2005:
After six years of planning and building costs of $1.8 billion, Hong Kong Disneyland
has its grand opening. It is Disney's 5th vacation resort and 11th theme park in the world. It consists of the
Hong Kong Disneyland theme park, two hotels (Disneyland Hotel and Disney's Hollywood Hotel), and retail, dining
and entertainment facilities stretching over 310 acres on Lantau Island. Hong Kong Disneyland's Adventureland is
the largest Adventureland of all the Magic Kingdom parks around the world!
1894:
Billy Gilbert, the voice of Sneezy in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is
born in Louisville, Kentucky. The son of singers in the Metropolitan Opera, Billy began performing in
vaudeville at age 12. He developed a drawn-out, explosive sneezing routine that became his trademark! (During
his career Gilbert appeared in over 200 feature films and worked with Laurel & Hardy and The Three Stooges!)
1941:
The Disney animation strike (which started in May) is ended by federal mediators.
From this day forward the studio will be a union shop.
Disney releases the Donald Duck cartoon Old MacDonald Duck. Directed by Jack King,
farmer Donald goes through his farmer day until a fly causes him to lose control while milking a cow!
1943:
Mouseketeer Jay-Jay Solari (who appeared on Mickey Mouse Club during the
1956-1957 season) is born John Joseph Solari in Boston, Massachusetts.
1956:
The Disneyland television series kicks off season three with the episode
"Antarctica - Past and Present." Walt Disney hosts a look at his
plans for a brand new documentary on Antarctica.
1984:
Michael Eisner resigns from Paramount Pictures.
He hopes to become CEO of Disney.
1985:
Steve Jobs announces he is leaving Apple, a computer company he
co-founded with Steve Wozniak. Last May Jobs had been removed from his managerial duties
as head of the Macintosh division. (Five months later Jobs founded NeXT Computer and in 1986 bought
The Graphics Group - later renamed Pixar - from Lucasfilm's computer graphics division.)
2001:
The day after the U.S. is attacked by terrorists, all Disney parks in the U.S. re-open for
business. To help insure the safety of all Disney guests, a decision is made to increase the security measures
within the parks, effective immediately. The most obvious of these increased measures include the inspection of all
packages, parcels, backpacks, etc., being carried by guests prior to entering the parks. The New Year's Eve nightly
celebration in Pleasure Island is canceled. The Federal Aviation Administration placest a flight restriction over the
Disney World resort. It extends out in a three-mile radius from Cinderella's Castle and up to 3,000 feet.
The Aida touring company and the Lion King company in Los Angeles
raise $10,000 for the Red Cross by asking audiences for donations
following the performances.
2003:
The That's So Raven episode "If I Only Had a Job" debuts on Disney Channel.
2004:
Christy Carlson Romano (who on this day finishes a 32-week run as Belle
in Disney's Broadway hit Beauty and the Beast) and Broadway newcomer
Wayne Brady (who will appear in Chicago) co-host the 13th annual
"Broadway on Broadway" concert in New York's Times Square.
Higglytown Heroes, a new children's television series, debuts on Disney
Channel. Higglytown heroes range from firefighters to dentists to snow plow operators, and are
voiced by guest celebrities. The theme song Here in Higglytown is performed by They Might Be Giants.
2006:
Disney's The Wild (a computer-animated film) is released on DVD.
It is announced that Orlando's Walt Disney World has replaced Illinois Avenue on
the new Monopoly: Here & Now edition. At $2.4 million for the Disney property, Orlando beat out
other large American cities such as Phoenix & Honolulu, whose landmarks will cost $2.2 million each! Hasbro,
maker of Monopoly, let people vote online in the Spring for the top landmark to represent each city.
Every Second Counts, the fourth studio album by the Plain White T's, is released
on Disney's Hollywood Records. The album (their first for Hollywood) will peak at #10 on Billboard
200 on July 29, 2007 and later be certified Gold by the RIAA in October 2007!
The Guardian (Original Soundtrack), featuring various artists, is released by
Hollywood Records.
1905:
Layout artist and animator Cornett Wood is born in Indiana. Wood started his career with
Disney and worked on the features Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, and Bambi, as well as a handful
of shorts. He then spent the rest of his career at Warner Bros. Animation.
1931:
Tony Award-winning actor Sir Ian Holm, the voice of Skinner in the Disney/Pixar
Ratatouille, is born in Goodmayes, Essex, England. (Film fans know him as the hobbit Bilbo
Baggins in the first and third films of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.)
Captain EO (a 3-D Sci-fi musical
film starring Michael Jackson)
originally ran at EPCOT for
nearly 8 years in the Imagination pavilion. It featured 2 new songs
written by Jackson - "Another
Part of Me" (which later
appeared on his Bad album) and
"We Are Here to Change the
World" (which was not officially
released until 2004
as part of Michael Jackson:
The Ultimate Collection).
1992:
Disney's Beauty and the Beast is widely released in theaters in Japan.
Night of Joy '92 is held at Walt Disney World (for a second night) from
8:30 PM to 1:00 AM.
1888:
French actor, singer, and popular entertainer Maurice Chevalier is born in Paris,
France. He appeared in Disney's 1962 live-action In Search of the Castaways (as the jocular Professor Jacques Paganel), the 1967 Monkeys, Go Home! (portraying Father Sylvain), and sang the theme for the 1970 animated TheAristocats. Chevalier even made an animated cameo appearance in the 1931 short Mickey's Gala Premiere. (His heavy French accent, melodic voice and Gallic charm made Chevalier the prototype of the gallant French monsieur in the American cinema of the 1930s. The character Lumiere, voiced by Jerry Orbach in Disney's Beauty and the Beast ... is a Chevalier impression!)
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
SEPTEMBER 12
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1951:
Songwriter Mark Mueller, whose career spans pop music, television, film and
stage, is born in Los Angeles, California. His Disney music credits include Chip 'n Dale Rescue
Rangers, Duck Tales, and Honey I Blew Up the Kid.
(His non-Disney hits include Heart's "Nothin' at All" and Amy Grant's "That's What Love Is For.")
1986:
Captain EO, a 3-D, 70mm, Sci-fi, fantasy, musical movie attraction
starring Michael Jackson, opens at EPCOT. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
and executive-produced by George Lucas, the movie tells the story of Captain EO (Jackson)
and his ragtag crew of space travelers. The seventeen-minute film has cost an estimated $30
million dollars to produce - at this time the most expensive film ever produced on a per-minute
basis. EPCOT is the first Disney park to present the film (as six days later Captain EO will debut in Disneyland).
Captain EO opens at EPCOT
2009:
The first annual D23 Expo continues for the third day at the
Anaheim Convention Center in California. This day's schedule of more than
15 events include "So You Want to Be an Imagineer" with Marty Sklar, a behind the
scenes look at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts with Chairman Jay Rasulo, a Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs panel discussion with Don Hahn, and a D23 Expo live auction.
"When you look at the other Web sites and clubs that exist, we certainly aren’t pretending to be a replacement
for them. When you look at the Disney fan environment … there’s such a deep, voracious appetite for all things
Disney. I think it would be foolish to think there’s a sole voice of Disney fandom. It’s a great option and great
offering for fans." -Steven Clark, head of D23
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Hong Kong Disneyland debuts
1904:
The residents of Kansas City, Missouri, celebrate the opening of the Benton Grammar
School, named in honor of Senator Thomas Benton. This is the same school a young Walt
Disney will attend between September 1911 and June 1917.
SEASON 3 EPISODE 1
Among the 22 opening day attractions:
-Main Street U.S.A.: designed after quintessential small town America
-Fantasyland: featuring Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Mad Hatter Tea Cups, Cinderella Carousel, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,
Mickey's PhilharMagic, Snow White Grotto & Fantasy Gardens
-Adventureland: featuring Jungle River Cruise, an entire island dedicated to Tarzan and his tree house & the 2,200 seat Theater-in-the-Wild
-Tomorowland: featuring Space Mountain, Orbitron, & Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
1936:
The Disney animated short Donald and Pluto, directed by Ben Sharpsteen, is
released. Donald is a plumber dealing with Pluto and an unusual leak. The real fun comes when Pluto
accidentally swallows one of Donald's tools ... a magnet!
1947:
Wide Open Spaces, a Donald Duck short directed by Jack King, is released.
Donald, not wanting to pay for a hotel room, decides to sleep outdoors. But he winds up tangling with an
air mattress, a boulder, and other elements of the "great outdoors."
1958:
"Davy Crockett - Indian Fighter" airs on the ABC-TV series Walt Disney Presents.
Previously known as Disneyland (since 1954), this is the first episode of the series under its new title.
2008:
The second season of the Disney Channel series Wizards of
Waverly Place kicks off with the episode "Smarty Pants."
1957:
Film score composer and music producer Hans Zimmer is born in Frankfurt, Germany.
Notable for integrating electronic music sounds with traditional orchestral arrangements, he has composed music for over 100 films. Zimmer's credits include the 1994 "The Lion King" (which earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Score), "Crimson Tide," "Muppet Treasure Island," "The Preacher's Wife," "Pearl Harbor," "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," "The Lone Ranger," and the 2019 remake of "The Lion King." He was named a Disney Legend in 2019. As a teen Zimmer moved to London and began touring with The Buggles, a New Wave band formed in 1977 best known for their hit "Video Killed the Radio Star" (the very first video ever shown on MTV). Moving to the United States, he eventually became the head of the film music division at DreamWorks Pictures and DreamWorks Animation studios.
1997:
Night of Joy 1997 kicks off for two evenings at the Magic Kingdom
in Disney World. Performers include Steven Curtis Chapman, Jars of Clay, Jaci
Velasqeuz, New Song, Anointed, Angelo Ballestro & The Metro Band, and Sarah Masen.
"It was the hottest day I can ever remember. It was one of those days when the bad air was blowing in from the mainland. It was about 95 degrees and humid and in Hong Kong, believe me, it was worse than 100 degrees here (Anaheim)." -Marty Sklar, head of Walt Disney Imagineering
"We’re very particularly proud of that song because we got him to come out of retirement to do it. It was quite a job to
get him to do it. We had done a number of songs for Chevalier, and our dad who was a songwriter wrote songs for Chevalier back in the
’30s and so it was like a family thing." -Songwriter Richard Sherman on Maurice Chevalier and The Aristocats’ title song
SEPTEMBER 12
1998:
ABC-TV airs the fourteenth episode (and season two premiere) of Disney's Recess,
"The Break-up/The Hypnotist." At this time Recess is ranked #2 among all children's network shows.
1999:
The thirty-fifth episode (and season four premiere) of Disney's Recess, "The First
Picture Show/The Big Prank" airs on UPN and in syndication. This episode premieres
as part of the debut of Disney's One Too, the Sunday morning and weekly afternoon counterpart of
One Saturday Morning.
September 12
"I don’t think anyone in the company had really thought about the fact that we didn’t have a
fan club." -Steven Clark, head of D23
2017:
All 4 theme parks at Walt Disney World re-open after being closed for two days due
to powerful Hurricane Irma. Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon remain closed (with plans to reopen
later this week) and the Fort Wilderness Campground and Saratoga Springs Treehouse Villas resorts aren’t yet
open either as damage assessments continue. All major attractions were closed Sunday (September 10) and
Monday (September 11) as the storm worked its way up the entire length of the state of Florida.
1979:
Les Clark, the first of Disney's Nine Old Men, passes away at age 71 in Santa
Barbara, California. Clark started work at Disney in 1927 first as a camera operator and doing ink and paint
on the animations. He moved on to work under the guidance of Ub Iwerks. During the development of the character Mickey Mouse, Clark was promoted to the position of 'inbetweener' where he worked on a scene for the
upcoming Steamboat Willie. He was then promoted to Animator and was tasked with the iconic The Skeleton Dance (a Silly Symphony short). After Iwerks left Disney, Clark was given the position as lead animator on
Mickey Mouse. He also worked on all the early classic animated features such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Saludos Amigos.
1968:
Director, screenwriter and animator Mark Andrews, director and co-writer of
Brave, is born in Los Angeles, California. His Disney/Pixar credits also include The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, and Monsters University.
Comedian, actor & writer Paul F. Tompkins is born in Mount Airy, Pennyslvania. He is
the voice of Short Thug for the 2010 feature Tangled and Gladstone Gander for the television series DuckTales.
1995:
Actor Ryan Potter is born in Portland, Oregon. He voiced Big Hero 6 protagonist Hiro Hamada
and reprised the role for both the animated series based on the film and Kingdom Hearts III.
Seemless, Into Another's third full-length album, is released on Hollywood Records.
1996:
Actor Colin Ford is born in Nashville, Tennessee. He is known as the voice of Jake on Jake and the Never Land Pirates, which earned him a Young Artist Award. Ford also played the role of Steve Danvers in the 2019 feature film Captain Marvel.
1927:
Actor Freddie Jones is born Frederick Charles Jones in Dresden, Staffordshire, England. With an extensive career in television, theatre and cinema productions for almost sixty years, Jones supplied the voice for Dallben in Disney's 1985 The Black Cauldron. He also appeared in Touchstone's 2002 live-action The Count of Monte Cristo as Colonel Villefort.
1891:
Screenwriter Lillie Hayward is born in St. Paul, Minnesota. With a career beginning during the silent era and continuing well into the age of television, she wrote for more than 70 films and TV shows including the Disney films Tonka and The Shaggy Dog and television series The Mickey Mouse Club and Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color.
2019:
A trial version of Disney+ becomes available in the Netherlands
with limited content. A subscription video on-demand (SVOD) streaming
service, Disney+ is focused on the film and television content from Walt Disney
Studios and Walt Disney Television, including content from 20th Century Fox,
Lucasfilm/Star Wars, Marvel, National Geographic, and Pixar. This testing phase
will last until the official launch on November 12 (in the United States & Canada)
when trial users in the Netherlands will be switched to a paid plan.
2010:
Hong Kong Disneyland turns five! Dubbed "Celebration in the Air," the anniversary celebration won't actually kick off until January 21, 2011.
2000:
Duets: Original Soundtrack is released through Disney's Hollywood Records. The CD contained twelve tracks, including the original music composed for the film by David Newman. The actors who sang their own tunes in the film (and included on the CD) are: Huey Lewis, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti, and Maria Bello. About the world of karaoke competitions, Duets hit theaters September 9.
2015:
Hong Kong Disneyland celebrates 10 years.
2020:
Hong Kong Disneyland turns 15!
1955:
Television, film, and stage actor Peter Scolari is born in New Rochelle, New York.
Best known for his sitcom roles of Michael Harris on Newhart (1984–1990) and Henry Desmond on Bosom Buddies
(1980–1982), Scolari replaced Rick Moranis as the role of Wayne Szalinski for Disney's Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, on which he also served as producer and director of several episodes. His Disney film roles include Disney Channel's Perfect Harmony (1991), the Hollywood Pictures comedy Camp Nowhere (1994), and Disney Channel's The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000). Scolari also voiced Preston Vogel in the animated series
Gargoyles (1995-1996). A favorite guest actor, he appeared on such sitcoms as Empty Nest, The Drew Carey Show, and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
1981:
Singer-songwriter, actress, talk show host, and producer Jennifer Hudson is born in Chicago, Illinois. Starting her career as a cast member aboard the Disney Wonder, Hudson rose to fame in 2004 as a finalist on the third season of "American Idol," placing seventh. She made her film debut as Effie White in the musical "Dreamgirls" (2006), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Hudson performed during the Florida christening ceremony for the Disney Dream in January 2011. She later performed a medley of holiday songs for the “Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade” TV special in December 2011. In 2013, she modeled as the character Tiana (from "The Princess and the Frog") in the Disney Dream Portrait Series "Where You Always Follow Your Heart." Fans of the animated 2016 "Sing" will recognize her as the voice of Young Nana. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, television, and theater.
