serena Williams, soap opera heartthrob Cameron Matheson, astronaut Jim Lovell, and members of the original Brady Bunch Show.

In the evening, the Magic Kingdom hosts a live performance of the Brian Setzer Orchestra on the Castle Forecourt stage. Afterwards the park officially debuts a new pyrotechnic show called Wishes. The Disney World premiere includes an introduction by actress Julie Andrews

[Isafari]

Today, 9th October....

1919: Walt Disney, who has served as a Red Cross volunteer in France, arrives back in the United States. Aboard the SS Canada, he pulls into New York Harbor after a long slow trip. (Walt will be discharged the following day and arrive back in Chicago the day after that.)

1956: Walt Disney pens a letter to the future (to be placed in a time capsule) from his Burbank, California studio entitled: PREDICTION OF ENTERTAINMENT IN WORLD 50 YEARS FROM NOW. He predicts that the world will be overturned by technology.

2001: Disney re-releases its 1937 classic Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs on DVD.

2003: Actress Julie Andrews takes a spin on Cinderella's Golden Carrousel as five members of television's "The Brady Bunch" make an appearance at Disney-MGM Studios as part of Disney World's Magical Gatherings celebration. (They joins dozens of celebrities this weekend who are
helping Disney World open new attractions and shows.)

Epcot closes at 3:00 pm for a special evening press event for the opening of Mission:SPACE. The dedication is presided over by Walt Disney Co. Chairman and CEO Michael Eisner, Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and NASA President Sean O'Keefe. In attendance are legendary astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Jim
Lovell and Wally Schirra. The event also includes beamed in remarks and well-wishes from Russian Cosmonaut Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA International Space Station science officer Ed Lu (who are both aboard the International Space Station).
The B-52s perform on the Fountain Stage in Epcot prior to the evening's display of Illuminations.

[Isafari]

Today, 10th October....

1996: Disney World's Pleasure Island holds its fourth annual "Jazz Fest." Top-name musicians headlining the event, include Jeff Kashiwa, Greg Karukas, Craig Chaquico and Keiko Matsui. Performances are held on the West End Stage, Hub Video Stage and in the Jazz Company club.

1998: The Journey Into Imagination ride and the attraction Image Works, both located in Epcot's Journey Into Imagination pavilion, close for renovation.

2002: The Walt Disney Company and Frito-Lay announce a new multi-year agreement by which Frito-Lay snack products will be featured at both the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts.

[Isafari]

Today, 11th October....

2003: The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter at WDW’s Tomorrowland closes forever at the end of this day. It will be replaced with Stitch’s Great Escape.

[Isafari]

Today, 12th October...

1995: WDW welcomes it’s 500-millionth guest, Michelle Davis.

[Isafari]

Today, 13th October....

1978: It is announced that Mickey Mouse will be awarded a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame next month in honour of his 50th birthday.

1998: The Disney World restaurant Key West Seafood closes. It will be replaced with Rainforest Café.

2006: WDW Annual Passholders are invited to experience The Seas with Nemo and Friends, a brand new Epcot attraction.

[Isafari]

Today, 14th October....

2001:Winnie the Pooh turns 75.

A set of stamps featuring Walt Disney and Disney characters is released in Portugal.

[Isafari]

Today, 15th October....

1971: Life magazine presents an article on the newly opened Disney World in Florida. A colour photo of 1,500 Disney employees in front of the castle is featured on the cover.

1998: Disney World’s newest show Fantasmic debuts at Disney-MGM Studios.

[Isafari]

Today, 16th October....

1973: Walt Disney Productions celebrates its 50th anniversary

[Isafari]

Today, 17th October....

1925: Jack Wagner, Disney Legend and the official voice of Disneyland and Walt Disney World, is born in California. He will work for the two theme parks doing park announcements until his death in 1995. Wagner’s work can still be heard today. He is also the voice of the Orlando International Airport’s Automated Guideway Transit System that shuttles passengers between gates 1-29, 30-59, and 60-99. The voice for the shuttle 100-129 is done by his son Mike!

[Isafari]

Today, 18th October....

1967: Disney's 19th animated feature film The Jungle Book has its general release. Rudyard Kipling's classic tale of the jungle is the last animated feature personally supervised by Walt Disney (who passed away during the film's production). Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, the film features the voices of Phil Harris as Baloo, Sebastian Cabot as Bagheera, Louis Prima as King Louie, George Sanders as Shere Khan, Sterling Holloway as Kaa, Bruce Reitherman as Mowgli and Clint Howard as Junior. The song "Bare Necesseties," written by Terry Gilkyson, will be nominated for an Academy Award.

1995: Final paving for the track at the new Walt Disney World Speedway takes place. Despite 1995 being the wettest June-July in Orlando on record (75 inches of mrain), including Hurricane Erin, the construction has been completed on-time!

2001: Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party premieres in Disney World for the first time this season.

[Isafari]

Today, 19th October....

1989: Body Wars (a simulator ride) begins sending guests through the human blood stream at EPCOT's new Wonders of Life pavilion. Also debuting on this day at the pavilion is the attraction Cranium Command (a humorous presentation on the importance of the human brain) and the film Goofy About Health.

1999: The stage version of the Disney classic, The Lion King opens at the Lyceum Theatre in London, England. In attendance are composers Elton John and Tim Rice, Roy E. Disney & his wife Patty, and Disney CEO Michael Eisner.

2000: The new FASTPASS booths open at The Haunted Mansion in Walt Disney World.

[Isafari]

Today, 20th October....

1965: As Disney has secretly purchased much of the land needed to build a new Florida theme park/resort, news of the project is leaked to the Orlando Sentinel.

[Isafari]

Today, 21st October....

1934: Paul Winkler (a Frenchman of Hungarian origin) launches an official Disney magazine called Le Journal de Mickey. (Winkler will be named a Disney Legend in 1997.)

1939: An interoffice memo from Walt to his brother Roy and studio worker Gunther Lessing reads: "Everything we do in the future should include television rights. There might be a big angle on television for the shorts we have already produced."

1965: Walt Disney receives the final script for Disneyland's latest project ... the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Five days later dialog recording will begin with performers J. Pat O'Malley and Paul Frees.

[Isafari]

Today, 22nd October....

1979: At the Magic Kingdom, Kurt Miller, Walt Disney World's 100-millionth guest, passes through the turnstiles.

1991: Actor Sterling Holloway, the original voice of Winnie the Pooh, and Donald Duck illustrator/writer Carl Barks are among those honored as Disney Legends
"I want to thank all the kids that bought my comic books for a dime and are now selling them for $2,000." - 92-year-old Carl Barks

1997: The Orlando Sentinel reports that Walt Disney World sources have revealed plans to close the Fantasyland staple Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in favor of a trip through the Hundred Acre Woods with Pooh and his friends.

[Isafari]

Today, 23rd October

1941: Disney's 4th animated feature film, Dumbo (directed by Ben
Sharpsteen) premieres. The 64-minute film, released by RKO Pictures, will win the Oscar for Best Score for a Musical Film and "Baby Mine" (the song that plays during Dumbo's visit to his mother's cell) will be nominated for Best Song

1964: The first five-acre lot for the Walt Disney World project is purchased by the Ayefour Corporation. Ayefour (a spin on the name Interstate 4) is one of many puppet companies set up by Disney to secretly buy land in Florida. If news of Disney's new resort leaks out, the land prices will soar

1982: At Disney World's new EPCOT Center, the first World Showcase evening show, Carnival de Lumiere debuts. It celebrates world festivals with fountains, film, music, and other special effects.

1985: The Nine Dragons Restaurant opens in EPCOT's China pavilion.

2005: Walt Disney World announces that all theme parks and water parks will be closed tomorrow due to the effects of weather related to Hurricane Wilma

[Isafari]

Today, 24th October....

1965: The Sentinel-Star runs the headline: WE SAY OUR 'MYSTERY' INDUSTRY IS DISNEY! (An unknown buyer has been purchasing large parcels of land in the Orlando, Florida area and rumours are spreading about who it might be.)

1971: Disney World's Electrical Water Pageant debuts in the Seven Seas Lagoon for the dedication of the Polynesian Luau and the official grand opening celebrations of Disney's Contemporary and Polynesian Village Resorts.

1997: The Orlando Sentinel runs an article over the controversy raging in Florida about Disney World closing the Mr. Toad's Wild Ride attraction.

2005: As a result of Hurricane Wilma, all 4 Disney World theme parks, two water parks, resort amenities (Downtown Disney, the golf courses) and Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground are closed for the morning. All theme parks (except Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Disney-MGM Studios) and Downtown Disney are re-opened at 1:00pm.

2008: Pixie Hollow, a new meet & greet featuring Tinker Bell and her fairy friends, debuts at the Magic Kingdom's Mickey's Toontown Fair (at Disney World).
(Tinker Bell, a brand new movie, will be released 4 days later on DVD.)

[Isafari]

Today, 25th October....

1965: In Miami, Florida Governor Haydon Burns confirms the rumors that Disney "will build the greatest attraction yet known in the history of Florida."

1971: The formal dedication of Walt Disney World in Florida, takes place with Walt's brother Roy officiating. (The park has been opened since October 1.) A grand opening parade down Main Street is led by Music Man Meredith Wilson - the composer of "76 Trombones". Arthur Fiedler conducts the 60-nation World Symphony Orchestra at the base of Cinderella's Castle and Bob Hope hosts the dedication of the Contemporary Resort. (A 90-minute TV special will air 4 days later.)

1985: Mickey's Character Shop opens at Disney's Village Marketplace in Florida.

2007: Walt Disney World Resort unveils the new official logo for Disney's Hollywood Studios (currently known as Disney-MGM Studios). The theme park is scheduled to officially change its name January 7, 2008.

[Isafari]

Today, 26th October....

1986: Donald Duck is shown for the first time in the People's Republic of China. Chinese television launches a weekly half-hour of old Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse cartoons.

2001: The Orlando Business Journal announces that Walt Disney World guests will start to receive a daily copy of USA Today in their hotel rooms instead of the Orlando Sentinel.

[Isafari]

Today, 27th October....

1954: Walt Disney's very first television series, Disneyland (named after his yet to be completed park) premieres on ABC with the episode "The Disneyland Story." About 30.8 million American viewers tune into what will be a TV tradition for the next 40 years. This episode is the public's first real exposure to the plans of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Studios. It also features the song "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" (sung by Fess Parker) as a coming attraction for the upcoming Crockett trilogy. (In the first six months of 1955, nearly seven million copies of the song will be sold.) The Disneyland series will go on to air for over 29 seasons under some 6 different titles.

2001: The Los Angeles Times reports that the Walt Disney Company is expected to announce one of its bleakest quarters in nearly a decade (primarily due to last month's terrorist attacks).

The Orlando Sentinel reports that security measures against anthrax have reached even Disney World. The resort has emptied powdered-soap dispensers at its four theme parks and installed new ones containing liquid hand cleaner

[Isafari]

Today, 28th October....

1923: Mrs. Davis (mother of actress Virginia Davis) wires her acceptance of Walt Disney's offer of a $100 a month for her daughter to star in his new Alice films. Although the Davis family must move from Kansas City to California - Virginia's mother, a stage struck housewife, is excited at the idea of her young daughter being in show business.



1971: The Dapper Dans of Disney World (a barbershop quartet) perform their first show (an evening performance at a convention in Cocoa Beach) since relocating to Florida from Disneyland, California.

[Isafari]

Today, 29th October....

1966: Walt Disney receives the American Forestry Association award for "outstanding service in conservation in American resources."

2001: The Orlando Sentinel reports that the "Carousel of Progress is now shuttered." Although there isn't a 'closed' sign on the futuristic building, the attraction has been taken off Magic Kingdom guide maps and the daily bulletin board on Main Street."

[Isafari]

Today, 30th October....

1989: The Making of Me, a film about birth starring Martin Short opens
at the Wonders of Life pavilion in EPCOT.

2006: The Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is presented a $5 million gift from the Walt Disney Company Foundation (the largest donation ever made to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles by a corporate foundation). It will be used toward the construction of a new hospital building slated to open in 2009.

James McCown of St. Petersburg, Florida, rides Expedition Everest for the 1000th time at Disney's Animal Kingdom! Riding with McCown (who calls himself "Yeti Man" and wears furry gloves and a ski hat) is park guest Steven Nichols age 12, from London, England.

[Isafari]

Today, 31st October....

1892: Elias Disney (Walt's father) pays $750 for a 25 x 125 corner lot on 2156 N. Tripp Avenue, on the Northwest side of Chicago. The area was annexed into the city in 1889 and is now a desirable location for working-class families to buy lots and build homes of their own

1939: This is the date of the fateful "elevator accident" at the
Tower of Terror, Disney's scary attraction at its Hollywood Studios. This is also the date inscribed on the eviction notice that appears on the entrance gates and on the inspection notice in the elevators.

1996:Ghost and goblins put on a happy face at Disney World's Magic Kingdom for "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party." Guests attend the party dressed in costumes and enjoy special entertainment, hayrides down
Main Street, U.S.A., and trick-or-treating for children throughout the park.

[Isafari]

Today, 1st November....

1990: The first international Disney Store opens on London's Regent Street

1994: Disney World's All-Star Music Resort opens. It is the second
phase of what will be 4 themed All-Star resorts. The All-Star Music is located on the southern portion of the Disney World property and is divided into 5 areas: Calypso, Jazz Inn, Rock Inn, Country Fair, and Broadway Hotel

1999: The Disney Wilderness Preserve opens to the public. It is home to hundreds of wildlife species and is bordered by one of the last remaining undeveloped lakes in central Florida. Located south of Orlando at the headwaters of the Everglades ecosystem, the 12,000 acre preserve features a 3-mile hiking trail.

[Isafari]

Today, 2nd November....

1832: Kepple Disney (Walt's paternal grandfather) is born to Arundel Elias Disney and Maria Swan in Ireland

1966: Walt Disney checks into St. Joseph Hospital in Burbank, complaining of shortness of breath, and pain in his left leg and neck. X-rays detect a walnut-sized cancerous spot on his left lung. Although immediate surgery is advised, Walt leaves the hospital to attend to studio business for a few days.

[Isafari]

Today, 3rd November....

1965: Walt Disney appears on television's The Jack Benny Hour. Featured is a skit with Benny visiting Disney's office ... asking for free tickets to Disneyland for 110 guests!

1998:Walt Disney World's newest attraction Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin officially opens at the Magic Kingdom. The popularity of the two Toy Story films has led to the creation of this Tomorrowland attraction

[Isafari]

Today, 4th November....

1918: Red Cross volunteer Walt Disney returns to Camp Scott after recuperating at home from influenza. (An influenza epidemic will soon spread throughout the world.) Camp Scott is a Red Cross training facility located near the University of Chicago. Upon arrival though, Walt is sent by train to Camp King in Connecticut, to await transport to France. He will be part of Company A of the Automotive and Mechanical Section. (The world war will end before Walt ever reaches France.)

1940: Daisy Duck makes her first appearance in print in the Donald Duck Sunday strip - drawn by Al Taliaferro.

[Isafari]

Today, 5th November....

1990: The Yacht Club Resort (the twin sister to the Beach Club Resort) opens at 1700 Epcot Resorts Blvd in Walt Disney World. Located just west of Epcot, the hotel is set around a 25-acre lake. The deluxe resort resembles the New England seaboard hotels of the late 1800s.

2006: The first two preview shows of Finding Nemo - The Musical takes place at Animal Kingdom

[Isafari]

Today, 6th November....

1921: Tired of the Kansas City winters, Walt's parents Elias and Flora, and his younger sister Ruth leave for Portland, Oregon. (His brother Herbert, a post office employee, has already transferred the re.) Walt, upset over the idea of losing his family, sees them off at the train station.

1946: Walt Disney writes his annual birthday letter to his younger sister Ruth (who will turn 43 on December 6). The letter and its enclosed check is being sent earlier than usual because he is leaving this day for the premiere of Song of the South in Atlanta, Georgia. Walt explains how after the premiere he'll be flying up to New York to board the Queen Elizabeth for a trip to England and Ireland. He'll be gathering background material in Ireland for a new picture about leprechauns .

2004: Disney World workers spend the morning cleaning seven miles
of Florida's Canaveral National Seashore. The beach cleanup, sponsored by the Ocean Conservatory and Keep Brevard Beautiful, involves more than 350 Disney employees wearing "volunt-EARS" T-shirts.

[Isafari]

Today, 7th November....

1966: Walt Disney is admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, California. The cancer has spread and sadly doctors believe Walt has between 6 months and 2 years to live. (Surgery will be performed the following day.)

[Isafari]

Today, 8th November....

1966: Doctors at St. Joseph hospital in California perform surgery on Walt Disney. On this morning, surgeons find his left lung to be cancerous and remove it. His oversized lymph nodes are an indication that Walt does not have long to live. (After two weeks of post-operative care he will be released from the hospital.)

1980: The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction officially opens in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World

2005: It is reported that Walt Disney Co. has signed a 12-year marketing agreement with technology giant Siemens AG that includes rights fo Siemens to sponsor a number of attractions at Walt Disney World.
Siemens, one of the largest electronics and engineering companies in the
world, will have its brand on the Epcot icon, "SpaceShip Earth," the nighttime Epcot fireworks show, "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth," as well as new attractions that will be incorporated into Innoventions

[Isafari]

Today, 9th November....

1993: The Fountain View Expresso and the Sunshine Season Food Fair food court area both open at Disney World's EPCOT

2004: Diane Disney Miller (the daughter of Walt Disney) helps dedicate a $250,000 animation lab that her family helped fund at Walt Disney Magnet School in Chicago, Illinois.

[Isafari]

Today, 10th November....

2006: The drama club at Severna Park High School becomes the
first school in Maryland to perform Disney's High School Musical

Walt Disney becomes the first honoree of Anaheim's Walk of Fame (which honors well-known celebrities, athletes and humanitarians who have shaped Anaheim and Orange County). The ceremony, honoring Walt, takes place under the Disneyland Resort marquee on Harbor Boulevard.

[Isafari]

Today, 11th November....

1956: Walt Disney appears as a mystery guest on the TV show What's My Line? (The game show, hosted by John Daly, is one of the earliest successes of Mark Goodson/Bill Todman Productions.)

1993: Disney announces plans to build an amusement park called Disney's America with a history theme somewhere west of Washington, D.C. (The project will eventually be cancelled.)

[Isafari]

Today, 12th November....

1957: Disney stock is first listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

1961: Prime Minister Nehru of India visits Disneyland. He is taken on a
personal tour of the park by Walt Disney himself. (The Indian leader is in Southern California for a 3-day visit.)

[Isafari]

Today, 13th Novembrer....

1978: A special Amtrak train carrying Mickey Mouse leaves Los Angeles for a 5 day trip to New York.

[Isafari]

Today, 14th November.....

1946: Walt Disney sets sail out of New York on the Queen Elizabeth. He is headed to England and then Ireland.

1961: Walt Disney becomes a grandfather again with the birth of Diane & Ron Miller's fifth child, in Monterey County, California. The baby boy is named Walter Elias Disney Miller.

2005: Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade steps off at Disney's Animal Kingdom for the first time this season.

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights return to Disney-MGM Studios for the 2005 holiday season.

2007: The new Yak and Yeti Restaurant located in Disney's Animal Kingdom opens to guests

[Isafari]

Today, 15th November....

1965: At 2:00 p.m., Walt and Roy Disney, accompanied by Governor Haydon Burns, speak to the press in the Egyptian Room of the Cherry Plaza Hotel in Orlando and officially launch the Walt Disney World project in Florida. (Site preparation will begin in the fall of 1967 and the park will open in October 1971, unfortunately five years after Walt's death.) Only days after this announcement, the price of land surrounding the property that the Disney organization purchased for supposedly $180 an acre - will shoot up to an amazing $80,000 per acre! As of this day, Disney planners have acquired about 27,443 acres (or 43 square miles) at a cost of just about $5 million

1993: The Garden Grill Restaurant opens in Epcot's The Land.

2008: The final "ABC-SOAPnet Super Soap Weekend" to ever be held at Disney World kicks off at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida.

[Isafari]

Today, 16th November....

2004: Stitch’s Great Escape is opened at WDW’s Magic Kingdom.

Also debuting is Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot

[Isafari]

Today, 17th November....

1956: The first of eight instalments titled “My Dad, Walt Disney” by Diane Disney Miller appears in the Saturday Evening Post. The Saturday Evening Post had first approached Walt back in 1950 with the proposal to have him write his biography in serial form. They offered Walt $150,000. At the time, Walt was deeply involved in building Disneyland but wanted to help his daughter Diane and her husband Ron get a house. Walt had no money to give them because all of his money was tied up with his new theme park. So, Walt made a counter-proposal that he would be interviewed but Diane would be credited as the author so that she would receive the money.

[Isafari]

Today, 18th November....

1928: Mickey Mouse stars in Steamboat Willie, the first commercially successful animated cartoon to use synchronized sound.

1978: The Museum of Modern Art in New York City holds a birthday party for Mickey Mouse, showing Steamboat Willie at noon….fifty years after its first public debut!

[Isafari]

Today, 19th November....

1971: WDW’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground opens in Florida.

1999: Fastpass is first used in Disneyland at It’s A Small World.

[Isafari]

Today, 20th November....

1989: Disney adds a $10 bill with Minnie on it to their Disney dollars.

[Isafari]

Today, 21st November....

1994: The Timekeeper opens in WDW’s Tomorrowland, replacing America, The Beautiful.

[Isafari]

Today, 22nd November....

1952: Disney animator Fred Moore (who is in the midst of working on Peter Pan) and his second wife Virginia are involved in an auto accident in Los Angeles. They are both injured after their car is broadside while making a U-turn. (Sadly, Fred will pass away the following day.)

1963: Walt Disney and a group of associates fly over the coast of Florida aboard a Grumman Gulfstream I (Disney's private corporate plane). The aerial view confirms Walt's doubts about building a theme park by the ocean. They fly inland over Orlando, circling the forests and swamps for the very first time. From the air they see the good road network below (which includes Interstate 4, Florida's Turnpike and McCoy Air Force Base - soon to be Orlando International Airport). Walt has a good feeling about this site. This is followed with a stop in New Orleans to refuel for the trip back to Burbank, California. It is during the stop in New Orleans that they learn of U.S. President Kennedy's assassination in Texas, just hours before.

1974: The Lake Buena Vista Golf Club opens at Walt Disney World.
Located near what will be the Downtown Disney shopping and entertainment district, the course will earn a 4 star rating from Golf Digest.

1989: The Swan Hotel, located on Walt Disney World property but operated by Westin Hotels, opens at 1200 Epcot Resorts Blvd.

[Isafari]

Today, 23rd November....

1989: The Delizie Italiane shop opens in the Italy pavilion at EPCOT.

1994: Epcot’s Spaceship Earth reopens with a new narration by actor Jeremy Irons. It is the attraction’s third version.

1998: Kona Café, a restaurant located in WDW’s Polynesian Resort opens for business.

[Isafari]

Today, 24th November....

1994: At Disney’s Epcot, “Honey I Shrunk The Audience” a multi media 3D movie experience opens.

2003: The Orlando Sentinel reports that Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort’s Victoria & Alberts has been naked Central Florida’s only AAA five diamond restaurant.

[Isafari]

Today, 25th November....

1938: Tragedy strikes when Walt’s mother, Flora Disney, dies of asphyxiation caused by a faulty furnace in the house in Los Angeles that Walt and Roy had built for their parents less than a month earlier. She is 70 years old.

[Isafari]

Today, 26th November...

2006: The Wonders of Life Pavilion including the attractions Body Wars, Cranium Command and the Making Of Me reopen in Epcot. Closed since january 2005, the pavilion now opens seasonally.

[Isafari]

Today, 27th November....

1937: The final cells for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are painted. The film’s grand premiere is less than a month away.

[Isafari]

Today, 28th November....

1944:
Walt Disney writes a birthday letter to his younger sister Ruth. He writes of his next feature-length release; The Three Caballeros. Along with his birthday wishes is a check because he "hasn't the slightest idea what to send.”

1968: Thanksgiving Day
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York City. Mickey Mouse, Pinocchio, Goofy, and a handful of other Disney characters ride atop a giant birthday cake, while a huge Donald Duck balloon floats over the parade route.

1974: The StarJets open for business in Walt Disney World's Tomorrowland. The new attraction will serve as the central focal point of the futuristic land. The two-passenger jets can be lowered or raised to a height of 80 feet by guests. (In 1994, as part of the major redesign of Tomorrowland, the StarJets will be refurbished and renamed the Astro Orbiter.)

[Isafari]

Today, 29th November....

1971: The WDW Open $150,00 Golf Championship begins in Florida.

[Isafari]

Today, 30th November....

1966: Walt Disney (weeks after undergoing surgery) collapses at his California home. He is revived by medics and readmitted to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank

2003: It is reported that Roy E. Disney has resigned from the Walt Disney Company

2004: Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade debuts at the Animal Kingdom.

[Isafari]

Today, 1st December....

1937: Final photography for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs takes place.

1952: Walt's brother Herb Disney retires from the Post Office after more than 37 years. (In his younger days Walt had too worked for the Post Office, in Chicago.)

1958: Construction of Florida's Interstate 4 begins. The final link of the highway will be completed in February 1965. (The route will provide access to all of Orlando's theme parks including Disney World.)

1973: By winning the Walt Disney World Open golf tournament in Florida, Jack Nicklaus becomes the first player in golfing history to pass $2 million in career earnings.

2001: The Triceratops Spin ride opens at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom.

2004: Disney's PhotoPass, debuts in all four Walt Disney World theme parks. When guests have pictures taken by theme park photographers, instead of receiving a paper claim, they will now be given a Disney PhotoPass that links all of their vacation photos together into one online account for easy online viewing and sharing.

[Isafari]

Today, 2nd December....

1935: Marc Davis begins working as an apprentice animator at the Walt Disney Studios. He is immediately thrown into 2 weeks of intense drawing classes - taught by the studio's resident instructor Donald Graham. Davis will go on to become one of Walt's "Nine Old Men" and create such memorable Disney characters as Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Tinker Bell and Cruella de Vil! He will later become one of Walt's original Imagineers.

1984: Twenty-year-old old Margarita Granados gives birth to a baby girl at Disneyland!

[Isafari]

Today, 3rd December....

2002: Disney releases Mickey Mouse in Black & White under its
Walt Disney Treasures banner. The 2-disc DVD collection contains 34 of the original black & white Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts starting with Steamboat Willie (1928) and ending with Mickey's Service Station (1935). Other Walt Disney Treasures released on this day include The Complete Goofy and Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio.

[Isafari]

Today, 4th December....

1996: Rocker Brian Adams performs at Pleasure Island.

1998: A 1931 Mickey Mouse doll sells for £4,370 at an auction in London.

[Isafari]

Today, 5th December....

1901: Walter Elias Disney is born to Flora and Elias Disney in Chicago, Illinois.

1966: An ill Walt Disney celebrates his last birthday in a California hospital.

[Isafari]

Today, 6th December....

1903: Ruth Disney – Walt Disney’s only sister and the youngest in the family - is born in Chicago

1937: A sneak preview for Disney’s first full length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs takes place in a theatre in California.

1992: Tinker Bell’s Treasures opens in WDW’s Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom.

[Isafari]

Today, 7th December....

2006: The current owners of the house Elias Disney built for his family in Chicago, put the home up for auction on Ebay. The 1893 four bedroom house is where Walt was born and lived the first four years of his life. The auction is to last 30 days with a starting bid of $280,000.

[Isafari]

Today, 8th December....

1888: Herbert Disney is born in Daytona Beach, Florida. He is the oldest child of Flora and Elias Disney.

[Isafari]

Today, 9th December....

2002: The soft opening of Tower of Terror 4 (featuring new random drop sequences goes into operation at Disney-MGM Studios.

[Isafari]

Today, 10th December....

1954: Chris Miller, Walt Disney’s grandson is born in Monterey County, California.

1969: Composer Leigh Harline passes away in Los Angeles. Among his best known Disney tunes….When You Wish Upon A Star.

2003: WDW begins placing motion sickness bags in the capsules of their newest Epcot attraction, Mission:SPACE.

[Isafari]

Today, 11th December....

1992: Walt Disney Pictures releases The Muppet Christmas Carol - the fourth feature film to star The Muppets, the first distributed by Disney, and the second produced after the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson. The film is directed by Jim Henson's son, Brian Henson

2004: Mickey's Magical Gathering, a brief show featuring Disney characters and area performers appear for a free holiday gathering at Dallas' City Hall.

[Isafari]

Today, 12th December....

1927: Disney's Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit short Empty Socks is released. This silent black & white animated piece is the first ever Disney Christmas themed short.

2005: It is reported that The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe topped the British box office with the biggest-ever opening weekend receipts for a Disney film.

[Isafari]

Today, 13th December....

1966: Walt's wife Lily writes his annual birthday letter to sister Ruth. Her opening words include: "As you have probably surmised things have been a little irregular around here with Walt being ill and so your birthday remembrance from him is a little late. I know it comes with his best wishes that your day was a nice one and the hope that you will find something special to get for yourself with this check." Lily writes of her daughters and grandchildren and assures Ruth that her brother will write as soon as he is back in the office. (Walt will pass two days later.)

1975: Disney announces it will begin construction of EPCOT in 1976, instead of 1977 as originally planned.

[Isafari]

Today, 14th Decembr....

1938: An afternoon story meeting takes place at the Disney Studio.
Walt and his staff discuss Sequence 10 of Pinocchio.

1966: Lilly Disney visits her ill husband Walt at St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, California. She is encouraged by the strength Walt shows. His brother Roy pays him a visit at night and they talk about company matters, EPCOT, and Disney World. Walt looks at the ceiling and points out the design of the new Florida park to a teary-eyed Roy. After he leaves, Walt asks to have his bed raised so he can look toward the nearby Disney Studios. At Roy's orders, every one of the studio's lights is left on to shine through the night.

[Isafari]

Today, 15th December....

1966: Walter Elias Disney passes away at St. Joseph's Hospital of acute circulatory collapse (caused by lung cancer) just ten days after his 65th birthday. When the news of Walt's death reaches Disneyland in Anaheim, consideration is given to closing the park for the day, but instead it is kept open (as Walt would have wanted), but the flags on Main Street USA are lowered to half-mast. Disney will be cremated two days later.
(His brother Roy will postpone his planned retirement and start construction in Florida on Walt's latest project, Disney World.)

On the CBS Evening News With Walter Cronkite,
commentator Eric Sevareid states this about Mr. Disney:
"He was a happy accident, one of the happiest this century has experienced. And judging by the way it’s behaving, in spite of all Disney tried to tell it about laughter, love, children, puppies, and sunrises, the century hardly deserved him."

[Isafari]

Today, 16th December....

1966: At 5:00 p.m. on this Friday, a private service is held for Walt Disney's immediate family at Little Church of the Flowers of Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. No announcements of the funeral are made until after it has taken place.

1994: After extensive renovations, Walt Disney World's Snow White's
Adventures reopens as Snow White's Scary Adventures.
Meanwhile over in Tomorrowland, the new ExtraTERRORestrial Alien
Encounter offers a soft opening.

1997: Ninety-eight-year-old Lillian Bounds Disney dies peacefully in her sleep at her home in West Los Angeles, after suffering a stroke the day before. (Her husband Walt had died thirty-one years ago and a day in the early morning of December 15, 1966.)

[Isafari]

Today, Wednesday 17th December....

1966: Roy Disney announces to Disney management and the Imagineering team that the company will continue to be run according to Walt's wishes. (Walt Disney passed away two days ago.) He states that Walt's first name will be added to the title of the Florida theme park project.

1971: Roy O. Disney (Walt's brother & the builder of Walt Disney World) decides not to attend the Disneyland Christmas Parade with his wife, son and grandchildren. Although he is not feeling well, he insists that they go on without him. (Sadly he will slip into a coma and pass away 3 days later.)

1990: Honey I Shrunk the Audience Movie Set Adventure opens in the backlot annex area of Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World.

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 18th….

1933: During a ceremony at the studio in which he is receiving an award from Parents magazine, Walt Disney gets word that his pregnant wife Lilly is about to deliver. He dashes off to the hospital and arrives just in time to see Diane Marie Disney born.

1971: The St. Petersburg High School Green Devil Band performs at Walt Disney World. This makes them the first guest high school marching band to ever play at the new Florida theme park.

Today, December 19th….

1984: Disney World's Country Bear Jamboree Country Bear Christmas Special runs
for the first time. (It will become a seasonal event.)

1998:Test Track opens at Disney World's Epcot. (It will be dedicated in March 1999.)

1999: Disney World's Tomorrowland Speedway (originally called Grand Prix
Raceway) is renamed Tomorrowland Indy Speedway.

2005: The Walt Disney World Resort's animal care team welcomes a 233-pound baby elephant early in the morning. The female African elephant calf is born at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park.

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 19th….

1984: Disney World's Country Bear Jamboree Country Bear Christmas Special runs
for the first time. (It will become a seasonal event.)

1998:Test Track opens at Disney World's Epcot. (It will be dedicated in March 1999.)

1999: Disney World's Tomorrowland Speedway (originally called Grand Prix
Raceway) is renamed Tomorrowland Indy Speedway.

2005: The Walt Disney World Resort's animal care team welcomes a 233-pound baby elephant early in the morning. The female African elephant calf is born at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park.

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 20th….

1937: Walt Disney is interviewed on the radio by film legend Cecil B. DeMille. They discuss the upcoming Los Angeles premiere of Snow White.

1958: Disneyland presents its first Candlelight Processional Parade. Narrated by actor Dennis Morgan (on his birthday), it is performed on Main Street and in Town Square. The event features Christmas carols and the re-telling of the birth of Jesus through the gospels.

1971: Roy O. Disney, (one of) Walt's older brothers, business partner, and co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, passes away at the age of 78 of a cerebral haemorrhage in Burbank, California. He served as the company's chief executive officer (1929
1971) and president (1945–1971). With both Walt and Roy Disney gone, the board of
directors for the first time will have to turn outside the Disney family for leadership. (Donn Tatum will become chairman of Walt Disney Productions and Card Walker president of Walt Disney Productions.)

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 21st….

1966: Walt Disney's Last Will and Testament is filed.

1992: The Disney-MGM parade Aladdin's Royal Caravan debuts.

2007:On Snow White's 70th anniversary, Epcot's iconic Spaceship Earth (closed for nearly six months) reopens to the public with a new story line and digital enhancements. (The attraction will formally reopen in February 2008.)

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 22nd….


1936: Another Snow White conference is held at the Disney Studio's Hyperion sound stage in California. Twenty-nine employees (mostly animators and animation directors) discuss the dwarf's personalities and listen to Walt's detailed shot-by-shot description of the movie.

1995: Writer, Imagineer and Disney Legend Bill Cottrell passes away in Burbank, California. Brother-in-law of Lillian & Walt Disney, Cottrell was the first president of what is today known as Walt Disney Imagineering

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 23rd….

2000: Refurbishment of Walt Disney World's Grand Floridian Resort wraps up. All guestrooms and suites in the hotel have been redone, and all of the public areas have received a face-lift.

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 24th….

1939: Disney staff begin the move from the old studio at Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake to a new one in Burbank. The success of the 1937 Snow White has allowed Disney to build the new modern campus on some 51 acres of land. It is designed around the animation process, with the large animation building in the center of the campus, and adjacent buildings for the story department, the music department, the ink-and-paint departments, and the other various functions of the studio.


1971: Disney World's Flight to the Moon attraction opens in Tomorrowland, just in time for the busy Christmas week. (It will close in the spring of 1975 and later house Alien Encounter.)

1999: Disney World's Very Merry Christmas Parade airs on television. It is the first parade to be filmed at night and broadcast on Christmas Eve (instead of Christmas Day). Musical guests include Harry Connick Jr., N'SYNC, SheDaisy, 98 Degrees, and James Ingram.

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 25th….

1951:The TV special "The Walt Disney Christmas Show" (Walt's second TV special) airs on CBS
1983:
Walt Disney's Christmas Parade is broadcast live from the Magic Kingdom for the very first time. The 90-minute telecast is hosted by Joan Lunden and Mike Douglas (the singing voice of Prince Charming in Cinderella).

2003:The 20th Annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, hosted by Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, airs on ABC-TV. (Philbin has hosted more Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parades than anyone!) Guests include American Idol favourite Clay Aiken, Disney Channel star Raven, actress-singer Andrea McArdle, and entertainer Wayne Brady.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 26th….

2002:Florida Governor Jeb Bush & his parents, former President George Bush & former first lady Barbara Bush, board the Disney Wonder for a 3-night cruise.

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 27th….

1936:While flying in rain and poor visibility south of Newhall, California, a United Air Lines twin-engine Boeing airliner crashes in the Santa Susana Mountains. All 12 persons aboard the aircraft (9 passengers & 3 crew members) including H. S. Teague, 28, a cartoonist at Walt Disney Studios, are killed.

1937:Walt Disney appears on the cover of TIME. The publication profiles Disney the week Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is released, calling the film "the most ambitious animated cartoon ever attempted

2006:Holiday crowds are so thick at Walt Disney World this afternoon that three parks close or divert traffic at various times. Because they have reached capacity, Magic Kingdom and Disney's Animal Kingdom both close by 1:15 p.m. At Disney-MGM Studios there are parking issues, and traffic is diverted away from the main parking lots for a couple of hours after 3 p.m.

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 28th….

1982: Attendance at Walt Disney World reaches a high of 123,000!

2000: Holiday crowds force Disneyland to suspended ticket sales for about 5 hours.

2006: Disney announces its studio division generated $3.26 billion in global box office revenue in 2006 and claimed the year's top two box office and top three DVD domestic releases for the first time. Disney claimed the year's top-grossing box office releases with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which has reached $1.06 billion since its May release, and the computer-animated Cars, which grossed more than $462 million globally.

Imagineer and Disney veteran Don Edgren passes away at the age of 83. He was an an engineer who led the team building the first Space Mountain and had a role in building various Disney parks. Edgren supervised construction of the Matterhorn and original Pirates of the Caribbean attractions.

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 29th….

2006: Donny Osmond appears at Disney Outfitters - a shop in Disney's Animal
Kingdom. Osmond signs copies of Disney's Mulan DVDand Soundtrack (for which he is the singing voice of Shang) and his latest CD "What I Meant to Say" (his 54th studio album).

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 30th….

1890:Raymond Arnold Disney (Walt's older brother and the second child born to Flora and Elias Disney) is born in Chicago, Illinois

1956:Walt Disney appears on TV's The Ed Sullivan Show.

[Beccaberry]

Today, December 31st….

1936: Walt Disney and his wife gain a second daughter when they adopt a baby girl named Sharon Mae.

1957: Leigh Woolfenden, of Phoenix, Arizona becomes the ten-millionth guest to enter Disneyland!

1971: The very first Magic Kingdom New Year's Eve Party is held at Walt Disney World, from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets ($7.50 in advance and $9.00 night of the party) include admission, entertainment, hats & noisemakers.

1995: The World of Motion Pavilion at Disney World's Epcot closes. This sleek, circular structure housed one of Disney's largest collections of Audio-Animatronic figures (188) set in 24 scenes. Each one depicted the progression of transportation and society through the ages. (It will be replaced with Test Track)

2001: Cyndi Lauper headlines the New Year's Eve entertainment line-up at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island in Florida

2002: Terror of Tower's new random drop sequence officially debuts at Disney-MGM Studios.

AT&T's sponsorship of Epcot's Spaceship Earth ends.

The B-52's, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and Chris Botti rock Downtown Disney Pleasure Island, Florida.

2003:The U.S. Postal Service unveils 4 new 37-cent postage stamps featuring
Disney characters. The stamps, which celebrate friendship as portrayedby the Walt Disney studio, will be issued sometime in mid-2004.

Blondie and the Sugar Hill Gang headline Walt Disney World's New Year's Eve celebration at Pleasure Island

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 1st….

1888:Elias Disney and Flora Call are married in Acron, Florida - a town in eastern Lake County. They will later move to Chicago, Illinois and in 1901 give birth to a son named Walter. (Although no longer in existence - Acron was located 40 miles due
north of where Walt Disney World stands today!)

1966:Walt Disney serves as Grand Marshal of the Tournament of the Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. He and Mickey Mouse ride together in a white Chrysler Imperial. Sitting curbside with his parents watching the parade is a young John Lasseter - future Jungle Cruise ride operator and Toy Story filmmaker!

1977:Bob Allen - originally a ride operator at Disneyland in 1955 - is named vice president of Walt Disney World.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 2nd….

1977: At Disneyland's Frontierland, the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland attraction closes. (It will later be replaced by Big Thunder Mountain.)

1979: Disney World's Dumbo's Circus Parade kicks off down Main Street, USA.

Disney Legend & Imagineer Joyce Carlson passes away in Florida. She is 84. Retired since February 2000, Carlson helped create the original it's a small world attraction (for the 1964-65 World's Fair & later for its Disneyland refitting). She also helped create a new version of the attraction for Disney World in 1971 and Tokyo Disneyland in 1983.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 3rd….

1994:At EPCOT, The Kitchen Kabaret Revue, better known as simply Kitchen Kabaret, an Audio-Animatronics theatrical presentation about nutrition, closes. An original attraction in The Land pavilion, it will later re-open as Food Rocks (and ultimately Soarin'.).

2005:It is reported that a London Lorry driver named Nick Pain has named his newborn son Disney.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 4th….

1996:Michael Eisner speaks to a group of Disney shareholders in New York. He discusses Disney's plans for Animal Kingdom, Disney World's 25th anniversary, the Florida community of Celebration, and the Disney Cruise Lines.

2003:Walt Disney World's Polynesian Revue, a tropical-themed dinner show performed at the Polynesian Resort, gives its last performance. It will be replaced in February 2003 with the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show.

2005:The Wonders of Life pavilion "closes" at Epcot as it is now considered a seasonal attraction. It will reopen when the park is projected to hit near capacity during the high spring months and big holiday season.

2007:Kendi, an eight year old White Rhino gives birth to her second baby – a male named Tom, at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The healthy baby White Rhinoceros is the sixth White Rhino born at Disney's Animal Kingdom, - his mother, Kendi, was the first!

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 5th….

1986:The Biscuit Barrel, a shop in the United Kingdom Pavilion at EPCOT
Center, closes. It first opened with the rest of the park in 1982

2003:Cinderella's Gala Feast, a character buffet at the Grand Floridian's 1900
Park Fare (located in Walt Disney World) officially welcomes guests.

Television's animated family The Simpsons visit a Florida theme park called EFCOT.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 6th….

2007:Bidding ends on the $250,000 Chicago house in which Walt Disney was born in. The house located at 2156 N. Tripp fails to sell on ebay (although one bid is reported) after 30 days.

2008:Today is the last day of existence for Disney-MGM Studios in Florida. As of tomorrow, the Disney World park will be called Disney's Hollywood Studios.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 7th….

2008: Disney-MGM Studios is now officially called Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 8th….

1956: Due to poor attendance, Disneyland's the Mickey Mouse Club Circus - an attraction running since November 1955 - closes. The first major addition to Disneyland, the circus was held in a pink and white striped tent (which was set-up in the area that later will house the Fantasyland Autopia). Capitalizing on the success of the Mickey Mouse Club television series, the 75-minute circus show featured a cast of well-known Mousketeers in various roles.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 9th….


1937: Don Donald, featuring Donald Duck in his first starring role, is released. A character named Donna (who will later be called Daisy) makes her debut


1999: Horizons closes forever at Walt Disney World's Epcot park. Opened since 1983, Horizons took guests on a fascinating 15-minute ride through the world of the 21st century. The pavilion will be destroyed and years later be replaced with Mission:SPACE.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 10th….


1970: Walt Disney World’s Preview Center located on Buena Vista Blvd, near the intersection of interstate 4 and State Road 535 in Florida, opens. Housed in a modern glass, concrete and steel structure, the center features displays of models and drawings of the soon to be opened Florida theme park.


2001: Disneyland Paris welcomes its 100-millionth visitor.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 11th….

1987: Everyone’s favourite VW Beetle returns to television when the Wonderful World of Disney airs Herbie goes Bananas.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 12th….

2003:A ground breaking ceremony takes place in Hong Kong to mark the official start of the construction phase of a new Disney park.

2004:It is announced that Disney’s Florida animation department will close ….resulting in 258 jobs lost.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 13th….

1930: The first Mickey Mouse comic strip is published in the New York Mirror

1938: Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has its New York premiere at the Radio City Music Hall.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 14th….

1990: Epcot’s Person of the century attraction is launched at CommuniCore West.

2008: Starting on this day (and continuing on the next ten days) Imagineers field test a wireless device at Disney World known as the Disney Magic Connection. This hand held unit has the potential to inform guests in real time what the current wait time is at a specific attraction. It will also let a visitor know if there are any Fastpasses left for a particular attraction.

[Beccaberry]

Today January 15th….

1975: The Space Mountain attraction opens in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

1986: The Living Seas opens at Disney’s EPCOT.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 16th….

1994: A new sports tradition at WDW begins on this cold morning when approximately 8,200 runners from around the world line up for the very first annual WDW marathon.

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 17th….

1930: Walt Disney, accompanied by his wife Lillian, leave for New York. Tensions
have increased between the Disney Studio and Pat Powers over royalties from Mickey cartoons. In 1928, Powers had sold Walt a Cinephone system so that he could make sound cartoons such as Steamboat Willie.
Unable to find a distributor for the sound cartoons, Disney released his cartoons
through Powers' Celebrity Pictures company. Walt wants to confront Powers face-to-face in New York over money he feels he is due.


1932: The very first color Mickey Mouse comic strip - written and drawn by Floyd Gottfredson - is published.

1962: Construction begins on Disneyland's Swiss Family Treehouse. (It will open the following November.)

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 18th….

1978: Junius Matthews, the voice of Rabbit for Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh from 1966 to 1977, passes away in Los Angeles, California

1991: Eastern Airlines, the official airline of Walt Disney World during the 1970s, officially shuts down

[Beccaberry]

Today, January 19th ….

1924: Lillian Bounds from Idaho (future wife of Walt Disney) starts working at the Disney Studio in Hollywood. She had been recommended by her sister's friend - who is also an employee. Lillian has taken the job because it is within walking distance of her sister's house (where she is currently living) and doesn't require her to spend bus fare!

1997: Adriana Caselotti, who supplied the voice and personality to Walt Disney's first feature-length cartoon heroine, Snow White, dies at her home in Los Angeles, California, following a battle with cancer. She is 80

[Isafari]

Today, 20th January....

2005: Walt Disney World announces that River Country, a water park opened since 1976 and last operated in November 2001, will remain closed permanently.

At Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida, Expedition Everest's peak is lowered into place, making the new attraction nearly 20 stories high. Expedition Everest, a roller coaster themed to be an abandoned mountain railway, is expected to open in 2006.

[Isafari]

Today, 21st January....

1930: While Walt is in New York, animator Ub Iwerks informs Roy Disney that he wishes to leave the Disney Company as soon as possible. Roy is stunned, but offers Ub $5,000 for his 20% share of the company. Unbeknownst to Roy at this time, is the fact that Iwerks has been lured away by film distributor Pat Powers. Powers wants Iwerks to start an animation studio of his own. Meanwhile Walt is in New York actually confronting Powers over royalty money for Mickey shorts due to the Disney Studios!

1935:Animator Ollie Johnston is hired at $17 a week by the Disney Studio. He will start work 2 days later as an in-betweener and eventually go on to become one of Walt's "Nine Old Men".

[Isafari]

Today, 22nd January....

1989: At Super Bowl XXIII, quarterback Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers declares, "I'm going to Disney World!" upon his team's 20-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

[Isafari]

Today, 23rd January....

1995: Plans for the Walt Disney World Speedway are announced. Construction on the racing facility will begin later in the year.

[Isafari]

Today, 24th January....

2006: Robert A. Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, announces that Disney has agreed to acquire computer animation leader Pixar in an all-stock transaction (totaled to be worth approximately $7.4 billion), expected to be completed by this summer

2007: The official grand openings of Finding Nemo - The Musical at Animal Kingdom and The Seas with Nemo and Friends at Epcot take place. (Both attractions have been in previews since Autumn 2006.)

[Isafari]

Today, 25th January....

1999: McDonald's opens a themed restaurant in the Disney Village area at Disneyland Paris

2007: Jim and Lisa Fouch and their children, Brad and Hannah from Michigan make history as the first Walt Disney World guests to win a night's stay inside Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom Park.

[Isafari]

Today, 26th January....

1992: At Super Bowl XXVI (in Minneapolis) quarterback Mark Rypien of the Washington Redskins declares "I'm going to Disney World!" following his team's win over the Buffalo Bills, 37–24.

1993: Disneyland's newest section Toontown, is dedicated by Michael Eisner and actor Harry Anderson (Toontown's honorary mayor).

2007: During a press conference at Walt Disney World Resort, plans for Toy Story Mania are announced.

[Isafari]

Today, 27th January....

1991: Super Bowl XXV is played at Tampa Stadium in Florida. The halftime show is a Disney production called "Walt Disney World Small World Tribute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl." It features New Kids on the Block, Disney characters, Warren Moon, and 2,000 local children. The New York Giants beat the Buffalo Bills, 20-19. (Unlike previous years, the halftime presentation for Super Bowl XXV is not shown live. It is pre-empted by ABC News in favor of coverage of the ongoing Operation Desert Storm. The halftime show is instead presented in an edited format during the post-game show at the conclusion of the game.)

1999: The French newspaper Le Parisien breaks the story that the second theme park at Disneyland Paris has finally been approved for construction. Broadly based on Florida's Disney-MGM Studios, the new park will be a celebration of the cinema. The targeted opening date is April 2002, to coincide with Disneyland Paris's tenth anniversary. (Walt Disney Studios Park - Disney's 10th park in the world - will open March 16, 2002.)

[Isafari]

Today, 28th January....

1980: The Industrial Bank of Japan announces it and nearly 30 other Japanese banks have agreed to lend money to the Oriental Land Company to build a $300-million Disney theme park in Tokyo.

1988: Groundbreaking for the Dolphin Hotel and Swan Hotel complex begins in Disney World. Michael Graves of Princeton, New Jersey is the master architect behind these unique structures.

1997: Tragedy strikes when Bub Thomas, a fixture on Main Street for over 25 years singing and joking with Disney World's Dapper Dans (a barbershop quartet), is killed in a car accident in Orlando, Florida. He is 85.

1999: Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal-based touring circus that combines acrobatics, theatrics, special effects and original music, officially opens its third permanent U.S. facility at Downtown Disney's West End in Florida.

[Isafari]

Today, 29th January....

1920: Walt Disney spots an ad in the Kansas City Star calling for an artist at the Kansas City Slide Company. He applies on a whim and, to his surprise, is hired - at $40 a week. (Disney will work there for more than 2 years helping to produce slides & one-minute films shown as advertisements in movie theaters.)

1961: Mailman Herbert A. Disney (eldest brother of Walt Disney) passes away.

[Isafari]

Today, 30th January....

1988: Walt Disney World's EPCOT debuts IllumiNations. The nighttime show includes special-effects projectors, themed music, and fireworks.
"Good evening and welcome to World Showcase. Tonight we are pleased to present a visual journey, an international fantasy of music and light. We're about to embark on a sparkling, abstract expedition around World Showcase. With the music as your passport, we'll discover sights and sounds from colorful ports of call. And to celebrate our journey, the countries will be united by the festive elements of water, fire, and light. And now, let your imagination be your guide as EPCOT Center proudly presents IllumiNations!"

[Isafari]

Today, 31st January....

1956: A.A. Milne, English author and creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, passes away in Hartfield, Sussex after a long illness. In 1952, Milne had underwent an operation of the brain, which unfortunately left him an invalid.

1998: Walt Disney World's Cinderella Castle (decorated like a cake for the park's 25th anniversary celebration) is returned to its traditional look.

[Isafari]

Today, 1st February....

1991: Drummer, sound effects genius, and the second voice of Mickey Mouse, James Macdonald passes away at age 84 in Glendale, California. He had been scheduled to contribute sounds to the Splash Mountain attraction at Disney parks in Tokyo and Florida. For over 50 years Macdonald created sound effects that have become an integral part of Disney films and theme parks.

2001: It is reported that Disney executives are giving serious thought to letting LEGO (the Danish toy manufacturer) build its next stateside park on Disney World soil.

2008: Directors at the Walt Disney Company sign the chief executive, Robert A. Iger, to a new five-year contract. The agreement, which extends through Jan. 31, 2013, shows their confidence in Iger's ability to navigate a turbulent economy and sweeping changes in the media business.

[Isafari]

Today, 2nd February....

1922: A young Walt Disney begins work at his own cartoon company called Laugh-O-gram Films, Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri. He will produce animated versions of 6 fairy tales, each lasting just one minute. Walt had felt that Kansas City theaters - which featured cartoons made by studios on the east coast - might be willing to buy some from a local company. He created a few and brought them to the Newman Theater. In order to clinch the deal, Walt calls them ... "Newman's Laugh-O-Grams." (The cartoon series is regarded as Walt's first effort in animation.)

[Isafari]

Today, 3rd February....

1930: Roy Disney signs a deal with M. George Borgfeldt Co. of New York to sell figurines of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. (Many will consider this the beginning of Disney merchandising.)

1989: Disney issues new $1 and $5 Disney Dollars at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The $1 bill depicts Mickey Mouse on one side, and Sleeping Beauty Castle on the other. The $5 bill features Goofy on one side, and EPCOT Center's Spaceship Earth & the Empress Lilly Riverboat on the other.

2007: The Walt Disney Company announces a $50,000 donation to the
American Red Cross to aide in relief efforts following the severe storms and tornados that struck Central Florida the night before.

[Isafari]

Today, 4th February....

1999: Pixar Animation Studios announces that it has developed a proprietary laser recording system called PIXARVISION for converting digital computer data into images on motion picture film stock with unprecedented quality. The new system was successfully tested on the 1998 animated hit, A Bug's Life, and will be used to produce Pixar's future animated features including Toy Story 2.

2004: The Disney World special event "This Is Love: A Royal Knight to Remember" takes place at the Magic Kingdom.

[Isafari]

Today, 5th February....

1934: The U.S. Patent Office grants a patent to the Ingersoll-Waterbury Clock Company, of Connecticut, for the first Mickey Mouse watch.

2004: Imagineer, artist and Disney Legend John Hench passes away at the age of 95 in California. An employee of the Walt Disney Company for more than 60 years, Hench worked on Disney movies (he won a special effects Oscar for his work in the 1955 film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) and many theme park attractions (like Disneyland's Space Mountain). He was also the official portrait painter of Mickey Mouse.

[Isafari]

Today, 6th February....

1859: Elias Disney (the future father of Walt Disney) is born to Kepple Disney II and Mary Richardson in Bluevale, Ontario, Canada. While still in his teens, Elias will move with his family to the United States and eventually settle in Ellis, Kansas. As an adult, he will find employment as a construction worker for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago - a likely source of inspiration for his son Walt many years later! As a a general contractor, he will open his first contracting office in 1895. Elias will be later honored with a Main Street window on Disney World's Magic Kingdom that reads:

Elias Disney
Contractor
Est. 1895


1986:
Walt Disney Productions officially changes its name to The Walt Disney Company.

[Isafari]

Today, 7th February....

1938: Composer-conductor Oliver Wallace begins work at the Walt Disney Studio. (The Academy Award winner will write, conduct and perform music - for such classics as Dumbo, Ichabod and Mister Toad, and Lady and the Tramp - until his death in 1963.)

1940: Disney's animated feature film, Pinocchio (based on the 19th century book by Carlo Collodi) premieres at the Central Theatre in New York City. It has cost a staggering $2.6 million to make. (This film is felt by many film historians to be the most technically perfect of all the Disney animated features.)

2008: Walt Disney Parks & Resorts announces the creation of an "American Idol" attraction that will bring the television and pop culture phenomenon to life at Disney World's Hollywood Studios theme park.

[Isafari]

Today, 8th February....

1953: Walt Disney appears as a guest on a one-hour special tribute of Ed Sullivan's hit TV show The Toast of the Town. Sullivan narrates "The Life Story of Walt Disney" with a little help from Donald Duck, as the company celebrates Mickey Mouse’s 25th birthday and the release of Peter Pan. Other guests include animators Ward Kimball and Frank Thomas, Pinto Colvig (the voice of Goofy) and even Walt's secretary Beverly Jordan.

2001: Disney's second Anaheim park (and 8th theme park in the world), California Adventure officially opens along with its new Grand Californian hotel. California Adventure is the centerpiece of a $1.4-billion expansion of what will now be called the Disneyland Resort. The new park, which has its own distinct identity separate from the 45-year-old Magic Kingdom's, is divided into 3 main theme areas: Paradise Pier (a nostalgic California beachfront amusement section), Hollywood Pictures Backlot (a district inspired by Hollywood Boulevard and the movies), and the Golden State (a more sprawling area devoted to the people, natural beauty and industries of California).
The Grand Californian, a Craftsman-style hotel, resembling a luxury lodge at a Western national park, has 751 rooms. The hotel sits at the edge of the new park and shares its theme celebrating the Golden State.
Michael Eisner's dedication on this day includes these words:
"To all who believe in the power of dreams … Welcome! Disney’s California Adventure opens its golden gates to you. Here we pay tribute to the dreamers of the past … the native people, explorers, immigrants, aviators, entrepreneurs and entertainers who built the Golden State. And we salute a new generation of dreamers who are creating the wonders of tomorrow … from the silver screen to the computer screen … from the fertile farmlands to the far reaches of space. Disney’s California Adventure celebrates the richness and the diversity of California … its land, its people its spirit and above all, the dreams that it continues to inspire."

[Isafari]

Today, 9th February....

1986: Magic Journeys, a 3D film shown in Epcot's Journey Into Imagination Pavilion, closes. It will reopen at the Magic Kingdom in December 1987.

[Isafari]

Today, February 10th....

1935: Donald Duck makes his first appearance in the Mickey Mouse Sunday edition comic strip (by Ted Osbourne and Floyd Gottfredson).

[Isafari]

Today, 11th February....

1938:Disney's Donald Duck cartoon Self Control is released. Clarence Nash provides the voice for Donald.

1969:It is announced in Miami, Florida that a 3-year project agreement has been signed between Allen Contracting Co., as general contractor, and the presidents of the 17 individual international unions, which will be involved in constructing the first phase of Walt Disney World. The contract assures continuity of contruction by making strikes and other work stoppages unnecessary.

[Isafari]

Today, 12th February....

1988: Siegfried and Roy appear on the TV special Disney's Magic in the Magic Kingdom. The illusionists make Sleeping Beauty Castle disappear!

[Isafari]

Today, 13th February....

1993: Lumiere's Kitchen restaurant opens in Fantasyland at Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

1996: Epcot's Test Track Preview Center opens.

[Isafari]

Today, February 14th....

1919: Alan Alexander Milne (future creator of Winnie-the-Pooh) is discharged from the Brtish Army. He has served as a signals officer during the world war.

Also discharged, but from the U.S. Navy, on this day is Roy O. Disney, one of Walt's brothers. (He will return to Kansas City and resume his job at the First National Bank.)

[Isafari]

Today, 15th February....

1899:Lillian Marie Bounds (the wife of Walt Disney for 41 years) is born in Spalding, Idaho.

1950: Disney's animated feature film Cinderella is released.
Ilene Woods supplies the voice for Cinderella and Eleanor Audley (the future voice of Madame Leota for the Haunted Mansion attractions) is the voice of Lady Tremaine. Mike Douglas (future talk show host) is the un-credited singing voice of Prince Charming. (It will be one of the top grossing films of 1950 and be nominated for 3 Academy Awards.)

[Isafari]

Today, 16th February....

1993: Sharon M. Disney Lund, the second daughter of the late Walt Disney, passes away of complications from cancer at age 56. She had been a director of The Walt Disney Company since 1984.

[Isafari]

Today, 17th February....

2006: Air Force One carrying U.S. President Bush touches down at Orlando International Airport (just in time for rush hour on busy Interstate 4). From there the president is transported to Disney's Contemporary Resort to speak at a $500-a-plate dinner (a fundraiser for Republicans).

[Isafari]

Today, 18th February....

1989:The TV series The Golden Girls airs "Two Rode Together."
In this episode the girls take a trip to Disney World.

2002: Disney World celebrates Presidents' Day with the official dedication of the updated Hall of Presidents attraction (which now includes an Audio-Animatronics figure of President George W. Bush). Fifty students from Lost Lake Elementary School (in Lake County) lead cast members and park guests in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Disney World Philharmonic Orchestra and Voices of Liberty choral group perform patriotic music.

2004: The Walt Disney Company and The Jim Henson Company announces that they have entered into an agreement under which Disney will acquire the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House properties from Henson.

[Isafari]

Today, 19th February....

1985: Mickey Mouse is welcomed to China as part of the 30th anniversary of Disneyland. (The touring mouse will visit 30 cities in 30 days.)

[Isafari]

Today, 20th February....

1985: Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck, passes at age 80
of leukemia in California. (The tombstone of the grave he will
share with his wife Margaret - who will pass in 1993 - will depict a carving of Donald and Daisy Duck holding hands.)


1999: Downtown Disney Pleasure Island presents The Gap Band performing on the West End Stage.


2002: It is reported that a brand new tombstone has been placed in the graveyard at the entrance to Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion. The tombstone, the last one you will see when entering the attraction, is dedicated to Leota.

[Isafari]

Today, 21st February....

2002: A sneak preview is held at the Disney Gallery (located in Disneyland) for an exhibit featuring 100 images of Mickey Mouse by artist and former Disney Imagineer Eric Robison.

A Disneyland monorail stalls on a 25-foot high track, briefly stranding 65 passengers. The guests are led down to the ground by firefighters using ladders!

[Isafari]

Today, 22nd February....

1996: Disney Online launches Disney.com, a Web site designed to promote a wide range of Disney products on the Internet.

2001: At Disney World, a bird's nest catches fire on top of the Tommorowland Transit Authority attraction, forcing the ride to close for a short time. People onboard the ride are evacuated as a precaution and no one is injured.

[Isafari]

Today, 23rd February....

1939 Walt Disney receives a special Academy Award for his classic 83-minute animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, at the Academy Awards. Shirley Temple presents Walt with one statuette and seven miniature statuettes for "a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion picture cartoon."

1940: Disney's Pinocchio is generally released in the U.S.

[Isafari]

Today, 24th February....

1985: The Disney Clothiers shop opens in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World.

2003: It is reported that baggage searches at Walt Disney World parks (which began after September 11, 2001) may continue for a long time. Disney has begun building a permanent bag check area at the Magic Kingdom to take the place of the folding tables now being used.

2005: Star Wars filmmaker Geroge Lucas visits the Disney-MGM Studios in Florida.

[Isafari]

Today, 25th February....

1939: One of the most prominent and influential architects of the first half of 20th century, Frank Lloyd Wright visits the Disney Studios on Hyperion Avenue in Hollywood for an informal discussion with Walt's staff.

1991: The Bearly Asleep shop, located in Disney World's Frontierland, closes.

[Isafari]

Today, 26th Februaury...

1941: Walt Disney sends an inter-office communication stating that "Under present conditions, the laying out of cash for equipment is out of line. Our situation is plenty tough and after returning from a session with the bankers we have to stretch things out as far as we can and we still have to cut further." Disney is being forced to focus on cutbacks.

1953: Walt Disney is given the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes held at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

2002: An unclaimed Mickey Mouse snow globe clears out a section of the Sacramento International Airport after being mistaken for a bomb. The unlabeled cardboard box causes 150 people to be evacuated from the B-1 terminal and 5 outbound flights to be delayed.

[Isafari]

Today, 27th February....

1992: Movie star Elizabeth Taylor takes over Disneyland for a private after-hours 60th birthday bash.

[Dizneyblonde]

Today, 27th February....

1992: Movie star Elizabeth Taylor takes over Disneyland for a private after-hours 60th birthday bash.


There's an idea for my 40th!

[Isafari]

There's an idea for my 40th!

Do it....the we could all come with you :yes:

[Isafari]

Today, 28th February....

2004: The Earl of Sandwich Shop opens at the Downtown Disney Marketplace in Florida.

2005: Clear Channel Radio launches a major promotion to help celebrate 50 years of family fun at Walt Disney theme parks. More than 400 Clear Channel radio stations participate in the campaign by airing promotional spots providing event details for the "Happiest Celebration on Earth."

[Isafari]

Today, 1st March....

1930: Disney animator & techincal genius Ub Iwerks, the first animator of Mickey Mouse, officially leaves Disney to set up his own animation studio. (His character Flip the Frog will eventually fail and he will later return to Disney.)

1940: A rare instance of Walt Disney's praise occurs at a "Bambi" screening of two minutes of test animation by Frank Thomas and Milt Kahl. After seeing the footage, Disney turns to the two animators with tears in his eyes and says "Thanks, fellows. That's great stuff, no kidding. Those personalities are pure gold." Walt seldom gives a direct compliment.(When "Bambi" is completed it will have the fewest lines of dialogue of
any Disney animated feature.)

1999: At Disney-MGM, a third drop is added to the drop sequence for the Tower of Terror attraction. Also, Doug Live (a stage show) opens replacing Superstar TV.

Kali River Rapids (a whitewater rafting adventure) and Maharajah Jungle Trek both open in the Asia section of Animal Kingdom.

2003: Epcot features the final performances of Tapestry of Dreams, coinciding with the end of the 100 Years of Magic celebration.

[Isafari]

Today, 2nd March....

1976: Walt Disney World welcomes its 50-millionth guest - Susan Brummer!

1986: Disneyland's Safari Outpost opens in Adventureland.

[Isafari]

Today, 3rd March....

1983: The EPCOT attraction Journey Into Imagination debuts.
It will have its official opening 2 days later.

The Buena Vista Palace hotel opens at Lake Buena Vista at Walt Disney World.

[Isafari]

Today, 4th March....

1956: Walt Disney appears on The Ed Sullivan Show. Walt presents a Look Magazine Award to actor Fess Parker for his Davy Crockett role.

[Isafari]

Today, 5th March....

1950: The first color comic strip of Disney's "Cinderella" is published
in Sunday editions of newspapers.

[Isafari]

Today, 6th March....

2006: Give Kids the World, a non-profit organization dedicated to fulfilling the dreams of children with life-threatening illnesses (such as visiting Disney World and other Florida attractions) celebrates their 20th anniversary. A week-long celebration kicks off at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom with actor & Disney fan John Stamos (a longtime friend of GKTW).

[Isafari]

Today, 7th March....

2008: Celebrity Chef Cat Cora celebrates with Mickey Mouse the debut of her new show on Disney Travel on Demand's Season 2 at an event held at Disney World.
Her series "What's Cooking with Cat Cora" will educate Disney fans about the restaurant choices at the Disney parks.

[Isafari]

Today, 8th March....

2008: Celebrities visiting Disney World's Magic Kingdom on this day include entertainer Wayne Newton and St. Louis Cardinals All Star first baseman Albert Pujols.

Over at Disney's Animal Kingdom, a baby zebra named Kidani is born. The first Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra born at the Walt Disney World, he is named for the new expansion of Animal Kingdom Villas, which will be named Kidani Village.

[Isafari]

Today, 9th March....

2005: It is reported that the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park (set to open in September) has already booked 10,000 room reservations for its hotel since it opened a customer call center three weeks ago.

2008: Disney's Block Party Bash makes its first public appearance at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. The parade features the Pixar family of characters in three segments - Toy Story, Monsters Inc and A Bug's Life, with The Incredibles making an appearance at the parade's finale.

[Isafari]

Today, 10th March....

1909: Walt Disney's grandmother Mary Richardson Disney passes away in Ellis, Kansas.

1953: Africa USA, a wildlife tourist attraction in Boca Raton, Florida, opens its doors to the public. A unique theme park (before its time), Walt Disney himself will frequently visit and even consider purchasing the 300-acre site. (Africa USA will close in September 1961.)

[Isafari]

Today, 11th March....

2006: The NFFC Strictly Disneyana Show and Sale kicks off at the Celebration Middle School Gymnasium in Celebration, Florida.

[Isafari]

Today, 12th March....

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

2003: The Orlando Business Journal reports that Walt Disney World has
received the Corporation of the Year Award from America's Blood Centers
in Washington, D.C. Disney World is recognized for outstanding
contributions in blood donations to the Central Florida Blood Bank.
(America's Blood Centers is a national organization of independent blood
banks that supply nearly half of the nation's blood supply.)

[Isafari]

Today, 13th March....

1928: On a train ride back to California with his wife Lillian, Walt Disney sends his brother and business partner Roy a Western Union telegram that reads: LEAVING TONITE STOPPING OVER KC ARRIVE HOME SUNDAY MORNING SEVEN THIRTY DON'T WORRY EVERYTHING OK WILL GIVE DETAILS WHEN ARRIVE WALT. This is in reference to the fact that although the Disney brothers have lost their animated creation Oswald the Rabbit to Charles Mintz (a ruthless producer) ... Walt has a new idea for an animated mouse character.

2000: The Omnimover vehicles are removed from the closed Horizons attraction in Epcot. Since the beginning of this month, the building has been
emptied in preparation for demolition. (Mission: SPACE will take its place.)

2001: A 1,500-acre spread of the Disney Wilderness Preserve in Polk County, Florida continues to burn after a power line falls and ignites some brush. (The fire affects land donated by the Walt Disney Company to The Nature Conservancy, a non-profit environmental group that is attempting to return some of the pastureland there to its original swamp condition.)

[Isafari]

Today, 14th March....

1929: Disney's 7-minute Mickey Mouse cartoon The Barn Dance is released. (It is the first of what will be twelve Mickey shorts released during 1929.)

1935:Donald Duck makes his first appearance in the Mickey Mouse daily newspaper comic strip.

2003: At 6 p.m., Cirque du Soleil celebrates a milestone at Walt Disney World, as the cast of La Nouba marks its 2000th performance at the Cirque du Soleil theater at Downtown Disney West Side. (La Nouba comes from the French "faire la nouba," which means "to party" or "to live it up.")

2008: Marley, a baby giraffe, is born at Disney's Animal Kingdom weighing in at 122 pounds and standing just under six feet. It is the second giraffe to be born at the theme park this year.

[Isafari]

Today, 15th March....

1975: The revised film America the Beautiful opens at the Circle-Vision 360° Theater at Walt Disney World, replacing Magic Carpet 'Round the World.

[Isafari]

Today, 16th March....

1935: The Disney film Mickey's Service Station featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy is released. Directed by Ben Sharpsteen, it is the last Walt Disney animated short in black and white.

[Isafari]

Today, 17th March....

1997: Disney World's Pleasure Island is transformed into Pleasure "Ireland" for St.Patrick's Day. The first 1,000 guests receive free party favors, and the night is filled with games including a contest to find the best Irish-jig dancer.

1999: Test Track officially opens at Walt Disney World's Epcot. Sponsored by General Motors, the attraction is the fastest ride ever designed (at this time) by Disney's Imagineers ... guests can reach speeds of 65 mph!
(The ride has been up and running since December 1998.)

2005: Over at Walt Disney World, the live show “Cinderellabration” begins soft openings at Magic Kingdom's Castle Forecourt Stage. The show has been imported from Tokyo Disneyland Park as part of the "Happiest Celebration on Earth".

[Isafari]

Today, 18th March....

1858: Kepple Disney marries Mary Richardson. The following year, they will have a child named Elias (the future father of Walt Disney).

1955: A ground breaking ceremony takes place at 11:15 a.m. in Anaheim, California for the Disneyland Hotel. Among the guests in attendance are Roy Disney (Walt's brother), C. V. Wood (Disneyland's vice-president & general manager), Anaheim's Mayor Charles Pearson, and members of the Wrather family (owners of the Disneyland Hotel).

2005: Walt Disney World hosts the 2005 Doll & Teddy Bear Weekend at Epcot.

[Isafari]

Today, 19th March....

1995: The Penny Arcade, the Main Street Bookstore, and the House of Magic (all located on Main Street USA in Walt Disney World) close. The space will become part of the Main Street Athletic Company.

2005: After nearly a year of refurbishment, the Fantasyland attraction It's A Small World reopens in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The aging attraction received a new sound system, paint, lighting, costumes for the dolls, and queue configuration.

[Isafari]

Today, 20th March....

1948: At the 20th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Disney wins
2 Oscars for the film Song of the South when Allie Wrubel & Ray Gilbert win for their song "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," and actor James Baskett wins a Special Award for his heartwarming portrayal of Uncle Remus. Disney's animated Chip 'n' Dale lose out to Warner Bros.' Tweetie Pie in the Short Subjects, Cartoon category.

[Isafari]

Today, 21st March....

2003: Columnist Mike Thomas describes his trip to the Magic Kingdom to escape the current realities of war in an Orlando Sentinel article titled "Ta-da! Disney's magic makes war disappear."

[Isafari]

Today, 22nd March....

1975:The Lake Buena Vista Village, an area of shops along the shores of Lake Buena Vista at Walt Disney World, officially opens. It provides the first non-park shopping at Disney World and is promoted as a "restful shopping atmosphere similar to a New England seaside village." (It will be renamed Walt Disney World Village before being re-christened as the more familiar Disney Village Marketplace.)

[Isafari]

Today, 23rd March....

1969: At Disneyland, 100 Volkswagen Beetles parade down Main Street to celebrate Herbie Day (to promote The Love Bug film).

1975: The Wonderful World of Disney airs the episode "Welcome To The World." Hosted by actress/singer Lucie Arnaz, the show celebrates the opening of the Magic Kingdom's new thrill ride Space Mountain!

2008: Roger Federer, the world’s No. 1 ranked men’s professional tennis player, attempts to "pull the sword from the stone" in Fantasyland at Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Federer is visiting Disney World during Easter weekend before heading to Miami for the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open.

[Isafari]

Today, 24th March....

1905: French novelist Jules Verne, author of such classics as From the Earth to the Moon, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Around the World in 80 Days, passes at age 77 in France. Often referred to as the "Father of Science Fiction," Verne's work will inspire many Disney films and theme park attractions.


2003: Business Week magazine publishes an image of Disney's Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket characters for an article about lying on applications to business schools

[Isafari]

Today, 25th March....

1969: U.S. President Richard Nixon presents Lillian Disney with a Congressional Gold Medal honoring her late husband Walt.

"Many ceremonies are held in this White House, but none that I think will have more meaning to all of us, young and old, than this one today, because it is my great privilege to present to Mrs. Walt Disney, on behalf of the Congress of the United States, by reason of a joint resolution, and on behalf of all the people of the United States and, I think, of the world, a gold medal; a gold medal honoring Walt Disney for his service through so many years not only to the people of the United Sates, but to the people of the world." -Richard Nixon

1986: Walt Disney World welcomes Don McGrath - the 500 millionth guest to enter a Disney park!

2006: Mike Peterson, a linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars, marries his fiance Chantel at Disney World's Wedding Pavilion in Florida.