This Day in Disney History

June 12

1942:
Disney's Donald Duck short Donald's Garden is released.

1957:
At Disneyland, the Monsanto House of the Future opens in Tomorrowland. The walk-through attraction provides a glimpse of living in the future.

1975:
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln returns to Disneyland after being replaced in 1973 with The Walt Disney Story. On this day the Main Street Opera House becomes home to The Walt Disney Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.

1999:
Disney's animated feature Tarzan premieres at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood.

2004:
Disney's animated Lorenzo wins the coveted short film grand prize at the 28th International Festival of Animated Film at Annecy (France). The award is presented to director Mike Gabriel.

June 13

1931:
Disney's 8-minute Mickey Mouse cartoon The Delivery Boy is released.

1962:
Disney's live-action feature film Big Red, starring Walter Pidgeon is generally released.

1963:
Disney's short Yellowstone Cubs (narrated by Rex Allen) is released.

2000:
The Broadway cast album of Disney's "Aida" is released.

2002:
Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter Randy Newman (who wrote the music for Disney's Monsters, Inc. ) is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame during a dinner and ceremony in New York City. Other inductees include Michael Jackson, Sting, Ashford & Simpson, and Barry Manilow.

June 14

1958:
Disneyland's Columbia ship is christened on the Rivers of America. It is a full-scale version of the first ship to carry the American flag around the world. It actually was built in large part from the plans for the HMS Bounty (of mutiny fame). Disney's shipbuilders couldn't find plans for the original Columbia, so they relied heavily on those of Captain Bligh's ship, which had similar dimensions. It has cost $300,000 to build. Fowler's Harbor (named after Admiral Joseph Fowler, who helped to build Disneyland) is also officially opened on this day to dock the new ship.

The Disneyland attraction Alice in Wonderland debuts in Fantasyland. Actress, Kathryn Beaumont, voice of Alice in the 1951 animated movie, provides the voice for the attraction.

1959:
The first urban monorail system in the U.S., the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System, begins operation in California's Disneyland. The two Mark I trains run on a .8 mile track around Tomorrowland. Walt Disney and vice president Nixon and his family are on hand for the dedication of the "Highway in the Sky."

Also on this day at Disneyland, the Matterhorn Mountain with its Matterhorn Bobsleds, the first roller coaster to use cylindrical rails and urethane wheels (which will become standard in the roller coaster industry) opens.

The Submarine Voyage ride is officially dedicated on this day as well in Anaheim. (The attraction has cost about $2.5 million to create.) The Nautilus and seven sister submarines - the Triton, Sea Wolf, Skate, Skipjack, George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Ethan Allen allow 38 Disneyland guests at a time to take their own voyage to the North Pole.

1975:
Disneyland's and Disney World's new parade America on Parade both debut. The parade features the "People of America" - eight-foot-tall characters with doll-like heads (including Ben Franklin, Miss Liberty, Uncle Sam, and Pilgrims).

1997:
Disney's Hercules has its world premiere at the New Amsterdam Theater in New York City. Disney's Main Street Electrical Parde comes out of retirement to brighten up the festivities through Times Square.

2000:
Tokyo Disneyland welcomes its 250 millionth visitor, Mrs. Hisae Do.

June 15

1944:
This day's Disney Studio Labor-Management Commission newsletter notes:
Ward Kimball's Huggajeedy 8 is doing a swell job of entertaining the boys in the hospitals. Next trip will be to the Norconia T.B. Ward, where they'll try a new act, complete with "chalk-talk," skits and jam session. This is in refernece to Kimball's musical group which will eventually turn into The Firehouse Five Plus Two.

1990:
The Disney short Roller Coaster Rabbit (featuring the voice of Charles Fleischer as Roger Rabbit) is released along with the Touchstone/ Disney feature film **** Tracy, starring Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, and Madonna.

2001:
Disney's 40th animated creation Atlantis: The Lost Empire
(featuring the voices of Michael J. Fox, Claudia Christian, Leonard Nimoy, James Gardner, and Jim Varney) is released nationwide. This is Disney's first 70mm animated film since 1985's The Black Cauldron.

2002:
SHOCKWAVE (a new musical show from the creator of the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit Blast!) debuts at Epcot.

June 16

1934:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey's Steam Roller is released.

1945:
Walt Disney's wife Lillian christens the SS Rice Victory, a 10,500-ton U.S. Warship.

1955:
Disney's 15th animated feature film Lady and the Tramp has its world premiere in Chicago. It is the first Disney cartoon feature filmed in CinemaScope.

1956:
At Disneyland, Tom Sawyer's Island and the Rafts to Tom Sawyer's Island debut in Frontierland.

1957:
At Disneyland, the tent that housed the Mickey Mouse Club Circus becomes part of the new Holidayland picnic area.

1961:
Walt Disney purchases the film rights to the Winnie the Pooh stories from Mrs. Daphne Milne, wife of the late author A.A. Milne. (The first film, Winnie-the-Pooh and the Honey Tree, will appear in 1966 as a twenty-six minute short.)

1999:
A DisneyQuest opens in Chicago, Illinois. (Due to poor profits it will close in September 2001.)

2000:
Totally Circus (a documentary/adventure series) premieres on the Disney Channel.

Fantasia/2000 (the sequel to the Disney classic) opens at
movie theaters nationwide.

2002:
The premiere screening of Lilo & Stitch takes place at Disney's El Capitan Theatre . Among the guests for the event are Jason Scott Lee (the voice of David Kawena), David Ogden Stiers (the voice of Jumba), Kevin McDonald (the voice of Pleakley).

June 17

1930:
William Banks Levy becomes Disney's representative in England. He is authorized to license Mickey and Minnie Mouse character merchandising.

1933:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey's Mechanical Man is released.

1938:
Disney's Donald Duck cartoon Polar Trappers is released.

1957:
Holidayland, a picnic and tent area located to the left of Disneyland's main gate, opens. (It had been originally built for the now closed Mickey Mouse Club Circus.)

1971:
Valerie Suldo (from New Jersey) becomes the 100-millionth guest to enter Disneyland.

1972:
The Main Street Electric Parade opens at Disneyland.

1997:
A touring exhibition of design art (from the Walt Disney Imagineering archives) called Designing Disney's Theme Parks: The Architecture of Reassurance is displayed at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal.

June 18

1954:
Disney's 8-minute animated short Casey Bats Again is released.

1956:
Disneyland's Storybook Land (including Canal Boats of the World) premieres. The canal, located in Fantasyland, contains 465,000 gallons of water in which 13 boats (powered by outboard motors) sail. The vessels are named Cinderella, Daisy, Aurora, Alice, Faline, Flora, Fauna, Flower, Katrina, Merryweather, Wendy, Snow White, and Tinkerbell. The ride is partly based on Madurodam, a tourist attraction in Holland that Walt Disney had visited.

1959:
Disney's Eyes In Outer Space is released in theaters. The combination live-action and animated program explains the future of satellite's ability to forecast and control the weather.

1983:
The Disneyland parade Flights of Fancy debuts.

1988:
Mickey's Hollywood Theatre opens in Walt Disney World's
Magic Kingdom.

1995:
The first wedding performed at Walt Disney World's Wedding Pavilion (a Victorian-style structure located next to the Grand Floridian) previews on the Lifetime cable network show, Weddings of a Lifetime.

1996:
The Haber family become the first to move into Disney's newest Florida community, Celebration.

1998:
The Walt Disney Company becomes an even bigger part of the Internet with the purchase of a 43% stake in Web search engine company Infoseek Corp.

1999:
The Disney animated feature Tarzan is released in the U.S. (The soundtrack features five tracks by Phil Collins - who will win an Academy Award and a Grammy Award.)

June 19

1957:
The Disney cartoon The Story of Anyburg, U.S.A. is released.

The Disney adventure film Johnny Tremain (about a young silversmith's apprentice who is drawn into the American Revolutionary War) is released.

1960:
Freedomland U.S.A. (New York's answer to Disneyland) opens its doors. Built in the shape of the United States, this 205-acre park's

1995:
A bronze statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, called the Partners Statue, is installed at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney Word. It is identical to the statue created by Blaine Gibson first installed at Disneyland in November 1993.

1996:
Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame has its world premiere at the Superdome in New Orleans, utilizing six enormous screens, and a parade through the French Quarter.

1998:
In Florida, DisneyQuest opens in the West End area of Downtown Disney. Packed with four floors of high-tech, interactive virtual adventures, DisneyQuest is the first in a national chain of interactive entertainment centers.

Disney's 36th animated feature Mulan is released in the U.S. It is the first film primarily produced at Walt Disney Feature Animations Florida, Disney's state-of-the-art animation studio in Orlando.

June 20

1929:
Disney's Mickey Mouse short Mickey's Choo Choo is released. It features the singing debut of Mickey and the song "Minnie's Yoo Hoo" (written by Carl Stalling and Walt Disney).

1936:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoons Moving Day and Mickey's Rival are both released.

1941:
The Disney animated and live-action feature film The Reluctant Dragon debuts. The premiere, held at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood, is disrupted by a mob of Walt's striking Disney cartoonists. The police actually cordon off Hollywood Blvd. around the theater for fear of what the rampaging cartoonists might do. (This is the first Disney animated feature to incorporate extenisve live-action footage.)

1947:
Disney's Donald Duck cartoon Clown of the Jungle is released.

1953:
Disney releases the animated Goofy short Father's Weekend.

1976:
Walt Disney World's River Country opens. It is Disney's first attempt at a themed water park.

1995:
The Walt Disney Company announces plans for a fourth theme park in Florida, called Disney's Wild Animal Kingdom. The park is expected to cost $760 million to create.

The attraction ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter begins operation in Tomorrowland (it replaces Flight to the Moon).

1999:
At Disneyland, the 20th Century Music Company opens on Main Street.

June 21

1930:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon Frolicking Fish is released.

1957:
Disneyland's Viewliner (a predecessor to the monorail) debuts.
It is the first attempt at "mass-transit" in the park.

1961:
Disney's The Parent Trap, starring Hayley Mills, Maureen O'Hara, and Brian Keith, is released. Also the combination live-action and animated The Litterbug, featuring Donald Duck, is released as is the animated short Donald and the Wheel.

1985:
Disney's live-action feature film, Return to Oz is released in
U.S. Theaters.

1988:
The Touchstone/Disney film Who Framed Roger Rabbit premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York. It will be generally released in U.S. theaters the following day.

1991:
The Disneyland parade Celebration U.S.A. debuts.

The Rocketeer starring Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, and Timothy Dalton, premieres at the El Capitan Theatre.

1995:
Tokyo Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade ends its run.

1996:
Disney's 34th feature film The Hunchback of Notre Dame is generally released. (It is taken from the Victor Hugo epic novel, first published in 1831.)

2000:
DisneyQuest unveils two new attractions at the Indoor Interactive Theme Park at Disney World: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold" (which allows guests to fulfill their fantasy of becoming a pirate and interacting in a pirate world) and "Songmaker" (which allows guests to become a record producer and create their own song).

2002:
Disney's 41st animated feature Lilo & Stitch opens in U.S. theaters the same day ABC-TV airs Disney's Lilo & Stitch Aloha From Hollywood.

Country singer Wynonna Judd appears on Good Morning America singing "Burning Love" (the Elvis Presley song she has recorded for the Lilo & Stitch soundtrack).

June22

1955:
Disney's Lady and the Tramp, the first feature-length cartoon produced in CinemaScope, is generally released. The idea for the film comes from a short story by Ward Greene entitled "Happy Dan, the Whistling Dog."

1970:
The Walt Disney Archives is established on the studio lot in Burbank, California (with a little help from David R. Smith) and charged with recording and preserving the history of Disney. Smith's connection with Disney dates back to 1967 when, as a librarian at UCLA, he compiled an extensive bibliography on Walt Disney, spending over a year researching all Disney publications and productions.

1977:
Disney's 23rd animated feature film The Rescuers is released in U.S. theaters. The movie features the voices of Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, and Joe Flynn. The song "Someone's Waiting For You," written by Carol Connors (lyrics), Ayn Robbins (lyrics), & Sammy Fain (music), will be nominated for an Academy Award.

1985:
Videopolis (a high-tech nightclub style outdoor entertainment venue) opens in Disneyland's Fantasyland.

1988:
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is generally released.

1997:
Disney's Hercules has its California premiere at Cal Arts in Los Angeles.

2001:
Disney's animated feature Atlantis: The Lost Empire is released. The film includes the voice-over talents of Leonard Nimoy, Michael J. Fox, James Garner, Jim Varney, Don Novello, and David Ogden Stiers.

2004:
Six classic Disney tunes are chosen as part of The American Film Institute's top 100 songs. Broadcast on CBS-TV, AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Songs is hosted by John Travolta. Disney is represented in the list with:

"When You Wish Upon A Star" (from Pinocchio) at #7
"Some Day My Prince Will Come" (from Snow White) at #19
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (from Mary Poppins) at #36
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" (from Song of the South) at #47
"Beauty and the Beast" (from Beauty and the Beast) at #62
"Hakuna Matata" (from The Lion King) at #99.

June 23

1925:
Disney's Alice Comedy Alice is Stage Struck premieres at the Rivoli Theater in New York City.

1944:
Disney's short Springtime for Pluto is released.

1956:
Disneyland's Skyway to Fantasyland and Skyway to Tomorrowland begin transporting guests across the park. Guests take off from a small Alpine chalet in Fantasyland and travel through the Matterhorn mountain on their way to Tomorrowland. Tomorrowland guests seated in Skwyay buckets pass over such attractions as the Richfield Autopia and the Goodyear PeopleMover on their way to Fantasyland.

1963:
At Disneyland, the Enchanted Tiki Room (the first attraction to feature Audio-Animatronics figures first developed by WED Enterprises) opens.

1967:
Disney's The Happiest Millionaire starring Fred MacMurray opens in Hollywood, California.

1989:
Disney's Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (starring Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer and Marcia Strassman) is released along with the Disney short Tummy Trouble featuring Roger Rabbit and Baby Herman.

The Walt Disney World attraction Dreamflight (located in Tomorrowland) opens to guests.

1995:
Disney's 33rd full-length animated feature Pocahontas is generally released in the U.S. the same day The Spirit of Pocahontas opens at Disneyland's Fantasyland Theatre.

1999:
In Disneyland, Tarzan's Treehouse opens in Adventureland replacing the Swiss Family Treehouse.

2000:
Sotheby's in New York City hosts a 6-day exhibition of the art of Disney's Tarzan and Fantasia/2000.

2004:
A set of four 37-cent postage stamps, 23-cent postal cards and printed stationary that comes with 37 cents of postage featuring Disney characters are issued by the United States Postal Service.
(They will go on sale nationwide the following day.)

Sam I Am starts a new thread about Disney History

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tiggerguy

2004:
Sam I Am starts a new thread about Disney History [/b]

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Wow a year on this already!

June 24

1949:
Disney's Pluto cartoon Bubble Bee is released.

1959:
Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People premieres in Dublin, Ireland.

1977:
Disney's Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, starring Dean Jones and Don Knotts, is released.

1994:
Disney's The Lion King is generally released in U.S. theaters. With award-winning music by Hans Zimmer, Elton John and Tim Rice, the film features the voices of Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Cummings, and Nathan Lane.

1998:
Jacqueline D'Ambrosi, a 9-year-old from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, becomes the 600-millionth person to walk through the turnstiles of the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. With a click of the turnstile at 7:37 a.m., Jacqueline is immediately mobbed by Mickey Mouse and a cast of other Disney characters. She is awarded lifetime passes to the vast Florida amusement park, and to Disney's three other theme parks, for her and her family.

At Disneyland Paris, a number of parade and show cast members (mainly costumed roles) strike over pay and recognition. Their main concern is that they should be recognized as performing artists, rather than simply theme-park workers, resulting in substantially higher rates of pay. The strike impacts somewhat on parades, shows and character greeting sessions at the park.

2002:
The June 24th issue of TIME includes an article on Disney's newest animated feature Lilo & Stitch.

June 25

1928:
Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit black & white silent short The Fox Chase is released.

1948:
Disney's animated feature Dumbo is released in Denmark.

1966:
Disney's live-action comedy feature film Lt. Robinson Crusoe, U.S.N. (starring **** Van Dyke) is generally released in the U.S.

1967:
A new version of the CircleVision 360 film America the Beautiful debuts in Disneyland. The film has been re-shot using the 9-camera CircleVision format (as opposed to the old 11-camera Circarama format).

1980:
Disney's live-action films Herbie Goes Bananas (starring Cloris Leachman) and The Last Flight of Noah's Ark (starring Elliott Gould) are both released in the U.S.

1999:
Mo Vaughn, the popular Anaheim Angels first baseman, along with boys and girls from the "Gene Autry RBI League," participate in a mini cavalcade and ceremony with the Dapper Dans on Main Street in Disneyland. The Dapper Dans lead the audience in "Take Me Out To The Ballgame."