1875:
Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan and one of the great
pioneers of modern science fiction, is born in Chicago, Illinois.
Burroughs was a soldier, business executive, gold miner, cowboy, storekeeper, and
policeman before he turned to writing as a career. He wrote more than 20 novels depicting the
adventures of Tarzan. After the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, he wrote a letter to Walt Disney
about the possibility of making his creation into an animated feature. His work eventually did become the
inspiration for Disney's 1999 animated feature Tarzan and later a Disney produced Broadway stage musical.
Burroughs also wrote popular science fiction and fantasy stories involving Earthly adventurers and Martians. He
began writing a series called the Barsoom books in the second half of 1911. (Barsoom was his fictional
representation of the planet Mars.) The final book in the series was titled John Carter of Mars (released as a
major motion picture by Disney in 2012). In the early twentieth century, Burroughs compiled a glossary of the
terms used in these novels. In 1957, Walt Disney created an animated version of it for his "Mars and Beyond" TV
episode. Today Burroughs even has a large crater on Mars named for him!
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2000:
Pooh's Hunny Hunt, an attraction at Tokyo Disneyland, has a soft opening. A
more elaborate version than its Walt Disney World counterpart, guests ride in
large hunny pot vehicles through the pages of a giant storybook.
2005:
Disney Editions releases Ridley Pearson's The Kingdom Keepers, the first in a series
of novels. This suspense thriller, subtitled Disney After Dark, is about five teenagers who end up inside Disney
World after dark, and must solve a riddle in order to save the park from the dark side of Walt Disney's imagination.
Pooh's Playful Spot, a playground for 2-5 year-olds, opens in the Magic Kingdom at
Walt Disney World.
1910:
Disney Legend Cyril James is born in Tonipandi, South Wales. He trained in London as a
chartered accountant and joined the Walt Disney Productions, Ltd., as Company secretary in 1938. Four years
later, James left Disney to join the war effort but returned as its liaison with RKO (which distributed Disney
movies). In 1956, Cyril was promoted to joint managing director of Walt Disney Productions, Ltd., and became Roy
O. Disney's point man three years later when he was named sole managing director for England and Europe. He
was known as Roy O. Disney's British counterpart because of his business genius and skill at handling all of the
financial and administrative affairs.
1925:
The Paramount Theater in Los Angeles previews Disney's Alice comedy film
Alice the Jail Bird. After stealing a pie, Alice (played by Margie Gay) and Julius are put on a chain
gang, where they escape with the help of a friendly ostrich. It will be generally released September 15.
1934:
Disney's 6-minute Silly Symphony cartoon Peculiar Penguins (distributed by United
Artists) is released. Peter and Polly, a couple of peculiar penguins, share a romance of frigid delights on
Antarctica's Penguin Island. Their happiness is soon threatened by the arrival of a ferocious shark!
Walt and Lillian Disney return home to Los Angeles from a trip to Hawaii
aboard the Matson liner SS Malolo. (When built in 1926, the Malolo was the largest,
technically advanced and most luxurious cruise liner to be built in the United States.)
1944:
Disney's The Plastics Inventor, starring Donald Duck, is released. In this short, directed by
Jack King, Donald decides to build an airplane with instructions from a radio show.
1989:
Disneyland welcomes Claudine Masson, its 300-millionth guest! It
has taken 34 years to accomplish this feat. From Chatearoux, France, the 28-year-old
Claudine is the first international visitor to become an attendance milestone guest.
1993:
Disney announces that AT&T has renewed its sponsorship of Spaceship Earth at
EPCOT Center in the Walt Disney World Resort. Spaceship Earth was originally sponsored by the
Bell System from 1982 until 1984. When Bell was broken up into smaller companies in 1984, its parent company,
AT&T became its own independent company and began sponsoring Spaceship Earth. It will continue to do so until 2004 - when Siemens picks up sponsorship.
2002:
The Disney Poster Book by Tony Anselmo - the voice of Donald Duck who
originally joined Disney as an animator - is published by Hyperion Press.
2003:
Disney Treasures, a unique treasure trove of nostalgia by Robert
Tieman from Disney Editions, is released to bookstores.
Tokyo Disneyland presents "Blazing Rhythms,"
a spectacular nightly show, through September 19.
September begins on the same day of the week as December ... every year!
2006:
The Tom Joyner Family Reunion kicks off its annual gathering (for the next 4 days) at
Walt Disney World.
Second-grader Whitney Hamilton wins a trip for four to Walt Disney World as part of
the American Heart Association’s "Jump Rope for Heart" program. A student at Deer Creek
Prairie Vale Elementary School in Oklahoma, she was chosen out of all students who raised more than $150 to
help cure heart disease in a five-state area. Whitney raised close to $200 as a first-grade student last term.
1998:
Walt Disney Records releases Disney's Greatest Pop Hits: A Decade
Of Radio Singles. The 15 tracks include:
1. The Lion King: Can You Feel The Love Tonight - Elton John
2. Aladdin: A Whole New World - Peabo Bryson/Regina Belle
3. Pocahontas: Colors Of The Wind - Vanessa Williams
4. Toy Story: You've Got A Friend In Me - Randy Newman/Lyle Lovett
5. The Lion King: Circle Of Life - Elton John
6. Pocahontas: If I Never Knew You - Jon Secada/ Shanice
7. The Music Of Disney's Cinderella: A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes - Linda Ronstadt
8. Hercules: Go The Distance - Michael Bolton
9. Rhythm Of The Pride Lands: Hakuna Matata - Jimmy Cliff/Lebo M
10. The Music Of Disney's Cinderella: So This Is Love - James Ingram
11. Take My Hand: Songs From The Hundred Acre Wood: Never Alone (Eeyore's Lullaby) - Tyler Collins
12. Music From The Park: Remember The Magic - Brian McKnight
13. Rhythm Of The Pride Lands: Kube - Lebo M
14. Oliver & Company: Streets Of Gold - Ruth Pointer
15. Mouse House Remixes: Someday - Donna Summer
The Parent Trap Film Score, by Alan Silvestri, is released on Hollywood Records.
The soundtrack to the Hollywood Pictures comedy-drama Simon Birch is released through Sony Wonder, Hollywood Records and Epic Records.
World Showcase in Epcot originally opened with 9 nations surrounding the World Showcase Lagoon. These nations were Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, the United States of America, Italy, Germany, China, and Mexico.
1956:
The publication The American Home runs the article
"Rare Antiques In Disneyland" along with a dozen photos.
ALICE
2007:
Epcot re-opens the film O Canada (a Circle-Vision 360° movie in the Canada Pavilion).
It is an updated version hosted by Martin Short. Walt Disney Imagineers collaborated with the Canadian Tourism Commission to revise the film, which now includes new orchestration and images, and Canadian
Idol winner Eva Avila singing the music of "O Canada!"
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
2008:
Don LaFontaine, the highly sought-after voice-over artist often referred to as
"Thunder Throat" and "The Voice of God," passes away at age 68 in Los Angeles.
During his career, La Fontaine recorded over 5,000 movie trailers and over 350,000 television commercials,
network promotions, and video game trailers. His Disney credits include the animated series Fillmore! and the
feature Meet the Robinsons.
SEPTEMBER 1
SEPTEMBER 1
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1939:
Disney's Donald Duck cartoon The Autograph Hound is released. While trying
to collect autographs at a Hollywood studio, Donald meets a number of movie stars (Greta Garbo,
Mickey Rooney, Sonja Heine, The Ritz Brothers, Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, Charlie McCarthy, Joe
E. Lewis, Katherine Hepburn, and Groucho & Harpo Marx) and one very irritated security guard.
Actress/comedian Lily Tomlin is born Mary Jean Tomlin in Detroit, Michigan.
Starting her career in stand-up comedy and sketch comedy before transitioning into an actress on stage, screen & television, her career spans over fifty years. Making her film debut in the 1975 "Nashville" (which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress), her credits include Touchstone's "Big Business," Disney's "The Kid," and Touchstone's "Krippendorf's Tribe." She also supplied the voice for Toki in the English dub version of the Japanese animated "Ponyo" (co-produced and released in the U.S. by Walt Disney Pictures). Tomlin is perhaps best known for her collaborations with Jane Fonda starring in the films "9 to 5," "80 for Brady," and "Moving On." Tomlin has received numerous accolades including seven Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards.
Epcot's O Canada re-opens
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The Autpgraph Hound released
1950:
The Disney animated short Hook, Lion and Sinker is released. Directed by Jack Hannah,
Louie the Mountain Lion attempts to steal the prizes from Donald Duck's fishing expedition.
1962:
Meet Me at Disneyland (a limited TV series broadcast live on KTTV directly from the
Anaheim park) airs episode 12 "Dixie on the Delta." Tonight’s show salutes jazz, and opens at
the river boat landing as the Mark Twain pulls away from dock. Performers include the Hot-Jazz Society
Marching Band, the Clara Ward Singers, the Voices of Hope, Benny Goodman and his band, Al Hirt and his
band, The Young Men from New Orleans, and Kid Ory. Meet Me at Disneyland is designed to boost park
attendance during the summer weeknights.
2009:
At Disneyland, Fantasmic’s animatronic dragon debuts during a water-and-light
show on the Rivers of America after facing technical trouble all summer.
2011:
Pixar creative chief John Lasseter comes in at #8 on the Vanity Fair 2011 New
Establishment list, just ahead of entertainer Lady Gaga and behind Reed
Hastings of Netflix. This year’s New Establishment list identifies the top 50 of an innovative new breed
of buccaneering visionaries, engineering prodigies, and entrepreneurs.
1982:
The September issue of OMNI magazine
(a periodical specializing in science and
science fiction) features the article
"EPCOT: Land of Tomorrow," by Tim
Onosko (journalist, filmmaker & Disney's
go-to guy for the future).
The article includes these words from Ray Bradbury
(celebrated author & co-creator of Spaceship Earth):
"Everyone in the world will come to these gates. Why?
Because they want to look at the world of the future. They want to see how to make better human beings. That’s
what the whole thing is about. The cynics are already here and they’re terrifying one another. What Disney is doing
is showing the world that there are alternative ways to do things that can make us all happy. If we can borrow some
of the concepts of Disneyland and Disney World and Epcot, then indeed the world can be a better place."
1957:
Singer, songwriter, actress and entrepreneur Gloria Estefan is born Gloria María
Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan in Havana, Cuba. Known as the "Queen Of Latin
Pop," she has sold over 100 million albums worldwide and won 3 Grammy Awards and 4 Latin Grammys.
Estefan took part in Walt Disney World's 15th and 25th anniversary broadcasts and in July 2007 sang the
national anthem at Magic Kingdom. In 1992 she appeared on the cover of The Disney Channel Magazine and
vacationed at WDW with family and friends in both 2005 and 2010. Bongos Cuban Cafe in Downtown Disney
West Side was created by Estefan and her producer husband Emilio.
2001:
Reruns of the Disney animated series Recess begin airing on Toon Disney.
To celebrate the first day on the channel, Toon Disney airs a day-long marathon of the show, beginning with
(the fan-favorite) "The Experiment/The Great Jungle Gym Standoff." The series, airing twenty-one times a week,
will be the most played show on Toon Disney (at the time).
September 01
"In one respect at least the Martians are a happy people,
they have no lawyers." -author Edgar Rice Burroughs
2013:
Jimmy Grabow grabs the Disneyland Half Marathon title again, one year after setting
a new course record for the 13.1-mile event! Grabow (from the aptly-named town of Runner Springs, California) finishes the race in 1:07:41 — nearly seven minutes ahead of the next finisher, Ricardo Ramirez.
Stephanie Dinius, from Palo Alto, captures the women’s title with a time of 1:15:47.
2015:
Actor and Disney Legend Dean Jones, best known for his roles in such Disney films
as "The Love Bug" and "That Darn Cat," dies of Parkinson’s disease in Los Angeles
at age 84. In addition to his appearances in "The Shaggy D.A.," "The Million Dollar Duck," "Snowball Express,"
and "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo," Jones also had roles in five Broadway shows and appeared in numerous
television series and specials.
Disney Channel is launched in Canada. A Canadian English-language discretionary service owned
by Corus Entertainment, the channel is launched as part of a new licensing agreement between Corus and the
Disney–ABC Television Group. Its launch marks the first time that a Disney Channel-branded television service
has operated in Canada.
(1931-2015)
2016:
Cast members Mikey Trujillo and Alexa Garcia are introduced as the 2017-2018
Disneyland Resort Ambassador Team during a celebratory cavalcade down Main
Street, U.S.A. The Ambassadors will spend two full years bringing the magic of the Disneyland Resort
into the community and beyond as emissaries of goodwill.
1960:
Singer and film score composer Joseph Williams is born to film composer John
Williams and actress/singer Barbara Ruick in Santa Monica, California.
Best known for his work in the rock band Toto, in 1985 he sang the vocals for the theme song of the animated
TV series "Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears." In Disney's animated feature film The Lion King, Williams
can be heard as the singing voice of the Adult Simba, singing on the songs "Hakuna Matata" and "Can You
Feel the Love Tonight". He later reprised this singing role in the direct-to-video animated film Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse.
1996:
Actress and singer Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman, better known as simply
Zendaya, is born in Oakland, California. She began her career as a child model and backup dancer before gaining prominence for her role as Rocky Blue on the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up (2010–2013). In 2013 she supplied the voice of Lollipop for Super Buddies, and in 2014 starred in the Disney Channel movie Zapped. From 2015 to 2018, she starred as K.C. Cooper on the Disney Channel sitcom K.C. Undercover.
Captain EO closes in Tokyo Disneyland. A 3D science fiction film that was shown at Disney theme parks from 1986 through 1996, the movie starred Michael Jackson. (It will reopen in Tokyo Disneyland in July 2010, and run for nearly the next 4 years.)
1978:
The Stage Door Café, a fast-food outpost, opens in Frontierland at Disneyland.
2019:
Disneyland Paris closes Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith to make way for the new Iron Man themed overlay of the attraction. First announced at D23 Expo Japan, the attraction will be totally reimagined as a high-speed, hyper-kinetic adventure, in which guests will team up with Iron Man and their favorite Avengers. The attraction first opened March 16th, 2002 with the debut of Walt Disney Studios Park.
1971:
Actor Ricardo Antonio Chavira is born in Austin, Texas. Known for his role as Carlos Solis in the ABC comedy-drama series, Desperate Housewives (2004–12), he also had a recurring role on ABC’s Scandal during the fifth and sixth seasons. Chavira's film credits include the 2004 The Alamo as Private Gregorio Esparza.
1997:
Light Magic, a parade/street show, ends its run at Disneyland. Billed as a replacement for the 24-year-old Main Street Electrical Parade, it had debuted last May.
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World closes. Opened since 1971, it will be updated and renamed The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) in April 1998.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, a syndicated comic science fiction sitcom based on the 1989 film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, debuts. Peter Scolari plays Wayne Szalinski the wacky inventor (played by Rick Moranis in the original film). It will run for 66 episodes.
2020:
Artist Sue C. Nichols passes away at age 55 in Massachusetts. Best known for her work with Walt Disney Animation Studios predominantly during the Disney Renaissance and Post-Renaissance, her credits included such classics as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan,
Piglet's Big Movie, Enchanted, and The Princess and the Frog. Born in June 1965, she had wanted to be a Disney artist from the age of eight. Nichols had been freelancing out of her home in MA doing design work since 2002.
2017:
The following music collections are released on Walt Disney Records: Disney Junior Music: Doc McStuffins, Disney Junior Music: Elena of Avalor, Disney Junior Music: Mickey and the Roadster Racers, Disney Junior Music: Puppy Dog Pals, and Disney Junior Music: The Lion Guard.
1967:
Film, television, music video, and commercial director Craig Gillespie is born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Moving to New York City at the age of nineteen, he studied illustration, graphic design and advertising at Manhattan's School of Visual Arts. His Disney directing credits include the sports drama Million Dollar Arm (2014) and the comedy-drama Cruella (2021).
