February 13th
1930:
Autumn, the third 4 seasons Symphony is released. It is
directed by Ub Iwerks and released through Columbia Pictures.
1957:
The Disneyland television series airs “Tricks of Our Trade.”
1959:
The TV series Walt Disney Presents airs “Duck Flies Coop.”
1965:
Disney’s combination live-action and animated Freewayphobia, featuring Goofy, is released.
1973:
A Valentine Dance (sponosred by the WDW Recreation Club) is
held for Disney World Cast Members at the Contemporary
Hotel’s Ballroom of the Americas.
1976:
Animator John Lounsbery, one of Walt’s original “Nine Old Men” who is still a studio employee, passes away at St. Joseph’s Hospital in California (across from the Disney Studio). His work for Disney included Pinocchio, Dumbo, Melody Time, and Robin Hood.
1985:
Mickey Mouse, accompanied by Disneyland’s Ambassador, Melissa Taylor, begin a 30-day flight around the world, celebrating Disneyland’s 30th anniversary.
1988:
Expo Robotics (located in CommuniCore West) debuts at
EPCOT’s Future World.
1993:
Lumiere’s Kitchen restaurant opens in Fantasyland at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
1996:
Epcot’s Test Track Preview Center opens.
1998:
Animator Jules Engel, who worked on Disney’s Fantasia, is awarded the “Friz” lifetime achievement award for animation at the 1998 Santa Clarita International Film Festival. Founder of the experimental-animation program at CalArts in 1970 (where he taught for over thirty years) Engel helped develop the cartoon character Mr. Magoo.
1999:
Winnie the Pooh, a Valentine for You airs on ABC-TV.
2000:
As part of the 45th anniversary celebration, The Disneyland Resort introduces a new Pin Trading Program.
Also, the “45 Years of Magic Parade” has its first public preview at Disneyland. Two shows, one during the day and one at night, are performed. (The parade will make its official debut on February 18.)
2002:
It is announced at the Chandler Mansion set from “All My Children: in ABC Soap Opera Bistro” at Disney’s California Adventure, that ABC Super Soap Weekends will take place in April 2002. There will be 3 weekends (much like the ones that for several years have taken place at the Disney-MGM Studios in Florida) devoted to popular daytime dramas aired on ABC-TV. Actor Walt Willey (who plays Jackson McGomery on “All My Children”), actresses Linda Dano (who portrays Ray Cummings on “One Life To Live”) and Nancy Lee Grahn (who plays Alexis Davis on “General Hospital”) all take part in the morning announcement.
2004:
Disneyland hosts a Friday the 13th ceremony to light up the marque of the new Tower of Terror. The event, which includes a screaming contest, is hosted by comedian Gallagher.
(The new attraction will open in May.)
2007:
Danielle Day and her family from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan spend
the night inside Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. The first
time Disney World visitors are the first Canadian family to ever win
a night’s stay as part of the unique Disney Dreams Giveaway.
2008:
Disney releases Discs of Tron on Xbox Live Arcade. The game, based on the 1982 film Tron, allows players to face off against the evil Sark.
February 12th, 2008
1809:
Abraham Lincoln (the 16th U.S. president) is born in Hardin County, Kentucky. He will be the subject of such Disney attractions as Greatest Moments with Mr Lincoln (originally created for the
1964 World’s Fair) and Walt Disney World’s Hall of Presidents - click here to read Lincoln’s HOP speech. (Walt Disney was always fascinated with the life of Lincoln. He even recited Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to his elementary class as a small boy!)
1934:
Walt Disney Productions files an application for a trademark of “Mickey Mouse” for use in books and newspaper comic strips.
1951:
Disney’s Cinderella is nominated for 3 Academy Awards - Best Music, Original Song (for “Bibbidy-Bobbidi-Boo”); Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture; and Best Sound, Recording. The Disney short
In Beaver Valley is nominated for Best Short Subject: Two Reel.
1960:
The ABC-TV series Walt Disney Presents airs the episode
“Texas John Slaughter: Desperado from Tombstone.”
1988:
Siegfried and Roy appear on the TV special Disney’s Magic in the Magic Kingdom. The illusionists make Sleeping Beauty Castle disappear!
1999:
Disney’s My Favorite Martian starring Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Daniels, Elizabeth Hurley, Darryl Hannah, and Ray Walston is generally released. Based on the popular 60’s TV show (also
starring Walston) the film is directed by Donald Petrie
(of Grumpy Old Men fame). Playing in front of My Favorite Martian is the animated short Pluto Gets the Paper: Spaceship.
2000:
Disney fans dress up in tuxedos and formal gowns to attend the Royal Ball held at the Disneyland Hotel in California for Cinderella’s 50th anniversary. The night includes stories from the Disney legends that created Cinderella including the voice talents who brought Anastasia, Drizella and Cinderella to life.
Disney’s 1998 animated feature Mulan premieres on the Disney Channel.
2002:
Disney’s 1953 Peter Pan; Special Edition is released on
DVD. It includes commentary by Walt Disney and veteran animators Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, and Marc Davis.
2003:
The Tokyo Disneyland CD Cinderellabration: Lights of Romance is released.
2001:
Ilene Woods - the original voice of Cinderella - appears at a Cinderella Ball in Disneyland to celebrate the anniversary of the motion picture.
2007:
Academy Award-winning visual effects pioneer/matte artist and Disney Legend
Peter Ellenshaw passes away at his home in Santa Barbara, California at the
age of 93. A hand-picked member of Walt Disney’s creative team since 1947,
Ellenshaw was called upon to create a wide variety of visual effects for such
films as Mary Poppins, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Darby O’Gill and the
Little People, Treasure Island, and The Black Hole. He even painted the iconic
first map of Disneyland that was featured on all the early postcards and
souvenir booklets.
Starting today, we are going to have a new segment where we will post “This Day in Disney History”. You will get to see what happened in Disney on this date. We will begin with this starting today.
Monday, February 11th 2008
1918:
Animator, Imagineer, sculptor and Disney Legend Blaine Gibson is born in Rocky Ford, Colorado. He will create hundreds of sculptures from which Audio-Animatronics figures and bronzes will be produced for exhibits in the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair and Disney theme parks around the world. Among his contributions will be Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and the Enchanted Tiki Room. He will also sculpt all the presidents for the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World and the Partners statue (found in the “hub” of the Magic Kingdom).
1932:
The Mickey Mouse short The Grocery Boy, featuring the voices of Walt Disney (as Mickey) and Marcellite Garner (as Minnie), is released.
1938:
Disney’s Donald Duck cartoon Self Control is released.
Clarence Nash provides the voice for Donald.
1949:
The Disney Donald Duck short Donald’s Happy Birthday is released.
1952:
Disney’s Alice in Wonderland is nominated for an Academy Award for
Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.
1970:
Variety reports that Walt Disney secretly took its movie, Song of the South out of circulation back in 1958. The publication claims the movie was pulled because of racist attitudes in the film.
1979:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs part 1 of “Ride a Wild Pony.”
1999:
Disney’s live-action feature film My Favorite Martian premieres at the
Famous Players Colossus Center in Toronto, Canada.
2000:
Disney’s The Tigger Movie - narrated by John Hurt and featuring five new songs by the team of Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman - is released. It is the first time Pooh and his friends appear in an original, theatrically-released feature film (previous Pooh features were either compilations of shorts, or made for video productions).
2002:
Twelve “Outstanding Airmen of the Year” are honored as grand marshals in a parade at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The airmen, men and women representing airbases from all over the world, spend the afternoon high atop the parade floats while hundreds of park guests cheer them on. (Every year the Air Force selects 12 individuals to represent the more than 400,000 enlisted men and women from the active duty, guard, and reserve forces. These people start the competition at their home stations, and finally win the title as “Outstanding Airmen of the Year.” They hold the title for one year.)
The Walt Disney Company agrees to let Travelocity.com sell hotel reservations and theme-park tickets online. By allowing the discount-travel giant to do this, Disney hopes to expand its marketing efforts on the Internet.
2003:
The Walt Disney Company receives an industry- leading 44 Oscar nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, including 13 nominations for Miramax’s Chicago, 10 for Gangs of New York and 9 for The Hours, a co-production with Paramount Pictures. Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group receives three nominations for Best Animated Feature Film for Walt Disney Pictures Lilo & Stitch, Treasure Planet and Spirited Away.
Sarah Litzsinger returns to the cast of Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast. Litzsinger, Broadway’s longest-running Belle, takes over the role from “Sopranos” star Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who departed the production February 9.
2004:
Al Weiss (the president of Disney World) speaks to the Institutional Investors at Walt Disney World during a 2-day conference.
2007:
Randy Newman’s “Our Town” (from the Disney/Pixar Cars) wins Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media at the 49th Grammy Awards. (Newman also wins an Annie on this same evening - read below!)
