2005:
Radio Disney AM 1110 and the City of Burbank Park, Recreation
and Community Services Department host the 7th Annual Easter Eggs-plosion 2005 event at Johnny Carson Park in Burbank, California.
Robert Iger makes his first move at the helm of Disney when he reassignes Peter Murphy, the company's Chief Strategic Officer, and pledges to disband the company's strategic planning division. (The division, which was created by Michael Eisner, has been charged by many with stifling creativity under a superfluous layer of bureaucracy.) Iger's first official day as CEO won't begin until October 1.
Actress Ella Anderson is born in Michigan. Her Disney Channel credits include A.N.T. Farm as Hazel, Dog with a Blog as Darcy, and Liv and Maddie as Jenny.
1827:
Ludwig van Beethoven, perhaps the most famous German composer of
classical music, passes away in Vienna at the age of 56. His Symphony No. 6 in F major (also
known as the Pastoral Symphony and completed in 1808) can be heard in the "Pastoral Symphony" segment of Disney's 1940 Fantasia. In November 1962 "The Magnificent Rebel" (a 2-part episode) aired on The Magical World
of Disney. Starring Karlheinz Böhm, it told the story of Ludwig van Beethoven. Despite a personal life troubled by deafness and irritability brought on by chronic abdominal pain, he composed, conducted, and performed all of his
adult life. Beethoven's large body of work had a profound influence on generations of composers.
1906:
Continental cinema representative and 1997 Disney Legend Wally Feignoux is born in Paris, France. During the 1930s and 40s, he represented Disney's interests to its motion picture distributor at the time, RKO, and made heroic contributions while keeping the Disney's Paris office open during the Nazi occupation, between 1939 and 1945.
1907:
Academy Award-winning composer, arranger & scorer Leigh Harline, whose
music appears in such Disney classics as Pinocchio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and many of the Silly Symphony shorts, is born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Among his best known melodies ... "When You Wish Upon a Star," "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee," "Give a Little Whistle," "I've Got No Strings," and "Some Day My Prince Will Come." Originally sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jiminy Cricket, "When You Wish Upon a Star" later become the representative song of The Walt Disney Company and used as such in the production logos at the beginning of many Disney films. (Harline will be inducted a Disney Legend in 2001.)
1927:
Live action filming is shot for 5 of Walt Disney's Alice comedy films.
1931:
Actor/director Leonard Nimoy, the voice of King Kashekim Nedakh in Disney's 2001 release Atlantis: The Lost Empire, is born in Boston, Massachusetts. He directed the film for Body Wars (at one time a motion simulator ride in the Wonders of Life pavilion at Epcot) and voiced Xehanort (a
villain) for the video games Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Nimoy
also directed the 1987 Touchstone Pictures film Three Men and a Baby, the 1988 Touchstone Pictures film The Good Mother, and the 1994 Hollywood Pictures film Holy Matrimony. In 1989, he took part in the grand opening of Disney-MGM Studios in Florida. (Sci-fi fans know Nimoy best as Mr. Spock from the original Star Trek television series and early franchise films. The half-human, half-Vulcan character became iconic and today is considered one of the most popular alien characters ever portrayed on television.)
1946:
Johnny Crawford, an original Mouseketeer, is born in Los Angeles, California. (In 1955 his singing impersonation of Johnnie Ray led to a contract with Disney.) Besides appearing on the 1955 TV series Mickey Mouse Club, he also portayed Mark McCain on the popular ABC-TV series The Rifleman.
1948:
Singer-songwriter Steven Tyler, who appears with his band Aerosmith in Disney's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster attraction, is born Steven Victor Tallarico in New York City. In the 1970s, Tyler rose to prominence as the lead singer of Aerosmith, which released such milestone hard rock albums as Toys in the Attic and Rocks, along with a string of hit singles, including "Dream On", "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way."
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," the band's first number-one hit, was used in Touchstone's 1986 film Armageddon.
1950:
Actor, comedian & writer Martin Short, the voice of B.E.N. in Disney's 2002 animated feature Treasure Planet and the voice of Lars in 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, is born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The narrator of Epcot's The Making of Me and the second version of O Canada, he also starred in CinéMagique a theater show at Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris, and Monster Sound Show an opening day attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Short's film credits include
Father of the Bride (1991) as wedding planner Franck Eggelhoffer, Captain Ron (1992) as family man Martin Harvey,
Father of the Bride Part II (1995) returning to the role of Franck, Jungle 2 Jungle (1997) as Richard Kempster,
The Santa Clause 3 (2006) as Jack Frost, and Frankenweenie (2012) as the voices of Edward Frankenstein, Mr. Bergermesiter & Nassor. (Comedy fans will know Short from his work on SCTV and SNL and for his memorable characters Jiminy Glick and Ed Grimely.)
Film score composer & conductor Alan Silvestri is born in New York City. His music can be
heard in such Disney/Touchstone films as Flight of the Navigator (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Father of the Bride (1991), Super Mario Bros. (1993), Father of the Bride Part II (1995), the remake of The Parent Trap (1998),
Lilo & Stitch (2002), Stitch! The Movie (2003), A Christmas Carol (2009), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011),
The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
1955:
"The Ballad Of Davy Crockett" sung by Bill Hayes - and written by George Bruns & Tom Blackburn - peaks at #1 on the pop singles chart (it will stay there for five weeks). It is the very first recorded version of the song, but with the ongoing success of Disney's Davy Crockett phenomenon, versions by Fess Parker and Tennessee Ernie Ford will quickly follow.
1958:
At the 1957 Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Disney's The Wetback Hound is
awarded an Oscar (Short Subjects, Live Action). Disney's The Truth About
Mother Goose is edged out by Warner Bros.' Birds Anonymous in the Short
Subjects, Cartoon category.
1961:
The TV series Walt Disney Presents airs "Man in Flight II."
1976:
Disney re-releases Dumbo in theaters for the 5th and final time.
Also released is the family adventure film Ride a Wild Pony. Directed by Don
Chaffey, it is based on the novel "A Sporting Proposition" by James Aldridge. Set in a small Australian
town, the film follows the battle between two children, Scott, a poor farm boy, and Josie, the
handicapped daughter of a wealthy ranch owner, for ownership of a horse that both children love. Initially released in Los Angeles on December 25, 1975, the film stars Robert Bettles, Eva Griffith, and Michael Craig.
1990:
Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's "Under the Sea" from Disney's The Little
Mermaid wins an Oscar for Best Song at the 62nd Academy Awards. Menken is also
awarded for his original score for The Little Mermaid. Touchstone Pictures' Dead Poets Society is awarded for
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
1994:
At Disney's EPCOT, Food Rocks - an animatronic musical food group revue - replaces Kitchen Kabaret (which has been closed since January).
1999:
The Disney/Jumbo Pictures animated film Doug's 1st Movie (based on the Saturday morning animated series) is officially released.
2000:
"You'll Be In My Heart" - written and performed by Phil Collins
for the Disney animated feature Tarzan - wins an Oscar for Best Song at the 72nd Academy Awards (hosted by Billy Crystal). Cher presents Collins with the award. He later performs "You'll Be In My Heart" live. Buzz Lightyear and Sheriff Woody make an animated appearance presenting the award for best animated short film (to The Old Man and the Sea), and Sarah McLachlin and Randy Newman perform "When She Loved Me" from the movie Toy Story 2. "When You Wish Upon A Star" (from Pinocchio) is sung by an all-star ensemble as a part of a medley of great movie soundtracks. The annual In Memoriam tribute, presented by actor Edward Norton, honor 27 who have passed including actor Jim Varney and animator Marc Davis.
2001:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs the special "South Pacific" (a new production of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical) on ABC-TV.
2003:
The film Wonders of China ends its run at Epcot. It will be replaced with Reflections of China.
2004:
An article titled "Hats off to 'Davy,' Fess Parker" (by Susan Wloszczyna)
appears in USA TODAY. Parker is best known for his role of Davy
Crockett in the Disneyland TV series.
1985:
Actress Keira Knightley - known for her role of Elizabeth Swann in both Disney features Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - is born in Middlesex, England. In her first major role, the 2001 Walt Disney Productions feature film Princess of Thieves, Knightley played the daughter of Robin Hood. She later played the Sugar Plum Fairy in the 2018 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.
Actress Francesca Marie Smith is born on this day. Her Disney voice credits include
Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade, Recess: All Growed Down, Recess: School's Out, the original series Recess
and the animated feature A Bug's Life.
Actor Jonathan Drew Groff, is born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In 2013, he voiced the role
of Kristoff in Walt Disney Animation Studios' film Frozen. His Disney credits also include Frozen Fever, Olaf's
Frozen Adventure, and Frozen 2.
1996:
The EP album Songs From The AristoCats is released on Walt Disney
Records. It features a cover version of "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat" performed by Brian Setzer.
Also released on this day is Bibbidi Bobbidi Bach on Delos Records. This CD features Disney
tunes in the style of great classical composers.
Roy Disney gives a speech to the Council of Institutional Investors in Washington, D.C. He discusses the ongoing situation at The Walt Disney Company and the relationship between the owners of public companies and their stewards.
The Dixon Middle School Stage Band (from Jacksonville, North Carolina)
performs at the Magic Kingdom in Tomorrowland as part of Disney
World's Magic Music Celebration.
2007:
It is reported that Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center has teamed up
with Walt Disney Parks and electronics company Siemens to create a collection of
arcade games called Project Spaceship Earth for Disney’s Epcot. The project is part of a 12-
year alliance between Siemens (a technology company devoted to creating a wide range of products, including
communications, transportation, and power technologies) and Disney. The attraction, which will occupy 9000 sqaure
feet, will take the form of several exhibits that relate to health care, transportation, and energy.
A 10-year-old giraffe named Nikki gives birth to a calf,
named Rori, at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Leigh Harline worked for various radio
stations before joining the
Walt Disney studios in 1932 as an
arranger and scorer. He won
an Academy Award for the song
"When You Wish Upon a Star" from
Disney's Pinocchio (1940) which later
became the signature theme for
Disney's TV series.
MARCH 26
MARCH 26
THIS DAY MADE IN THE USA
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Leigh Harline born
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"I despise a world which does not feel that music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy."
-Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
2010:
Waking Sleeping Beauty begin its theatrical run with limited releases in New York,
Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. The film, directed by Don Hahn, chronicles the time
from 1984 to 1994, when a "perfect storm of people and circumstances changed the face of animation forever."
Disney Channel premieres Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars, starring Jennifer Stone.
1962:
Actor Eric Allan Kramer, Bob Duncan on the Disney Channel series Good Luck Charlie, is born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His Disney Channel credits also include episodes of Phil of the Future,
Wizards of Waverly Place, and Jessie.
Animator/director Chris Bailey is born in Portland, Oregon. While working at Disney as an animator, his credits included Sport Goofy in Soccermania (1987), Oliver & Company (1988), The Little Mermaid (1989), The Rescuers Down Under (1990), The Lion King (1994), and Hercules (1997). He also animated the children for the World Chorus post-show area for It's a Small World at Disneyland Paris.
MAR
MAR
March 26
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
2016:
Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler celebrates his 68th birthday with a ride on the
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
"Still the best ride in the place!" -Steven Tyler
2017:
Disneyland Paris 25th Anniversary kicks off with new attractions, a new parade and new shows, plus enhanced classic attractions for the nearly 18-month celebration.
The celebration includes a thrilling new version of the landmark Star Wars attraction Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, and all-new special effects for Space Mountain: Mission 2 transforming the roller coaster into a full-force Star Wars thrill ride called Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain. Park guests can enjoy Disney Stars on Parade, a new parade with new floats including a spectacular fire-breathing dragon! In the evening, Mickey Mouse hosts a brand new spectacular called Disney Illuminations, which features scenes from Frozen, Pirates of the Caribbean
and the new Beauty and the Beast.
1993:
Hollywood Pictures & Touchwood Pacific Partners I releases the film Born Yesterday.
Based on a play by Garson Kanin, it stars Melanie Griffith, John Goodman and Don Johnson. A rich millionaire
hires a sophisticated journalist to bring his somewhat dim-witted girlfriend up to the level of his peers. Distributed by
Buena Vista Pictures, the cast includes Edward Herrmann, Max Perlich, and Celeste Yarnall.
Touchtone Pictures releases the comedy-thriller The Ladykillers, starring Tom Hanks. Professor G.H. Dorr (Hanks), a courtly Southern gentleman, arrives at the home of devout, elderly Marva Munson (Irma P. Hall), hoping to rent her extra room and use her basement to rehearse with his classical music ensemble. His fellow musicians, however, are actually criminals, and together they plan to rob a casino. When Mrs. Munson learns of their plan ... they decide she must be silenced. Distributed by Buena Vista
Pictures, the screenplay is based on the 1955 British comedy film of the same name, written by William Rose.
1981:
Hal Adelquist, primarily known for his work in helping to create and produce
"The Mickey Mouse Club," passes away in Long Beach, California. Starting at Disney
in 1932, he was assistant director on "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
1905:
Lyricist and screenwriter Larry Morey is born in Los Angeles, California. He joined Disney
in 1933, and wrote songs for several animated shorts, including The Wise Little Hen and The Grasshopper and
the Ants. Working with composer Frank Churchill, he wrote some 25 songs for Disney's first full-length cartoon,
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs including "Heigh-Ho", "Some Day My Prince Will Come", and
"Whistle While You Work." In 1949, he received an Academy Award nomination, with composer Eliot Daniel,
for the song "Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)", sung by Burl Ives in the film "So Dear to My Heart."
1934:
Actor, director & screenwriter Alan Arkin is born in Brooklyn, New York. With a film career spanning over six decades, his Disney/Touchstone credits include The Rocketeer (1991), Indian Summer (1993), The Jerky Boys (1995), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Muppets
(2011), Million Dollar Arm (2014), and Dumbo (2019). Receiver of various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award, Alan Wolf Arkin passed at age 89 in 2023.
1973:
Actor T. R. Knight is born Theodore Raymond Knight in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He is best known for his role as Dr. George O'Malley on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.
1944:
Singer, actress, and record producer Diana Ross is born in Detroit, Michigan. Rising to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes, she went on to have a successful solo career as a singer and actress. Her 1970 No. 1 Pop hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson) can be heard in Disney's Chicken Little (2005).
1911:
Animator, director and teacher Thornton Hee, often credited as T. Hee, is born in Oklahoma. Joining Walt Disney Animation Studios around 1937, he is most recognized for directing the "Dance of the Hours" segment of Fantasia. Leaving after the strike, he returned to Disney twice, from 1940 to 1946, and again from 1958 to 1961. Over the years his credits included The Reluctant Dragon, Victory Through Air Power, Make Mine Music, Mickey and the Beanstalk, and Fun and Fancy Free. Hee also worked for United Productions of America (1951 to 1958) and Terrytoons (1961 to 1963).
1951:
John Pomeroy, an animator for several major studios, including Walt Disney Animation Studios, is born in Los Angeles, California. Starting work at Disney in 1973 (first as a background artist), his credits include Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Rescuers, Pete's Dragon, Pocahontas, Fantasia 2000, The Tigger Movie, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Treasure Planet, and Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure.
2021:
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers premieres on Disney+. A sports comedy-drama streaming television series based on the 1992 film of the same name, it stars Lauren Graham as a mom who helps her son create his hockey team. The cast includes Brady Noon as 12-year-old Evan Morrow, and Emilio Estevez as Gordon Bombay, a former defense attorney who, after being forced to coach the Mighty Ducks as community service, became the team's official coach. (Estevez reprises his role from the film series.)
D23 x Walt Disney Imagineering Magical Milestones – Disney California Adventure Park 20th Anniversary, the first in a series of milestones that D23 and WDI will be partnering to celebrate, comes to an end. Running since March 10, the virtual event was a retrospective of the park, as well as a glance to the future.
1995:
The Disneyland Marathon takes place in Anaheim, California.
It is the first full marathon to be held at the park.
