1978:
A 90-minute television show airs on The Wonderful World of Disney to celebrate Mickey Mouse's 50th birthday. Guest appearances include Gerald Ford, Billy Graham, Lawrence Welk, Willie Nelson, Gene Kelly, Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, Edgar Bergen, Jodie Foster, Goldie Hawn, Eva Gabor, Anne Bancroft, Jo Anne Worley, and Johnny Carson.
Animator, writer, director, and producer Daniel Chong is born in Fargo, North Dakota. Beginning his career as a storyboard artist for numerous animation studios including Walt Disney Animation and Pixar, his film credits include Bolt (2008), Cars 2 (2011), and Inside Out (2015) and the television specials Toy Story of Terror! (2013) and Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014).
1905:
Actress Eleanor Audley, the voices of the wicked Maleficent in
Disney's 1959 Sleeping Beauty and Lady Tremaine in the 1950
Cinderella, is born in New York City. (For both films, animator Marc Davis
created the characters' facial features to resemble Audley!) She was also the original
voice of Madame Leota for the Haunted Mansion attraction. (Fans of the 1960s sitcom
Green Acres may remember Audley for her role of Eunice, Oliver's mother!)
2005:
The month-long Festival of the Seasons kicks off at the Downtown Disney
Marketplace in Florida.
Disney's stage musical Aida begins previews in Munich, Germany at the
Deutsches Theater. It will officially open November 22.
1906:
Write, Imagineer and Disney Legend William Cottrell is born to English parents in South Bend, Indiana. His Disney credits include Pinocchio, The Reluctant Dragon, and Alice in Wonderland. Cottrell was the first president of what is today known as Walt Disney Imagineering! (He was also the brother-in-law of Lillian and Walt Disney.)
1932:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon Babes in the
Woods (loosely based on the "Hansel and Gretel" story
& the nursery rhyme "Babes in the Woods") is released.
Directed by Bert Gillett, two lost children chance upon a village of elves but
meet an evil spooky witch! Babes in the Woods is the third Silly Symphony
produced in color.
1941:
The Disney cartoon Thrifty Pigs (made for the
National Film Board of Canada) is delivered.
1959:
Actress Allison Janney, the voice of Peach in Disney/Pixar's 2003 Finding Nemo,
is born in Dayton, Ohio. She also supplied the voice of Charlene Doofenshmirtz on Disney Channel's
Phineas and Ferb. (Janney is best known for her role as C. J. Cregg on the television series The West Wing.)
1961:
The NBC-TV series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
airs part 2 of "The Light in the Forest."
1962:
Academy Award-winning actress, director & producer Jodie Foster is born in Los
Angeles, California. She made her feature film debut in Disney's 1972 Napoleon and Samantha, playing
the role of Samantha. Foster's other 1970s Disney live-action credits include Candleshoe as Casey, the original version of Freaky Friday as Annabel Andrews and One Little Indian as Martha. In 2005, she starred in Touchstone's psychological thriller mystery Flightplan. (First acting in commercials at age 3, Foster's first significant role was in the 1976 film Taxi Driver.)
1966:
Actor Jason Scott Lee, the voice of David Kawena in Disney's 2002 Lilo & Stitch, is born in Oahu, Hawaii.
1971:
Walt Disney World's new Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, located at 4510
North Fort Wilderness Trail, opens in Florida. Built in the Magic Kingdom Resort Area, adjacent to
Bay Lake and Disney's River Country (a now-defunct water park), Fort Wilderness is designed with a rustic theme.
1990:
Disney World's Beach Club Resort (located at 1800 Epcot
Resorts Blvd) opens. This deluxe Disney property takes after
a luxurious Victorian Cape Cod Resort and features Stormalong Bay (an enormous swimming pool). Also debuting in the hotel is the Atlantic Wear and Wardrobe Emporium Shop.
1999:
FastPass is first used in Disneyland for It's a Small World.
The forty-fourth episode of Disney's Recess, "Good Luck Charm/Diggers Split Up"
premieres on UPN and in syndication.
2000:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs the movie Santa Who?, starring Leslie Nielsen, for the very first time.
The made-for-television fantasy-comedy centers on Santa Claus (Nielsen) developing a case of amnesia right before Christmas. The cast includes
Steven Eckholdt, Robyn Lively, Max Morrow, Aron Tager, and Tommy Davidson. Thinking him to be a homeless man, a news reporter named Peter Albright (Eckholdt) gets amnesiac Santa a job as a department store Santa and tries to find his family. Directed by William Dear, Santa Who? is distributed in the U.S. by Buena Vista Television.
(This film marks the second of what will be three times where Leslie Nielsen plays Santa Claus. He played Santa in the 1991 film "All I Want for Christmas." He will later play the jolly old elf in an episode of the 2003 animated TV series "Chilly Beach.")
The 5th Epcot International Food and Wine Festival ends.
2004:
Disneyland's A Christmas Fantasy Parade returns for the holiday season.
Santa Goofy and Chip & Dale visit with shoppers at New York City's World of
Disney store (through the New Year).
Comic-actor Tim Allen, the voice of Buzz Lightyear and the star of The Santa Clause films and the ABC sitcom Home Improvement, receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Walt Disney Pictures releases National Treasure starring Nicholas Cage as a
treasure hunter & historian on hot pursuit of a war chest hidden by the Founding
Fathers after the American Revolutionary War. Directed by Jon Turteltaub and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the films also stars Jon Voight, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Harvey Keitel, and Christopher Plummer. Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian and amateur cryptologist. National Treasure was filmed primarily in Washington, New York, Philadelphia and Utah. Most scenes were filmed on location, with the exceptions
of the Independence Hall scene, which was filmed at the replica of Independence Hall at Knott's Berry Farm.
Disney's 1928 Steamboat Willie is
the first cartoon released with
synchronized sound to attract
widespread public notice and
popularity - it is not the first
cartoon with sound. Other
cartoons with soundtracks had
been exhibited before, notably
Max Fleischer's My Old Kentucky
Home (in 1926).
1996:
Disney Online officially launches its Internet Disney Store.
1998:
VH1 airs Hollywood & Vinyl: Disney's 101 Greatest Musical Moments - a look back at musical moments in the history of Disney animated feature films from the last 75 years.
2007:
The Disney feature Enchanted has its U.S. premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City. In attendance are members of the cast including Patrick
Dempsey and Amy Adams, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Earlier in the day, Dempsey and Adams visit MTV's TRL, shot at MTV Studios
in New York City's Times Square.
1831:
James Abram Garfield, the twentieth United States President, is born in Orange Township, now Moreland Hills, Ohio. His death, two months after
being shot and six months after his March 1881 inauguration, made his tenure, at 199 days,
the second shortest (after William Henry Harrison) in United States history. Visit Garfield and
all the U.S. Chief Executives at Disney World's The Hall of Presidents.
"Rap on a table. It's time to respond. Send me a message from somewhere beyond!"
-Madame Leota
2008:
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts breaks ground for its first family
destination resort in Hawaii with a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony
on its 21-acre oceanfront property, located at the Ko Olina Resort & Marina development on the western side of O'ahu. Scheduled to open in 2011, plans include
350 hotel rooms and 480 Disney Vacation Club timeshare villas.
1989:
The Parent Trap IV: Hawaiian Honeymoon, the third and last made-for-TV
sequel of The Parent Trap, debuts. Hayley Mills reprises her role as both Susan and Sharon.
In Memory of Diane Disney Miller
Robert: "Would you like me to call someone for you?"
Giselle: "I don't think they would hear you from here."
-Enchanted
"Few men in our history have ever obtained the Presidency by planning to obtain it."
-James Garfield
"He (Cottrell) was a talented writer and helped shape how we referred to events and attractions at Disneyland. For instance, he encouraged us to
quit using the term "ride" and to refer to attractions as an "experience," which is exactly what they are - an experience." -Imagineer John Hench
2011:
Disney Cruise Line kicks off its holiday season on this day with the first of three
Thanksgiving voyages. All three ships (Magic, Wonder and Dream) will offer traditional Turkey Day
activities with feasts and football games broadcast live on the outdoor jumbo screens by the pools. Mickey, Minnie
and friends will also appear in their Thanksgiving attire.
Mickey, Minnie and Disney take part in the Festival of Lights parade on Chicago's
Magnificent Mile. The event, in its 20th year, brings out thousands of parade revelers to Michigan Avenue at
Pioneer Court and kicks off the holiday shopping season.
Disney VoluntEARS celebrate National Family Volunteer Day by helping assemble
26,341 food boxes (421 tons of food) at the Orange County Food Bank (in
California) for local seniors in need this holiday season.
Pixie Hollow Games, a 30-minute television special is broadcast on Disney Channel.
Based on the Disney Fairies franchise, it is produced by DisneyToon Studios and animated by Prana Studios. It
features the voices of Mae Whitman, Lucy Liu, Raven-Symoné, Megan Hilty, and Angela Bartys. Tinker Bell and the other fairies of Pixie Hollow in Never Land take part in an Olympic-style competition.
"I think it's absolutely amazing as an experienced actress, to witness your own personal voice talent become translated into an animated
character on the screen in an animated film. It's simply just so fascinating... of course, I've had wonderful experiences working alongside the
talented animators at the Disney Studio overall, but I was shocked at the sheer realism that went into the animation of my most memorable
Disney villainess roles: Lady Tremaine in Cinderella, and Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty." -Audley
1919:
Character actor Alan Young is born Angus Young in North Shields,
Northumberland, England. He was the voice of Scrooge McDuck (a cartoon
character created in 1947 by Carl Barks) for over 30 years. Young's credits include
"Mickey's Christmas Carol," "Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas," "The House
of Mouse," "DuckTales," and many Disney television shows and video games.
Young also appeared in the 1978 live-action feature "The Cat From Outer Space"
as Dr. Wenger and voiced toy maker Hiram Flaversham for the 1986 "The Great
Mouse Detective." (TV fans will always know him best as Wilbur Post from
the classic 1960s sitcom "Mister Ed.") Alan Young passed at age 96 in May 2016.
2012:
Although scheduled for a grand debut on December 6, Magic Kingdom's new
Fantasyland expansion (at Walt Disney World) has a soft opening on this day.
2013:
At a special ceremony in Orlando, the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA)
announces the winners of the 20th Thea Awards, recognizing excellence in the
creation of extraordinary visitor experiences, attractions, exhibits and places.
This year, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts receives three awards:
Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland for Outstanding Achievement.
Enchanted Tales with Belle, part of New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park, for Outstanding
Achievement – Participatory Character Greeting.
Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, currently celebrating its 50th anniversary at Disneyland park,
receives the Thea Classic award.
Each of the winning projects will be recognized at the Thea Awards ceremony, a black-tie gala to be
held April 5, 2014, at the Disneyland Hotel.
Diane Disney Miller, the elder and only biological daughter of Walt and Liliian Disney,
passes away at the age of 79 at her home in Napa, California. Miller founded the Walt Disney
Family Museum, which opened in 2009 in San Francisco's Presidio, as a tribute to her family's legacy.
"As the beloved daughter of Walt Disney and one of his inspirations for creating Disneyland,
she holds a special place in the history of The Walt Disney Co. and in the hearts of fans everywhere."
-Disney CEO Robert A. Iger
Snow falls on Hollywood Boulevard as Disney premieres Frozen at the El Capitan
Theatre, with guests carrying cups of hot chocolate past lit up pine trees, snow
banks and ice sculptures. The animated musical revolves around princess Anna (Disney’s 12th princess),
who must team with a mountain man and his sidekick reindeer to find her sister, the Snow Queen, and end an
icy spell that has trapped a kingdom in an eternal winter. Frozen will debut November 27.
2016:
Moana: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, the soundtrack to the 2016 Disney animated film Moana, is released by Walt Disney Records. It features songs written by
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i, with lyrics in English, Samoan, Tokelauan, and Tuvalu.
The two-disc deluxe edition includes the score, which was composed by Mancina, as well as demos,
outtakes and instrumental karaoke tracks.
"Never Land Rescue" a DVD collection of Jake and the Never Land Pirates is released.
It includes the episodes "Neverland Rescue" Full Length Adventure, "It's a Pirate Picnic / The Key to Skull Rock,"
"The Golden Twilight Treasure / Rock The Croc!," "Jake and Sneaky Le Beak / Cubby the Brave," and "Jake's Special Delivery / Seahorse Saddle-Up!" Jake and the Never Land Pirates is a musical and interactive children's animated television series shown on Disney Junior.
1983:
Actor Adam Driver is born in San Diego, California. He gained recognition for playing Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy films The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
2019:
Frozen stars Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame simultaneously. The unveiling takes place at the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Argyle Ave, near the Pantages Theater.
Disney+ is launched in Australia, New Zealand, and Puerto Rico.
1987:
Ben Clopton, an artist best known for his work on Walt Disney (and Harman-Ising) animated cartoons, passes away in Montana. Hired by Walt Disney in February 1927, he began working under animator Ub Iwerks as an in-betweener. His first cartoon was Alice's Three Bad Eggs but later assisted Iwerks in drawing the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, Plane Crazy. In Spring 1927 Clopton left the Disney studio.
2020:
Disneyland expands its Downtown Disney district by opening Buena Vista Street; part of Disney’s California Adventure, for shopping and dining only. It's the first time visitors have
set foot into a California Disney park since March.
ABC-TV kicks off season 3 of the family drama A Million Little Things.