2004:
The SaveDisney website announces a rally in Philadelphia that will take place March 2 ... one day prior to Disney's Annual Shareholder Meeting.
1809:
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. President, is born in a one-room log
cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. He is the first president born outside the original Thirteen
Colonies. Lincoln is the subject of such Disney attractions as Great Moments with Mr Lincoln (originally created
for the 1964 World's Fair) and Walt Disney World's The Hall of Presidents - click here to read Lincoln's HOP
speech. (Walt Disney was always fascinated with the life of Lincoln. As a young boy, Walt recited
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to his elementary class ... dressed as Abe!) In 2012, Touchstone Pictures released
the historical drama Lincoln, produced by Steve Spielberg and starring Daniel Day-Lewis. produced by Steve Spielberg and starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
1934:
Walt Disney Productions files an application for a trademark of "Mickey Mouse" for
use in books and newspaper comic strips. In May 1928, Disney had originally filed a trademark for use in motion pictures.
1951:
Disney's Cinderella is nominated for 3 Academy Awards - Best Music, Original Song (for "Bibbidy-Bobbidi-Boo"); Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture; and Best Sound, Recording. The Disney short In Beaver Valley is nominated for Best Short Subject: Two Reel. Winners will be announced March 29.
Pianist, vocalist and composer Cory Lerios is born in Palo Alto, California. A founding member of the platinum-record-selling soft rock band Pablo Cruise,
he composed the theme to Disney's Kim Possible.
1960:
The ABC-TV series Walt Disney Presents airs "Texas John Slaughter: Desperado from Tombstone," the 10th of a 17-part miniseries starring Tom Tryon. Running since 1958, the character is based upon an actual historical figure, Texas Ranger John Slaughter; a lawman, Civil War soldier, and gambler.
1988:
Siegfried and Roy appear on the TV special Disney's Magic in the Magic Kingdom. The illusionists make Sleeping Beauty Castle disappear!
Touchstone Pictures releases the adventure crime thriller Shoot to Kill. Directed by
Roger Spottiswoode, it stars Sidney Poitier (in his first role in ten years), Tom Berenger, Clancy Brown, Andrew
Robinson and Kirstie Alley. When a murderous diamond thief escapes with a cache of stolen jewels, grizzled FBI
agent Warren Stantin (Poitier) gives chase to the brazen killer, trailing him to the remote Pacific Northwest.
1999:
Disney's My Favorite Martian starring Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Daniels,
Elizabeth Hurley, Darryl Hannah, and Ray Walston is generally released.
Based on the popular 60's TV show (also starring Walston) the film is directed by Donald Petrie (of Grumpy
Old Men fame). When a Martian’s spacecraft accidentally crashlands on Earth, ambitious television reporter
Tim O’Hara visualizes his upcoming fame at breaking what he sees as the story of the century.
Playing in front of My Favorite Martian is the animated short Pluto Gets the Paper: Spaceship.
Touchstone Pictures releases Rushmore, a coming-of-age comedy drama directed
by Wes Anderson. About an eccentric teenager named Max, his friendship with a rich industrialist named
Herman, and their mutual love for elementary school teacher Rosemary Cross, the film stars Jason
Schwartzman (in his film debut), Bill Murray, and Olivia Williams.
2000:
Disney fans dress up in tuxedos and formal gowns to attend the Royal Ball
held at the Disneyland Hotel in California for Cinderella's 50th anniversary.
The night includes stories from the Disney legends that created Cinderella including the voice talents
who brought Anastasia, Drizella and Cinderella to life.
Disney's 1998 animated feature Mulan premieres on The Disney Channel.
2002:
Disney's 1953 Peter Pan; Special Edition is released on DVD. It includes
commentary by Walt Disney and veteran animators Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, and Marc Davis.
Disney-Pixar's Monsters, Inc. receives 4 Academy Award nominations.
Winners will be announced March 24.
2003:
The Tokyo Disneyland CD Cinderellabration: Lights of Romance is released.
2001:
Ilene Woods - the original voice of Cinderella - appears at a Cinderella Ball in Disneyland to celebrate the anniversary of the motion picture.
2007:
Academy Award-winning visual effects pioneer/matte artist and Disney Legend
Peter Ellenshaw passes away at his home in Santa Barbara, California at the
age of 93. A hand-picked member of Walt Disney's creative team since 1947, Ellenshaw was called upon
to create a wide variety of visual effects for such films as Mary Poppins, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,
Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Treasure Island, and The Black Hole. He even painted the iconic
first map of Disneyland that was featured on all the early postcards and souvenir booklets.
Disney announces that they’re producing The Sorcerer’s Apprentice as
a live-action feature starring Nicholas Cage as the Sorcerer. The film will be
based on Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s original poem, not the Mickey Mouse sequence in Fantasia.
"Long before the era of modern special effects, Peter Ellenshaw was working his magic in Disney films. People never knew how he accomplished his visual feats. When you think that Mary Poppins was made without anyone ever setting foot outside a soundstage - let alone visiting London - you get some idea of what he was able to pull off." -Film critic and historian Leonard Maltin
In 1940 RCA Victor released an album described as "recorded
from the original soundtrack
of the Walt Disney Production
Pinocchio." This was the first
time the phrase "original
soundtrack" was used to refer
to a commercially available
movie recording.
1964:
The live-action Disney comedy feature The Misadventures of Merlin Jones - starring
Tommy Kirk (as the precocious Merlin), Annette Funicello, and Leon Ames - premieres
in Florida. Opening in various cities over the next month, the film will be in full-release by March 26.
1942:
Disney's animated feature Pinocchio is released in Chile.
FEBRUARY 12
FEBRUARY 12
THIS
SITE MADE
IN THE USA
2009:
As part of the massive grand opening of the new American Idol
Experience attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios, American Idol
winners David Cook and Carrie Underwood sing a duet for the media inside the new attraction's theater. Also in attendance are Idol celebrities including all 7 winners, Paula Abdul, and Ryan Seacrest. Although the new attraction will officially open February 14, guest park Mark Ellis (from Pensacola, Florida) is awarded a Dream Ticket during this day's gala premier of the attraction for his performance of "Superstition."
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American Idols gather at WDW
1958:
At Todd Shipyards in Long Beach, California, the steel hull of Disneyland's newest
ship Columbia is completed. It is the only three-masted windjammer constructed in the U.S. for over
100 years! The vessel will be transported to Disneyland and installed in the Rivers of America where the rest of
the construction will be completed.
"Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord
makes so many of them." -Abraham Lincoln
1973:
Actress, voice-over artist, comedian, musician, and singer Tara Strong is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Best known for voice acting in animated films and television, her Disney voice roles include JuJu (Mama Odie's pet snake and apprentice) in The Princess and the Frog, Melody in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, and Spot Chicken and Two-Tone in 101 Dalmatians: The Series. Strong also appeared in an episode of ABC's Modern
Family, and provided various voices for the animated series Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominates Buddy Baker for the Disney film Napoleon and Samantha for an Oscar Award in the category Music, Original Dramatic Score. (Charlie Chaplin, Raymond Rasch and Larry Russell will win the Oscar for their work on the film Limelight.)
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1939:
Academy Award nominations are announced with Disney dominating the Short Subjects, Cartoons category with 4 films: The Brave Little Tailor,
Mother Goose Goes Hollywood, Ferdinand the Bull and Good Scouts.
The 11th Academy Awards will be held February 23.
1955:
Academy Award nominations are announced with Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under
the Sea receiving three for Art Direction - Set Decoration, Film Editing, and Special
Effects. Also nominated is Pigs is Pigs for Short Subjects, Cartoons, Siam for Short Subjects, Two Reels,
and The Vanishing Prairie for Documentary, Features. Winners will be announced March 30.
2010:
A Disney Cruise Line exhibit opens in the Visitors Centre of Meyer Werft
(one of the largest German shipyards, headquartered in Papenburg).
Meyer Werft is currently building the Disney Dream, which will hit the high seas in 2011.
The Holiday Inn at Walt Disney World Resort reopens after a massive 18-month renovation. Located at 1805 Hotel Plaza Blvd, it sits just down the road from Downtown Disney.
Anika Noni Rose wins Best Voice Performance for her role in Disney's The Princess
and the Frog at the 2010 Black Reel Awards.
1998:
Disney officially announces the debut of a new stage musical called Elaborate Lives. The show, which is based on Verde's Aida but features new music by Elton John and Tim Rice, will receive its premiere at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre Company October 7, 1998.
TODAY IS PAUL BUNYAN DAY
FEB
FEB
1945:
Disney delivers the animated short The Right Spark Plug in the Right Place to the
Electric Auto-Lite Company. Electric Auto-Lite makes parts, equipment, and accessories used in the manufacture
of automobiles. (It isn't uncommon for Disney to be commissioned by a corporation to produce informational animated
shorts to promote products and services.) In this 17-minute short, a motorist whose engine is running poorly pulls into a
garage, where the mechanic, rather than simply replacing his spark plugs, goes into extensive detail on the various kinds of spark plugs available. Goofy and Pluto make brief cameos as well.
2012:
At the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, Alan Menken and Glenn Slater win Best Song Written For Visual Media for "I See The Light" (from Tangled).
February 12
FEBRUARY IS DCA MONTH
2016:
The Toy Industry Association inducts Robert A. Iger, Chairman and CEO of The Walt
Disney Company, into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame at a ceremony held at the
American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The event kicks off the 113th North
American International Toy Fair. Mr. Iger joins an impressive roster of 70 toy industry luminaries, including Jim Henson
and George Lucas, who have been inducted into the Hall since it was established in 1984.
2011:
Actor Kenneth Mars passes away at the age of 75 in California. Specializing in comedic roles
(such as Young Frankenstein and The Producers), his Disney voice credits include Ariel's father King Triton in The
Little Mermaid and The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea. (Fans of TV's Malcom in the Middle will remember
Mars for his role of Otto.)
Mickey's House and Meet Mickey, a walk through and Meet & Greet attraction at Mickey's Toontown Fair, Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, closes. Mickey's Toontown Fair initially
started out as Mickey's Birthdayland in June 1988. It became Mickey's Starland in May 1990, and finally Mickey's
Toontown Fair in October 1996. Magic Kingdom's Mickey's Toontown Fair is closing permanently (along with Mickey's Country House) in order to make way for the expansion of Fantasyland.
Also closing at Magic Kingdom (to make room for the new Fantasyland) is The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm, a junior roller coaster. Operating since 1996, guests boarded one of two trains which each sat 16 riders.
2017:
At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, composer John Williams wins Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for his contribution to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
(The presentation is made during a non-televised portion of the award ceremony.) This is the fifth Grammy that Williams has won for his work on the Star Wars films (three for A New Hope and one for The Empire Strikes Back) and his 23rd Grammy overall.
The 70th British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs, are held in London, England. Best Special Visual Effects goes to The Jungle Book (Robert Legato, Dan Lemmon, Andrew R. Jones, and Adam Valdez).
1965:
Actor, director and producer Raphael Sbarge is born in New York City. Best known for his roles as Archie Hopper/Jiminy Cricket on ABC-TV's Once Upon a Time, he is also known for voicing Carth Onasi in
the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel.
1980:
Actress and producer Christina Ricci is born in Santa Monica, California. She starred in Disney's 1997 mystery comedy film That Darn Cat. Ricci received acclaim for her guest role on ABC's Grey's Anatomy in 2006, and later portrayed Maggie Ryan on the ABC series Pan Am. (Known for playing unconventional characters with a dark edge, her film roles include Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family, and Katrina Van Tassel in Sleepy Hollow.)
1968:
Actor Josh Brolin is born to wildlife activist Jane Cameron (Agee) and actor James Brolin in Santa Monica, California. He began portraying the role of Marvel Comics supervillain Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2014, making his first appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy. Brolin appeared in the mid-credits scene of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and reprised the role as the primary antagonist in both Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
2019:
The Little Mermaid and Ralph Breaks the Internet are released on HD and
4K digital download.
1993:
Actress and screenwriter Jennifer Stone is born in Arlington, Texas. Disney Channel fans
know her as Harper Finkle (Alex Russo's best friend) on the family sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012).
1916:
Rudy Larriva, animator and director from the 1940s to the 1980s, is born in El Paso, Texas. Larriva worked at a number of studios, including Format Films, Filmation, Walt Disney Productions, UPA, and most notably Warner Bros. At Disney he worked on Song of the South and Melody Time. He is credited as the animation director for the opening credits of the television series The Twilight Zone (1959-60).
