1989:
Disney announces an agreement-in-principle with Jim Henson to acquire
the merchandising, licensing, and publishing rights to the Muppets.
(Sadly, Henson will suddenly pass away in May 1990 causing the deal to temporarily end the following December.)
1998:
The Disney Channel Original Movie Brink! (a loose adaptation of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates) first airs.
1905:
Cartoonist and Disney Legend Al Taliaferro is born Charles Alfred Taliaferro in Montrose, Colorado. He was hired by Disney in 1931 as an assistant to artist Floyd Gottfredson, inking the "Mickey Mouse" daily and Sunday comic strips. Starting in February 1938, Taliaferro began drawing the daily Donald Duck comic strips - which greatly contributed to the development of the character. He drew Donald until his death at age 63 in February 1969. Today Taliaferro is best known as the first artist of Donald Duck newspaper comics (which were at the time distributed by King
Features Syndicate).
1955:
At Disneyland, the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship and Restaurant opens in Fantasyland. It will be a popular park landmark. (When
the new Fantasyland opens in 1983, the ship will be replaced with a new version of the
Dumbo attraction.)
1964:
Disney's Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson,
and Glynis Johns is generally released. Based on a series of children's books by P. L. Travers
about a magical nanny who comes to work for a cold banker's unhappy family, the film features music
by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman. (The film will receive 13 Academy Award nominations and win 5 Oscars.)
1977:
All 12 New Mouseketeers depart from LAX Airport bound for Florida
(where they will appear at Walt Disney World for 4 days).
Actress Jean Hagen, best known for her role as Lina Lamont in Singin' in the Rain (1952), passes away at age 54 in Los Angeles, California. Disney fans
knew her best as Freeda Daniels in the 1959 liver-action The Shaggy Dog.
1982:
At Disneyland, Peter Pan's Flight closes for
extensive remodeling. (It will reopen in May 1983.)
2006:
Disney releases the direct-to-video sequel Brother Bear 2,
TaleSpin: Volume 1, and Darkwing Duck: Volume 1 to DVD.
The Tipton Hotel was a fictional
apartment hotel set in Boston,
from Disney Channel's
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
The Tipton Building itself didn't
exist; shots of the building's
exterior were pictures of the
Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver,
British Columbia.
2008:
Passengers on the August 28-31 sailing of the Disney Wonder cruise ship
experience a "Hollywood-style, red-carpet" event with the premiere of the new
Disney Channel television series, The Suite Life on Deck.
A spin-off of Disney’s popular The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, passengers get a sneak peak at the first
episode and a question-and-answer session with cast members.
Starting this day, Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre presents a
digitally restored version of Disney's 1958 Sleeping Beauty.
Guests can view this animated classic in wide-screen through September 18.
Direct from the Beijing Games where he won a record eight
Gold Medals, world champion swimmer Michael Phelps celebrates his
unprecedented achievement with an all-American homecoming parade in his
honor at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. (This is the second such event for Phelps
who was also honored following the 2004 Summer Games.)
1992:
British children's author Mary Norton passes away in Devon, England. Her first book -
"The Magic Bed Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons" published in
1943, and the sequel "Bonfires and Broomsticks" - became the basis for Disney's 1971 live-action feature Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
AUGUST 29
THIS DAY
MADE IN
THE USA
AUGUST 29
1971:
Actress Carla Gugino is born in Sarasota, Florida. Her Disney credits include Race to Witch Mountain and Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco. (Fans of the Spy Kids trilogy will recognize her as Ingrid Cortez.)
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Mary Poppins generally released
"That's a piecrust promise. Easily made, easily broken." -Mary Poppins
2000:
Walt Disney Records releases Woody's Round Up, performed by the yodelin' cowboy
group Riders in the Sky. An imaginary soundtrack to a fictional TV show, the 13 tracks include "Jessie, the
Yodelin' Cowgirl" and the hit "You've Got a Friend in Me."
1891:
Joyce Clyde Hall, businessman and founder of Hallmark Cards, is born in David City,
Nebraska. Interestingly, Hall at one time lived only about a mile away from Walt Disney in Kansas City,
Missouri ... though the two didn't meet until they began doing business together in 1931! That was the year
Hall Brothers Company (later Hallmark Greeting Cards and then Hallmark, Inc.) signed a licensing agreement
with Walt Disney to produce greeting cards of all kinds. This relationship flourished for 24 years, until 1955,
when Gibson Greeting cards and Disney signed an agreement (which included a shop on Disneyland's
Main Street). In 1960 Hallmark returned to Disney, and setup shop in Disneyland, where they offered a line
of greeting cards, postcards, wrapping paper, pocket calendars, and other various items. A new overall license for
all of Disney was signed again in 1971 and continued for the rest of Hall's life.
"They (Hall & Disney) became good friends
who shared a passion for art, creativity, and visionary ideas." -Don Hall, Jr. (grandson of J.C. Hall and CEO of Hallmark)
Al Taliaferro born
2010:
Doug Parks of Gotha, Florida - the man widely believed to be the very first
Mickey Mouse at Walt Disney World - passes away at age 60. An entertainment Cast
Member for 39 years, he began working at WDW when the park debuted in 1971. It was Parks who stood at
Roy O. Disney's side at the formal dedication of the Magic Kingdom on October 25, 1971. Standing 4 feet,
7 inches, Parks was the perfect size to play Mickey.
The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, are held at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. The ceremony honors the best in prime time television programming from June 1, 2009 until May 31, 2010. Among the winners for
Disney/ABC:
-Outstanding Comedy Series: Modern Family
-Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker on Modern Family
-Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd for Modern Family
"For four decades, Walt Disney World was a better place thanks to Doug and his contributions." -Walt Disney World Resort President Meg Crofton
"I knew I was going to be a cartoonist. I've always believed that if you want anything bad enough and you work hard enough for
it, eventually you'll get it." -Al Taliaferro (1968)
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2011:
At approximately 6:30 a.m. Hawaii time the doors to the Maka'ala
lobby of Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, open and the first guests
enter. Disney's first resort in Hawaii, it is a built-from-scratch complex designed to provide
a unique mix of mouse-inspired "imagineering" and Native Hawaiian culture. Located in the
Ko Olima resort area, 20 miles west of downtown Honolulu, Aulani sits at the southern end
of Oahu’s Waianae or Leeward Coast.
It is announced that Disney Channel has ordered a third season of
its hit kid and family sitcom, Good Luck Charlie.
August 29
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
2013:
It is reported that Disney's Aladdin, a new stage adaptation of the 1992 Academy
Award-winning animated film musical, will open on Broadway March 20, 2014, at the
New Amsterdam Theatre. Aladdin will first premiere November 1 at Toronto's Mirvish Theatre for a run
through January 5, 2014. The stage production, which expands the 90-minute film into a two-act format, features
music by Alan Menken, lyrics from the film by the late Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, as well as new book and
lyrics by Chad Beguelin.
2017:
The Walt Disney World Company pledges $1 million to the American Red Cross
to help people affected by Hurricane Harvey. Still an active tropical cyclone as of this day, Harvey
has been causing unprecedented and catastrophic flooding in southeastern Texas since August 26.
Disney's 1994 classic The Lion King is released on Blu-ray.
2019:
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, a new themed area inspired by the Star Wars universe,
located within Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, opens to the public.
The new land reaches capacity minutes after opening! Galaxy's Edge replaced the majority of the park's Streets of America, including the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure which closed in April 2016, as well as the surrounding backlot facades, restaurants, and shops. The only new attraction running on this day is Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – a simulator ride in which guests pilot a starship. (A nearly identical Galaxy's Edge opened at Disneyland 4 months ago.)
The 24th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival starts today and runs through November 23. The 87 delicious days of Festival-exclusive edibles and entertainment, include a Candy Sushi-making experience, Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak Scavenger Hunt, the rockin’ Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Disney du Jour Dance Party.
1956:
Television producer and writer Pamela Eells O'Connell is born in San Luis Obispo, California. Her Disney credits include The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, The Suite Life on Deck, Jessie, and Bunk'd. She was also the co-executive producer of the ABC sitcom Ellen.
1938:
Actor Elliott Gould is born Elliott Goldstein in Brooklyn, New York. In a career spanning over 7 decades, he began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s. His Disney film credits include the 1980 family adventure "The Last Flight of Noah's Ark" and the 1981 fantasy-comedy "The Devil and Max Devlin." His voiced can be heard in episodes of "Kim Possible" and the 2003 television film "Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time" as Mr Stoppable. Gould is perhaps best known for his roles in the 1969 comedy "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" (for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), the 1970 comedy war film "M*A*S*H," and the 2001 heist comedy "Ocean's Eleven" (along with its sequels). Fans of the hit sitcom "Friends" will remember him as Ross & Monica's father Jack Geller. In 2023, Gould took part in the TCM Classic Cruise for movie fans aboard the Disney Magic.
1959:
Actress and producer Rebecca De Mornay is born in Santa Rosa, California. She appeared in the 1992 The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (a Hollywood Poctures film) and the 1993 The Three Musketeers (by Walt Disney Pictures).
1975:
Actor Dante Basco is born in Pittsburg, California. His Disney voice credits include The Proud Family, Kim Possible, American Dragon: Jake Long, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, and Star Wars Rebels.
1986:
Actress/singer Lea Michele is born in The Bronx, New York. She starred in the 2019 ABC television film Same Time, Next Christmas, and portrayed political advisor Valentina Barella in ABC's sitcom The Mayor. Best known for her work on Broadway, Michele's credits include Les Misérables (1995–1996),
Ragtime (1997–1999), Fiddler on the Roof (2004–2005), and Spring Awakening (2006–2008).
1890:
Political cartoonist, character designer, children's book author and illustrator Charles Gustav Thorson is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Best known as the man who designed a character that would be named Bugs Bunny, he got his start in animation at Disney. First hired in 1935,he became an expert at designing cute, anthropomorphized animals. After 2 years, during which he provided story elements and character designs for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and over a dozen short films, he moved to Harman-Ising, MGM, and then Warner Bros. studios, where he was the first person ever hired just for his specialty - character design.
2021:
Actor Ed Asner, probably best known for his television role of Lou Grant during the
1970s and early 1980s, on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series Lou Grant, passes away at age 91 in California. Disney fans knew him best as the voice of Carl Fredricksen
(a 78-year-old widower) in the Oscar nominated animated feature Up, the video short Dug's Special Mission, and the 2021 Disney+ original series Dug Days. Asner also played Hank Cooper in the 1976 comedy film Gus, Horace McNickle in the 1986 Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color episode "The Christmas Star," Grumps in an episode of Bonkers, Georgie's "evil voice" in Dinosaurs, Hudson in both Gargoyles the Movie: The Heroes Awaken and the TV series Gargoyles, The Fixer in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Napoleon in W.I.T.C.H., and Mr. Big in Teamo Supremo. Fans of the 2003 holiday
comedy film Elf knew him for his role of Santa. A president of the Screen Actors Guild, Asner was the most honored male performer in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards.
