2002:
Disney's Buena Vista Entertainment invites hockey players ages 18-24 to audition
for their upcoming film Miracle (about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team) at the
Disney Studios in Burbank, California.
A model of the General Electric Progressland Pavilion (a New York World's Fair Disney attraction) sells on eBay for $5100. In its original packing crate and protective plexiglass cover, the model is numbered #7 of 14 which were created by the industrial display firm of Richard Rush Studios
in Chicago to promote General Electric's Pavilion (later named Disney's Carousel of Progress).
The 7th Annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival begins.
Returning by popular demand around the park’s World Showcase are more than 20 international
food-and-wine-tasting marketplaces, culinary demonstrations at The Terrace and "History of
Beer in America" tastings and seminars by the Boston Beer Company, makers of Samuel
Adams beer. Dozens of performers ranging from acrobats to musicians add street-festival
energy to the daily fun of this seasonal culinary celebration, which runs through November 17.
1880:
Scotty Mattraw, the voice of Bashful in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is born Evans Mills, New York. (Mattraw was the Town Crier in Laurel & Hardy's
classic 1934 Babes in Toyland.)
1955:
Mickey Mouse Club airs on ABC-TV. Today is Anything Can Happen Day.
The Disneyland television series presents "The Story
of the Silly Symphony." Walt looks back on his early Silly Symphony cartoons from the 1930s.
1989:
At EPCOT, Body Wars (the park's first thrill ride) begins sending
guests through the human blood stream at the brand new Wonders
of Life pavilion. A motion simulator ride featuring a film directed by Leonard Nimoy (best
known to Star Trek fans as Mr. Spock), Body Wars can carry 40 passengers in each of four,
26-ton simulators. The cast of the Body Wars film features Tim Matheson as Captain Braddock, Dakin Matthews as Mission Commander and Elisabeth Shue as Dr. Cynthia Lair, who is investigating white cell response time to a splinter penetration. Also debuting on this day at the MetLife-sponsored pavilion is the theater show Cranium Command (a humorous presentation on the importance of the human brain) and the short films Goofy Over Health (a multimedia show about healthy living hosted by Goofy, using clips from his cartoons) and The Making of Me (about birth and life starring Martin Short).
The Little Mermaid: Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is released on both CD
and cassette tape. It contains the songs from the animated film written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman,
as well as the film's score composed by Alan Menken.
1995:
A revised edtion of The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by veteran animators
Frank Thomas and Ollie A. Johnston (two of Walt's "Nine Old Men") is published by
Disney Editions. Widely considered to be one of the best books ever published on the topic of character
animation, it was first released in 1981.
1996:
The Walt Disney World Resort and ABC present "ABC Super Soap Weekend."
A stellar line-up of 25 ABC soap opera celebrities, including daytime star Susan Lucci from All My Children, team up for the 2-day event at Disney-MGM Studios.
1999:
The stage version of the Disney classic The Lion King
opens at the Lyceum Theatre in London, England. In attendance are composers
Elton John and Tim Rice, Roy E. Disney & his wife Patty, and Disney CEO Michael Eisner.
The Disney CD "For Our Children" (a charity album to benefit the
Pediatric AIDS Foundation) is released. It features various artists including Elton John.
2000:
The new FASTPASS booths open at The Haunted Mansion
in Walt Disney World.
Disney's musical production "The Lion King" has a celebrity opening at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angles, California. Among those in attendance are Disney CEO Michael Eisner, director Julie Taymor, Disney executive Roy E. Disney, actress Melissa Joan Hart, actor Frankie Muniz, and actress Michelle Trachtenberg. (Initially scheduled for a nine month run, it will be extended three times and play for an amazing 952 performances through January 2003!) First debuting in Minneapolis back in July 1997, "The Lion King" went on to be a hug success on Broadway starting in October 1997 - later becoming Broadway's third longest-running show in history.
2006:
The El Capitan Theatre celebrates the debut of Tim Burton's
The Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney Digital 3D. The make-over of the
1993 musical-fantasy was led by the film's original filmmaking team of writer/producer
Tim Burton and director Henry Selick as well as the talented technical wizards at Industrial Light
& Magic in collaboration with In-Three, Inc. It will be generally released the following day.
DisneyQuest was a chain of indoor
interactive theme parks in the
United States. Disney had plans to
construct locations in many major
cities such as Philadelphia and
Baltimore. However, only two
locations were ever built; one in
Walt Disney World and one in
Chicago. They both have since
closed.
"Jack, please, I'm only an elected official here, I can't make decisions by myself!" -Mayor from The Nightmare Before Christmas
2003:
The Disney musical The Lion King begins performances at the
Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia. (It will play through June 2005.)
2007:
Disney Channel debuts "First Kiss," the second episode of the
new live-action series Wizards of Waverly Place.
1997:
Disney Channel debuts a new episode of Muppets Tonight with guest stars
comedian Don Rickles and hip-hop artist Coolio. Ed McMahon, Bernard Shaw, and Fred
Willard make cameo appearances as well.
The Wonderful World of Disney airs "Sabrina The Teenage Witch: The Movie"
on ABC-TV. Starring Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina, it is a film adaptation based on
a character from Archie Comics. First premiering in April 1996, the movie served as a pilot for the
Sabrina The Teenage Witch TV series (which began its run in September 1996).
2001:
Starting on this day the Disney-owned El Capitan Theater in Hollywood
presents the Nightmare Before Christmas as well as two Tim Burton
shorts. Props and sets are also on display in the theater's lobby. The event will run
through October 31st.
Roy E. Disney checks on the progress of the new Walt Disney Studios Park
while visiting Disneyland Paris.
2008:
Disney Theatrical Productions premieres the musical Tarzan in Hamburg,
Germany at the Theater Neue Flora. Produced by Stage Entertainment, the production co-stars Anton Zetterholm as Tarzan and Elisabeth Hübert as Jane.
OCTOBER 19
THIS DAY MADE IN THE USA
OCTOBER 19
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EPCOT'S Wonder of Life debuts
ABC Super Soap Weekend 1996
SEASON 2 EPISODE 6
2010:
Walt Disney Records' The Hannah Montana Forever soundtrack is released in stores and at online retailers. The soundtrack is from the fourth and final season of the Disney Channel series.
Actor Tom Bosley, best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days, passes away at age 83 in Palm Springs, California. In 1994, he originated the role of Maurice in the Broadway version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast and in 1976 appeared in the Disney live-action comedy Gus. Bosley was also the voice of Santa Paws
for the 2009 Santa Buddies. (Television fans will also remember him from the series Father Dowling
Mysteries.)
The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos, a 2008 Disneynature documentary,
is released to DVD in the U.S. The film documents the lives of lesser flamingos on the isolated
shores of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania, revealing the breeding and parenting habits of the species.
World premiering in France in October 2008 followed by a limited U.S. release in 2009, The Crimson Wing is
considered the second film to be released by Disneynature (after the 2009 Earth).
Suddenly Yours, the debut full-length studio album by the pop rock band Allstar Weekend, is released on Disney's Hollywood Records.
2011:
Disney Theatrical Productions announces it has commissioned its first original
Broadway show, a prequel to Peter Pan called Peter and the Starcatcher. Based on Dave
Barry and Ridley Pearson's novel of the same name, it is expected to open in spring 2012 at a Broadway theater.
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October 19
1966:
Actor, comedian and filmmaker Jon Favreau is born in Flushing, Queens, New York.
He produced the 2019 version of The Lion King, directed the 2016 live-action The Jungle Book (as well as supplied the voice of Pygmy Hog), and directed the 2013 Iron Man 3. Favreau's voice credits include Crumford Lorak in episodes of the series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Harold "Happy" Hogan in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and
Rio Durant in Solo: A Star Wars Story. He was named a Disney Legend in 2019. (Known for roles in such films as Rudy and People Like Us, he scored his first financial success as a director with the 2003 comedy Elf.)
2017:
The Last Warrior, a Russian comedy fantasy film directed by Dmitriy Dyachenko, premieres. Also known as The Last Knight, it is produced by The Walt Disney Company CIS (the Russian subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company) with Russian film companies Yellow, Black and White and Kinoslovo.
The story develops around Baba Yaga and Koschei, both villains in traditional Russian fairy tales.
The film will be generally released in Russia 10 days later.
1945:
Actor, musician, poet, and author John Lithgow is born in Rochester, New York.
The recipient of numerous accolades (including Primetime Emmy Awards, Tony Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Drama Desk Awards), he portrayed Percy the White Rabbit on ABC-TV's Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. Lithgow also played Edgar West in the 2009 Touchstone Pictures film, Confessions of a Shopaholic. (Probably most widely known for his starring role as Dick Solomon in the 1996–2001 NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, you may also recognize his voice from the 2001 Shrek as Lord Farquaad.)
1969:
Actress, model and singer Vanessa Marshall is born to actress Joan Van Ark and
reporter John Marshall in Sant Monica, California. Her television voice credits include Black Panther, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Fish Hooks, Star Wars Rebels, Avengers Assemble, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Marshall also supplied voices for such video games as The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and Kingdom Hearts II.
Screenwriter and film producer Meg LeFauve is born in Warren, Ohio. Her credits include Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, Incredibles 2, and Captain Marvel.
2018:
Bohemian Rhapsody: The Original Soundtrack, to the 2018 biographical film of the same name, is released on Disney's Hollywood Records (in the U.S. only) & Virgin EMI Records. It features several Queen hits and unreleased recordings including several songs from the band's legendary performance at Live Aid in 1985. The film, about Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the British rock
band Queen, is a British-American venture produced by 20th Century Fox, Regency Enterprises, GK Films, and Queen Films, with Fox serving as distributor. (At this time Disney has not yet purchased 20th Century Fox.) In November 2019, the soundtrack will win Favorite Soundtrack at the American Music Awards.
1918:
Actor, director and producer of radio, television and film Bob Sweeney is born in San Francisco, California. His Disney film roles include Harry Tupper in Toby Tyler (1960), Sen. Henry McGuire in Moon Pilot (1962), and Mr. Harker in Son of Flubber (1963).
1971:
Storyboard artist and director Enrico Casarosa is born in Genoa, Italy. Moving to New York City in his twenties to study animation at the School of Visual Arts and illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology, he first worked as a background designer and storyboard artist on various Disney Channel TV series, including 101 Dalmatians: The Series and PB&J Otter. In 2002 he joined Pixar and was a storyboard artist on Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), and
Up (2009). This was followed by La Luna (2011) as director & screenplay, The Good Dinosaur (2015) as head of story,
Coco (2017) senior creative team, and Incredibles 2 (2018) head of story & senior creative team. In 2012, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his directorial debut La Luna. In 2021 he directed the Disney+ feature Luca.
1957:
Actor William O'Leary is born in Chicago, Illinois. He played Marty Taylor, the younger brother
of Tim Taylor (Tim Allen), on 30 episodes of ABC's Home Improvement.
1914:
Actress Juanita Moore is born in Greenwood, Mississippi. The fifth black actor to be nominated
for an Academy Award in any category and the third in the Supporting Actress category, she portrayed Kenny's grandmother in Disney's 2000 feature film The Kid. Moore's performance in the remake of Imitation of Life
(1959) won her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
