2005:
Ashley Brown, formerly featured in the recent tour of Disney's On the Record, joins the Broadway company of Beauty and the Beast. She is the 15th actress to portray Belle in the long-running Disney musical.
The Disneyland Opera House hosts this year's Disney Legends program in honor of the park's 50th anniversary. This year's awards mark the first time that an hourly Cast Member is recognized.
The soundtrack for the thriller mystery Flightplan, featuring a score by James Horner, is released on Hollywood Records.
1863:
Writer and linguist Jacob Grimm dies at age 78 in Berlin, Germany. He and his brother
Wilhelm (known as the Brothers Grimm) were the first to write down such classic folk tales as Snow White,
Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. A philologist, jurist and mythologist, Jacob was 13 months older than his brother.
1878:
Author Upton Sinclair is born in Baltimore, Maryland. His 1936 book The Gnomemobile
was the inspiration for Disney's 1967 musical film The Gnome-Mobile. (Sinclair devoted his writing career to
documenting and criticizing the social and economic conditions of the early twentieth century. He first
achieved popularity with his 1906 muckraking novel The Jungle, which exposed conditions in the U.S. meat
packing industry. Causing a public uproar, his book contributed in part to the passage of the 1906 Pure
Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act.)
1925:
Walt Disney's Alice Comedy Alice's Tin Pony, starring Margie Gay,
premieres at Warner's Theater in New York City. Alice and her cat Julius are driving
a train carrying a large payroll which attracts the attention of villainous Pete the Bear and his gang.
1926:
The Alice Comedy Alice's Monkey Business is released. While big game hunting,
Alice (portrayed by Margie Gay) and Julius find themselves brought into the court of the King Lion.
2001:
It is reported that Disney's extraterrestrial animated feature,
Lilo & Stitch, may get a makeover. The ending scenes have a cute
little alien sneaking on board a 747 and taking the jumbo jet for a joy
ride through the towers of Honolulu. Following the tragic events of
September 11, 2001 Disney has asked screenwriters to rewrite the
last scenes. They may replace the airplane with a spaceship.
2002:
The second annual Disney's Pin Celebration begins at Epcot.
The Lizzie McGuire episode "Party Over Here" debuts on Disney Channel.
Hilary Duff's sister Haylie appears as Cousin Amy.
Spirited Away, a 2001 Japanese animated film written and directed by famed
animator Hayao Miyazaki, is released in the U.S. through Walt Disney
Pictures. The film centers on a sullen ten-year-old girl in the middle of her family's move to the suburbs
and an awkward wander into a world ruled by gods, witches, and monsters. (It will win many awards,
including an Oscar for Best Animated Feature - a first for a feature-length Japanese animated film.)
2003:
A "Sneak Peek" at the new Mickey's PhilharMagic takes place for Annual
and Premium Annual Passholders at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
Meanwhile over at Epcot, construction begins on Soarin'.
Walt Disney's Hometown Toonfest takes place in Marceline, Missouri
(Walt's boyhood home).
Lilo & Stitch: The Series debuts on ABC-TV.
Disney's California Adventure presents Disney's Fiesta Latina
(a celebration featuring mariachi bands, craft booths and spicy food) for
the first of three weekends.
1954:
The hit television series The Milton Berle Show airs an episode featuring
Ward Kimball's Dixieland jazz band The Firehouse Five Plus Two.
Henry Samueli, co-founder and chief technology officer of the Broadcom Corporation
and a philanthropist, is born in California. In June 2005 he and his wife Susan bought the NHL's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (now called the Anaheim Ducks) from the Walt Disney Company for $75 million.
1911:
Arranger, composer, and actor Frank De Vol is born in Moundsville, West Virginia.
De Vol wrote the scores for many Hollywood movies, including Disney's Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo and Herbie
Goes Bananas, and composed music for the Disney TV episodes The Ghosts of Buxley Hall and Tales of the
Apple Dumpling Gang. He also had a cameo in the 1961 The Parent Trap. (Nominated for 4 Academy Awards, De Vol wrote arrangements for the studio recordings of such singers as Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett, and composed TV themes such as Family Affair, The Brady Bunch, and My Three Sons. He also played bandleader Happy Kyne on Martin Mull's talk-show parody sitcom, Fernwood 2 Nite - later titled America 2 Nite.)
1940:
Disney's Donald Duck short Window Cleaners is released. Donald
and Pluto are window cleaners on the side of a skyscraper!
2008:
The 10th Annual Walt Disney's Hometown Toonfest
takes place in Marceline, Missouri.
Princess Disneymania is released by Walt Disney Records.
The album features various artists renditions of classic songs originally from the Disney Princess films, such as:
"Once Upon a Dream" - Emily Osment
"That's How You Know" - Demi Lovato
"Some Day My Prince Will Come" - Ashley Tisdale"Colors of the Wind" - Vanessa Hudgens"Reflection" - Christina Aguilera
SEPTEMBER 20
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
SEPTEMBER 20
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"Nearly all my labors have been devoted, either directly or indirectly, to the investigation of our earlier
language, poetry and laws. These studies may have appeared to many, and may still appear, useless; to me they
have always seemed a noble and earnest task, definitely and inseparably connected with our common
fatherland, and calculated to foster the love of it. My principle has always been in these investigations to under-
value nothing, but to utilize the small for the illustration of the great, the popular tradition for the elucidation of
the written monuments." -Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm (1785-1863)
Spirited Away released
Disney Legends inducted
2009:
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences awards the 2008-2009 Primetime
Emmys for programs and individual achievements on the "61st Primetime Emmy
Awards" broadcast on CBS. Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place wins
Outstanding Children's Program.
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1989:
The TV sitcom, The Nutt House, co-created by Mel Brooks for
Touchstone/Disney, first airs on NBC. An American variation on the BBC
classic "Fawlty Towers," the series stars Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman. A broad
farce about a once-prestigious New York City hotel which has fallen on hard times,
Korman (pictured right) plays manager Reginald Tarkington. The
expensive interior hotel scenes have been shot at the Disney-MGM Studios.
(Unfortunately the series will be canceled after just 6 episodes.)
1946:
Disney's Donald Duck short Lighthouse Keeping is released. Directed by Jack Hannah,
Donald attempts to keep his lighthouse light lit, much to the chagrin of Marblehead the pelican, who is trying to
get some sleep.
1986:
NBC-TV airs the special Disney's Captain EO Grand Opening. Hosted by Patrick
Duffy, the 60-minute program telecast from both Disneyland and Disney World, includes such guests
as actress Justine Bateman and singers Belinda Carlisle and Robert Palmer.
2010:
The Flame Tree Barbecue at Disney's Animal Kingdom reopens after being
closed for refurbishment.
ALICE
Among the Disney treasures on
display at the 2009 D23 Expo -
the actual Volkswagen Beetle
that "played" the role of
Herbie in The Love Bug, the
costume worn by Michael
Jackson as "Captain EO," and a
Nautilus submarine prop from
Disney's feature
20,000
Leagues
Under
the Sea.
1987:
The Golden Girls (a sitcom produced by Disney's Touchstone Television and
distributed by Buena Vista Television) wins 3 Emmy Awards. The show itself wins for
Outstanding Comedy Series, the Outstanding Lead Actress award goes to Rue McClanahan, and Terry
Hughes is awarded for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series.
A new parade replacing Disney World's "15 Years of Magic," called "We the
People All-America Parade" steps off at the Magic Kingdom. The procession features
Mickey and Minnie in colonial attire riding atop an oversized Constitution float, surrounded by a marching band.
2011:
Disney CEO Bob Iger and Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Tom Staggs
announce a long-term creative partnership with James Cameron's Lightstorm
Entertainment and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring the fantasy world of AVATAR
to life at Disney Parks. Cameron and his producing partner Jon Landau and their team at Lightstorm
Entertainment will serve as creative consultants and work side-by-side with Walt Disney Imagineers on the first
AVATAR-themed land in Disney's Animal Kingdom. (Construction is expected to begin by 2013.)
Unbroken, the third studio album by singer Demi Lovato, is released by Disney's Hollywood Records.
Spooky Buddies, a Disney direct-to-DVD comedy film (part of the Disney Buddies
franchise), is released. The fifth installment in the series, this film finds the team having a Halloween
adventure in the town of Fernfield.
1959:
Jimmy Starr's Show Business Souvenirs shop, located next to the Disneyland Opera
House, closes after 3 1/2 years in business. Run by Starr himself, the store specialized in movie
memorabilia such as photographs and postcards of stars. (Starr was a Hollywood columnist and screenwriter
during the 1930s and 1940s.)
1997:
The second episode of Disney's Recess, "The Experiment/The Great Jungle
Gym Standoff" premieres on ABC.
September 20
"With this agreement, we have the extraordinary opportunity to combine James’ talent
and vision with the imagination and expertise of Disney." -CEO Bob Iger (2011)
2017:
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground reopens after being shut down
for more than a week due to Hurricane Irma. The Disney World campsite closed
September 9 as Central Florida braced for the storm’s impact.
2004:
Disney Magic, a two-disc album with 22 songs on each CD, is released by Walt Disney
Records. The collection includes various pop stars from yesterday and today like Louis Armstrong, Phil Harris,
Peggy Lee, Christina Aguilera, Sting, Phil Collins, Celine Dion and Robbie Williams performing popular Disney songs.
2016:
The fourth season of the ABC television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., kicks off with the episode "The Ghost."
Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and acknowledging the continuity of the franchise's films), Phil Coulson
(played by Clark Gregg) and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Inhumans face new threats to the world.
Beauty and the Beast is released to Blu-ray.
2015:
The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards are handed out at the Microsoft Theater in
Downtown Los Angeles, California. Among the Disney/ABC winners:
-Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Viola Davis as Professor Annalise Keating on How to Get Away with Murder
-Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie: Regina King as Aliyah Shadeed on American Crime
1994:
Season 4 of the ABC-TV sitcom Home Improvement kicks off with the episode "Back in the Saddle Shoes Again." Based on the stand-up comedy of Tim Allen, Home Improvement centers on Tim "The Toolman" Taylor (host of the home-improvement show "Tool Time"') and his wife Jill and their 3 sons.
2019:
The science fiction adventure film Ad Astra is released to U.S. theaters. A 20th Century Fox production distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the film stars Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland. Pitt plays Major Roy McBride, an astronaut who goes into space in search of his lost father, played by Jones, whose experiment has threatened the solar system.
1908:
Writer Lowell S. Hawley is born in Lynden, Washington. Although his first novel, "A Few Buttons Missing: The Case Book of a Psychiatrist" (1951) was a best seller, he became a writer for the Walt Disney Studio starting in 1957. His film and television credits include Zorro (1958), Swiss Family Robinson (1960), Babes in Toyland (1961), In Search of the Castaways (1962), Mooncussers (1962), A Tiger Walks (1964),The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967), The Young Loner (1968), and The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968).
Hawley retired in 1969.
1996:
IllumiNations, a series of nightly fireworks shows at Epcot (before IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth was created in 1999) closes. Replacing Laserphonic Fantasy,
Illuminations had first debuted in 1988.
1922:
Composer, arranger, conductor and trombonist Frank Comstock is born in San Diego, California. Working as a freelance arranger for Disney Theme Park Music Director James Christensen, Comstock arranged some of the music heard at Disney Theme Parks. His work as arranger and orchestrator for Disney includes The Disneyland Main Street Electrical Parade, Tokyo Disneyland opening music, Disney World Family Concerts, and Christmas parades in all Disney parks. (Comstock's television credits include Adam-12, Dragnet, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, and The Carol Burnett Show.)
2020:
Just 10 months after its launch, Disney+ receives 8 trophies at the 72nd Emmy Awards, including seven Emmys for The Mandalorian, from Lucasfilm, and one for Pixar’s Forky Asks a Question: What is Love. This marks the most Emmy wins ever for a streaming service in its inaugural year. Titles from across The Walt Disney Company combined to win 21 Creative Arts Emmys plus two juried awards and one Primetime Emmy, which was given to Uzo Aduba for her acclaimed performance in the FX limited series Mrs. America, for a total of 24 awards in all for this year. ABC’s Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times" and The Oscars, and National Geographic’s The Cave are honored in multiple categories.
1956:
Actor Gary Cole is born in Park Ridge, Illinois. Fans of Disney's Kim Possible know him as the voice of Dr. James Possible in both the series and such television movies as Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time and Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama. Cole's voice credits also include Phineas and Ferb and Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero. In 1998 he appeared in the family comedy film I'll Be Home For Christmas portraying Mr. Wilkinson, and in 2002 he appeared in the Disney Channel Original Movie Cadet Kelly as General Joe "Sir" Maxwell. Fans of the ABC sitcom
Mixed-ish recognize Cole for his role of Harrison Jackson III.
1978:
Actor Charlie Weber is born in Jefferson City, Missouri. He portrayed Frank Delfino in the ABC legal drama series How to Get Away with Murder (2014-20).
1958:
Composer of film and television scores Mychael Danna is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Winner of numerous awards (including a Golden Globe, Oscar and Emmy) he wrote the music for Disney's The Good Dinosaur and Pixar's Onward, along with his younger brother composer Jeff Danna.
1971:
Character actor James Westerfield passes away in California at age 58. He played the role of Police Officer Hanson in the Disney films The Shaggy Dog (1959), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), and Son of Flubber (1963). He later played the role of a sheriff in the western Smith! (1969). (You may recognize Westerfield from such feature films as On The Waterfront, Birdman of Alcatraz, and True Grit.)
2021:
Disney World's 50-year Cast Members are treated to a special breakfast at Magic Kingdom before the Park officially opens. These Cast Members have been working at WDW since 1971!
EPCOT launches its newest restaurant Space 2020 to the general public. Executives from Disney and the Patina Restaurant Group join Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in a ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony. A minute walk from Test Track, guests can dine on a menu featuring modern American cuisine, cocktails and a wide selection of craft beer.
