2004:
Three-time Emmy-winning, two-time Oscar winning actor, Oscar-nominated
screenwriter, Grammy-winning narrator, published playwright, novelist and
short-story writer Peter Ustinov passes at age 82 in Genolier, Switzerland. He
starred in Disney's 1968 live-action feature Blackbeard's Ghost as Captain Blackbeard and was the voice of
Prince John and King Richard in Disney's 1973 animated feature Robin Hood.
1910:
Original Mouseketeer host & 1992 Disney Legend Jimmie Dodd, the adult leader on television's Mickey Mouse Club, is born in Cincinnati, Ohio. A talented guitarist and musician, Dodd was originally hired by Walt Disney as a music writer. He went on to write and compose "The Mickey Mouse Club March" and all the daily opening songs for the show. He also composed music for episodes of the Zorro and Annette television series. From 1940-1955 Dodd appeared in some 50-plus feature films, usually in small uncredited roles. (In 1937, a young Dodd traveled to Hollywood to play in a band led by Louis Prima ... who would later contribute greatly to Disney's animated feature The Jungle Book.) Sadly Dodd passed at age 54 in 1964.
1929:
Disney's Mickey Mouse short The Opry House is released. It is the first time Mickey is seen wearing his trademark white gloves!
1936:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon Elmer Elephant is released. Directed by Wilfred Jackson, the short tells the story of a timid elephant named Elmer who saves Tillie (a tiger he has a crush on) from a fire.
1941:
The Disney short A Gentleman's Gentleman featuring Pluto is released. Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Mickey Mouse sends Pluto out to get the Sunday paper, but the pooch looses the dime in a grate. His effort to retrieve the coin with bubble gum only makes things messy.
1953:
Disney releases the animated Goofy short Father's Day Off, directed by Jack Kinney. Goofy's wife leaves Goofy at home alone to tend to the household chores. With Goofy in charge, anything that could possibly go wrong does!
1958:
The Disneyland Railroad’s newest engine; the Fred S. Gurley Engine No. 3, is
commissioned into service. Built in 1894 by Baldwin Locomotive Works, it is
named for 1958 Santa Fe Railroad President Fred Gurley. Originally in service since 1895 (it had been used
to haul sugar cane on a New Orleans plantation), it is the oldest of any of the engines in the Disney Parks.
1987:
The very first Disney Store opens - in the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California. It is Disney's first retail store outside of a theme park or resort.
1997:
The Atlanta Braves put Disney's Wide World of Sports into motion when their
exhibition game with the Cincinnati Reds launches competitive play at the brand new
sports complex in Florida. A capacity crowd watches the Braves beat the Reds 9-7. Reds outfielder Deion Sanders records the first hit, steals the first base and scores the first run in the new Disney complex. But it is Fred McGriff of the Braves who smacks the complex’s very first home run!
The sports comedy film The Sixth Man is released by Touchstone Pictures. Brothers Kenny (Marlon Wayans) and Antoine Tyler (Kadeem Hardison) have always wanted to be basketball heroes, standing out
as child athletes and now as college players at the University of Washington. But tragedy strikes during a game,
when Kenny, the superstar of the family, sustains a fatal heart attack while playing. This forces Antoine to become
the leader on the court, but not without some help from his brother, who returns as a ghost to help the Washington
team in its quest for glory. Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures, the film features cameos from college basketball personalities such as Jerry Tarkanian and Dick Vitale.
1998:
In Florida, animator Marc Davis (one of Walt's "Nine Old Men")
adds his signature and handprints in cement in front of the Mann's Chinese Theater replica at the Disney-MGM Studios.
1999:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs the movie "Balloon Farm." Rip Torn plays Harvey H. Potter, a friendly newcomer to a drought-ravaged farm town, who surprises everyone by growing an amazing crop of brilliantly colored balloons in his field. When the rough times continue to plague the community, the townspeople turn against Harvey until a young girl named Willow reminds everyone about the power of faith and the magic that Harvey has brought through the balloons. The cast includes Mara Wilson as Willow, Laurie Metcalf as Casey, Frederic Lane as Jake,
and Roberts Blossom as Weasel. It is based on the book "Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm" by Jerdine Nolen.
Chérie, j'ai rétréci le public opens in Disneyland Paris. Known as Honey, I Shrunk the Audience! in
U.S. Disney parks, it is a 3D spin-off of the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids film series.
2000:
Disneyland officials lift the ban on park employees wearing mustaches - an edict that had been put into effect in 1957 by Walt Disney himself!
2003:
Wetzel's Pretzels opens a store and kiosk in the Downtown Disney area of Walt
Disney World.
A Disneyland Resort Pin Trading Night is held in the Pacific Ballroom at the
Paradise Pier Hotel in Anaheim.
Disney Channel premieres the That's So Raven episode "Ye Old Dating Game."
Jimmie Dodd is often remembered for the "Doddisms" (short, simple sayings) that he
used on The Mickey Mouse Club. The
following William Penn quote was a favorite of Dodd's: "I expect to pass through life but once.
If therefore, there be any kindness I can show,
or any good thing I can do, to any fellow being,
let me do it now and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again."
"My dear friend Jimmie Dodd was the heart and the soul of The Mickey Mouse Club." -Annette Funicello
2008:
Hong Kong Disneyland announces the countdown to the launch of the "It’s a Small World" attraction, scheduled to open April 28, 2008. The attraction will feature over 200 hundred Audio-Animatronics figures representing children from around the world (dressed in their national costumes), landmarks from numerous countries and, for the first time ever, 38 Disney characters.
A circuit breaker trips at Disney's Epcot Center, causing parts of the
park to lose power and some rides to close down temporarily.
1991:
Actress Amy Bruckner - best known to Disney Channel fans as comical sister
Pim Diffy on the series Phil of the Future - is born in Conifer, Colorado. She has
also lent her voice to episodes of American Dragon: Jake Long.
MARCH 28
MARCH 28
THIS DAY MADE IN THE USA
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First Disney Store Opens
2009:
High School Musical 3: Senior Year wins Favorite Movie at Nickelodeon's 22nd Annual Kids' Choice Awards held in California. Among the Disney winners are High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens for Favorite Actress, Jonas Brothers for Favorite Group, Miley Cyrus for Favorite Female Singer, and Selena Gomez (from Wizards of Waverly Place) for Favorite TV Actress.
1978:
Disney World is visited by 85,123 guests on this day!
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MAR
MAR
Grand (Slam) Opening
2012:
Disney Store celebrates its 25th anniversary at stores nationwide. In recognition of this important
milestone, Disney Store gives the first 250 guests at each location silver commemorative Mickey Mouse ears.
2001:
The Sorcerer's Hat debuts at Disney-MGM Studios. It is now the icon of Disney-MGM
replacing the Earful Tower. Built in front of The Great Movie Ride, the structure was inspired by the "Sorcerer's
Apprentice" segment of Walt Disney's 1940 animated film Fantasia. It is scheduled to officially open on September 28, 2001 as part of the 100 Years of Magic celebration at Walt Disney World Resort.
March 28
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
2013:
Disney's Newsies celebrates its first anniversary on Broadway with a pre-Thursday
matinee cake-cutting at the Nederlander Theatre. Newsies officially opened on March 29, 2012,
after playing an acclaimed run at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse.
2017:
Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is screened at CinemaCon
at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. The fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, it will world premiere on May 11.
1990:
Mickey's Kitchen, an experimental restaurant debuts in Montclair Plaza outside Los Angeles, California, next to a Disney Store. Designed to accompany the Disney Store and drive more
traffic towards it, it is the first of two test locations. Menu items include Goofy’s Burger, the Supercalifragi-Chicken
salad, Salads-in-Wonderland, Soup-a-dee-doo-dah, fries shaped like Disney characters, Mickey’s Meatless Burger,
and Pinocchio’s Pizza. A second location will open at the Woodfield Mall in Illinois, in May 1991. Unable to compete
with more established mall food court restaurant chains, Disney will close both locations in March 1992.
2002:
Kingdom Hearts, an action role-playing game, is released for the first time. It is a collaboration between Disney Interactive and Square Enix, and is under the direction of Tetsuya Nomura, a longtime Square Enix character designer. Kingdom Hearts is a crossover of various Disney properties based in a fictional universe. The series centers on the main character, Sora, and his journey and experiences with various Disney, Square Enix and Pixar characters.
1959:
Composer, arranger, musician, lyricist, and record producer Joel McNeely is born in Madison, Wisconsin. A protégé of composer Jerry Goldsmith, McNeely has contributed to various projects by The Walt Disney Company. His film credits include Splash, Too (1988), Parent Trap III (1989), Polly (1989), Parent Trap: Hawaiian Honeymoon (1989), Polly: Comin' Home! (1990), Return to Never Land (2002), The Jungle Book 2 (2003),
Holes (2003), Mulan II (2004), Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005), Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005),
The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006), Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007), Tinker Bell (2008), Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (2009), Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010), and Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2014).
2015:
The 28th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards are held at the
Forum in Inglewood, California. Hosted by Nick Jonas, winners include:
-Favorite Animated Movie: Big Hero 6
-Favorite Villain: Angelina Jolie – Maleficent as Maleficent
-Favorite TV Show – Kids Show: Austin & Ally
-Favorite TV Show – Family Show: Modern Family
-Favorite TV Actor: Ross Lynch – Austin & Ally as Austin Moon
-Favorite TV Actress: Laura Marano – Austin & Ally as Ally Dawson
-Favorite Male Singer: Nick Jonas
-Favorite Female Singer: Selena Gomez
1943:
Actress Conchara Ferrell is born in Loudendale, West Virginia. Best known for playing Berta the housekeeper for twelve seasons on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, her Disney/ABC voice credits include Dinosaurs, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and the animated feature Frankenweenie.
1955:
Singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and television producer Reba McEntire is born in Kiowa, Oklahoma. Her Disney voice credits include Dixie in the 2006 direct-to-DVD film The Fox and the Hound 2, Artemis in Hercules: The Animated Series, and Joy Jenkins in the Fox/Blue Sky Studios film Spies in Disguise. Often referred to as "the Queen of Country," she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide!
