This Day in Disney History

[tiggerguy]

May 27

1879:
Star of stage & screen Lucile Watson - the grandmother in Disney's 1946 feature Song of the South - is born in Quebec, Canada.

1911:
Legendary actor & writer Vincent Price - the voice of Professor Ratigan in Disney's 1986 release The Great Mouse Detective - is born in St. Louis, Missouri.

1933:
Disney's animated Silly Symphony short The Three Little Pigs is generally released. (The popularity of the film will lead to 3 sequels.)

1938:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon Wynken, Blynken, and Nod is released. The 8-minute short is based on a popular poem for children written by journalist Eugene Field in 1889. Disney makes lavish use of its new multi-plane camera, which gives scenes great depth & beauty - most particularly to the opening sequence.

1995:
The Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner, located on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, is renamed Casey's Corner.

[tiggerguy]

May 28

1928:
Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit black & white silent short Oh, What a Knight is released.

1953:
Disney's first ever 3-D cartoon released in the U.S. premieres at the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood, California. It is a short distributed by RKO titled Melody (Adventures in Music). Written by **** Huemer, it will later be shown in the Fantasyland Theater at Disneyland as part of the 3D Jamboree.

1994:
Disney's Wilderness Lodge (located at 901 Timberline Drive) opens at Walt Disney World. The 728-room lakeside deluxe resort (inspired by the beautiful early American National
Parks) features an 80-foot tall fireplace in its lobby.

[tiggerguy]

May 29

1903:
Legendary comedian-actor and entertainer Bob Hope is born in England. In 1939 Hope presented the short subject awards and personally gave Walt an Oscar for Ferdinand the Bull. In 1971 he took part in NBC-TV's Grand Opening of Walt Disney World. Bwana Bob's a small, freestanding store in Walt Disney World's Adventureland originally called the Adventureland Kiosk is a tribute to Bob Hope!

[tiggerguy]

May 30

1908:
Mel Blanc, "The Man of a 1000 Voices," is born in San Francisco, California. He will supply the hiccup sound effect in the 1940 Pinocchio and voice Cousin Orville for Walt Disney World's Carousel of Progress.

1936:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Thru The Mirror is released. It is based on the "Alice Through the Looking Glass" story.

1971:
Actress Idina Mensel is born in Queens, New York. She appears as Nancy Tremaine in Disney's 2007 feature Enchanted.

2003:
The Disney/Pixar animated feature Finding Nemo is released. This underwater adventure features the voices of Alexander Gould, Erica Beck, Albert Brooks, Willem Dafoe, Ellen DeGeneres, and John Ratzenberger.

[tiggerguy]

May 31

1908:
Veteran actor Don Ameche is born in Kenosha, Wisconsin. His Disney credits include Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (as the voice of Shadow) and The Boatniks (as Commodore Taylor).

[tiggerguy]

June 1

1911:
Actor Eric Rolf - who portrayed John in Disney's 1946 Song of the South and Mr. Simms in Disney's 1950 Davy Crockett, Indian Scout - is born Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1933:
The first Mickey Mouse watch is sold by Ingersoll-Waterbury, a Connecticut clock maker on the verge of bankruptcy. The sale of the watches will save the company!

1935:
The Ingersoll-Waterbury Company reports that it has produced 2.5 million Mickey Mouse watches during its 2-year association with Disney.

1947:
Actor Jonathan Pryce - known for his role of Governor Weatherby Swann in both Disney features Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - is born in Wales, UK.

1994:
Mickey Mania Parade debuts at Walt Disney World.

[tiggerguy]

June 2

1989:
Touchstone Pictures - part of Disney's Buena Vista Entertainment family - releases Dead Poets Society, starring Robin Williams.

2007:
The completed Ratatouille is viewed by the Pixar staff at a wrap party.

[tiggerguy]

June 3

1984:
The Bistro de Paris restaurant in the France Pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase opens.

2001:
Disney's animated Atlantis: The Lost Empire premieres in Hollywood at Disney's El Capitan Theatre.

[tiggerguy]

June 4

1924:
Actor Dennis Weaver is born in Joplin, Missouri. He is the voice of Abner in Disney's animated feature Home on the Range and appears in The Wonderful World of Disney's "Gallegher Goes West" series.

1990:
The Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel (operated by Sheraton) opens in Florida between the Disney MGM Studios and the Epcot resort area. The hotel was designed by Michael Graves.

[tiggerguy]

June 5

1925:
Actor-singer Bill Hayes, who earned a gold record for "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," is born in Harvey, Illinois.

1998:
Disney's 36th animated feature film Mulan premieres at the Hollywood Bowl in California. The film is the first (of three) produced primarily at the animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Florida.

[tiggerguy]

June 6

1952:
The Disney cartoon Susie, the Little Blue Coupe is released by RKO. Directed by Clyde Geronimi, the short features the voices of Thurl Ravenscroft and Stan Freberg.

1974:
Herbie Rides Again, the sequel to the 1969 film The Love Bug, is released.
Set in San Francisco, Herbie bonds with a female this time - an elderly lady
named Mrs. Steinmetz is played by actress Helen Hayes.

2006:
Walt Disney Records' soundtrack for the Disney/Pixar animated film Cars is released. The CD boasts a score from Randy Newman and new songs by Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow and James Taylor.

[tiggerguy]

June 7

1940:
Disney's Donald Duck film Mr. Duck Steps Out, directed by Jack King and written by Carl Barks, is released. Clarence Nash supplies the voices for Donald as well as Daisy, and Huey, Dewey & Louie!

1946:
BBC-TV in England returns to the airwaves after a near 7-year absence (due to the second World War). In an attempt to emphasize continuity, the first day's program includes the cartoon Mickey's Gala Premiere.

1993:
Actor Jordan Fry - the voice of Lewis in Disney's 2007 Meet the Robinsons - is born in Washington.

[tiggerguy]

June 8

1902:
In Chicago, Elias and Flora Disney baptize their son Walter at the St. Paul Congregational Church. The Disneys are loyal members of the congregation - Flora plays the organ and Elias, a carpenter by trade, has helped build the church.

1917:
Walt Disney graduates from Benton Grammar School in Kansas City.

1944:
Mouseketeer Don Grady is born Don Agrati in San Francisco, California. Besides being a member of TV's The Mickey Mouse Club in 1957, he has also written music for game animation for Disney's Lilo and Stitch, Return to Neverland, and The Santa Clause.

2001:
Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire opens in Los Angeles and New York theaters

[tiggerguy]

June 9

1931:
Actress Joan Marshall, whose Disney credits include the live-action features The Happiest Millionaire and The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit, is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1934:
Donald Duck makes his very first film appearance in The Wise Little Hen, a Silly Symphony short by Walt Disney. Donald's appearance in this cartoon, as created by animator **** Lundy, is similar to his modern look except his features are more elongated, his body plumper, and his feet bigger. Directed by Bert Gillet, the short features the voice of Clarence Nash as Donald Duck.

1939:
The Donald Duck short Beach Picnic is released. This cartoon features a frustrated Donald & Pluto dealing with a rubber sea horse named Sylvester and a marauding tribe of Red Indian ants!

1961:
Actor Michael J. Fox, the voice of Milo James Thatch in Disney's 2001 release Atlantis: The Lost Empire, is born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is also the voice of Chance in Disney's 1993 live-action feature Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey.

1963:
Actor Johnny Depp, the star of Disney's live-action Pirates of the Caribbean series, is born in Owensboro, Kentucky.

2006:
The Disney/Pixar animated feature Cars is generally released.

[tiggerguy]

June 10

1908:
Actor Bob Cummings is born in Joplin, Missouri. In July 1955 he will help host the grand opening of Disneyland.

1910:
Imagineer and Disney Legend Bill Evans is born in Santa Monica, California. He will go on to landscape Disneyland as well as consult on the landscape design of Tokyo Disneyland.

1949:
Child actor & Disney Legend Kevin Corcoran is born in Santa Monica, California. His live-action Disney credits include Old Yeller, The Shaggy Dog, and Pollyanna.

1995:
About 110,000 people attend an outdoor premiere of Disney's Pocahontas in Central Park, New York. It is the largest opening ever for an animated film.