1995:
More than 6,000 runners compete in the 2nd Annual Walt Disney World Marathon. Leonid Shvetsov of Russia finishes first overall for the second consecutive year, with Judit Nagy
of Hungary repeating as the women's overall winner. (Shvetosv will go on to run in both the 1996 and 2004
Olympic Summer Games.) Other winners on this day include:
Men’s Masters: Yuri Mikhailov, Russia, 2:20:26
Women’s Masters: Suzanne Ray, Anchorage, Alaska, 2:49:44
Men’s Chair: Kenneth Carnes, Snellville, Ga., 1:47:25
Women’s Chair: Christina Saunders, Fla., 2:22:16
Beginning in 1996,
entry to all
Walt Disney World
parks required use
of new,
credit-card
size tickets.
1996:
At Disneyland Paris, a "Fairy Tale Festival" celebrating the magic of great European storytellers begins. The attraction includes a full-sized gingerbread house and a
candy apple tree in Fantasyland, plus a daily wedding ceremony between Princess Aurora and Prince
Philip next to the castle. (The special attraction will run until April 4, 1996.)
2006:
Adriano Bastos of Sao Paulo, Brazil wins the 13th Annual Walt Disney
World Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 19 minutes, 44 seconds. Bastos is the very
first three-time winner in the 13-year history of the Florida marathon. Twenty-three year-old Paige Higgins
of Littleton, Colorado wins the Women's Overall with a time of 2:51:38.
Other 2006 winners (over the last two days) include:
Men’s Masters: Michael Mollod, Sarasota, Fla., 2:42:54
Women’s Masters: Lynn Leonard, Ocala, Fla., 3:04:23
Men’s Chair: Renzo Martinez, Boca Raton, Fla., 2:24:11
Men’s Half: Josh Eberly, Rochester, Mich., 1:08:12
Women’s Half: Melissa White, Rochester, Mich., 1:18:34
Men’s Half Chair: Steven Kruger, Atlanta, Ga., 2:00:43
Women’s Half Chair: Kristen Messer, Austin, Tx., 2:00:42
1956:
Due to poor attendance, Disneyland's the Mickey Mouse Club Circus,
an attraction running since November 1955, closes. The first major addition to
Disneyland, the circus was held in a pink and white striped tent (which was set-up in the area that
later will house the Fantasyland Autopia). Capitalizing on the success of the Mickey Mouse Club
TV series, the 75-minute circus show featured a cast of well-known Mouseketeers in various roles.
1958:
The Disneyland TV series airs episode 88 - which includes portions of Disney's 6th full-length animated film Saludos Amigos (first released in the U.S. in 1943).
1960:
The TV series Walt Disney Presents airs the episode "Swamp Fox: Day of
Reckoning," starring Leslie Nielsen as Brigadier General Francis Marion (a.ka. "The
Swamp Fox"). The fourth episode of an eight-part miniseries, Marion feels responsible when his nephew Gabe
(played by Tim Considine) is killed by the Tories (those who remained loyal to the British Crown). Letting revenge
outweigh his duty to his men, Marion personally sets out to kill Gabe's murderer, Amos Briggs (portrayed
by John Anderson).
1961:
Walt Disney Presents airs "Swamp Fox: A Woman's Courage," the seventh
episode of an 8-part mini-series starring Leslie Nielsen. Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion
(Nielsen) has rescued his sweetheart Mary Videaux (played by Barbara Eiler) from the British. In their efforts to
escape the British-held port of Charleston, Marion and his band of guerillas must first find themselves
a sailing vessel. Mary works out a clever scheme whereby she convinces the captain of a British prison ship
that she is a loyalist and that she hopes to throw Marion's men in irons!
1962:
Disneyland's Chicken Plantation Restaurant - in
business since the park's opening day - closes in Frontierland.
Sponsored by Swift’s Premium Meats, the restaurant served up fried chicken dinners along the Rivers of America. The space occupied by the restaurant is needed for the construction of New Orleans Square.
1978:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs the episode "Three on the Run."
1981:
Gert Schelvis becomes the 200-millionth Disneyland guest!
2001:
Actor Don Brodie - who appeared in Disney's 1975 Escape to Witch
Mountain and was the voice of Barker in Disney's 1940 Pinocchio -
passes away in Los Angeles, California.
2004:
Disneyland welcomes its 500,000,000th guest Bill Trow (from Wentworth Falls,
Australia). Trow is accompanied by his wife Ann-Marie and their 5-year-old daughter Aspen.
The 35th NAACP Image Awards nominations are announced. The Walt Disney Company is
nominated for several awards that honor companies who support positive images for people of color in arts and
entertainment.
2007:
After spending about a year on a redesign project, the Walt Disney
Company unveils the new Disney.com at the Consumer Electronics Show
in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Animator, television producer, and film director Iwao Takamoto passes
away at age 81 in Los Angeles. Best known for designing the Hanna-Barbera character
Scooby-Doo, Takamoto first entered the world of cartoons at Disney in 1947. He worked as an animator on
such classics as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and Lady and the Tramp.
New Orleans Square, the final land to be added to Disney's Virtual Magic
Kingdom, opens to players. (VMK is a free online game run by Disney.)
JANUARY 8
1926:
Actor Kerwin Mathews is born in Seattle, Washington. He played composer Johann Strauss Jr. in "The Waltz King," a 1963 2-part episode which aired on Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color.
1987:
An "interplanetary launch" is held for Disneyland's newest attraction Star Tours
from 7pm-midnight in Tomorrowland. The official grand opening will take place the following day.
1936:
Walt Disney is decorated with France's highest award - the Legion of Honor.
At a ceremony held on the grounds of his Hyperion Avenue Studio, Jean-Joseph Viala, the French
Consul in Los Angeles, pins the medal to Disney's left lapel.
"In recognition of Disney's work in creating a new art form in which good
will is spread throughout the world." - Jean-Joseph Viala
Disneyland welcomes 500,000,000th guest
2009:
The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend steps off for 4 days of events
beginning with the opening of Disney’s Health & Fitness Expo on this day
at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
WALL-E wins best Animated Feature at the 14th Critic's Choice Awards,
held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.
JANUARY 08
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
2008:
The 34th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in
popular culture for 2007, are held at the Shrine Auditorium in
Los Angeles, California, and broadcast on CBS. (The ceremony
was taped and winners are shown accepting their awards in pre-taped segments due to
actors not wanting to cross the picket lines of the striking Writers Guild of America.)
Pirates of the Caribbean:
At World's End
wins both
Favorite Threequel
and Favorite Movie
 | ||||
| ||||
Mickey Mouse Club Circus closes
| ||||
"Iwao Takamoto was not only a tremendously talented designer and artist, he was a beautiful human being. Iwao was always ready with a wide smile, a firm handshake and a warm welcome. Iwao's designs will be his legacy for generations to come. Those of us who had the privilege of working closely with him will miss his mentoring presence, his good counsel and his unparalleled talent and spirit."
-Warner Bros. Animation President Sander Schwartz
2010:
Disney On Ice presents Let's Celebrate! debuts in Cleveland, Ohio at Quicken Loans
Arena. The all-new show features more than 50 characters from 16 Disney stories live on ice, including Tiana,
the newest Disney Princess from Walt Disney Pictures' The Princess and the Frog.
The Olympic Heritage Celebration - to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the VIII
Olympic Winter Games, hosted in 1960 by Squaw Valley USA, and Tahoma, on Lake
Tahoe's West Shore - kicks off for 10 days. The director of the 1960 Winter Games was none other
than Walt Disney, who designed the beginning and ending ceremonies and the awards staging!
The Muppets make a debut appearance at U.S. Disney parks in the new
"Disney's Honorary VoluntEars Cavalcade."
1967:
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color airs the episode "Willie and the Yank -
The Deserter" for the first time. The first of 3 parts, it stars Kurt Russell and James MacArthur as
two soldiers during the American Civil War who befriend each other despite the fact that one is a
Confederate guard and the other a Union soldier.
This page is dedicated to Art Clokey - a pioneer in the popularization of stop motion clay animation and creator of Gumby. Arthur C. Clokey passed away on this day in 2010 at age 89 in California.
2011:
Tim Young of Rochester Hills, Michigan, is the top overall finisher of the
Walt Disney World Half Marathon in 1:05:29.
JAN
JAN
13
2
2012:
Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Disney Fantasy leaves the Meyer Werft enclosed
dock (in Germany) for the very first time. Slowly floated out of the building into the harbor for a few tests,
she will be delivered to Disney Cruise Line on February 9 in Bremerhaven.
Brazilian runner Fredison Costa wins the 19th Annual Walt Disney
World Marathon in 2 hours, 19 minutes and 1 second.
It is Costa's second consecutive Disney Marathon title. Renee High of Virginia Beach, Virginia,
is the first woman to cross the finish line in 2:48:33. More than 26,500 runners took part in the
26.2-mile race taking athletes through all four Walt Disney World theme parks and several
Disney resort hotel areas.
January 08
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
19
2015:
At 6:15 a.m., the Walt Disney World 5K kicks off the 2015 Disney World Marathon.
The first of 4 events throughout this weekend, 5K participants run through Epcot.
2017:
Fredison Costa is the first to cross the finish line at the 24th Annual Walt Disney
World Marathon. Costa, who lives in Kissimmee, finishes with a time of 2 hours, 23 minutes, 15 seconds!
It is his 4th consecutive and sixth overall Disney win. Giovanna Martins of Salto, Brazil, is the first woman to
finish (her second Disney World Marathon title in three years) in 2:48:05.
Disney's animated Zootopia wins Best Animated Feature Film at the
74th Golden Globe Awards (beating out 4 other films including its own Moana).
Paint the Night Parade runs for the last time at Disneyland.
2018:
Games of Pixar Pier closes at Disney California Adventure in preparation for construction and updates. First known as Games of the Boardwalk when the park opened in 2001, Games of Pixar Pier was a collection of four boardwalk games themed to several different Pixar characters.
California Screamin' (an opening day attraction) closes as well to make way for the Incredicoaster; an Incredibles-themed roller coaster to open in June 2018.
Mickey's Fun Wheel (first known as the Sun Wheel) also shuts down. It will later be renamed Pixar Pal-A-Round.
At Disneyland Paris, Phantom Manor closes for refurbishment.
1999:
The legal drama A Civil Action is widely released to theaters in North America.
Based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Harr, the film is co-produced by Disney's Touchstone Pictures
and distributed by Disney's Buena Vista Pictures. John Travolta stars as Jan Schlichtmann, a tenacious personal-
injury attorney whose fierce determination entangles him in a case that threatens to destroy him. The film's cast
includes Tony Shalhoub, Robert Duvall, and John Lithgow.
2013:
Disney's 2012 animated Tim Burton feature Frankenweenie is released to Blu-ray and
DVD. Included on the disc is the all new animated short Captain Sparky vs. The Flying Saucers.
A movie-within-a-movie, Sparky is recruited into duty when the most low-budget alien spacecraft ever begins
attacking the planet.
1950:
Cinematographer Jerzy Karol Zieliński is born in Poland. His credits include the
2003 The Lizzie McGuire Movie.
1980:
Actor Sam Riley is born in Menston, West Yorkshire, England. He played the role of
Diaval in the 2014 film Maleficent and the 2019 follow-up Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
Actress Rachel Nichols is born in Augusta, Maine. She played Rachel Gibson in the final season
of the ABC action television series Alias (2005–06).
2014:
The 40th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2013, is held
at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Among the winners:
-Favorite Movie: Iron Man 3
-Favorite Action Movie: Iron Man 3
-Favorite Movie Actor: Johnny Depp
-Favorite Action Movie Actor: Robert Downey Jr.
-Favorite Female Artist: Demi Lovato
1935:
Singer, dancer and actor Elvis Presley is born in Tupelo, Mississippi. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King". Songs by Elvis, as well as Elvis covers by Wynonna and the A*Teens made up the soundtrack to the 2002 animated Walt Disney Pictures Lilo & Stitch. The film centers around a lonely Hawaiian girl obsessed with Elvis who adopts what she thinks is an ugly dog, but is really a mischievous alien! Lilo & Stitch features such Elvis songs as "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Suspicious Minds." In the 2006 Cars, there is an RV called Elvis. The soundtrack for Disney's 2007 The Game Plan, features 4 of Presely's best known songs: "Rubberneckin'," "Jailhouse Rock," "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and "Burning Love." In 1969, the Mellomen - a popular singing quartet founded by Thurl Ravenscroft and Max Smith - appeared with Elvis in the film The Trouble with Girls, as a gospel group called the Bible Singers. (Disney fans know Ravenscroft & Smith's voice-over work and singing voices from Disney films and park attractions; most notably The Haunted Mansion.) Supposedly Elvis was considered for the role of Tom Piper in Disney's 1961 Babes in Toyland, but the part instead went to singer/actor Tommy Sands. (Sadly Elvis Aaron Presley passed away in August 1977 at the age of 42. To this day, he remains the best-selling solo artist, with sales estimates ranging from 600 million to 1 billion sales.)
1921:
Artist Lee J. Ames is born in Manhattan, New York. Getting his first job at age 18 with Walt Disney Studios, his short tenure included Fantasia, Donald's Snow Fight, and Bambi. He went on to be an advertising artist, fine artist, cartoonist, designer, animation in-betweener, illustrator, and an artist-in residence at Doubleday (an American book publisher). Ames will be best known for his series of 26 "Draw 50" books.
1976:
Singer-songwriter, musician, and actress Jenny Lewis is born in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Gaining prominence in the 1980s as a child actress, she appeared in feature films and televisions shows including The Golden Girls. Lewis later voiced the role of the Assistant Director for Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Bolt (2008), and also provided the song "Barking at the Moon." She was also the lead singer and rhythm
guitarist for the indie rock band Rilo Kiley.
1971:
Zac Moncrief, an animator, writer, storyboard artist, producer, and director, is born in Spring Valley, New York. An Emmy winner, he has worked on Teacher's Pet the series (and its theatrical release), the direct-to-videos of Lilo & Stitch & Kim Possible, the series Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, and 50+ episodes of the hit Disney television series Phineas and Ferb.
