1943:
Academy-award-winning singer-songwriter Randy Newman, whose music can be heard in such films as Toy Story, James and the Giant Peach, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., Cars, The Princess and the Frog, Toy Story 3, Cars 3, and Toy Story 4, is born in Los Angeles, California. A professional songwriter since the age of seventeen, Newman first became known for his mordant (and often satirical) pop songs. He was named a Disney Legend in 2007.
1968:
Thanksgiving Day
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York City. Mickey Mouse,
Pinocchio, Goofy, and a handful of other Disney characters ride atop a giant birthday
cake, while a huge Donald Duck balloon floats over the parade route.
2005:
Disney Legend E. Cardon Walker - commonly known as Card Walker - passes away
in the Los Angeles suburb of La Canada at the age of 89. As a top Disney executive, Walker
played a major role in the early development of Walt Disney World in Florida. (He began his career at Disney as a
mailroom clerk in 1938!)
1859:
Washington Irving, writer of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, dies at age 76 in Sunnyside, New York. He will be buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery at the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Irving's classic tale "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," an 1820 short story first contained in his collection "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent" was re-told 90 years later in Disney's animated feature "The
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad." "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is about a timid schoolmaster named Ichabod
Crane who meets with a headless horseman. Often referred to as The Father of the American Short Story, Irving's
most lasting contribution to American culture is in the way we perceive and celebrate Christmas. Author Charles Dickens credited Irving as an influence on his own Christmas writings, including the classic "A Christmas Carol." In Irving's 1812 revisions to "A History of New York," he inserted a dream sequence featuring St. Nicholas soaring over
treetops in a flying wagon, an invention which others dressed up as Santa Claus! Irving popularized the nickname
"Gotham" for New York City, and is credited with inventing the expression "the almighty dollar." When Liberty Square was being built at WDW's Magic Kingdom in 1970, Imagineer Tony Baxter pitched the idea of a dark ride based on "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" to help the transition of the intersection from Fantasyland to Liberty Square. Guests would have ridden in hollowed-out spinning jack-o-lanterns through a variety of scenes from the story. During Halloweentime, guests can see Irving’s creation of the headless horseman as he gallops across the Magic Kingdom to kick off the Boo-to-You Parade at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
1907:
Boston scrap-metal dealer Louis B. Mayer purchases a small rundown movie theater
in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Within a few years, he will own the largest theater chain in New England and
begin distributing films. In 1917, he will start his own production company, which, through a series of mergers, will
become part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM. (From 1989 to 2007 Disney's 5th theme park was called Disney-
MGM Studios.) The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was the concept of producer Mayer, who
decided there was a need for such an organization to give status and respect to the motion picture industry.
1944:
Walt Disney pens a birthday letter to his younger sister Ruth (who will turn
a year older December 6). He writes of his next feature-length release; The Three Caballeros.
Along with his birthday wishes is a check because he "hasn't the slightest idea what to send."
1955:
Mickey Mouse Club airs on ABC-TV. Today is Fun With Music Day.
Musical numbers include the Mouseketeers singing Mickey Mouse Mambo and Bob
Amsberry (the least-known of the three adults) as a palace sentry singing I'm a British Grenadier.
1956:
ABC-TV's Disneyland series airs part 1 of "Treasure Island."
1957:
Thanksgiving Day
Disney's Zorro television series features episode 8 titled "Zorro Rides into Terror."
1974:
Thanksgiving Day
The StarJets open for business in Walt Disney World's Tomorrowland.
The new attraction will serve as the central focal point of the futuristic land. The two-passenger
jets can be lowered or raised to a height of 80 feet by guests. (In 1994, as part of the major
redesign of Tomorrowland, the StarJets will be refurbished and renamed the Astro Orbiter.)
The 48th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York City.
Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods perform atop Disney World's castle float. The band's song
"Billy Don't Be A Hero" is currently a huge hit. Disney characters taking part in the parade include
The Shaggy Dog, Pluto and Goofy atop Disney's Wagon float, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
and Peter Pan.
1984:
Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Gwen Grayson of Disney's
2005 Sky High, is born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
2003:
Holidays Around the World, an Epcot tradition, kicks off for the 2003 season.
The animated special Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time
premieres on Disney Channel. Featuring the voice of Christy Carlson Romano as Kim, it is the first
feature-length animated movie of the Kim Possible series. Kim and Ron Stoppable (voiced by Will Friedle)
start out a new school year, only to find out that Ron's family is moving to Norway ... which puts a strain on
their partnership.
2004:
Walt Disney World hosts the first Mickey's Very
Merry Christmas Party of the 2004 holiday season.
Stormalong Bay,
Disney World's Beach Club Resort swimming area,
holds 750,000 gallons of water ... making it possibly the largest
sand-bottom pool in the world.
"I am always at a loss to know how much to believe of my own stories."
-writer Washington Irving (1824)
2007:
The 75th Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place in New
York City and is broadcast on NBC. Singer/actress Ashley Tisdale (best known for her roles on Disney
Channel's The Suite Life of Zak & Cody and both High School Musical features) is among the performers.
The ninth Family TV Awards, given by the Family Friendly Programming Forum, are presented in Beverly Hills, California. Zac Efron wins the best actor award for his role as teen idol Troy
Bolton in Disney's High School Musical 2, which also wins the best movie musical award.
1995:
Walt Disney World Speedway (a one mile long track in Bay Lake, Florida) is
dedicated. Indy Racing League drivers Arie Luyendyk, Eddie Cheever, Eliseo Salazar,
Lyn St. James and Davey Hamilton drive a five-car "Flying V" formation amongst
fireworks. (The track will officially open in January 1996.)
"If I were to die tomorrow, I think they'd say Newman 56, composer of the hit
song, Short People - jumped off a mountain today." -Randy Newman
2008:
Disney Store locations nationwide usher in the holiday season earlier than
ever with day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) specials starting as early as
midnight in more than 100 of its more than 200 stores. In malls across the country,
most other Disney Store locations kick off Black Friday shopping with 5 a.m. openings.
Disney World officially kicks off the 2008 holiday season.
Epcot presents Holidays Around the World and the first Candlelight
processional of 2008. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
has its season premiere at Disney's Hollywood Studios while Disney's
Animal Kingdom hosts Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade.
1991:
Thanksgiving Day
The Beauty and the Beast stage show The Enchanted Book Shoppe begins performances at Plaza Gardens at Disneyland.
2002:
Thanksgiving Day
A new Kermit the Frog balloon debuts at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. A second version, Kermit first premiered back in the 1977 parade.
NOVEMBER 28
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
NOVEMBER 28
N
O
V
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Randy Newman born
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StarJets
open
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1947:
Disney's Chip 'n Dale short Chip an' Dale, directed by Jack Hannah, is released.
Chip 'n' Dale must defend their house when Donald Duck wants to chop it down for firewood!
2009:
A baby gerenuk (an African antelope) is born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The new calf, named Squirt, is born to mother Sushaunna and father Jingle. She weighs
about 8 pounds and is about 1 3/4 feet tall. Squirt is the 28th gerenuk born at Walt Disney World!
You've Got a Friend in Me
2010:
Leslie Nielsen, the 84-year-old funnyman, who Roger Ebert
once referred to as the "Laurence Olivier of spoofs," passes
away in Florida after suffering complications from pneumonia.
Nielsen starred in The Swamp Fox, a television series produced by Walt Disney that
ran between 1959-1961. The series encompassed eight episodes, running as part of
the Disney anthology television series. Although Nielsen's acting career crossed a
variety of genres in both television and films, his deadpan delivery as a doctor in
the 1980 Airplane! marked a turning point in his career. He will probably be best
remembered for his classic comedic roles in The Naked Gun films and Police
Squad! sitcom. Nielsen's credits also include a guest spot on an episode of The
Golden Girls (a Touchstone production) and the television movie Santa Who?,
although not a Disney production but distributed by Disney's Buena Vista Television,
a holiday favorite airing on ABC and ABC Family networks. Nielsen also played the Butler in the 1995 Christmas special, Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree, Dick Steele in the 1996 Hollywood Pictures film, Spy Hard, Mr. Magoo in the 1997 film of the same name, and Mr. Penn in the 1998 Disney television film, Safety Patrol.
Nielsen at Disneyland (1961)
1992:
Actor, rapper, songwriter, and dancer Adam Hicks is born in Las Vegas,
Nevada. His Disney credits include The Shaggy Dog, Disney 365, Jonas, Lemonade Mouth, and
Zeke and Luther.
2011:
It is reported that a lost Walt Disney cartoon (that pre-dates Mickey Mouse) has
been discovered in a British film archive and will be offered for auction in Los
Angeles on December 14. Hungry Hobos was one of 26 episodes featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit ...
a character widely considered a prototype to the more famous Mickey Mouse!
1950:
Actress Pamela Hayden is born in Maine. First known for providing various voices for the animated
television show The Simpsons, her Disney credits include Recess and Lloyd in Space.
Actor and director Ed Harris is born in Englewood, New Jersey. He played Mitch Wilkinson in the National Treasure films, E. Howard Hunt in Nixon, Brigadier General Francis X. "Frank" Hummel in the Hollywood Pictures film The Rock, and provided the voice of Blade Ranger in Planes: Fire & Rescue. (Film fans
will in recognize him from The Right Stuff, The Abyss, State of Grace, The Firm, and Apollo 13.
1999:
The forty-sixth episode of Disney's Recess, "The Dude/Partners in Crime"
premieres on UPN and in syndication. Joey Lawrence guest stars as the voice of Franklin
Dudikoff in "The Dude." Joey is the older brother of Andy Lawrence ... the voice of T.J.
1985:
Thanksgiving Day
Disney artist Mel Shaw marries Florence Lounsbery in California. (Shaw's first wife,
Louise, died in 1984 and Florence is the widow of John Lounsbery, one of Walt's Nine Old Men.) They will
live together for nearly 20 years in a home she designed in Acampo, California.
November 28
2014:
Epcot kicks off the holiday season at Disney World with the
traditional Holidays Around the World. For the 2014 holiday season, new
Holidays Around the World experiences in Mexico, Morocco, and China join returning
favorites such as "Joyful! A Gospel Celebration of the Season," the Canadian Holiday
Voyageurs, and Santa and Mrs. Claus.
2013:
Thanksgiving Day
Lady Gaga & the Muppets' Holiday Spectacular, a 90-minute
Christmas special, airs on ABC-TV.
1935:
Thanksgiving Day
Disney's Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and one of the 3 Little Pigs appear in this
year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. This is Mickey's second appearance and Donald's first. An annual event since 1924, Macy's Parade draws one million spectators on this day!
The "Candlelight Processional," a highlight of the holiday offerings at Epcot,
returns on this evening as well. Special guest narrator for tonight, as well as tomorrow November 29, is Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in The Little Mermaid.
2016:
The nominations for the 44th Annual Annie Awards are announced.
Among the Disney/Pixar nominees-
Zootopia: nominated in 11 categories including Best Animated Feature
Moana: nominated for 6 including Best Animated Feature
Finding Dory: nominated in 3 categories including Best Animated Feature
Also up for Annies are Piper, Wander Over Yonder, Elena of Avalor, The Jungle Book, Mickey Mouse,
Star Wars Rebels, Milo Murphy's Law, and Gravity Falls.
Winners will be announced February 4, 2017.
2017:
The nominations for the 60th Annual Grammy Awards are announced.
Among the nominees-
-Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2 and
Moana: The Songs
-Best Song Written for Visual Media: "How Far I'll Go" (from Moana)
Winners will be announced January 28, 2018.
1987:
Actress Karen Gillan is born in Scotland. She received international recognition for playing Nebula in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
1975:
Maurissa Tancharoen, a television producer, writer, actress, singer, lyricist and dancer, is born in Los Angeles, California. As a writer and story editor Tancharoen has worked on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and along with Jed Whedon and Joss Whedon on the 2012 The Avengers.
(In her younger years, Tancharoen was a member of the girl band Pretty in Pink.)
1979:
Actor and model Daniel Henney is born in Carson City, Michigan. He supplied the voice for Tadashi Hamada in the 2014 Big Hero 6 and starting in 2017, Big Hero 6: The Series. (Despite speaking no Korean, Henney is a household name through South Korea because of the hit TV drama,
My Lovely Sam Soon.)
2019:
Thanksgiving Day
A giant helium balloon of Olaf from Disney's Frozen returns for the 93rd Annual
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
ABC-TV airs The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration, hosted by Matthew Morrison and Emma Bunton.
1982:
Actor Adam McArthur is born in California. His best-known role is voicing Marco Diaz in
Disney XD's Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
1997:
The 2nd Epcot Holidays Around the World begins.
2021:
ABC-TV airs The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration.
Siblings Derek Hough and Julianne Hough host this year’s event with actress Ariana DeBose (shot at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland). Viewers experiencet a sneak peek at Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (opening March 1, 2022 at Walt Disney World Resort), a trip on board the all-new Disney Wish from Disney Cruise Line; and special looks at Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Encanto.
1834:
Architect Addison Huttib is born in Pennsylvania. Designing prominent residences in Philadelphia and its suburbs (plus courthouses, hospitals, and libraries), one of his most interesting creations is The Harry Packer Mansion. Located in Jim Thorpe, PA, it was built in 1874. The inspiration for Disney World's Haunted Mansion, today the Packer Mansion is owned by Robert & Pat Handwerk as a bed & breakfast.
2024:
Thanksgiving Day
A new giant helium balloon of Minnie Mouse is featrued at the 98th Annual
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
