2001:
According to today's issue of Billboard Magazine, the top 10 video rentals in the
USA include Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (at number 5) and
Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in The House of Mouse (at the number 7 spot).
1865:
Hollywood character actor Otis Harlan is born in Zanesville, Ohio.
He supplied the voice for Happy in Disney's classic 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
1954:
The Disneyland television series airs the short film "Beaver Valley" and
footage from the upcoming adventure "The African Lion" (shot by
famous animal photographer Alfred G. Millote).
1955:
Today is Circus Day on the ABC-TV series Mickey Mouse Club.
Character animator and director Dan Kuenster is born in Chicago, Illinois.
Working for Disney for only a short time, his credits include The Small One and The Fox and the Hound.
He went on to work at BrainPower Studio and Sullivan Bluth Studios before becoming Executive Vice President of Design and Animation at Istation.
1974:
Attendance at Walt Disney World in Florida hits a record 74,597...
forcing the Magic Kingdom to close to outside visitors for 4 hours.
2006:
Donny Osmond appears at Disney Outfitters - a shop in Disney's Animal
Kingdom. Osmond signs copies of Disney's Mulan DVD and Soundtrack (for which he is the singing
voice of Shang) and his latest CD "What I Meant to Say" (his 54th studio album).
1941:
Time magazine features a review of Disney's recently released animated feature Dumbo. The report includes the review and a paragraph focusing on animator's Bill Tytla's work.
1968:
Vladimir Peter Tytla (known as "Bill" Tytla), one of the original Disney animators and
considered by many to be the best character animator working during The Golden
Age of Hollywood animation, passes away at age 64. Best known for animating Grumpy in Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs and Chernabog in the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence from Fantasia, Tytla also
worked for Terrytoons and Paramount Pictures. His last work on a feature film with full personality animation
was The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964), a comedy mixing live action and animation.
1956:
The 7th of 8 installments titled "My Dad, Walt Disney," by Diane Disney Miller a told
to Pete Martin (a "celebrity friendly" writer) appears in the Saturday Evening Post.
It would take more the 20 million 12 ounce cans of
Coca-Cola to fill one of the humongous Coke cups
at the Home-Run
Hotel in Disney's
All-Star Sports
Resort!
1791:
Andrew Johnson, the seventeenth United States President,
is born in Raleigh, North Carolina. Johnson was the first vice president to
succeed to the presidency upon the assassination of a president (Abraham Lincoln in 1865)
and the third vice president to become a president upon the death of a sitting president.
Visit him and all the U.S. Chief Executives at Disney World's The Hall of Presidents.
1983:
Country music singer Jessica Andrews is born in Huntingdon, Tennessee.
In 2008 she was the very first artist to sign with Carolwood Records, a Nashville-based sister label to
the Disney-owned Lyric Street Records.
DECEMBER 29
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
DECEMBER 29
 | ||||
| ||||
1971:
An amazing 69,458 guests visit Disney World on this day!
| ||||
Donny Osmond visits DAK
DEC
"The Disneyland concept kept growing and growing and it finally ended up where I felt I needed two-three
hundred acres. So, I wanted it in the Southern California area, there were certain things that I felt that I
needed, such as flat land, because I wanted to make my own hills. I didn't want it near the ocean, I wanted it
sort of inland, so I had a survey group go out and hunt for areas that might be useful."
-Walt Disney
SEASON 1 EPISODE 10
"Honest conviction is my courage; the Constitution is my guide." -Andrew Johnson
"I met John Lennon at Disney World while working as a monorail operator. He, Julian and May Pang
rode in the front of the monorail on two different occasions with me. I allowed him and Julian to operate the train. The second day John
came out to the station and actually ask if I was working. He and Julian waited until I arrived in the train and again rode with me and
drove the train. May Pang took a lot of pictures that day. As they left the train that day John ask if I would like to take some pictures and
waited while I retrieved a camera. I have a great 8×10 of John Lennon and I together." -Cast Member Hal East
"He finally picked up his pen and, in the unlikely backdrop of the Polynesian Village Hotel at Disney World, ended the greatest rock 'n' roll band in history by simply scrawling John Lennon at the bottom
of the page." -May Pang
1995:
Disney's Hollywood Pictures releases Mr. Holland's Opus in Los Angeles,
California. Starring Richard Dreyfuss as Glenn Holland, a musician and composer who takes a teaching
job to pay the rent while trying to compose one memorable piece of music to make him famous, the film will
be generally released in January.
Singer, songwriter, musician and actor Ross Shor Lynch is born in Littleton, Colorado.
His Disney acting credits include the feature film The Muppets, the Disney Channel shows Austin & Ally, Jessie,
and Girl Meets World, and the Disney Channel Original Movies Teen Beach Movie and its sequel Teen Beach 2.
Lynch also sang most of the songs from Austin & Ally: Turn It Up, the show's second soundtrack. He also recorded
songs for the film Teen Beach Movie.
| ||||||
| ||||||
It is widely believed that John Lennon signs the paperwork that
officially dissolves The Beatles while staying at Disney World's
Polynesian Village Resort. He, along with his son Julian and friend May Pang
are spending the Christmas holiday in Florida. Although The Beatles had stopped
existing as a band in 1970, it has taken some 4 years to draw up legal paperwork to
divide their massive earnings. The voluminous documents have been brought down to
Florida for Lennon to approve ... as the other 3 Beatles have already signed.
2011:
Disneyland Resort cast member Oscar Martinez celebrates his 55th anniversary with
the resort! Martinez, a cook at Carnation Café on Main Street, U.S.A, began his career at Disneyland as a
busboy at Fantasyland I and II. Over the last half-century, he has trained thousands of cast members and is the
first Walt Disney Parks & Resorts cast member to achieve a 55-year milestone. Martinez is also the first to receive
the newly created 55-year Snow White-themed service award.
1953:
Animator Duncan Marjoribanks is born in Toronto, Canada. Personally recommended by
Brad Bird to Disney feature director John Musker in 1987, Marjoribanks became the first animator to join the
production of The Little Mermaid. His credits since then have included The Rescuers Down Under, Aladdin
and Pocahontas.
1938:
Actor Jonathan "Jon" Voight is born in Yonkers, New York. He played Patrick Gates in
both the 2007 National Treasure: Book of Secrets and 2004 National Treasure, Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 2001 Pearl Harbor, Mr. Sir in the 2003 Holes, Adolph Rupp in the 2006 sports film Glory Road, and Thomas Brian Reynolds in Touchstone's 1998 Enemy of the State. Voight first came to prominence in the late 1960s with his Academy Award-nominated performance as Joe Buck, a would-be gigolo in Midnight Cowboy. During the 1970s, he became a Hollywood star because of his performances in such films as Deliverance, Coming Home, and The Champ.
December 29
2013:
Actress Elizabeth McGovern visits Walt Disney World. Currently enjoying success on the series Downton Abbey, she stops for a photo at Epcot that parodies the hit show. McGovern (who portrays Cora Crawley) poses with Disney cast members in front of Epcot's United Kingdom Pavilion, which is meant to represent Highclere Castle, the historical building used in Downton Abbey.
1986:
Actress Ally Maki, best known for starring as Jess Kato in the TBS comedy series Wrecked (2016–2018), is born in Kirkland, Washington. She is the voice
of Giggle McDimples, a miniature police officer toy, in the 2019 Toy Story 4.
1987:
Actor Iain De Caestecker is born in Glasgow, Scotland.
He portrayed Leo Fitz in the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
2003:
Actor Earl Hindman passes away at age 61 in Stamford, Connecticut. He was best known for his role as the kindly unseen neighbor Wilson W. Wilson Jr. on the ABC-TV sitcom Home Improvement (1991–99). Wilson was always filmed with the lower portion of his face obstructed. Hindman's voice was heard on the Disneyland Railroad from 2002 until 2016 and on the Walt Disney World Railroad from 2002 until late 2010.
1947:
Actor Vincent Winter is born in Scotland. A successful child actor, he appeared in the Disney films Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog (1961), Almost Angels (1962), The Horse Without a Head (1963), and The Three Lives of Thomasina (1964).
1970:
Actor Kevin Weisman is born in Los Angeles, California. He played Marshall Flinkman on the ABC television series Alias (2001–2006) and Dr. Finkel in Disney's family comedy Space Buddies (2009).
1959:
Patricia Clarkson, an actress of film, stage, and television, is born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She appeared in the Disney film Miracle (2004) playing the role of Patti Brooks (the wife of Coach Herb Brooks).
Stand-up comedian, author, and actress Paula Poundstone is born in Hunstville, Alabama. She is the voice of Forgetter Paula in Pixar's 2015 Inside Out. She also lent her voice to an episode of the series Hercules in 1998.
1979:
Diego Luna, an actor, director, and producer, is born Diego Luna Alexander in Mexico City, Mexico. He appeared in the 2016 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as Cassian Andor, a Rebel captain and intelligence officer.
1972:
Actor Jude Law is born in London, England. He played Steven Grlcz in Immortality (aka The Wisdom of Crocodiles), Ted Pikul in eXistenZ, Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley, Inman in Cold Mountain, Errol Flynn in The Aviator, Will in Breaking and Entering, and Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel.
1996:
Actor Dylan Minnette is born in Evansville, Indiana. His Disney film credits include Snow Buddies (2008) and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014). Minnette's television credits include episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Lost, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
1992:
Nominations for the 50th Golden Globe Awards are announced. Among those nominated:
- Aladdin & Sister Act for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
- Whoopi Goldberg - Sister Act for Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Actress
- Aladdin - Alan Menken for Best Original Score
- "A Whole New World" performed by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle - Aladdin, "Friend Like Me" performed by Robin Williams - Aladdin, & "Prince Ali" performed by Robin Williams - Aladdin for Best Original Song
- John Goodman – Roseanne & Tim Allen – Home Improvements for Best Lead Actor in a Television Series
- Roseanne Barr – Roseanne for Best Lead Actress in a Television Series
- Laurie Metcalf – Roseanne for Best Supporting Performance - Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Awards will be handed out January 23, 1993.
1951:
Art director, animator, and storyboard artist Andy Gaskill is born in Camden, New Jersey. His work with Disney includes Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound, Tron, Hercules, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and The Emperor's New Groove.
1998:
Actress and model Paris Berelc is born Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is known for her role as Skylar Storm in both the Disney XD series Mighty Med and Lab Rats: Elite Force. Berelc also played the part of Molly in the 2015 Disney Channel Original Movie Invisible Sister.
