Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea are not owned by The Walt Disney Company. They are owned by The Oriental Land Company - a Japanese leisure and tourism corporation. The Oriental Land Company pays a very large sum of money each month to Disney in character and likeness licenses, and Disney in turn has leased their Imagineers to the company to build the parks.
1983:
Tokyo Disneyland opens in Japan. It is Disney's fourth theme park
but the first outside the United States. A light rain moves the opening ceremony under the cover of World Bazaar (the park's equivalent to Main Street USA). Among the attractions featured is Space Mountain - a virtual duplicate of the Anaheim, California version. Sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company of Japan, it is the first Space Mountain to
open with its park. Located in Urayasu (just outside Tokyo) the park is operated by the Oriental Land Company under licence from Disney and consists of:
"To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Here you will discover enchanted lands of Fantasy and Adventure, Yesterday and Tomorrow. May Tokyo Disneyland be an eternal source of joy, laughter, inspiration, and imagination to the peoples of the world. And may this magical kingdom be an enduring symbol of the spirit of cooperation and friendship between the great nations of Japan and the United States of America."
-E. Cardon Walker's dedication This Day in Disney History 1983
1973:
"The Walt Disney Story" - a film narrated by Walt about the history of Walt Disney - debuts on Disney World's Main Street. It is a free attraction (at a time when ride coupons are still in use) sponsored by Gulf Oil.
2005:
"Disney's Rock Around The Mouse" - a live musical tribute to the decade in which Walt Disney's original Anaheim theme park opened - officially debuts at Tokyo Disneyland.
Epcot's 12th Annual International Flower & Garden Festival bursts
into action (through June 5).
Disney's Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast celebrated its 11th
year on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Today's cast includes
Brooke Tansley, Steve Blanchard and Grand Norman.
1917:
Comic character actor Hans Conried, the voices of both Mr. George Darling and Captain Hook in Disney's Peter Pan, is born in Baltimore, Maryland. His Disney credits include the live-action films The Cat From Outer Space, The Shaggy D.A., Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier and the short The Story of Anyburg U.S.A. (Conried was also a cast member of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, voicing the character of Snidely Whiplash in the Dudley Do-Right shorts! Conried once conducted a tongue-in-cheek interview with Twilight Zone's Rod Serling on the 1960s Fractured Flickers comedy series)
1930:
The first issue of the "Official Bulletin of the Mickey Mouse Club" (a twice-monthly
newsletter) is published. It contains stories on different Clubs around the country, contest ideas, and advertisements for merchandise featuring Mickey.
1938:
Disney's Donald Duck cartoon Donald's Nephews, written by Carl Barks and Jack Hannah, is released. It is the very first film appearance of Huey, Dewey and Louie (all voiced by Clarence Nash).
1959:
Actress-comedienne-screenwriter Emma Thompson, the voice of Captain Amelia in Disney's 2002 animated feature Treasure Planet, is born in London, England. (Harry Potter fans know her as Professor Sybill Trelawney!)
1962:
The Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color TV series features episode 208 -
"Disneyland After Dark." This show marks the network TV debut of the Osmond Brothers and includes
Walt Disney, jazz great Louis Armstrong (performing in Frontierland), 1950s Mouseketeers Annette Funicello & Bobby Burgess singing a duet, and teen idol Bobby Rydell.
1972:
Lou Romano, the voice of Bernie Kropp in the 2004 The Incredibles, Snotrod in the 2006 Cars, and Linguini in the 2007 Ratatouille, is born in San Diego, California. Also an animation production design artist, he worked on Monsters, Inc. and The Incredibles (for which he won an Annie Award in 2005).
1975:
Disney World's Flight to the Moon (opened since December 1971) closes forever. It will be replaced with Mission to Mars.
1999:
Tax payers put the "fun" in refund by filing their taxes at Downtown Disney's Pleasure Island. A certified U.S. Postal Service drop box postmarks tax returns right up until the midnight deadline, and a team of Internal Revenue Service representatives offer last-minute tax tips. Guests dropping off their tax forms at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island receive a special admission price of $10.40.
2000:
At Disney World, Mickey's Main Street Easter Parade begins its daily run at 3 p.m. (The special holiday parade will run through April 23.)
2002:
Tokyo Disneyland celebrates its 19th anniversary. All park guests receive a commemorative gift.
Production begins on the Disney/Pixar film The Incredibles.
The Disney Channel Original Movie Tru Confessions debuts.
2003:
Tokyo Disneyland officially presents Mickey's Gift of Dreams, a show featuring Mickey and his friends on the Castle Forecourt Stage. The show is in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Disney's first theme park outside of the U.S.
Disney's Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast welcomes its newest Belle to the cast, Megan McGinnis.
1964:
Lawyer Robert Foster leaves New York bound for Florida. Representing Disney, he is to begin land purchases in the Orlando area for a new theme park. He uses the name Robert Price to keep his identity secret.
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2007:
Disney’s first international production of Tarzan opens at the Circustheatre near Amsterdam (the capital city of the Netherlands).
A special event to celebrate Roger Broggie’s Window on Disneyland's Main Street (which took place March 30) occurs at Walt's Barn in Griffith Park, California. Roger's son Michael (a nationally-recognized authority on the life and legacy of Walt Disney) attends with a copy of his father's window.
APRIL 15
APRIL 15
THIS DAY MADE IN THE USA
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1967:
An "Angels-Disneyland Double Header" takes place in Anaheim. For $5 guests first
see today's ball game at 3:00 PM between the California Angels and the Cleveland Indians,
and then head over to Disneyland between 8:00 PM -1:00 AM! (Private parties
and special ticketed events on weekend evenings are now common at Disneyland.)
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Tokyo Disneyland debuts
1932:
Disney's Mickey Mouse short Barnyard Olympics is released. Released to coincide with the opening of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Mickey competes with Pete at running, vaulting, rowing, and a delightfully wacky bicycle race.
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Created in 1995 for the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, the Garden Railway at
the Germany pavilion has become one of the most popular garden attractions at WDW. The
50' x 130' miniature garden is a wonder to behold. "Residents" of the tiny Bavarian village can
be found celebrating holidays, holding festivals and attending to their day-to-day lives.
ADVENTURELAND:
Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Enchanted Tiki Room, Western River Railroad, Royal Street Veranda restaurant, Polynesian Terrace Restaurant, Blue Bayou Restaurant, and Cafe Orleans restaurant
FANTASYLAND:
Snow White's Adventures, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Haunted
Mansion, Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, Peter Pan's Flight, Dumbo
Flying Elephants, It's a Small World, Mickey Mouse Revue, Skyway to
Tomorrowland, Tinker Bell Toy Shop, Disneyana Shop, Troubadour
Tavern, Captain Hook's Galley, and Four Corners Food Faire
TOMORROWLAND:
Starcade video arcade, Star Jets, Skyway to Fantasyland, Grand Circuit Raceway, Meet the World, Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant, and Space Place FoodPort
WESTERNLAND:
Country Bear Jamboree, Diamond Horseshoe Revue, Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes, Plaza Pavilion restaurant, Hungry Bear Restaurant, Tom Sawyer
Island, Tom Sawyer Island Rafts, Westernland Shootin' Gallery, Mile Long Bar
restaurant, Mark Twain Riverboat, Lucky Nugget Cafe, Pecos Bill Cafe
WORLD BAZAAR:
Camera Center shop, New Century Clock Shop, Emporium store, Storybook Store, Omnibus vehicle, Fire Truck vehicle, Horseless Carriages, and Main Street Cinema
1993:
On its 10th anniversary, Tokyo Disneyland premieres The Visionarium, The Disney
Gallery, Mickey's Moderne Memories shop, and The Sweetheart Cafe.
1994:
Buena Vista Pictures releases the Walt Disney Pictures live-action feature film
White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf.
1996:
The Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin attraction opens in Tokyo Disneyland.
2011:
Tokyo Disneyland Resort partly reopens (coincidentally on its 28th anniversary)
after being closed since the devastating earthquakes that hit Japan March 11.
The Disney Channel Original Movie Lemonade Mouth premieres. A comedy-drama, the film tells the story of five high school teens who meet in detention and ultimately form a band to overcome the
struggles of high school.
2004:
Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters opens in Tokyo Disneyland. A close version of Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (which first opened in Florida in 1998), Astro Blasters is a video-game-inspired attraction based on the Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 2.
