1953:
Composer James Ray Horner, whose music can be heard in the Disney theme park short "Captain EO," is born in Los Angeles, California. He also wrote music for Walt Disney Pictures' "The Journey of Natty Gann," "The Rocketeer," "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" "Something Wicked This Way Comes," and "Mighty Joe Young." Often confused with composer James Newton Howard, Horner's Touchstone Pictures compositions included "Apocalypto," "Bicentennial Man," "Flightplan," "Off Beat," and "Ransom." Perhaps best known for his critically-acclaimed scores to "Titanic" and "Avatar," Horner died at the age of 61 in a single-fatality crash while flying his turboprop aircraft in 2015.
Walt and Lillian Disney along with animator Bill Cottrell (the first president of what is today known as Walt Disney Imagineering) and his wife Hazel, arrive in Bennington, Vermont.
They are driving through New England on an informal week-long research trip for Disneyland. They will stay 2 nights at the Walloomsac Inn before heading off to Sturbridge, Massachusetts to visit Old Sturbridge Village. It is during their stay in Vermont that they visit Walt's friend painter/illustrator Norman Rockwell (who is living in Arlington at this time).
2004:
Due to the impact of Hurricane Charley, Walt Disney World adjusts this day's schedule of operations. All theme parks with the exception of Animal Kingdom reopen to guests.
Disney in Concert – A Magical Night of Music and Film comes to Roundhay Park in Leeds (a city in West Yorkshire, England). The Disney Philharmonic Orchestra performs along with a large screen feature film animation for 2 nights.
1942:
Disney's Pluto cartoon T-Bone for Two, directed by Clyde Geronimi, is released. In this short, Pluto finds a bone ... but also finds Butch the bulldog, who claims it for himself!
The day after the U.S. debut of Bambi at the Radio City Music Hall, The New York Times runs a review titled "Bambi a Musical Cartoon in Technicolor Produced by Walt Disney From the Story by Felix Salten, at the Music Hall." The positive review includes a one column photo of Bambi.
1945:
Comedy writer, stand-up comedian, actor & director Steve
Martin is born in Waco, Texas. In 1950, his family moved to California
and Martin from the age of 10 till 18, worked at Disneyland after school, on
weekends and during the summers. His jobs included working in Merlin's Magic Shop
on Main Street and selling guidebooks at the gate. He was greatly influenced by legendary
Martin today can be seen in Disney's Fantasia 2000 and the Disney/Buena Vista feature
Father of the Bride. He also appeared in the special attraction "Disneyland: The First 50
Magical Years" which was shown (from 2005-2009) at the Disneyland Main Street
Opera House in Town Square. In 2005 he starred in Touchstone Pictures' romantic drama Shopgril (based on his bestselling 2000 novella of the same name). Martin can also be spotted in the "home movie" Disneyland Dream (a film shot in July 1956 and later chosen by the Library of Congress for its National Film Registry). A 10-year-old Martin briefly appears about 20 minutes into the film ... selling guidebooks at the entrance to Disneyland!
1995:
Michael Ovitz is appointed president of the Walt Disney Company under Michael Eisner. (Although his contract is for 5 years, he will leave after trying for 14 months to share power with Eisner.)
1998:
The Recording Association of America certifies Disney's Mulan soundtrack, gold. (It has sold 500,000 units.)
Disney's direct-to-video Air Bud: Golden Receiver is released. (The film is a sequel to the 1997 Air Bud.)
"I watched Wally Boag’s show many, many times - he was the first live performer I ever saw. I mostly remember Wally’s performing style. It was fresh, sassy, and very clean.
Watching his comic timing was a very big influence on my own career."
-Steve Martin (born This Day in Disney History 1945)
2006:
Actor Bruno Kirby, who portrayed Stanley in Disney's 1973 live-action comedy Superdad, passes away at age 57 in Los Angeles, California. (The veteran actor appeared in such classics features as Good Morning, Vietnam, The Godfather Part II, When Harry Met Sally, and City Slickers.)
Walt Disney World's Liberty Belle
riverboat, which cruises around
Tom Sawyer Island, runs on
tracks. Guests can't see the tracks
because the water is a murky
green color ... intentionally dyed
to hide them!
2007:
The names of the towers at the Disneyland Hotel are changed. As of this day, the Marina Tower is known as the Magic Tower, the Sierra Tower is called the Dreams Tower, and the Bonita Tower (named for the wife of Jack Wrather - the hotel's original owner) is now the Wonder Tower.
In addition, Marina Sundries is renamed Donald’s Gifts and Sundries.
The world premiere of Disney Channel's highly-anticipated High School Musical 2 is hosted at AMC Theatres in Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort the same day the video game High School Musical: Makin' the Cut! for Nintendo DS and the soundtrack for the film are both released in the U.S.
1907:
Director and animator Dick Lundy is born Richard James Lundy in Sault Sainte Marie,
Michigan (on the eastern tip of Lake Superior at the Canadian border). He began at the
Disney Studio on Hyperion in the summer of 1929. Lundy's Disney credits include such early shorts as Steamboat
Willie, Midnight in a Toy Shop, The Ugly Duckling, and Three Little Pigs as well as the feature Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs. In 1943 Lundy left Disney and went to work for Walter Lantz and then in 1950 MGM.
1765:
In colonial America, a group of men calling themselves the Sons of Liberty gather in Boston under a large elm tree at the corner of Essex Street and Orange Street near Hanover Square to protest the hated Stamp Act. In 1765 the British government imposed a Stamp
Act requiring all legal documents, permits, commercial contracts, newspapers, pamphlets, and playing cards in the American colonies to carry a tax stamp. The Sons of Liberty conclude their protest by hanging two tax collectors in effigy from the tree! From that day forward, the tree will become known as the "Liberty Tree." In Disney World's
Liberty Square, a replica of the Liberty Tree stands opposite The Hall of Presidents. The replica is an actual
100-year-old oak found on the Florida property and transplanted, with a younger oak grafted into the base.
AUGUST 14
THIS DAY
MADE IN
THE USA
AUGUST 14
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1987:
Disney's Touchstone Pictures releases the teen comedy feature Can't Buy Me Love.
The film features Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson in a story about a nerd who buys a cheerleader's
company for a month.
2008:
The third new Mark VII monorail, Orange, is delivered to Disneyland.
Steve Martin born
The Magic Kingdom's original
boat was an authentic
sternwheeler steamboat called
the Admiral Joe Fowler. It
was retired in 1980.
Dick Lundy born
"The arrow-through-the-head was a thing we used to sell at Disneyland. It was just so silly. It was like anti-comedy." -Steve Martin
"We were traveling in New England and stopped for lunch in a little tea room with (paintings by) Norman Rockwell all over the walls. Walt asked the waitress if Norman Rockwell lived around there. She told him to go back three miles down the road and turn left at the covered bridge. Walt ended up spending a couple of hours with Rockwell. We just dropped in on him - it was nothing formal. He was mowing the grass when we drove up. He told us how he photographed people of the village and used them in his painting as he needed. He showed us The Saturday Evening Post covers and several other paintings." -Bill Cottrell
2010:
The Last Tour to Endor special-ticket event is held at Disney's Hollywood Studios as part of the Star Wars Celebration V convention. The event allows attendees a chance to ride Star Tours before it closes September 8, 2010. In attendance is Star Wars creator George Lucas!
1939:
Today is Donald Duck Day at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Donald has been flown in from Hollywood to attend the premiere of his latest cartoon Donald's Penguin, playing at the National Biscuit Theatre in
the Food Pavilion. Donald hands out gifts to five hundred lucky children and even takes part in a special parade. Afterwards Donald is presented with an honorary degree of Doctor of International Friendship from Dr. Frank Monaghan (a professor of American History at Yale University) during a ceremony held in Carnivaland. (The World's Fair has been running since April 30 in Flushing Meadows - the same location that the 1964-65 World' Fair will take place.)
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2011:
After months of closure and years of "Under New Management," birds and flowers
once again spring to life at Walt Disney World when Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki
Room has a soft opening. The Adventureland staple will officially reopen tomorrow.
August 14
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
2015:
D23 Expo 2015 begins at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. Running through August 16th, this day's events include:
-The induction of the 2015 Disney Legends
-The Magic Behind The Muppets
-Before Ever After with Don Hahn
-Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Upcoming Films
-Exploring the Past, Present, and Future of Storytelling with Ridley Pearson and Marty Sklar
Walt Before Mickey, a film about the early years of Walt Disney, debuts at AMC
Downtown Disney Orlando, Florida. Starring Thomas Ian Nicholas as Walt Disney, Armando
Gutierrez as Ub Iwerks, and Jon Heder as Roy Disney, the film is based on the book of the same title by Timothy
Susanin (with a forward by Diane Disney Miller). The story follows Walt's poor beginnings and eventual move to
Kansas City, where he created his first animation studio Laugh-O-Gram Studio.
Grace Potter's second solo album Midnight is released on Hollywood Records. A singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actress, she formed Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in 2002 and subsequently released 4 studio albums. Potter and her band parted ways in early 2015.
2009:
The Japanese animated feature Ponyo is released in the U.S. by Disney. Directed by
Hirao Miyazaki, it tells the story of a 5-year-old boy who meets a goldfish girl who desires to become human and
be his friend. The American voice cast inlcudes Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Frankie Jonas, Noah Cyrus. Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin, and Betty White. (The film was originally released in Japan on July 19, 2008.)
1951:
Actor Carl Lumbly, best known for his role of CIA Agent Marcus Dixon on the ABC espionage drama series Alias, is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2000, Lumbly portrayed
activist and Congressman Ron Dellums in the Disney Channel original movie, The Color of Friendship. He also
starred in Disney's 2003 television movie Sounder.
1983:
Actress Mila Kunis is born in Chernivtsi, Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. (At age 7 her family moved to the U.S.) Her Disney credits include Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997) and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). She is probably best known for her role of Jackie Burkhart on the television series That '70s Show (1998–2006).
1959:
Actress, voice actress, and comedian Marcia Gay Harden is born in La Jolla, California. She played Miss Cheevus in Spy Hard, Dr. Sara Jean Reynolds in Flubber, Diane Powell in The Invisible, Keller in two episodes of Tron: Uprising, Dr. Diane Buckley in ABC's Trophy Wife, Sheila Temple in ABC's Body of Proof, Betty Ann Miller in Reef Break and Dr. Hannah Keating in ABC's How to Get Away with Murder.
2020:
A new coronavirus testing site opens at Disney World at 3010 Maingate Lane in Kissimmee. Open to the public, it also has a dedicated lane for Disney employees.
Magic Camp, a comedy family film directed by Mark Waters, is released on Disney+. Andy Duckerman - a straight-laced banker returns to magic camp, which he attended years ago as a boy, to work as a compassionate and fun-loving counselor while also keeping his eye on winning first place in the upcoming Golden Wand competition. The film stars Adam DeVine (as Andy), Jeffrey Tambor (as Roy Preston - the mentor and owner of the magic camp), and Gillian Jacobs (as Kristina Darkwood - Andy's former partner).
Walt Disney Records releases Magic Camp: Original Soundtrack, featuring a score by Rolfe Kent.
