Tag: DISNEY THIS DAY
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Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 17, 2009
On this day in 2009, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique first came to California when a location opened in Disneyland’s Fantasyland. Located directly behind Sleeping Beauty Castle, the boutique offers makeover packages to transform young guests into a princess or a prince for the day. The very first Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique opened in 2006 inside the…
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The Kid Who Would Be King | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 16, 2019
On this day in 2019, ‘The Kid Who Would Be King’ was released to home media. The film was a modernized King Arthur tale inspired by ‘Excalibur’ and ‘E.T.: The Extraterrestrial,’ and with similarities to ‘The Sword in the Stone.’ This was the first 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment title to be distributed by Walt…
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The Walt Disney Story | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 15, 1973
On this day in 1973, ‘The Walt Disney Story,’ a film about the history of Walt Disney narrated by Walt himself, opened in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The attraction had debuted at Disneyland’s Opera House a week before. The film pulled together interviews and recordings of Walt to create the narration. It…
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The Love Bug (series) | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 14, 1982
On this day in 1982, the ‘Herbie, the Love Bug’ television series on CBS aired its final episode, “Calling Doctor Herbie.” The show had a limited run of five episodes. It starred Dean Jones reprising the role of Jim Douglas from the ‘Herbie’ films. Jim and his partner Bo run a driving school with Herbie,…
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The Muppets | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 13, 2012
On this day in 2012, Michael Bloomberg named the Muppets the official “Family Ambassadors” of New York City. The Muppets encouraged families to visit the five boroughs of the Big Apple by sharing their favorite family-friendly things to do. Unsurprisingly, Miss Piggy’s priority was shopping. Kermit the Frog pointed out the green Statue of Liberty…
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Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 12, 1992
On this day in 1992, ‘Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage!’ debuted at the Videopolis Stage in Disneyland. Recreating the story of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ through music and dance, it was similar to the show that premiered at Disney-MGM Studios in Florida five months earlier, along with the film. The Disneyland version would…
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Euro Disney | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 11, 1992
On this day in 1992, Euro Disney (now Disneyland Paris) held a press preview day. Lucky guests could experience the park for free! A celebrity-filled sneak preview called ‘The Grand Opening of Euro Disney’ was simulcast across Europe in five languages and was broadcast in the US later that evening. The program concluded with Mickey…
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‘it’s a small world’ 50th Anniversary | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 10, 2014
On this day in 2014, guests and cast members of Disney Parks worldwide raised their voices in song to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “it’s a small world” and its opening at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The historic singalong was organized by global relief agency UNICEF. Fans around the world could also participate…
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Ella Enchanted | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 9, 2004
On this day in 2004, the fantasy romantic comedy ‘Ella Enchanted’ was released by Miramax Films, then a division of Disney. A modernized, revisionist take on the Cinderella story and a satire of the fairy tale genre, ‘Ella Enchanted’ was based on a book of the same name. It follows Anne Hathaway’s Ella, whose fairy…
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Sea Salts | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 8, 1949
On this day in 1949, the Donald Duck cartoon short ‘Sea Salts’ was released. The short took on a retrospective tone, with a now elderly “Mac” Bootle Beetle recalling a time he was shipwrecked at sea with Captain Donald Duck. While Donald initially looks out for himself at Mac’s expense, even using Mac as bait…
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The Ugly Duckling | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 7, 1939
On this day in 1939, the 75th and final ‘Silly Symphony’ cartoon short, ‘The Ugly Duckling,’ was released. It was the second version of the short to be made by Disney, the first being released in black and white in 1931. The story follows the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale where a duckling rejected…
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Gran Fiesta Tour | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 6, 2007
On this day in 2007, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros opened in the Mexico Pavilion at EPCOT. It replaced the opening day attraction, El Rio de Tiempo. Gran Fiesta Tour is a gentle boat ride that floats past landmarks of Mexico, both past and present. Guests are joined on the cruise by Jose…
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Lily James | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 5, 1989
On this day in 1989, actress Lily James was born. She is known by Disney fans for portraying Cinderella in the 2015 live action film of the same name. The role would be her film breakthrough, assisted by the famous photos of her in Cinderella’s blue ball gown, which were taken by Annie Leibovitz. The…
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Ub Iwerks Academy Award | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 4, 1960
On this day in 1960, Disney creative genius Ub Iwerks won an Oscar for Technical Achievement at the 32nd Annual Academy Awards. The award recognized Iwerks’s design of an optical printer for special effects. The device was essentially a camera that worked together with at least one projector to take pictures of photographs. This made…
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Frank Wells | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 3, 1994
On this day in 1994, former Disney president and Chief Operating Officer Frank Wells was tragically killed in a helicopter accident. Starting in 1984, Wells partnered with Michael Eisner to run The Walt Disney Company. Disney saw unprecedented growth under his leadership. Wells’ legacy has been memorialized with a building in his honor at The…
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Home on the Range | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 2, 2004
On this day in 2004, the animated comedy ‘Home on the Range’ was released in theaters. An unlikely trio of dairy cows set out to capture Alameda Slim, a notorious cattle rustler, in order to save the Patch of Heaven farm. The film starred Dame Judy Dench, Jennifer Tilly, Roseanne Barr, Cuba Gooding Jr., and…
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Pioneer Hall | DISNEY THIS DAY | April 1, 1974
On this day in 1974, Pioneer Hall opened at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground at Walt Disney World. Pioneer Hall’s design recreated a late 1800s lodge in the Northwest Territory. It was constructed using 1,283 Western White Pine logs transported from Montana and hand-fitted together, as well as 70 tons of ebony stone quarried…
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10 Things I Hate About You | DISNEY THIS DAY | March 31, 1999
On this day in 1999, ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ was released by Touchstone Pictures. It was a loose modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” set in a Seattle high school. Pretty and popular Bianca isn’t allowed to date until her disinterested older “shrew” sister, Kat does. Rebellious newcomer Patrick may…
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Jessie’s Critter Carousel | DISNEY THIS DAY | March 30, 2019
On this day in 2019, Jessie’s Critter Carousel debuted at Disney California Adventure as part of the transformation of Paradise Pier into Pixar Pier. It replaced the opening-day attraction King Triton’s Carousel of the Sea. Guests can take a ride with Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl atop one of her desert animal friends, inspired by the…
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Jack Kinney | DISNEY THIS DAY | March 29, 1909
On this day in 1909, animator, director, and producer Jack Kinney was born. His 27-year career at Disney began in 1931 where he was an animator on several cartoon shorts, including ‘The Band Concert.’ By 1940, he was promoted to director for animated short films. Kinney was the primary director of the Goofy series of…
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Kingdom Hearts | DISNEY THIS DAY | March 28, 2002
On this day in 2002, the first action role-playing game in the ‘Kingdom Hearts’ series was released. It was a collaboration between Disney Interactive and Square Enix, led by character designer Tetsuya Nomura. The game places various Disney characters in a fictional universe. The main character, Sora is joined by Donald and Goofy on a…
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Planet of the Apes | DISNEY THIS DAY | March 27, 1968
On this day in 1968, the classic film ‘Planet of the Apes’ was released by 20th Century Fox. In the film, three astronauts crash land on a planet where apes are the dominant intelligent species and humans are uncivilized and oppressed. The movie featured groundbreaking makeup effects that were developed by studying apes at the…
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Disneyland Marathon | DISNEY THIS DAY | March 26, 1995
On this day in 1995, Disneyland hosted the inaugural (and only) Disneyland Marathon in celebration of the park’s 40th anniversary. In all, 2,200 runners participated. The course made a double loop through Disneyland and then took to Anaheim area streets. The route had to be remeasured during the race when bicycle escorts turned left instead…
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D2: The Mighty Ducks | DISNEY THIS DAY | March 25, 1994
On this day in 1994, ‘D2: The Mighty Ducks,’ was released in theaters. It was the sequel to 1992’s ‘The Mighty Ducks.’ The film follows Coach Gordon Bombay and the reunited Mighty Ducks hockey team as they compete as Team U.S.A. at the Junior Goodwill Games. Setbacks soon follow and it looks like the favored…
