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2004:
The 18th Annual Genesis Awards, presented by The Hollywood Office of The
Humane Society of The United States, awards Finding Nemo its outstanding film prize. The award is presented at a gala ceremony in the International Ballroom of
The Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills.
(The show will be taped and edited for a 2-hour television special airing on Animal Planet in April 2004.)
1883:
Actor Colin Campbell, whose Disney credits include the 1949 The
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad as the voice of Mole, is born in Scotland.
1917:
Singer Vera Lynn is born in London, England. Two of her popular recordings "We'll Meet
Again" and "Wishing (Will Make It So)" is used as backdrop music in Walt Disney World's Tower of Terror
attraction. (Lynn was the first British female singer to have a hit in the
U.S. and was wildly popular during the second world war.)
1942:
The Disney short Symphony Hour featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck,
and Goofy is released. In this cartoon, Mickey leads a radio orchestra who performs the overture to
"Light Cavalry" (by Franz von Suppé). The sponsor Mr. Macaroni (played by Pegleg Pete) loves the rehearsal.
But come the actual performance, Goofy drops all the instruments under an elevator, and they sound like toys.
Sylvester Macaroni is horrified, but the audience loves it anyway.
1948:
At the 20th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Disney wins
2 Oscars for the film Song of the South. Allie Wrubel & Ray Gilbert win for their song "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-
Dah," and actor James Baskett wins an Honorary Award for his heartwarming portrayal of Uncle Remus. This makes
Baskett the first black male to ever win an Academy Award and the first actor to win an Oscar for a performance in a
Disney feature. (Sadly he will pass away less than 4 months later at the age of 44.) Although nominated,
Disney's Chip 'n' Dale loses out to Warner Bros.' Tweetie Pie in the Short Subjects, Cartoon category.
1952:
Disney's True-Life Adventure short Nature's Half Acre wins an
Oscar (Short Subject/Two Reel) at the 24th Academy Awards
(held at at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood). Although Oliver
Wallace is nominated for his work on Alice in Wonderland, Johnny Green & Saul Chaplin take home the Oscar for Scoring of a Musical Picture for their work on An American in Paris.
1954:
Author Louis Sachar is born in East Meadow, New York. His 1998 best-selling
children's book "Holes" was released as a live-action motion picture by Disney in 2003.
1957:
The Disneyland television series airs "The Adventure Story."
1958:
Actress Holly Hunter, the voice of Helen Parr/Elastigirl in the 2004
Disney/Pixar animated The Incredibles and the 2018 sequel,
is born in Conyers, Georgia. Hunter also voiced Elastigirl in the "Disney Infinity" video
game series. Her live-action credits include the Touchstone Pictures films "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (playing the role of Penny Wharvey McGill, the ex-wife of George Clooney's character
Everett) and the romantic drama "Moonlight Mile" (in which she played the role of Mona Camp).
1959:
The TV series Walt Disney Presents airs "Texas John Slaughter: The Slaughter Trail."
Filmed in Frio Town, Texas, it is the sixth in a series of 17 episodes based on John Horton Slaughter, an actual
historical figure who helped clear the Texas territory of outlaws and bandits.
1984:
Actress/singer Christy Carlson Romano, the voice of Disney's Kim Possible, is born in Milford, Connecticut. In 2002, she became the first person ever to act in 3 Disney Channel projects at the same time - the live-action series Even Stevens, the film Cadet Kelly, and the animated Kim Possible. In 2004 Romano
endured a 31-week run playing Belle in Disney's Broadway hit Beauty and the Beast.
1985:
The Alpine Haus restaurant and the Candy Wagon shop both open in
Tokyo Disneyland.
1986:
Tokyo Disneyland welcomes its 30-millionth guest!
1987:
The film Captain EO opens in Tokyo Disneyland's Tomorrowland.
It is the third Disney park to feature the Michael Jackson film.
1991:
A jury in Los Angeles awards singer Peggy Lee more than 3.8-million dollars in videocassette profits for her singing and songwriting in Disney's animated classic
Lady and the Tramp. (A judge will later reduce the award to $2.3-million.) The singer had been paid only
$3,500 for co-writing six songs and providing the voice for 4 characters in the 1955 film.
2001:
About 100 women farmers from throughout California, along with 100 Orange
County fourth graders, and California Agriculture Secretary Bill Lyons, celebrate
National Agriculture Day at Bountiful Valley Farm, part of the new Disney's
California Adventure park. (Bountiful Valley Farm highlights the heritage of California agriculture, some
of its 250 crops, and provides an opportunity for visitors to experience a farm without leaving the city.)
Disney's 1971 feature film Bedknobs And Broomsticks: 30th Anniversary Edition is released on video.
2007:
Walt Disney Records releases the Hannah Montana Special Edition Soundtrack.
The CD + DVD set includes an all-new bonus track and a live concert performance as well as exclusive backstage footage, a free ringtone and collectible snapshots.
Playbill reports that casting is now complete for Disney's newest musical The
Little Mermaid, which will begin performances at The Denver Center for the
Performing Arts' Ellie Caulkins Opera House this summer. The cast features
Sierra Boggess in the title role, Sean Palmer as Prince Eric, Norm Lewis as King Triton, Tituss Burgess as
Sebastian, Eddie Korbich as Scuttle, Jonathan Freeman as Grimsby, Derrick Baskin as Jetsam, Tyler Maynard as Flotsam, Cody Hanford and J.J. Singleton as Flounder and Sherie René Scott as Ursula.
At this time, it is scheduled to open on Broadway the following December.
Disney releases the 2005 animated feature Chicken Little on Bluray for the first time.
1969:
Director and animator Elliot M. Bour is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
His Disney credits include Kronk's New Groove, Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie, Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo, Mulan, and Pocahontas.
All the lakes at
Walt Disney World are controlled by computers which are able to keep the water levels constant.
2008:
Madame Tussauds New York unveils a wax figure of the wildly popular teen actress-singer Miley Cyrus (known for her Disney role of Hanna Montana).
MARCH 20
MARCH 20
THIS DAY MADE IN THE USA
Christy Carlson Romano born
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Welcome Spring!
1981:
Disney releases the live-action feature Amy starring Jenny Agutter. Directed by Disney veteran Vincent McEveety, it is distributed by Buena Vista Distribution, and written by Noreen Stone. Set in 1913, Amy Medford (Agutter) leaves her possessive, wealthy husband Elliot (Chris Robinson) to begin a new life teaching speech to deaf students in the rural Appalachian Mountains at a school for blind and deaf children. Though encountering resistance from those who question whether it’s even possible to teach speech to children with hearing-impairments, Amy becomes close to the staff and children, building a new life for herself and gaining the personal strength she will need to stand up to the domineering husband who is not content to let her live her own life. The cast also includes Barry Newman, Kathleen Nolan, Lonny Chapman, and Ronnie Scribner.
1964:
Beatle George Harrison escorts Disney teen star Hayley Mills (and her mother
Mary Hayley Bell) to a midnight matinee charity benefit showing of the film
Charade at the Regal Cinema in Henley-on-Thames.
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SEASON 3 EPISODE 19
"Of course I have a secret identity. Can you see me in this at the, at the supermarket? Come on! Who'd want to go shopping as Elastigirl, know what I mean?" -Helen Parr (voiced by Holly Hunter)
1970:
Cinema and television actress Linda Larkin is born in
Alaska (but raised in Minnesota). She is best known for providing
the speaking voice of Princess Jasmine for the 1992 movie Aladdin and later
various Aladdin sequels and spin-offs such as The Return of Jafar and
Aladdin and the King of Thieves. (Lea Salonga is the singing voice of
Jasmine.) Larkin also voiced the character for the 2018 Ralph Breaks the
Internet and various television episodes of Hercules: The Animated Series
and Sofia the First. She can also be heard as Princess Jasmine in the
critically acclaimed Kingdom Hearts video game series. Larkin was inducted a Disney Legend in 2011.
MAR
MAR
2012:
On the same day the 2011 feature The Muppets is released on DVD and Blu-ray, the
Muppets are honored with their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At 11:30 AM,
the Muppets receive the 2,466th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of Motion Pictures. The star
and ceremony is located at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard, in front of the El Capitan Theatre.
Also released to DVD is Disney's 1955 Lady and the Tramp.
2010:
At Tokyo DisneySea, "My Friend Duffy" debuts at Cape Cod Cook-Off in the Cape
Cod section of American Waterfront. A stage show starring Duffy the Disney Bear, other characters
such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse appear as well.
March 20
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
2013:
Dave Smith, the founder of the Disney archive, visits the Ronald Reagan Presidential
Library and Museum to sign copies of his 2012 book titled "Disney Trivia From the Vault."
The library has been hosting "Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives," a 12,000 square-foot exhibit featuring models,
props, costumes, set pieces and artwork from Disney history from 1923 until the present, since May 2012.
2014:
Aladdin, a stage musical based on the 1992 film of the same name, opens on
Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre.
Tokyo Disneyland's 30th anniversary celebration comes to an end.
1992:
Touchstone Pictures and Amblin Entertainment release the comedy Noises Off to
theaters. Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures, the film follows the rehearsal and performance of a dreadful farce
called "Nothing On," a hit British show that is preparing for its American debut in Des Moines, Iowa, with a second-rate,
Broadway-bound theatrical troupe. The cast includes Michael Caine as the show's director, Carol Burnett, Denholm
Elliott, John Ritter, Christopher Reeves, and Marilu Henner.
2019:
On this day Disney officially own 21st Century Fox. The deal, which closed at 12:02 a.m. Eastern time, reshapes the media landscape and makes Disney an even greater entertainment behemoth. The acquisition adds a
stacked library with many films (like Young Frankenstein, Home Alone, and The Sound of Music) and popular animated television shows (such as Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, and Futurama).
1982:
Actor Nick Blood is born in London, England. He is known for his role of
Lance Hunter in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
1973:
Actress Jane March is born in Edgware, London, England. She co-starred with Bruce Willis
in the Hollywood Pictures erotic thriller Color of Night (1994).
2005:
I Do, They Don't, a television movie starring Josie Bissett and Rob Estes, premieres on
ABC Family. A Vegas wedding spells trouble back at home, as Carrie (Bissett) and Jim (Estes) each break the news
to their kids. Can the newlyweds and their new household survive?
1922:
Comedian, actor, director, screenwriter, and publisher Carl Reiner is born in The Bronx, New York. With a career spanning seven decades, he started out in the early years of television comedy from 1950 to 1957, co-writing and acting on Caesar's Hour and Your Show of Shows. Reiner is most famous for his comedy duo with Mel Brooks in "2000 Year Old Man" and acting in films such as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World
(1963), The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) and the Ocean's film series (2001–2007). His Disney credits include the voice of Prometheus in Hercules: The Animated Series, a guest appearance in Jake and the Never Land Pirates as the voice of Captain Treasure Tooth, playing Mel Fellini in Mickey's 60th Birthday, and voicing Carl Reinoceros in Toy Story 4.
Character actor Jack Kruschen is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr. Dreyfuss in the 1960 comedy-drama The Apartment, his Disney credits include episodes of Zorro (1958) and the film The Million Dollar Duck (1971) as Doctor Gottlieb.
1963:
Actor, director & screenwriter David Thewlis is born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.
He played the role of Lyons in the 2011 war film War Horse (directed by Steven Spielberg and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures).
2020:
Singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and entrepreneur Kenny Rogers passes away at age 81 in Georgia. A Country Music Hall of Famer, he charted more than 120 hit singles across various music genres during his long career. One of his hit songs "The Gambler" (written by Don Schlitz) can be heard on the soundtrack for Disney's George of the Jungle 2.
The 1991 Beauty and the Beast is released to 4K Blu-ray.
Walt Disney Records releases Disney Junior Music: Mira, Royal Detective.
1994:
Casey Jr. Circus Train opens in Disneyland Paris.
1924:
Philip Abbott, a character actor in films and TV series, is born in Lincoln, Nebraska. He appeared in Disney's Miracle of the White Stallions (1963) as Col. Reed and Those Calloways (1965) as Dell Fraser.
Abbott's Disney television credits include Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, as Ed Barrett in the 4-part episode "Kilroy" (1965).
