2003:
Disney's The Lizzie McGuire Movie, starring Hilary Duff, premieres at the
El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California. The movie follows Lizzie as she graduates from junior
high school and goes on a class trip to Rome. The film serves as the finale of the Disney Channel television series of the same name (and is the first theatrical film based on a Disney Channel series). The cast includes Adam
Lamberg, Robert Carradine, Hallie Todd and Jake Thomas. The film will open in U.S. theaters May 2 earning
$17.3 million in its opening weekend.
1916:
Actor & voice artist Vic Perrin - one time narrator of Epcot's Spaceship
Earth and Universe of Energy - is born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
(He is best known as the "Control Voice" in the original version of the 1960s TV series The Outer Limits. Fans of the 1960s cartoon Jonny Quest will remember him as the voice of the evil Dr. Zin.)
Contemporary painter, author and illustrator
Eyvind Earle is born in New York City. Walt
Disney first hired Earle in October 1951 to create the
distinctive and beautiful backgrounds and settings for such
features as Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, and Lady and the
Tramp, and such shorts as Paul Bunyan and Toot, Whistle,
Plunk, and Boom (which won an Academy Award and a
CannesFilm Festival Award). Also painting the dioramas for
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland, Earle stayed with
Disney for 6 years. He went on to illustrate books, design
covers for magazine publications, produce and create
several animated commercials and specials for television,
and create animated trailers for motion pictures.
In 1998 Earle was honored at the 26th Annie Awards with
the Winsor McCay Award for a lifetime achievement in the
art of animation. (Passing away in July 2000 at age 84,
Eyvind Earle was later given the Disney Legend Award in
2015. It was accepted on behalf of the late artist by his daughter, Kristin Thompson. In April 2016, "An Exhibition of a Disney Legend," a one-man exhibitions of oils, acrylics, watercolors, and sculptures was displayed at the Forest Lawn Museum, in Glendale, CA. The following year, "Awaking Beauty – The Artwork of Eyvind Earle" was put on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum, in San Francisco, CA.)
1940:
Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoon Tugboat Mickey, directed by Clyde Geronimi, is released.
Mickey is performing routine maintenance on his tugboat (with interference from a pelican) when a call comes on the
radio that there's a sinking ship needing assistance! Mickey's crew of Donald Duck and Goofy answer the SOS.
1958:
Disney uses the cast of his popular Zorro television series for a string of live performances at Disneyland for the very first time. The actor portraying Zorro on television, Guy Williams, also portrays him in the park! Zorro rides his horse through Frontierland, battles his nemesis Captain Monasterio on the Mark Twain Riverboat, and daringly climbs atop the Golden Horseshoe. "Zorro Days" will continue the next day and later return in May and November of 1958. Wildly popular, the special event will outlast the television series, returning again to the park in 1959 and 1960!
Actor, director, and producer Giancarlo Esposito is born in Denmark. His Disney credits include the 2016 re-make of The Jungle Book (as the voice of Akela), ABC's Once Upon a Time (as Magic Mirror), and the Disney+ series The Mandalorian (as Moff Gideon).
1987:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs the 1981 film "The Devil and Max Devlin," starring Elliott Gould and Bill Cosby.
1989:
Disney Channel airs the 3rd episode of MMC.
Bill Nye guest stars on Anything Can Happen Day!
1998:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs "Disney's Animal Kingdom: The
First Adventure." The one-hour television special gives viewers a
first look at the new Florida theme park.
2001:
Disney Online is awarded the "Best of Festival" award, "Best of Category" for entertainment and a "Creative Excellence Award" at the International Web Page Awards ceremony. The "Best of Festival" award recognizes the best Web pages created in 2000.
2002:
The Lizzie McGuire episode "And the Winner Is" debuts on Disney Channel.
The comedy film Frank McKlusky, C.I. is released by Touchstone Pictures.
The story of an insurance claims investigator who takes his job a little too seriously, the film stars
Dave Sheridan, Randy Quaid, and Dolly Parton.
2004:
Michael Eisner makes Forbes' list of worst CEOs in America.
2005:
Walt Disney Records releases Disney Channel Hits: Take 2, a collection
that includes a CD and a DVD of Disney Channel Original Movie songs
and music videos.
Hong Kong Disneyland and the MTR Corporation unveil the first Disneyland
Resort Line train, which will bring guests to the heart of China's first Disney
theme park (set to open September 12, 2005).
2006:
The New Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, a pre-school age targeted show, debuts at the Disney-MGM Studios.
In 1997, Disney Channel took
on a revamped look and
dropped the "The" in
the network's name, and
split the network into 3
programming blocks -
Playhouse Disney,
Vault Disney, and
Zoog Disney.
1981:
Disney's Wonderful World series airs "Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life" on
NBC-TV. Loosely tied to the book of the same name by legendary animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, this episode is hosted by Hayley Mills (who as a youngster starred in such Disney films as Pollyanna and The Parent Trap).
MMC
1978:
Actress, singer & dancer Brooke Tansley is born in Waterbury, Connecticut. In 2004 she played the Broadway role of Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
1977:
Actor Jason Earles, Jackson Stewart on Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, is born in
San Diego, California. His credits include the Disney Channel Original Movie Dadnapped, The Emperor's
New School, a few episodes of Disney Channel's Phil of the Future and the feature film National Treasure. In 2013,
Earles co-starred in the Disney direct-to-DVD family film Super Buddies.
"If you're soft and fuzzy, like our little characters, you become the skinny kid on the beach, and people in this business don't mind kicking sand in your face." -Michael Eisner
2008:
Walt & El Grupo premieries at the San Francisco Film Festival. The documentary, directed
by Ted Thomas (son of DIsney Legend Frank Thomas and director of the Frank and Ollie documentary) follows
Walt and Lillian Disney along with sixteen colleagues for 10 weeks during a 1941 visit to several Latin American
nations to gather story material for a series of short films with South American themes. (The film will have a limited release in Los Angeles, New York, and Anaheim beginning September 11, 2009.)
1994:
The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Disney's Beauty and the Beast is released. The CD includes Susan Egan as Belle, Terrence Mann as Beast, Burke Moses as Gaston, Gary Beach as Lumiere and Beth Fowler as Mrs Potts.
APRIL 26
APRIL 26
THIS DAY MADE IN THE USA
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1905:
Character actor Denis O'Dea is born in Dublin, Ireland.
Often cast as bull-headed police officers and priests, O'Dea appeared in the Disney live-action features
Darby O'Gill and the Little People as Father Murphy and Treasure Island as Dr. Livesy (pictured above).
1991:
The Disney/Henson television series Dinosaurs debuts on ABC. Based on an idea by
Jim Henson, the show features the live-action combination of Audio-Animatronics and puppets (only the
second show to feature this technique). About a family of anthropomorphic prehistoric creatures, Dinosaurs is
produced by Michael Jacobs Productions and Jim Henson Productions in association with Walt Disney Television.
Touchstone Pictures releases the comedy Oscar directed by John Landis and
starring Sylvester Stallone, Marisa Tomei, Ornella Muti, Tim Curry, and Chazz
Palminteri. At his father’s deathbed in 1931, notorious bootlegger Angelo “Snaps” Provolone, in a moment of
remorse, agrees to his father’s plea that he give up his shameful life, become an honest man, and restore his family’s
name to honor. The bewildered Snaps tries to go straight, but his new image is far too fantastic for either the cops or
new easily-bribed banker friends.
Dinosaurs debuts on ABC
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Painter Eyvind Earle born
Disney Cruise Line focuses on programs to increase fuel efficiency and conserve energy. They do this by reducing surplus shipboard weight, automating onboard air conditioning systems for more optimal and efficient use, replacing light fixtures with more energy-efficient light bulbs, and turning off lights in areas when they are not in use by Guests or Crew.
1997:
Disney's animated series Nightmare Ned airs on ABC-TV with the two episodes
"Robot Ned" and "Dapper Dan."
1990:
Mickey's Magical TV World show opens at Mickey's Starland
in the Magic Kingdom at WDW.
1992:
The live Beauty and the Beast show The Enchanted Book Shoppe gives its final performance at Plaza Gardens in Disneyland. It has been running since November 1991.
2012:
A media preview takes place for Disney's Art of Animation Resort at
Walt Disney World.Themed after 4 classic Disney animated films, it is located where construction on the unfinished half of Disney's Pop Century Resort was started, but later abandoned in September 2001. The value resort will open in 4 phases starting May 31 with the Finding Nemo section.
1984:
Voice actor Ryan Sean O'Donohue is born in California. His long list of Disney credits include
Toy Story, Recess, 101 Dalmatians: Escape from DeVil Manor, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, A Bug's Life and
Recess: School's Out.
2018:
Walt Disney World welcomes a newborn Grevy's zebra. Born to Laylee at Disney's Animal
Kingdom, the female foal will eventually join the zebra herd on Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail’s overlook. Grevy’s
zebras are the most endangered species of zebra, with about 2,500 alive in the world today.
A Toy Story Land opens in Shanghai Disneyland. The seventh themed land at the park and the third Toy Story Land in the world, new attractions include Slinky Dog Spin, Rex’s Racer and Woody’s Round-Up. The Shanghai installation follows the same template as Disney's first two Toy Story Lands, at Hong Kong Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris. The land also includes an Al's Toy Barn shop and Toy Box Cafe restaurant. Disney CEO Bob Iger is on hand for the opening. (The United States will get their first Toy Story Land when Disney's fourth Toy Story Land opens at Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Walt Disney World Resort in June 2018.)
2014:
The 2014 Radio Disney Music Awards are held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in
Los Angeles, California. Among the winners:
-Best Female Artist: Demi Lovato
-Best Male Artist: Justin Timberlake
-Best Music Group: One Direction
-Breakout Artist: Fifth Harmony
-Best New Artist: Becky G
-Song of the Year: "Come & Get It" - Selena Gomez
2019:
Avengers: Endgame, a superhero film based
on the Marvel Comics superhero team the
Avengers, produced by Marvel Studios and
distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion
Pictures, is released to theaters. Directed by
Anthony and Joe Russo, the film features an ensemble
cast including Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans
(Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Chris Hemsworth
(Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner
(Hawkeye), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Paul Rudd
(Ant-Man), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Karen Gillan
(Nebula), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Bradley Cooper (Rocket),
Josh Brolin (Thanos), and Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts).
After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018),
the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe.
The soundtrack album to the film, by composer/conductor Alan Silvestri, is released digitally by Hollywood Records on this day as well. (The physical format will be released on May 24, 2019.)
Mickey's PhilharMagic, a 4-D film attraction, debuts at Disney California Adventure. Taking place at Sunset Showcase Theater in Hollywood Land, Mickey's PhilharMagic is a 12-minute-long show featuring 3D effects, scents, and water, as well as a number of characters from Disney movies. DCA is the 5th Disney theme park in
the world to have a version of it (as the very first PhilharMagic opened in 2003 at Walt Disney World).
Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland, a nighttime spectacular at Tokyo Disneyland that premiered on July 10, 2018, has its final performance. Produced by Walt Disney Creative Entertainment, under Lead Creative Executive of Parades and Spectaculars Steve Davison, it incorporated fireworks, water cannons, flamethrowers, projection mapping, lasers, searchlights, tree lighting, and many more to depict scenes from some of Tokyo Disneyland's most famous rides and Disney films.
2011:
Prom: Original Soundtrack is released under Disney's Hollywood Records label, three days before the film's premiere date.
1980:
Actor, producer and dancer Channing Tatum is born in Cullman, Alabama. Disney fans
may know him for his breakthrough role of Tyler Gage in the films Step Up and Step Up 2: The Streets.
(Tatum is best known for his leading role in Magic Mike and its sequel Magic Mike XXL.)
1996:
The 3rd Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival begins.
2021:
The two-hour Sesame Street: 50 Years of Sunny Days airs on ABC-TV.
2017:
Johnny Depp surprises fans dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow at Disneyland on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride through attraction! Depp waves his
cutlass and talkes to riders with his patented British slur on this
evening, not far from the animatronic versions of his character that
appears throughout the ride. His appearance is in celebration of the
upcoming film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
(which opens in U.S. theaters May 26.)
1943:
Singer and actor Bobby Rydell is born Robert Louis Ridarelli in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Considered a teen idol in the 1960s, he had such hit songs as "Kissing Time," "Wild One" & a cover of "Volare," and appeared in the 1963 movie Bye Bye Birdie. Rydell performed in "Disneyland After Dark," an episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color on April 15th 1962 along with Annette Funicello. Years later he performed a number of times at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in various venues. Rydell even appeared in concert at the Top of the World Supper Club atop the Contemporary Resort. (Rydell passed at the age of 79 in April 2022.)
