2003:
The Lizzie McGuire episode "Grand Ole Grandma" debuts on Disney Channel.
1927:
Disney's Alice Comedy Alice's Auto Race, featuring Margie Gay, is released.
1928:
Poet, educator, author, actress and activist Maya Angelou, one of the original voices of Walt Disney World's The Hall of Presidents attraction, is born Marguerite Johnson
in St. Louis, Missouri.
1932:
Comedic actress Estelle Harris - the voice of Mrs. Potato Head in Disney's Toy Story 2
and Mrs. Turtle in the TV series House of Mouse - is born in New York City.
Her long list of voice credits include the pet sitter, Mrs. Boogins in the animated Teacher's Pet and Mrs. Lipsky in
Kim Possible. Harris has also guest starred on such live-action Disney Channel shows as Phil of the Future and
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. (TV fans know her as Estelle Costanza, George's mom, on Seinfeld.)
1944:
Actor Craig T. Nelson, the voice of Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible in the 2004
Disney-Pixar animated feature The Incredibles, is born in Spokane, Washington.
(TV fans will know Nelson as the star of the sitcom Coach.)
1956:
The Disneyland series airs episode 46 - "Where Do The Stories Come From?"
Along with actor Kirk Douglas & animators Ward Kimball and Ollie Johnston, Walt Disney answers viewers questions about the stories from his films.
Joanna Miller, Walt Disney's granddaughter, is born in
Monterey County, California.
1960:
Disney animator and technical genius Ub Iwerks wins an Oscar (Scientific or Technical, Class III) for the design of an optical printer for special effects at the 32nd Annual Academy Awards held at the RKO Pantages Theater, Los Angeles. An optical printer is simply a camera and one or more projectors operating in tandem, which makes it possible to photograph a photograph. Common optical effects include fade outs & fade ins, dissolves, slow motion, fast motion, and matte work.
1999:
Chart-topping acts Britney Spears and 98 Degrees hip-hop down Main Street, U.S.A. during the 14th annual Walt Disney World Happy Easter Parade. The event is broadcast on ABC-TV.
2001:
It is reported that actor Christopher Walken has closed a deal to play the lead human in the largely animatronic film The Country Bears for the
Walt Disney Company. (He will go on to play the role of Reed Thimple.)
2006:
Western Way, the new rear entrance to Disney World from the new
Western Beltway expressway opens in Florida. The 4-lane, divided
boulevard gives Disney a western entrance for the first time, allowing
tourists coming in via Interstate 75 to enter Central Florida on Florida's
Turnpike and the Western Beltway (State Road 429), without ever entering Orlando or driving on Interstate 4.
Walt Disney Records releases Disneymania 4 - the follow up to the
platinum-selling Disneymania CDs, and Disney's Karaoke Series:
Disneymania Volume 2.
1952:
Man's Best Friend, a Disney short directed by Jack Kinney, is released. The cartoon features Goofy as the owner of a new puppy.
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The corporate headquarters
of Walt Disney Imagineering
are in, and have been
since the 1950s,
Glendale, California.
"All great achievements require time." -Maya Angelou
1990:
Rock 'n' Roll Beach Club, a rock-themed dance club, opens in Disney World's Pleasure Island. It replaces XZFR Rockin' Rollerdrome, a short lived club where guests could strap on skates and dance to rock music.
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THIS DAY MADE IN THE USA
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Rock 'n' Roll Beach Club opens
1938:
Life Magazine features a two-page spread about Marjorie Belcher, an 18-year-old dancer from Los Angeles who aided the animators in capturing live-action movements for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Belcher was the model for a real-life Snow White, enacting all the scenes of the story so that animators could study her expressions and poses. (Belcher, dressed as Snow White, had taken part in the Tournament of Roses Parade last January 1.)
1966:
Actress Nancy McKeon is born in Westbury, New York. Best remebered for her role
as Jo Polniaczek on the long-running NBC sitcom The Facts of Life, McKeon
portrays Connie Munroe (Sonny's mom) on Disney Channel's Sonny With a Chance.
2009:
At Shea's Buffalo (in Buffalo, New York) Walt Disney's Fantasia - the complete, uncut 1940 roadshow version - is screened.
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Ub Iwerks wins Oscar
