This Day in Disney History: SEP 12

2005:

After six years of planning and building costs of $1.8 billion, Hong Kong Disneyland has its grand opening. It is Disney's 5th vacation resort and 11th theme park in the world. It consists of the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park, two hotels (Disneyland Hotel and Disney's Hollywood Hotel), and retail, dining and entertainment facilities stretching over 310 acres on Lantau Island.

1894:

Billy Gilbert, the voice of Sneezy in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is born in Louisville, Kentucky. The son of singers in the Metropolitan Opera, Billy will begin performing in vaudeville at age 12. He will develop a drawn-out, explosive sneezing routine that'll become his trademark! (During his career he will appear in over 200 feature films.)

1941:

The Disney animation strike is ended by federal mediators.

1943:

Mouseketeer Jay-Jay Solari (who will appear on The Mickey Mouse Club during the 1956-1957 season) is born.

1956:

The Disneyland television series kicks off season three with the episode "Antarctica - Past and Present." Walt Disney hosts a look at his plans for a brand new documentary on Antarctica.

1984:

Michael Eisner resigns from Paramount Pictures. He hopes to become CEO of Disney.

1985:

Steve Jobs announces he is leaving Apple, a computer company he co-founded with Steve Wozniak. (Jobs will go on to create Pixar Animation Studios.)

2001:

The day after the U.S. is attacked by terrorists, all Disney parks in the U.S. re-open for business. To help insure the safety of all Disney guests, a decision is made to increase the security measures within the parks, effective immediately. The most obvious of these increased measures include the inspection of all packages, parcels, backpacks, etc., being carried by guests prior to entering the parks. The New Year's Eve nightly celebration in Pleasure Island is cancelled.

The Aida touring company and the Lion King company in Los Angeles raise $10,000 for the Red Cross by asking audiences for donations following the performances.

2003:

The That's So Raven episode "If I Only Had a Job" debuts on Disney Channel.

2004:

Christy Carlson Romano (who on this day finishes a 32-week run as Belle in Disney's Broadway hit Beauty and the Beast) and Broadway newcomer Wayne Brady (who will appear in Chicago) co-host the 13th annual "Broadway on Broadway" concert in New York's Times Square.

Higglytown Heroes, a new children's television series, debuts on Disney Channel. Higglytown heroes range from firefighters to dentists to snow plow operators, and are voiced by guest celebrities. The theme song Here in Higglytown is performed by They Might Be Giants.

2006:

Disney's The Wild is released on DVD.

It is announced that Orlando's Walt Disney World has replaced Illinois Avenue on the new Monopoly: Here & Now edition. (At $2.4 million for the Disney property, Orlando beat out other large American cities such as Phoenix & Honolulu, whose landmarks will cost $2.2 million each!) Hasbro, maker of Monopoly, let people vote online in the Spring for the top landmark to represent each city.

SEPTEMBER 12

Get your Disney tickets at Maple Leaf Tickets!

1905:

Layout artist Cornett Wood is born in Indiana. Wood will start his career with Disney and work on the features Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, and Bambi. He will spend the rest of his career at Warner Bros.

1931:

Actor Sir Ian Holm - the voice of Skinner in the Disney/Pixar Ratatouille -

is born in Goodmayes, Essex, England.

The Disneyland Resort's multilevel parking structure

(located northwest of Disney's California Adventure)

is the biggest in the

continental United States.