2004:
The Disneyland Monorail System is re-dedicated and honored for its
achievement in the world of modern transportation on its 45th anniversary!
2005:
Disney's Tarzan II is released to DVD and VHS. The sequel features the
voices of Harrison Chad (as Tarzan), George Carlin (as Zugor), Brad Garrett
(as Uto), Ron Perlman (as Kago), Estelle Harris (as Mama Gunda),
and Glenn Close (as Kala).
Singer-actress Robie Lester, the singing voice behind Eva Gabor in Disney's The Aristocats and The Rescuers, passes away at age 75 in Burbank, California. Lester also helped teach millions of children how to read beginning in 1965 as the “Disneyland Story Reader,” on the record label's 7-inch book and records sets. She also sang the title theme for Disney's 1964 The Three Lives of Thomasina. (TV fans may recognize her voice as Jessica in the holiday special Santa Claus is Comin' to Town.)
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1895:
Cliff Edwards, the voice of both Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio
and Jim Crow in Dumbo, is born in Hannibal, Missouri. (Although the absence of any official records leave some historians to believe the date and place might be incorrect.) Also known as "Ukelele Ike," Edwards enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s - specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standards and novelty tunes. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Edwards made a number of appearances on the Mickey Mouse Club, in addition to reprising his Jiminy Cricket voice for various Disney shorts and the Disney Christmas special, From All of Us to All of You. Cliff Edwards was named a Disney Legend in 2000.
1906:
Actor/dancer Gil Lamb is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His Disney credits include the live-action films The Boatniks, The Love Bug, The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit, Blackbeard's Ghost, and The Gnome-Mobile.
1909:
Singer, actor and author Burl Ives, whose Disney credits include the 1948 So Dear to My Heart (as Uncle Hiram Douglas) and the 1963 Summer Magic (as Osh
Popham), is born in Hunt, Illinois. TV fans may recognize his voice as Sam the Snowman from the
classic TV special Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
1916:
Actress Dorothy McGuire is born in Omaha, Nebraska. Her Disney credits include the live-action films Swiss Family Robinson (as Mother Robinson), Summer Magic (as Margaret Carey), and Old Yeller (as Katie Coates). Her long Hollywood career include such features as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Three Coins in the Fountain, and The Greatest Story Ever Told.
1951:
Disney's "Operation Wonderland" airs as part of the television variety show Ford Star Revue. Walt presents clips and interviews from his next film Alice in Wonderland.
1958:
Disneyland's Columbia ship opens 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. A dedication ceremony takes place with
Fowler and Walt Disney himself in attendance.
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 dark ride. It follows the
path of the movie, as the riders (as Alice) follow the White Rabbit down the Rabbit Hole into Wonderland.
Disneyland's first "Alice" attraction - Mad Tea Party (a spinning tea cup ride), has been operating since the park's
debut in July 1955.
The Submarine Voyage ride is officially dedicated on this day as well in Tomorrowland. (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. The Submarine Voyage has been running since June 6.
Visiting Disneyland this day are actor Ronald Reagan, his (first) wife actress
Jane Wyman, and their son Michael.
C1959:
Three major attractions are christened at Disneyland on this day:
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 U.S. Vice president Nixon and their families are on hand for the dedication of the "Highway in the Sky." (In June 1961, the Monorail will become a true transportation link instead of just a sightseeing ride. With an extended 2 1/2 mile track, Disneyland Hotel guests will be able to board the Monorail at the hotel and begin their park visit in Tomorrowland.)
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).
1989:
The Disney Channel airs episode 38 of MMC. Today is Anything Can Happen Day!
1994:
Dave Brubeck's 1957 Disney-themed record album, Dave Digs Disney is released on compact disc. Today, a jazz version of a Disney song is hardly a surprise, but back in the 1950s, no one in jazz took Disney movies or their soundtracks seriously. The Dave Brubeck Quartet was the first modern jazz group to treat Disney songs with respect. According to Sony, Dave Digs Disney is the second most important album in Dave's catalogue after his classic Time Out.
1996:
Epcot's Universe of Energy (closed since January 21) reopens with newly repainted dinosaurs and flat screens for the pre-show.
1997:
Disney's Hercules has its world premiere at the New Amsterdam Theater in New York
City. (It will be officially released in the U.S. 13 days later.) Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade comes out of
retirement to brighten up the festivities through Times Square.
Disney's Nightmare Ned airs on ABC-TV with two new episodes - "Report Card" and
"Abduction."
1999:
The computer controlled sign that welcomes guests to the main entrance of Disneyland's parking lot is removed. Its site will be absorbed into the new California Adventure area. (This is only the second sign to greet guests as they entered Disneyland in the park's 44 year history. The original marquee, erected in 1958, had letters that had to be changed by hand!)
2000:
Tokyo Disneyland welcomes its 250-millionth visitor, Mrs. Hisae Do.
2001:
Lightning strikes a wire box controlling power to a monorail at Walt Disney
World in Florida, forcing the train to shut down temporarily. The monorail,
which is filled with scores of tourists, is towed back to its destination.
2002:
The Lizzie McGuire episode "Just Friends" debuts on Disney Channel as does the 4th episode of the new animated Kim Possible series titled "Tick-Tick-Tick."
2003:
Mickey's Toontown of Pin Trading takes place at Disney World.
The American Society of
Mechanical Engineers named
the Disneyland Monorail an
Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1986.
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JUNE
In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.
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2008:
Disney Channel debuts "A Hard Day's Knight," the 31st
episode of the animated series Phineas and Ferb.
advertisement
JUNE 14
Today is Flag Day
JUNE 14
THIS SITE MADE
IN THE
USA
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"My adventures in Wonderland began when I followed the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole. All of a sudden, I fell! Down, down, down!" -Alice
Disneyland's Monorail debuts
"Heigh-Ho" has been developing of late as a closing number for a night-club set, being one of those free-wheeling tunes with an orthodox structure, which lends itself to creating a climactic feeling of excitement."
-portion of original liner notes from the Dave Digs Disney LP
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1992:
Film and television actor Daryl Sabara is born in Torrance, California. Playing the role of Peter Cratchit in Disney's A Christmas Carol, you may also recognize Sabara from the series Wizards of Waverly Place and the feature film The Polar Express.
1974:
Disney World’s "Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue" dinner show debuts in Pioneer
Hall at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. Created as a college
workshop summer production only, guest response will be so positive that Walt Disney World entertainment
will continue the show with a permanent professional cast at the end of the 1974 summer!
1910:
Evelyn Henry - one of the unsung heroines of animation’s past - is born in Alberta, Canada. First hired by Disney in 1932, she worked as an inker on the Silly Symphony shorts. Later promoted to department head, she acted as a supervisor for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. During the production of Snow White, Evie marred future Disney Legend Claude Coats - a background painter for the studio.
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1965:
A planning meeting for "Project Future" takes place at WED Enterprises. The meeting allows Walt Disney to present his ideas about the Florida property to the board members and legal staff of Walt Disney Productions, lawyers and consultants from the state of Florida, and Disney’s legal staff from New York City. His staff will now have a better idea of the project’s scope and needs so that they can begin researching and crafting the necessary legal groundwork.
2010:
Principal photography begins in Hawaii for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: On
Stranger Tides (scheduled for a Spring 2011 releases). Filming will also later take place
in California and London, England.
1971:
The All American College Band performs for the very first time at Disneyland.
The All-American College Band, made up of musicians from colleges all across the United States, will perform for 11 weeks throughout the summer (and become a yearly tradition).
Also on this day at Disneyland, the Matterhorn Mountain with its Matterhorn Bobsleds, opens. Modeled after the Matterhorn, a real mountain in the Swiss Alps, it is the first roller coaster to use cylindrical rails and urethane wheels (which will become standard in the roller coaster industry). At 147 feet tall, the Matterhorn contains 500 tons of structural steel. The ride consists of two separate tracks that run somewhat parallel to each other for much of the ride, intertwining and eventually deviating from each other at the loading areas.
"The Disney theme was Dave's idea, and I was amazed when he called and told me what he wanted to do. I think I said, 'Jesus, what a goofy idea.' But anything Dave wanted short of tearing down the building was fine with me. He was taken with the tunes, and the quintet had been playing them on the road quite a bit. As you know, Dave and Paul (Desmond) had a quirky sense of humor. Dave was ahead of his time tapping into the Disney songbook. Look at how many artists have done the same since." -George Avakian, the album's original producer
2011:
The Cars 2 soundtrack is released on both CD album and as a digital download. With a score by Michael Giacchino, the collection also features performances by Weezer, Brad Paisley, Robbie Williams, French singer-songwriter Bénabar and Japanese girl group Perfume.
Pixar's Cars 2 will be released in U.S. theaters June 24.
In Florida, guests at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon help set a Guiness World Record. The water park takes part in the second-annual World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, an international event during which participants across the world head to all kinds of local swimming holes to attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson ever conducted. A platform to support public education about water safety and the importance of teaching children to swim, the inaugural World’s Largest Swimming Lesson first took place in 2010, with the record set at nearly 4,000 participants around the world. On this day, more than 900 facilities across the world (including Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park) collectively set a new record by hosting an estimated 30,000 swim lesson participants!
