1998:
At Super Bowl XXXII (in San Diego) Denver Broncos quarterback
John Elway declares "I'm going to Disneyland!" after his team defeats the Green Bay Packers, 31–24.
1938:
Passionate rhythm-and-blues singer Etta James - whose version of "It's A
Small World/When You Wish Upon a Star Medley" appears on the CD
Disney's Music From The Park - is born in Los Angeles, California.
On April 7, 2009, James appeared on ABC-TV's Dancing with the Stars as a guest performer, singing her
classic 1961 hit "At Last."
Disney animator Art Babbitt and other unhappy employees, who believe they
need to create a federation for representation, hold a general membership
meeting at the American Legion Hall in Hollywood. The group elects Babbitt
as president of the Cartoonists Federation.
2005:
The Disney/Pixar animated film The Incredibles is nominated for 4 Academy Awards!
Walt Disney Records releases Mulan 2 Soundtrack featuring Lea Salonga, Joel
McNeely, Beth Blankenship, Mandy Gonzalez, and Judy Kuhn.
1864:
Author Lewis Carroll asks illustrator Sir John Tenniel (the principal political cartoonist
for England's popular "Punch"magazine) to illustrate his story "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Carroll originally attempted to illustrate "Wonderland" himself, but his artistic abilities were limited. An engraver named Orlando Jewitt, who had worked for Carroll in 1859 and reviewed his drawings for the book, suggested that he hire a professional. Carroll, a regular reader of "Punch," was familiar with Tenniel. Tenniel will go on to create 92 drawings for "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865) and the follow-up "Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There" (1871). Despite the thousands of political cartoons and hundreds of
illustrative works attributed to him, much of Tenniel's fame will stem from his illustrations for "Alice."
1905:
Author Margery Sharp is born in Wiltshire, England. She will write 26 novels for adults, 14
stories for children, 4 plays, 2 mysteries, and numerous short stories. Sharp's most famous work The
Rescuers (a series about a mouse) will be adapted into 2 Disney animated films - The Rescuers and The
Rescuers Down Under.
1931:
Actor Dean Jones, best known for his light-hearted leading roles in several Walt Disney movies between 1965 and 1977, is born in Morgan City, Alabama. It was his role in the 1963 Under the Yum Yum Tree that brought Jones to the attention of Disney. He shared hosting duties in 1967 for Disneyland's Candlelight Ceremony. In 1975 and 1987 he narrated the Christmas Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance as Albert Dooley in The Million Dollar Duck (1971). He will be inducted as a Disney Legends award winner in 1995.
1961:
Disney's 17th animated feature film 101 Dalmatians, featuring the
voice of Rod Taylor, premieres. When a litter of dalmatian puppies are
abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the parents must find them before she uses
them for a diabolical fashion statement. It is the first Disney feature to solely use the
Xerox process for transferring the animators' drawings to cels. Prior to this, each one of
the animators' drawings had to be hand-traced in ink onto a cel. The new process has
sped up production greatly and given 101 Dalmatians a different look than Disney's
previous animated features. It is directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton
Luske, and Clyde Geronimi. (The film will be generally released the following
month.)
1985:
Composer Paul J. Smith passes away in Glendale, California, at age 78. He wrote background music for nearly every Disney True-Life Adventure film and received an Oscar (along with Leigh Harline and Ned
Washington) for the music in Pinocchio. Smith also received Academy Awards nominations for Perri, Cinderella, Song of the South, The Three Caballeros, Victory Through Air Power, and Saludos Amigos. He even appeared in Fantasia ... as a member of the orchestra. Along with Hazel George, Smith wrote a number of songs for Fun With Music Day for television's Mickey Mouse Club. Later he and Buddy Baker scored music for theme park attractions such as Disneyland's Adventure Thru Inner Space. Retired since 1962, Smith will be posthumously awarded as a Disney Legend in 1994.
Actress, science communicator, and writer Chrsitina Ochoa is born in Spain. She played Ashley Morales for one season on the ABC drama series A Million Little Things.
1987:
Super Bowl XXI is played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The halftime show is a Disney production called "Salute to Hollywood's 100th Anniversary," featuring Southern California-area High School drill teams and dancers. The New York Giants win over the Denver Broncos, 39-20.
1993:
Toontown continues its official grand opening festivities at Disneyland. On hand to
take part in a parade and special events are Michael Eisner and such celebrities as Robin Williams, Sally Fields,
Dan Ackroyd, Danny DeVito, Ted Danson, and Tom Selleck. (Toontown will be dedicated the following day.)
1999:
McDonald's opens a themed restaurant in the Disney Village area at Disneyland Paris.
2002:
The Orlando Sentinel reports that Disney World plans to demolish about one-fourth
of its troubled Disney Institute and build 192 new time-share units there.
Touchstone Pictures & Spyglass Entertainment release the adventure drama The Count of Monte Cristo. An adaptation of the classic 1844 novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas,
the film follows the general plot of the story - a young man, falsely imprisoned by his jealous "friend", escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge. Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures, The Count of Monte Cristo stars
Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, and Richard Harris.
2004:
The historic Egyptian Theater in Hollywood screens Disney's Sleeping Beauty in its
original 70MM format.
Disney's Dreams on Parade begins running at Tokyo Disneyland as part of the park's
20th anniversary celebration.
At the Golden Globe Awards, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture -
Musical or Comedy goes to Bill Murray for his performance in Lost in Translation,
beatiing out Johnny Depp for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the
Black Pearl.
2007:
Jim and Lisa Fouch and their children, Brad and Hannah from Michigan make history as the first Walt Disney World guests to win a night's stay inside Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom Park.
"Dalmatians" is probably the
most-misspelled Disney
word (most people spell it
"dalmations"). However,
according to Disney it is a
place ... so both people and dogs from there
are Dalmatians.
JANUARY 25
2008:
Disney Channel premieres the original film Minutemen, about three "uncool" high school seniors who find a way to change their world, thanks to a homemade time machine. It stars Jason Dolley (from Disney Channel's Cory in the House) as Virgil Fox.
It's 'arf comedy...'arf mystery...and it's howlarious!
 | ||||
Dean Jones born (1931)
JANUARY 25
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
101 Dalmatians premieres
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1957:
Film and television actress Jenifer Lewis, the voice of Mama Odie in Disney's 2009
The Princess and the Frog, is born in Missouri. She also voiced Flo the sassy "show car" in Cars, Cars 2, and Cars 3. Her Disney/Touchstone film credits include Beaches (1988), Sister Act (1992), Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), Renaissance Man (1994), and The Preacher's Wife (1996). Epcot fans may remember her voice as the Ride Queue Instructional Video Announcer for Body Wars.
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"My story begins in London, not so very long ago. And yet so much has happened since then, that it seems more like an eternity." -Pongo (101 Dalmatians)
"I wish I could say I had this master plan for a career, but I always thought acting was
something I'd just do until I had a hit record." -Dean Jones (1995 Disney Legend)
1977:
The New Mickey Mouse Club airs episode seven. Mouseketeers Scott, Lisa and Allison find a lost bear cub aboard the Let's Go Day boat, and decide to take him to Yellowstone National Park so that he can meet some friendly bears. Scenes from Disney's Yellowstone Cubs are featured. Ol' Humphrey the Beezy Bear gets himself in to a sticky situation when he tries to steal honey from Donald Duck's beehives in today's all-color cartoon.
Selected Disney credits:
That Darn Cat!
The Ugly Dachshund
Monkeys, Go Home!
Blackbeard's Ghost
The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
The Love Bug
The Million Dollar Duck
Snowball Express
The Shaggy D.A.
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
1990:
Coca-Cola and Disney sign a 15-year marketing agreement in which Coca-Cola products will be used exclusively in all theme parks, and Coca-Cola will use certain Disney characters in its advertising. In 2002 Coca-Cola will expand its multi-year agreement with Disney to feature Dasani bottled water at Disney's U.S. parks, resorts and cruise line. (Although Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola were originally served at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, Coca-Cola's relationship with Disney goes back to 1950 and the first Disney television show, One Hour in Wonderland, which Coke sponsored. In 1955, Coke became a participant with the Refreshment Corner on Disneyland's Main Street, USA.)
2011:
Nominations for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards are announced at the Samuel
Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, with Disney racking up a total of 13.
"For Toy Story 3 to be recognized by the Academy as not only one of the best animated films of the year, but also as one of
the ten best pictures of the year, is both humbling and overwhelming. I'm speechless; I feel like I've been blasted to infinity and
beyond." -Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich
-Toy Story 3 receives 5 nominations: Best Picture, Best Animated Feature Film, Adapted Screenplay (Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich), Original Song ("We Belong Together" by Randy Newman), and Sound Editing (Tom Myers and Michael Silvers)
This makes Toy Story 3 the third animated film in history to be nominated for the top Oscar prize, following Beauty and the Beast in 1991 and Up in 2010. It is also the eighth Pixar film to be nominated for Best Animated Feature since the award was first created in 2001.
"World of Color" celebrates a big milestone at Disney California
Adventure park ... it's 500th performance! More than two million guests have
seen this spectacular display of water and special effects since it opened on June 11, 2010.
JAN
JAN
Voice cast:
Rod Taylor - Pongo
J. Pat O'Malley - Colonel / Jasper
Ben Wright - Roger
Betty Lou Gerson - Cruella De Vil / Miss Birdwell
Martha Wentworth - Nanny / Queenie / Lucy
Cate Bauer - Perdita
-Alan Menken (for the 19th time in his career) - Best Song for "I See the Light" from Disney's Tangled.
-Day and Night (PIxar) - Best Animated Short Film
-Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney Pictures) - Achievement in Costume Design (Colleen Atwood), Art Direction (Robert Stromberg – Production Design and Karen O’Hara – Set Decoration) and Achievement in Visual Effects (Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips)
-TRON: Legacy (Walt Disney Pictures) - Achievement in Sound Editing (Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague)
-Iron Man 2 (Marvel Studios) - Achievement in Visual Effects (Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick)
-The Tempest (Touchstone Pictures) - Achievement in Costume Design (Sandy Powell)
The 83rd Annual Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, February 27 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
2013:
Yamaha’s 125th Anniversary Dealer Concert featuring Disney Legend Elton John
performing with a 60-piece orchestra is streamed live over the Internet. The event, held at
Disneyland's Hyperion Theater in California, also stars more than a dozen music performers who take part in this
special private concert event celebrating the 125th anniversary of Yamaha, the official music instrument provider of the Disneyland Resort and the sponsor of Disney's popular All American College Band, Disney’s Performing Arts, and The Community Arts Showcase. Sir Elton plays five of his classic songs on a Yamaha Disklavier reproducing piano onstage at the Hyperion, accompanied by the orchestra. His actual piano keystrokes are faithfully played, note for note, in real time
(via MIDI data) on each of the remote Disklavier pianos all over the world just as if he were there, while the entire
orchestra is seen and heard on adjacent monitors in perfect sync with the remote piano performance!
January 25
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
2016:
The Finest Hours, about the 1952 United States Coast Guard rescue of the tanker
SS Pendleton, premieres. Based on the book, "The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast
Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue," the film is produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Whitaker Entertainment, and
Red Hawk Entertainment, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
2019:
Mickey's Soundsational Parade returns to Disneyland on this afternoon. The parade,
which debuted back in 2011, did not play in 2018, giving way to the Pixar Play Parade for the Disneyland Resort's
Pixar Fest last year.
Sydney to the Max, a comedy television series created by Mark Reisman, premieres
on Disney Channel with the episode "Can't Dye This." Ruth Righi plays 12-year-old Sydney who
lives with her single father Max and her paternal grandmother Judy as she navigates life in middle school with her friend Olive. The cast includes Ava Kolker, Jackson Dollinger, Christian J. Simon, Ian Reed Kesler, and Caroline Rhea.
Kingdom Hearts III, an action role-playing game developed and published by Square
Enix for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, is released. It is the twelfth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series, and serves as a conclusion of the "Dark Seeker saga" plot arc beginning with the original game. Set
after the events of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, returning protagonist Sora is joined by Donald Duck, Goofy, King Mickey and Riku in their search for the seven guardians of light as they attempt to thwart Xehanort's plan
to bring about a second Keyblade War. Their journey has them cross paths with characters and visit worlds based on different Disney and Pixar intellectual properties.
1971:
Actress and singer Ana Ortiz is born in New York City. She garnered widespread attention for her role as Hilda Suarez on the ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty from 2006 to 2010. She also supplied the voices of Ballet Mom in the 2018 Ralph Breaks the Internet and Rava in the series Elena of Avalor.
2020:
The 47th ceremony of the Annie Awards, honoring excellence in the field of animation for
the year of 2019, takes place at the University of California, Los Angeles's Royce Hall in
Los Angeles, California. Among the winners:
-Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Children: Mickey Mouse — Disney Television Animation /
Disney Channel
-Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Production: Benjamin Fiske, Alex Moaveni, Jesse
Erickson, Dimitre Berberov, Kee Nam Suong – Frozen II – Walt Disney Animation Studios
-Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Live Action Production: Sidney Kombo-Kintombo –
Avengers: Endgame – Marvel Studios
-Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production: Alonso Ramirez Ramos –
Mickey Mouse – Disney Television Animation / Disney Channel
-Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production: H. Jon Benjamin –
Bob's Burgers — 20th Century Fox / Bento Box Entertainment
-Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production: Josh Gad – Frozen II – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Shanghai Disneyland closes due to coronavirus outbreak in China.
1934:
Film, music and sound editor and film producer Donald W. Ernst is born in California. Starting his career in television (as an editor), upon joining Disney he got an opportunity to produce films such as Aladdin, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and Fantasia 2000.
2023:
Actress and producer Cindy Williams passes away at age 75 in Los Angeles, California.
Her Disney credits included two episodes of The Magical World of Disney in 1986: "The Leftovers" and "Help Wanted: Kids." She also appeared in the 1988 Disney Channel movie Save the Dog. In 1989 she was part of the cast of the Disney Channel series Just Like Family, which was a spin-off of the “Help Wanted: Kids” episode (that ran for only one season). Williams was best known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the television sitcom "Happy Days" (1975–1979), and "Laverne & Shirley" (1976–1982). Her films credits included American Graffiti (1973) and The Conversation (1974).
