1911:
Graphic designer and illustrator Mary Blair is born Mary Browne Robinson in
McAlester, Oklahoma. Starting at the Disney Studios in 1940, her unique color stylings and
design work graced such animated features as Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella and Peter Pan.
She also helped design the attraction It's A Small World, painted mural art for Disneyland's Tomorrowland
Promenade and designed the 90-foot high ceramic tile mural for Walt Disney World's Contemporary Resort. One
of the many studio employees who accompanied Walt Disney on his 1941 South American trip, Blair appeared in
Disney's 1942 Saludos Amigos and acted as art supervisor for the 1944 The Three Caballeros. Some of her work
from The Three Caballeros was later used in the fiesta scene in El Rio del Tiempo at the Mexico pavilion in
Epcot's World Showcase (which coincidentally was dedicated on this day in 1982). Blair was named a Disney
Legend in 1991, some 13 years after her death.
1925:
Walt Disney's 25th Alice comedy film Alice in the Jungle is completed. The short will have a sneak preview 2 days later, but be generally released December 15.
1934:
Paul Winkler (a Frenchman of Hungarian origin) launches an official Disney
magazine in France called Le Journal de Mickey. The popular weekly mag will become
1939:
An interoffice memo from Walt to his brother Roy and studio worker Gunther
Lessing reads: "Everything we do in the future should include television rights.
There might be a big angle on television for the shorts we have already produced."
1955:
Mickey Mouse Club airs on ABC-TV. Today is Talent Round-Up Day.
1959:
Doctor Wernher Von Braun (who had helped Walt Disney produce
a series of space-related TV shows in the mid 1950s) arrives at
NASA. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs an executive order transferring the
brilliant rocket designer and his team from the U.S. Army to the newly created National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (which had begun operations October 1, 1958).
1962:
The NBC-TV series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color airs "Man is His Own Worst Enemy."
1965:
Walt Disney receives the final script for
Disneyland's latest project ... the Pirates of the
Caribbean attraction. Five days later dialog recording will begin with performers J. Pat O'Malley and Paul Frees.
An article by Emily Bavar titled Is Our "Mystery" Industry Disney? appears
in the local Orlando, Florida paper The Sentinel-Star. Bavar, the editor of the newspaper's Sunday Florida Magazine, has been tracking the rumors that Walt Disney has been purchasing large plots of land in Orange County. Bavar believes the rumors are true!
1992:
The late Winston Hibler (a writer, producer, director and narrator) is
among those honored as a Disney Legend. His wide body of work includes Those
Calloways, the Disneyland TV series, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Sleeping Beauty.
Perhaps his best known written work ... Walt Disney's opening day speech for Disneyland.
The Disney Legends ceremony is held at the Disney Legends Promenade (sidewalk area in front of
the Disney Studio Theatre).
1998:
President Bill Clinton signs the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998. This act extends the duration of U.S. copyrights by 20 years. Prior to this, copyrights lasted for the
life of the author plus fifty years. This act allows copyrights to last the life of the author, plus seventy years in
the case of individual works, or 75 to 95 years in the case of works of corporate authorship and works first
published before January 1, 1978. As a result, many works including several characters owned by the Walt
Disney Company will not become public domain for many years. (The act is named after the late Congressman Sonny Bono, who had favored this position as a songwriter and filmmaker even prior to his entry into politics.)
2001:
Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter appears as a special guest of the Carolwood
Pacific Historical Society at Walt Disney's Barn in Griffith Park, California. One of
the most influential and prolific of the "second generation" Disney Imagineers, Baxter played a key role in the
design and creation of many Disney attractions and theme parks in the last 25 years, including Big Thunder
Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain.
2003:
The soundtrack to Disney's Brother Bear
(featuring music by Phil Collins & Tina Turner) is released.
A two-day celebration of Disney's railroad legacy begins at
Walt Disney World. Members of the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society
and the Broggie family of California attend to rededicate the Roger E. Broggie
Steam Engine No. 3. The steam engine (named for the late Roger Broggie who
was Disney's original Imagineer) is one of four that puff around the Magic Kingdom.
Disney's George of the Jungle 2 swings onto DVD and video. The direct-to-video sequel of the 1997 George of the Jungle, stars Christopher Showerman as George, King of the Jungle (replacing Brendan Fraser from the first film). The movie focuses on George trying to save Ape Mountain from his evil nemesis Lyle, played by Thomas Haden Church. The voice cast includes John Cleese, Michael Clark Duncan, John Kassir, Tress MacNeille, and Dee Bradley Baker.
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1933:
The Warner Brothers musical feature Footlight Parade, starring James Cagney,
Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell, is released to theaters. A scene from
this film is represented in Disney's Hollywood Studios attraction The Great Movie Ride. It is also among the
trailers shown in the ride's queue area.
"Orange County's 30,000 acre mystery industry site may turn out to be an aircraft testing ground, an
electronics research center or even a washing machine factory.
But I predict nothing so mundane for the mystery site.
I predict it will be an extension of Walt Disney's magic empire of fiction, fantasy and enormous wealth."
-Emily Bavar (Oct 21, 1965)
2004:
Angela To is named Honk Kong Disneyland’s very first Ambassador.
2007:
The Best of Both Worlds Tour, starring Miley Cyrus (as both herself and in character as Disney Channel's Hannah Montana) and featuring Jonas Brothers, perform at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The 2007 CHOC / Disneyland Resort Walk held in Anaheim, raises a record
$1.6 million for Children's Hospital Orange County.
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OCTOBER 21
THIS DAY MADE IN THE USA
OCTOBER 21
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1941:
Fantasia closes its run of nearly a year with two final showings at the Broadway Theater in New York City. Dumbo will world premiere there 2 days later.
Pirates of the Caribbean was never
intended to be part of Disney World
out of fear that it would not be
exotic enough to Floridians, due to
its geographic proximity to the real
Caribbean. Instead, planners
intended to build a ride called the
Western River Expedition. Designed
by Marc Davis, it would've featured
Audio-Animatronic cowboys,
banditos and Native Indians.
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Fantasia closes in NY
1992 Disney Legends
"I knew Mary very well. She was an extraordinary artist, and Walt thought very highly of her. She was the most amazing colorist of all time." -Disney Legend Marc Davis
1892:
Dedication ceremonies for the World's Columbian Exposition (also known as The Chicago World's Fair) are held. Walt Disney’s father Elias is currently working as a carpenter at the
1893 Columbian Exposition, which will not actually open to the public until May 1, 1893. The fair will be famous
for many things, including the premiere of the first Ferris Wheel and the introduction of the snack Cracker Jack!
1972:
The three-day Winnie the Pooh for President event featuring a ticker
tape parade and stage show takes place at Disneyland. Children are asked
to gather in front of "it’s a small world" at 11:30 a.m. to join in the parade and political rally. Three
times a day, the Pooh Revue is presented on the Tomorrowland Stage, and free showings of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day are held in the Fantasyland Theater. Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore are available for meet and greets all day at their National Campaign Headquarters in the Carnation Plaza Gardens, and upon departing the park, each child receives
a free Pooh for President poster, pin, and coloring kit.
2010:
In New York City, Mickey Mouse helps unveil Disney Store's new state-of-the-art
digital billboard in Times Square that will countdown the store's grand opening
celebration on November 9. The 2-story store will be Disney's largest in North America.
1982:
El Río del Tiempo (later known as Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros) is dedicated along with the Mexico Pavilion at the newly-opened
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2011:
Google celebrates the 100th birthday of Mary Blair with a Doodle honoring the
late Disney artist. Google's Doodle for this day features an image of the illustrator as she would have
drawn herself, surrounded by the simplistic patterns and shapes that made up her familiar cartoon world.
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1990:
The Disney Channel airs the Disney Channel Premiere film Back to Hannibal: The
Return of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. The film features Raphael Sbarge as Tom Sawyer,
Mitchell Anderson as Huck Finn and veteran actor Ned Beatty as Judge Thatcher.
1996:
The Disney Magic moves a step closer to reality as Disney Cruise Line
celebrates the keel laying during a special ceremony in Italy.
1951:
Disney releases the Goofy film Fathers are People to theaters. George Geef (Goofy)
rushes to the office to inform his fellow employees, "Hey, fellas! I'm a father!". Unfortunately, Geef later learns
that, with fatherhood, comes responsibility and lots of it.
October 21
2016:
Stand-up comedian and actor Kevin Meaney passes away at the age of 60 at his
home in New York. He voiced Computer in Disney's 1997 direct-to-video The Brace Little Toaster to the
Rescue. An Emmy Award winner, Meaney was one of the country's most popular stand-up comedians for more
than 25 years.
Doctor Strange (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), the soundtrack album to the Marvel Studios film Doctor Strange composed by Michael Giacchino, is released digitally by Hollywood Records.
1956:
Actress, novelist and screenwriter Carrie Fisher is born in Beverly Hills, California.
Famously known for her role of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, she reprised
the role for the 2015 The Force Awakens (the first Star Wars theatrical feature that involved Disney). Archive
footage of her saying the word "hope" was used to portray Leia's voice in Rogue One (distributed by Disney in 2016).
1988:
Actor Mark Rendall is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He portrayed Ian Carlyle in Disney's 2002 television film The Scream Team.
2008:
High School Musical 3: Senior Year, the soundtrack to the 2008 Walt Disney Pictures film of the same name, is released on Walt Disney Records.
(The album will sell 297,000 copies in the first week of sales in the U.S., debuting at number 2 on Billboard 200.)
2020:
Disney Legend actress/dancer Marge Champion passes away at age 101 in California.
As a teen she was the live-action reference model for the heroine of Disney’s 1937 feature-length cartoon Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Champion performed dances and scenes as Snow White so the animators could caricature her actions and make their princess as human as possible. She later was asked to appear at the premiere of Snow White at the Carthay Circle Theater in December 1937. Champion was also the model for the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio, Mr. Stork in Dumbo, and Hyacinth Hippo in the "Dance of the Hours" segment of Fantasia - a ballet parody that she also helped choreograph.
Season seven of ABC's Black-ish premieres.
2000:
The 5th Epcot International Food and Wine Festival begins.
