JULY 23 Disney History

1911:

Disney background artist & Disney Legend Al Dempster is born in Atlantic City,

New Jersey. Starting in 1939, he will work on such classics as Fantasia, Dumbo, and

Song of the South. Later Dempster will go on to illustrate more than a dozen Disney

Golden Books. In 1966, at Walt Disney's personal request, Dempster donated his time and talent to the

creation of the "Queen of the World" shrine at the St. Elizabeth Hospital in Red Bluff, California. Italian sculptor

Pasquini Enzo sculpted the central figure of Mary, Mother of God, directly from Dempster's detailed drawings.

2003:

It is reported that for the first time Walt Disney World will run national TV ads about a single ride. The company's new campaign will be centered around Epcot's thrilling attraction,

Mission: Space (which begins operation August 15).

"Cinderella," the first single off The Cheetah Girls's self-titled soundtrack album The Cheetah Girls, officially premieres on Radio Disney.

1908:

Actor Karl Swenson, the voice of Merlin in Disney's 1963 release

The Sword in the Stone, is born in Brooklyn, New York. A character actor

who started out on radio, Swenson is best known for his television role of Lars on Little House on the Prairie.

1928:

Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon Sleigh Bells is released.

1931:

Architect Arata Isozaki, the designer of the Team Disney Building in Orlando, Florida,

is born in Ōita, Japan. The building's oddly looped gateway suggests a giant pair of

Mickey ears! Team Disney Orlando in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, is the administrative headquarters of the Walt Disney World Resort. It sits across from Downtown Disney near the Walt Disney World Casting Center.

1951:

Actress Edie McClurg, the voices of Minny in the 2006 Cars and Carlotta in the 1989 classic The Little Mermaid, is born in Kansas City, Missouri. McClurg's Disney credits also include Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas, Home on the Range, Air Bud: Spike's Back, A Bug's Life, Flubber, and episodes of Disney Channel's American Dragon: Jake Long. She can also be heard as the voice of Fran the squirrel on Disney Channel's Higglytown Heroes. (One of the most recognizable American character actresses, fans of the comedy feature Ferris Bueller's Day Off will recognize McClurg as Grace, the secretary.)

1996:

Legendary singer-songwriter Mel Tormé records his live CD A&E: An Evening With Mel Tormé Live From the Disney Institute at Disney World. It will be released the following October on the Concord Jazz label. Nicknamed The Velvet Fog, jazz singer Tormé is best known for composing the music for the classic holiday song "The Christmas Song."

1999:

The Disney film Inspector Gadget, starring Matthew Broderick, is released.

The film will gross $103 million worldwide and spawn a direct-to-video sequel.

2002:

Disney's Tarzan & Jane is released straight to DVD and video. Also released on DVD are

the classic animated features Robin Hood, The Rescuers Down Under, The Great Mouse Detective, and

The Fox and the Hound.

The soundtrack for the upcoming Disney film The Country Bears is released. It contains songs from Don Henley, John Hiatt (who penned 7 of the 14 tracks), Bonnie Raitt, Men At Work's Colin Hay, Elton John, Brian Setzer, Bela Fleck, and The Byrds. (The film will open 3 days later.)

2006:

The Television Critics Association awards Disney Channel's High School Musical Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming.

Mickey Mouse (playing the piano)

was first added to

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum,

London in 1930.

1953:

Disney's True-Life Adventure film Prowlers of the Everglades is released

along with the adventure feature The Sword and the Rose. In Everglades, Disney

filmmakers take their cameras to Florida and capture the lives of such creatures as alligators, raccoons, and

snakebirds. The Sword and the Rose tells the story of Mary Tudor (a younger sister of Henry VIII of England)

and her troubled path to true love. Based on the 1898 novel "When Knighthood Was in Flower" by Charles

Major, the film stars Glynis Johns as Mary. (Eleven years later, Glynis will portray Winifred Banks, the children's

mother, a suffragette, in Disney's Mary Poppins.)

1942:

A letter written on this day to Walt Disney from Chester Feitel indicates the level of security surrounding some of the military projects undertaken at the Studio. The letter references a training film on aerial gunnery tactics for the U.S. Navy. (The U.S. is in the midst of World War II.)

The letter includes these words: "Navy insists I re-emphasize the CONFIDENTIAL nature of this project. It should be discussed with only those whom you would be justified to entrust with work upon it. All correspondence should be destroyed or retained in safe, confidential files."

2004:

The eighth Phil of the Future episode "Daddy Dearest" airs for the first time on

Disney Channel.

An exclusive sneak peek preview of the film The Incredibles is held at the Comic-Con International convention in San Diego, California. It is attended by director Brad Bird

and producer John Walker.

2008:

ENCORE! Cast Choir And Orchestra (made up of Disney Cast Members) perform "Anything Can Happen" at Epcot World Showplace. Benefiting United Arts of Central Florida, the show features music from such stage productions as Mamma Mia, Spamalot, and Hairspray. It is the first of a 3-night engagement at the Florida theme park. ENCORE! was formed in 2002 by a small group of musically talented Cast Members who wished to give back to the community.

It is reported that Australian actress Mia Wasikowska has been cast as Alice in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (a combination of live-action and performance-capture CGI that will be presented fully in 3D).

1981:

Disney releases the film Herbie Goes Bananas to theaters in the UK. Already released in the U.S. since June 1980, it is the fourth of a series of films starring Herbie – the white Volkswagen racing Beetle with a mind of its own.

1983:

Kingdom of Dreams and Magic - Tokyo Disneyland, the first official Tokyo

Disneyland video, is released in Japan.

1994:

Disney's animated feature film The Lion King is released to theaters in Japan.