2005:
The Disney Channel Original Movie Buffalo Dreams debuts.
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1889:
The California legislature divides Los Angeles County and creates
Orange County (the future home of Disneyland) as a separate political
entity. It is named for its most famous product ... the orange.
1933:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon Birds in the Spring is released.
1938:
Disney's Donald Duck cartoon Donald's Better Self, directed by Jack King and written by Carl Barks, is released. In this 8-minute short, schoolboy Donald (voiced by Clarence Nash) is torn between his angel and devil sides.
1950:
Bruce Healey, composer/arranger/conductor and music director for Walt Disney
Attractions, is born in St. Louis, Missouri. As a high school senior in 1967, his first job with
Disney was playing drums in the marching band at Disneyland for the Christmas parade (in the days when all the music
was performed live). Healey went on to write and or arrange music for Disney's Fantasmic!, One Man's Dream,
and Disney's Fantillusion (for Tokyo Disneyland). He also produced such Disney CDs as the 1997 Official Album of
Disneyland/Walt Disney World and the 1996 Mickey's Sports Songs.
1956:
Voice actor Rob Paulsen is born in Detroit, Michigan. Best known for his extensive roles as the voices of animated characters (such as Pinky from Pinky and the Brain), his Disney credits include Little Mermaid III, Fox and the Hound II, Kingdom Hearts II, Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas, Mulan II, Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers, Teacher's Pet, Stitch! The Movie, Peter Pan II and Cinderella II: Dreams Come True.
1960:
The Walt Disney Presents TV series features the episode "This is Your Life, Donald
Duck." Though Jiminy Cricket is all set to give a testimonial to Donald Duck, Donald is relaxing at home, with no
plans to leave. Literally dragged to the Disney Studio by his nephews, an outraged Donald relaxes a bit when he
realizes that he's the guest of honor.
1962:
The NBC-TV series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
airs part 1 of "The Prince and the Pauper."
1966:
Several landowners (all fully-owned subsidiaries of the Walt Disney Company) petition the Circuit Court of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, which serves Orange County, Florida, for the creation of the Reedy Creek Drainage District. The Drainage District will be incorporated May 13 as a public corporation. (The land within Disney World will become part of the Reedy Creek Improvement District - which will allow Disney to exercise quasi-governmental powers over the area.)
1977:
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,
produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed
by Buena Vista Distributionis, is released.
It is a compilation consisting of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day,
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger
Too. The three shorts are linked together with newly created material, and
an ending to give closure to the stories (based on the final chapter of A. A.
Milne's "The House at Pooh Corner").
2000:
Christina Aguilera hosts "2 Hour Tour" on the Disney Channel. The new series (hosted by a different pop star) hopes to help young musicians break into the industry.
2001:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs "Princess of Thieves"
(a coming-of-age story about Robin Hood's daughter) on ABC-TV.
The Mulan Parade makes its final trip down Hollywood Blvd at the
Disney-MGM Studios in Florida.
2003:
Disney's Inspector Gadget 2 is released directly to DVD and video. Unlike the first film, Inspector Gadget 2 draws more influence from the original cartoon series. With the exception of D. L. Hughley, who returns as the voice of the Gadgetmobile, none of the actors from the 1999 film reprised their roles. The cast includes French Stewart as Inspector Gadget, Elaine Hendrix as G2, Tony Martin as Dr. Claw, Caitlin Wachs as Penny, and Jeff Glenn Bennett as the voice of Brain the Dog.
2006:
The NFFC Strictly Disneyana Show and Sale kicks off at the Celebration Middle School Gymnasium in Celebration, Florida.
1983:
The featurette Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore is offered in limited release to theaters in the U.S. (On March 25 it will be generally released along with a reissue of the 1963 feature The Sword in the Stone.) Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore has been animated by Rick Reinert Productions, making it the first animated Disney film since 1938 to be completely produced outside the company. Based on the sixth chapter of both books Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne, Pooh and friends decide to throw a birthday celebration for gloomy, old Eeyore. The voice cast features Ralph Wright (as Eeyore), Hal Smith (as Pooh & Owl), Will Ryan (as Rabbit), John Fiedler (as Piglet), Kim Christianson (as Christopher Robin), and Paul Winchell (as Tigger). With the death of Sebastian Cabot in 1977, the voice of the Narrator is now taken by Laurie Main.
Also released is the live-action detective spoof Trenchcoat, distributed by Buena
Vista Distribution. Actress Margot Kidder plays an aspiring mystery writer who travels to Malta to
research her next novel and falls in love with a handsome, mysterious American - played by Robert Hayes.
"Animation is not a question of drawing, it’s a question of timing."
-Jules Engel (born This Day in Disney History 1909)
Brooklyn-born architect Robert A.M. Stern designed Disney's Boardwalk, the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, and the Casting Center building. Along with Jaquelin Robertson, he was also the master planner for the Florida community, Celebration.
1909:
Jules Engel, filmmaker, animator, painter, sculptor, and teacher, is born in
Budapest, Hungary. (His family moved to America where he grew up in Illinois.) In 1938, Engel was
hired by Walt Disney Studios to work on Disney's Fantasia and later Bambi. Starting in 1944, he was a
founding member of the innovative studio United Productions of America. Along with Robert Cannon, Engel
created Mr. Magoo, Gerlad McBoing Boing, and Madeline. Engel is best remembered as the founding
director of the Experimental Animation Program at the California Institute of the Arts - where he taught until
his death at age 94, serving as mentor to several generations of animators.
2007:
The Disney stage production Tarzan celebrates 350 performances on Broadway.
Season 2 of the animated series Guardians of the Galaxy kicks off with the episodes "Stayin' Alive" and "Evolution Rock".
1964:
The Golden Globe Awards are presented at the Cocoanut Grove, Ambassador Hotel
in Los Angeles, California. Although Hayley Mills is nominated for Best Motion
Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy (for her performance in Disney's Summer Magic), the award goes to Shirley
MacLaine (for her role in Irma la Douce).
1994:
The New York Times runs a letter to the editor titled "Disney Can
Make American History Fun" by David Verbraska of Valatie, New York.
Mr. Verbraska's words include:
For the first time in a long time, I disagree with the premise of one of your editorials --
"Virginia, Say No to the Mouse" (Feb. 24), on the proposed Disney theme park in
Virginia's Prince William County, "a region of natural beauty and historical importance,
flanked by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Civil War
shrines of Manassas."
Your shrill characterization of Disney's America as merely a "business venture" and
appropriate only to "10-year-old, television-nurtured sensibilities" slights the enormous
economic and, yes, the educational potential of the attraction.
Disney's America will not cheapen our history, but will enliven it and bring it to more Americans, young and old. In the way that Epcot Center in Florida teaches children
about science and world cultures, Disney's America seems poised to offer
instructional fun in American history.
His letter ends with:
As a history enthusiast, not an adolescent in search of mindless entertainment, I'm
excited about Disney's America. I can only hope that you will be too.
MARCH 11
MARCH 11
THIS DAY MADE IN THE USA
Jules Engel born
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2009:
Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee reprise their roles from the Broadway production of Mary Poppins in Chicago, Illinois. A national tour of the musical kicks off this evening at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.
1969:
Actor and singer Terrence Howard is born in Chicago, Illinois (though he was raised in Cleveland, Ohio). He is the voice of James (Tiana's father) in Disney's 2009 The Princess and the Frog.
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Musician Bruce Healey born
2010:
The Academy Award-winning composers of the music from It’s a Small World
and The Enchanted Tiki Room, as well as Mary Poppins - Richard M. Sherman
and Robert B. Sherman - receive a tribute window on Disneyland's Main Street.
2011:
Mars Needs Moms, a 3D computer-animated sci-fi film based on the book by
Berkeley Breathed (and the last movie produced by Image Movers), is released by
Walt Disney Pictures. A young boy named Milo (Seth Green) gains a deeper appreciation for his mom (Joan
Cusack) after Martians come to Earth to take her away.
Strong earthquakes hit the Tohoku Region of Japan on this afternoon, triggering
several meter high tsunami waves that cause massive destruction and loss of human
lives in areas along the Pacific coast, especially in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima
Prefectures. The 9.0-magnitude earthquake itself causes major damage in areas close to the epicenter, as well
as scattered fires and damage across the Tohoku and eastern Kanto area. Disney’s Disneyland Resort in Tokyo and
Tokyo DisneySea will later temporarily close. Although damage and injuries are minimal at both parks, operator
Oriental Land Co. will choose to close the parks in the wake of rolling blackouts and other safety concerns.
MAR
MAR
2012:
Jordin Sparks appears as the keynote speaker at the Disney Dreamer's Academy
commencement ceremony at the Walt Disney World Resort. The Dream Academy program
is an annual career inspiration program for one hundred high school students from across the country.
March 11
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh voice cast:
Sebastian Cabot ... Narrator
Sterling Holloway ... Winnie the Pooh
Paul Winchell ... Tigger
Junius Matthews ... Rabbit
Howard Morris ... Gopher
John Fiedler ... Piglet
Ralph Wright ... Eeyore
Barbara Luddy ... Kanga
Hal Smith ... Owl
Jon Walmsley ... Christopher Robin (Blustery Day)
Bruce Reitherman: Christopher Robin (Honey Tree)
Timothy Turner ... Christopher Robin (Tigger Too)
Clint Howard ... Roo (Blustery Day & Honey Tree)
Dori Whitaker ... Roo (Tigger Too)
"It is not what I give to a student that is most important, it is what I don’t take away." -Jules Engel
Released along with Pooh is the live-action The Littlest Horse Thieves. When the owner of a Yorkshire coal mine decides to destroy its ponies and replace them with steam engines, three children hatch an ingenious plan to rescue the animals. The cast includes Alastair Sim, Peter Barkworth, Maurice Colbourne, Benjie Bolgar, and Susan Tebbs.
2019:
Dumbo has its world premiere at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles, California.
(It will be released in the United States in 2D and 3D by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on March 29, 2019.)
1981:
Actor David Anders is born in Grants Pass, Oregon. He is best known for his roles as Julian Sark on ABC's Alias and Victor Frankenstein / Dr. Whale on ABC's Once Upon a Time.
1982:
Robbie Daymond, a voice actor mostly known for providing voices for animations, Japanese anime, audiobooks, and video games, is born in Chesterfield, Missouri. His Disney XD voice credits include Star Wars Rebels (as Eighth Brother), Spider-Man (as Peter Parker/Spider-Man), and Avengers Assemble (as Peter Parker/Spider-Man).
2020:
The Walt Disney Company hosts its annual meeting of shareholders, with this year's event held in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is the first shareholders meeting since Bob Chapek assumed the role of CEO (although former CEO Bob Iger is in attendance).
2017:
Season 2 of the animated Guardians of the Galaxy debuts with the episodes
"Stayin' Alive" and "Evolution Rock."
The 30th ceremony of the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards are held in California. Among the winners:
-Favorite Animated Movie: Finding Dory
-Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie: Ellen DeGeneres – Finding Dory as Dory
-Favorite Butt-Kicker: Chris Evans – Captain America: Civil War as Steve Rogers / Captain America
-Favorite Frenemies: Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman – Zootopia as Officer Judy Hopps and
Nicholas P. "Nick" Wilde
-Favorite TV Actress: Zendaya – K.C. Undercover as K.C. Cooper
-Favorite Female Singer: Selena Gomez
2016:
Swish, a compilation album by American indie rock band Joywave, is released
through Cultco and Disney's Hollywood Records.
1972:
Actor Jamal Duff, who played professional football in the NFL, is born in Columbus, Ohio. A defensive end / defensive tackle for both the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins, he later became an actor. His Disney credits include an episode of Raven's Home, ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and the feature film The Game Plan.
2018:
American Idol returns to television on the Disney-owned ABC. First premiering in June 2002 on Fox, it was the surprise summer hit show of that year. After 15 seasons, the show took a hiatus after its April 2016 season finale. Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie are now the three judges with veteran Ryan Seacrest returning as host. (Maddie Poppe from Clarksville, Iowa, will win the season on May 21, 2018.)
1916:
Stage and screen actor Ferdy Mayne is born Ferdinand Philip Mayer-Horckel in Mainz, Germany. Emigrating to the United Kingdom in the early 1930s, he resided in the UK for the majority of his professional career. Best known as a character actor, Mayne appeared in Disney's 1959 Third Man on the Mountain as Andreas Krickel.
2022:
Turning Red, a computer-animated fantasy comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, is released on Disney+.
Set in Toronto, Ontario, in 2002, the film follows Meilin "Mei" Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian student who, due to a hereditary curse, transforms into a giant red panda when she expresses any strong emotion. The voice cast features Rosalie Chiang as Meilin "Mei" Lee, Sandra Oh as Ming Lee, Ava Morse as Miriam, and
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Priya.
