1961:
Disney's The Parent Trap, starring Hayley Mills, Maureen O'Hara, and Brian Keith, is released. Mills portrays twins Sharon and Susan, who are reunited years after being separated by their divorced parents. The film features the songs "For Now, For Always," and "Let's Get Together," both written by the Sherman Brothers.
Also released are the Donald Duck shorts The Litterbug (a combination live-action/animation) and the animated short Donald and the Wheel.
1985:
Singer-songwriter Kris Allen, the winner of the eighth season
of American Idol and the second Idol to ever appear in an "I'm
Going to Disney World!" TV spot, is born in Jacksonville,
Arkansas.
Disney's live-action feature film Return to Oz is released in U.S.
theaters. The film's plot is a combination of L. Frank Baum's novels Ozma of Oz and The Marvelous
Land of Oz, which were written as sequels to his classic novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
1988:
The Touchstone/Amblin Entertainment 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. This film marks the first (and to date, only) time that characters from several animation studios - including Disney, Universal, MGM, Republic, Turner Entertainment, and Warner Bros. - appear in one film!
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 in Hollywood. It is the first film to play at the historic movie house since the El Capitan's $14 million renovation. The feature is based on the comic book created by illustrator & comic artist Dave Stevens; co-writer and co-producer of the film as well.
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. Featuring the voices of Jason Alexander (as Hugo), Tom Hulce (as Quasimodo),
Mary Kay Bergman (as Quasimodo's Mother), and Demi Moore (as Esmeralda), the film's music will be nominated for an Oscar. The story is loosely based on 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 newest 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.
1989:
Comedian Harvey Korman greets Walt Disney World's 300-millionth guest
Matt Gleason at the gates of Disney-MGM Studios!
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
won 4 Academy Awards,
the most at that time for a Disney film since
Mary Poppins.
1963:
Director and writer Jan Jaroslav Pinkava is born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. He will go on to direct and write the Pixar Oscar-winning 1997 short film Geri's Game and originate and co-direct Pixar's Oscar-winning 2007 film Ratatouille.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit premieres
"P-p-please, Eddie! Don't throw me out. Don't you realize you're making a big mistake? I didn't kill anybody. I swear! The whole thing's a set up. A scam, a frame job. Ow! Eddie, I could never hurt anybody. Oow! My whole purpose in life is to make... people... laugh!" -Roger Rabbit
2008:
The Disney/Pixar feature WALL-E premieres at the Greek Theatre (in Griffith Park) in Los Angeles, California. (It will open in wide release June 27.) Special guests attending include cast members Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver and Elissa Knight.
1997:
Disney's Nightmare Ned airs on ABC-TV with two new episodes -
"Testing...Testing..." and "The Accordion Lesson."