1973:
In an hour-long televised question-and-answer session held at Disney World's Contemporary Resort, U.S. President Richard Nixon declares "I am not a crook." In front of 400 Associated Press managing editors, Nixon defends his record in the Watergate scandal. He has flown to Orlando this evening from his Key Biscayne, Florida home for this much-heralded event. (It will be a defining moment of Nixon's career and the start of his presidency's downward spiral.)
2005:
Ten animated features are named for Oscar consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Among those chosen is ... Chicken Little.
1907:
is born in Ogden, Utah. Between 1927-1975 he will work on such Disney classics as
Steamboat Willie (the only one of the Nine to work on the origins of Mickey Mouse with Ub Iwerks
- his mentor), The Skeleton Dance, Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, and Peter Pan. Unlike
most of the other Nine Old Men, Clark began his career with no art background - but got where he
was by pure determination and hard work!
1934:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon The Dognapper, directed by David Hand, is released. In this short, Mickey and an early version of Donald Duck are police officers chasing dognapper Pegleg Pete!
1951:
Actor Stephen Root, the voice of Bubbles in thes 2003 Finding Nemo, is born in Sarasota, Florida. His Disney credits also include the voice of Zeb in the 2002 The Country Bears and
the 2006 The Fox and the Hound 2 as the voice of Talent Scout. (Fans of the TV sitcom NewsRadio will
recognize Root for his role of Jimmy James.)
1954:
The Disneyland television series presents "The Donald Duck Story" (a
clever take on "This is Your Life"). Clarence Nash, the voice of
Donald, appears along with Walt Disney.
1955:
The Mickey Mouse Club airs on ABC-TV. Today is Circus Day.
1956:
The first of eight installments titled "My Dad, Walt Disney," by Diane Disney
Miller as told to Pete Martin (a "celebrity friendly" writer) appears in the
Saturday Evening Post (Vol. 229 Issue 20). The Saturday Evening Post had
first approached Walt with the proposal to have him write (with the assistance of Martin) his biography in serial form back in 1950. They offered Walt $150,000. At the time, Walt was deeply involved in building Disneyland but
wanted to help his daughter Diane and her husband Ron get a house. Walt had no money to give them because everything was tied up in his new theme park. So Walt made a counter-proposal that he would be interviewed but that Diane would be credited as the author so that she would receive the money.
1963:
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color airs "The Truth About Mother Goose."
1989:
Disney's The Little Mermaid is generally released in theaters. Loosely based
upon the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, it marks the first use of CAPS (Computer Animation Production
System) in a Disney feature.
1993:
The Grand Ballroom at the Disneyland Hotel is packed with food, games, movies, and children from all over the globe for the start of Mickey's Worldwide Kids Day party.
1997:
Cruise Terminal 8, the Disney Cruise Line Terminal, is dedicated in Florida.
The $27 million, 70,000-square-foot facility is Port Canaveral's third ultra-modern mega-ship terminal, and will be the exclusive home of Disney
Cruise Line's first two ships, the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder.
2001:
The Build-A-Bear Workshop at the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, California, has its grand opening.
2002:
Disney's Treasure Planet has its world premiere at the Cinerama Dome Theater in Hollywood, California. (It will be generally released 10 days later.)
2003:
It is reported that Disney's Finding Nemo has sold an industry leading 15 million DVDs in less than two weeks at retail stores!
2004:
Disney launches an all-new Muppets Web site. The site, which debuts on this
day, features games, biographies of the Muppet characters, screensavers and
news about current projects, including the new film The Muppets Wonderful
Wizard of Oz, slated to air on ABC-TV next May. (The Walt Disney Company
purchased the Muppets in April 2004.)
2006:
An Alaska Airlines plane, painted with the blue Genie from Disney's Aladdin
movie and the Make-A-Wish logo, makes its inaugural flight from Seattle-Tacoma
Airport to Orange County, California. The uniquely painted Boeing 737-400 celebrates the long-term partnership between the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Alaska Airlines and Disneyland Resorts to make wishes
come true for ill children.
Raised on a farm in Marceline, Missouri, Walt Disney became interested in drawing at an early age. He sold his first sketches to neighbors when he was only
seven years old!
1944:
Animator Gary Goldman is born in Oakland, California. He will begin his career in animation with Walt Disney Productions in 1972 as an in-betweener to legendary Disney animator Frank Thomas on the film Robin Hood. He will later work alongside Don Bluth, as an animator on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! and The Rescuers before serving as Directing Animator on Pete's Dragon and The Small One. (Goldman's post-Disney career will include the animated features An American Tail and Anastasia.)
Actor Danny DeVito - the voice of Phil in Disney's animated Hercules - is born in Neptune, New Jersey. Also a director & producer, his film credits include Miramax Films' Duplex and Pulp Fiction, and Touchstone Pictures' Tin Men and Ruthless People. (Fans of classic TV will forever know DeVito for his role as Louie De Palma on the sitcom Taxi.)
1941:
Disney's fourth animated feature Dumbo is released in Brazil.
2007:
New versions of two classic board games are revealed at Once Upon a Toy in the Downtown Disney Marketplace in Florida. Disney Theme Park Edition Monopoly and Disney Theme Park Tower of Terror Clue both premiere at a special event with guests and Game Artists, Quhyn Kimball and Cody Reynolds from the Disney Design Group.
2008:
Disney Legends Richard and Robert Sherman, the songwriting team behind Mary Poppins, "It's a Small World", Bedknobs and Broomsticks and many other Disney favorites, receive National Medals of the Arts from President and Mrs. Bush at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Down in Disney World, the Grand Floridian's Gingerbread House
officially opens to guests for the holiday season.
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1971:
The Firehouse Five Plus Two (a Dixieland jazz band made up of Disney Studio
employees) officially play its last gig - a car show at the Anaheim Convention
Center in California. First formed back in the late 1940s, the group (led by Ward Kimball) had
recorded albums and performed at nightclubs, private parties, on TV and of course at Disneyland.
The Little Mermaid generally released
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Ariel: "If I become human, I'll never be with my father or sisters again."
Ursula: "That's right. But - you'll have your man. Life's full of tough choices, innit?"
-The Little Mermaid
Today Marceline is referred to as the
"Boyhood Home of
Walt Disney."
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"I have earned every cent. And in all of my years of public life I have never obstructed justice." -President Nixon
2009:
The Themed Entertainment Association announces the recipients for the 16th Annual Thea Awards. Among the winners ... Toy Story Mania! at Disney’s California Adventure Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios for Outstanding Achievement for an Attraction. The awards will be formally presented in early 2010.
SEASON 1 EPISODE 4
