APR 16 Disney History

2004:

The 11th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden

Festival begins in Florida. (It will run through June 6.)

Christy Carlson Romano - the current Belle in Disney's Broadway show Beauty and the Beast - appears as a guest on the WB-11 "Morning News."

1921:

Actor Peter Ustinov, the voice of Prince John in Disney's 1973 Robin Hood, and

Captain Edward 'Blackbeard' Teach in Disney's live-action 1968 Blackbeard's Ghost,

is born in London, England.

1924:

Award-winning composer/arranger Henry Mancini - who wrote the music for

Disney's The Great Mouse Detective - is born in Cleveland, Ohio. (His best-known

work is the jazz-idiom theme to The Pink Panther film series.)

Also born on this day - animator, painter, art director & writer Victor Haboush

in Indiana. His animation career at Disney will begin with Peter Pan in 1952 (via his former classmate

Eyvind Earle) and later include Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty

and 101 Dalmations. (In the mid-1960s, Haboush will leave animation and shift into live-action. Starting

his own studio, he will direct and photograph over 1,500 award-winning commecials.)

1928:

Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short Ride 'Em Plow Boy is released.

1933:

Animator Dick Huemer begins work at the Disney Studios. He will go on to animate, direct and write for many feature films and shorts such as Fantasia, The Band Concert, Dumbo, and Saludos Amigos.

1958:

The Disneyland TV series airs episode 97 - "Four Tales of a Mouse."

1961:

The TV series Walt Disney Presents airs episode 175 - "Texas John Slaughter:

Trip to Tucson," the 16th part of the western mini-series starring Tom Tryon.

1964:

Disney's "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" exhibit passes testing at WED headquarters in California. It is now ready to be flown to New York for the World's Fair.

1997:

It is reported that although Disney's newest animated film, Hercules is still two months away from debut in the U.S. theaters, a sequel is already in production.

2001:

Disney World's newest resort, Animal Kingdom Lodge opens at

2901 Osceola Parkway. The six-story resort (designed by renowned architect Peter Dominick)

features deluxe facilities and luxury suites with the feel of a South African game reserve lodge. Amidst a

33-acre wildlife preserve, guests can gaze on any of more than 30 species of wildlife on display from

the comfort of their balconies!

1889:

Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. - better known as comedy actor

Charlie Chaplin, is born in London, England. (He will be one of

the most creative and influential personalities in the silent film era.)

Chaplin will have a prolific relationship with Walt Disney. He will be caricatured in the 1936 Disney short Mickey's Polo Team and even attend the Hollywood premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. Chaplin will also assist Walt with financial advice in helping to determine what kind of proceeds should be earned from the distributor of Snow White.

“We felt that the public, and especially the children, like animals that are cute and little. I think we are

rather indebted to Charlie Chaplin for the idea. We wanted something appealing, and we thought of a tiny

bit of a mouse that would have something of the wistfulness of Chaplin - a little fellow trying to do the

best he could." -Walt Disney on the inspiration for Mickey Mouse

1999:

The 6th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival kicks off.

When Walt Disney

was thirteen years-old he entered and won a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest!

(Legend has it that Chaplin himself once entered a similar contest in San Francisco and actually lost!)

2007:

Disney announces that Disneyland's fleet of antique passenger trains have been converted from diesel to biofuel. The switch saves as much as 150,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year, while potentially reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80 percent.

2008:

Disney Theatrical Productions presents a celebration of the work of composer Alan Menken at a cabaret performance at the Hudson Theatre (in New York City) hosted by Disney executive Thomas Schumacher. The host of Broadway stars paying homage to Menken include Ashley Brown, Sierra Boggess, Josh Strickland, Sean Palmer, and Donny Osmond.

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