SEP 29 Disney History

2002:

Disney names James Rasulo, who had been chairman and chief executive of Euro

Disney, to be the new president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide.

Rasulo, 46, succeeds Paul Pressler, who suddenly left Disney to become

president and chief executive of the clothing retailer Gap Inc.

The Disney-owned Anaheim Angels wrap up their regular season

with a 7-6 victory over Seattle. At 99-63, it is the most successful

season in franchise history.

1904:

Actress Greer Garson is born in London, England. She will play the role of Mrs. Cordelia Biddle in Disney's 1967 live-action musical feature The Happiest Millionaire.

1934:

The Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey Plays Papa, directed by

Burt Gillett, is released.

1938:

Walt Disney Enterprises, Disney Film Recording Company, and Liled Realty and Investment Company are merged into Walt Disney Productions.

1958:

The LP record Firehouse Five Plus Two - 16 Dixieland Favorites is released.

The band is made up of such notable Disney employees as Harper Goff (on banjo), Ward Kimball (on

trombone), and Frank Thomas (on piano).

1962:

Actor/singer Roger Bart - the voice of young Hercules in Disney's 1997 animated feature - is born in Norwalk, Connecticut.

1963:

The NBC-TV series Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color airs part 1 of

"The Horse Without a Head." This episode marks season ten of Disney's television series.

1973:

Singer-actor Brad Kane, the singing voice of Disney's Aladdin, is born in New Rochelle, New York.

1986:

Disneyland's Magic Eye Theatre opens in Tomorrowland.

1994:

Innoventions grand opening takes place at Epcot (although the attraction has been open since July in the area formerly known as Communicore). The pavilion focuses on technological advancements and their practical applications in everyday life.

1998:

The popular Disney barbershop harmony group, the Dapper Dans appear on an

episode of TV's Home Improvement. They appear as the 'Flannels' singing a

rendition of the Tool Time theme song.

The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story is released direct-to-video. It is a live-action sequel to the the 1967 animated feature.

Walt Disney Records releases Return to Pride Rock in conjunction with the direct-to-video Lion King sequel of the same name.

2000:

In Disneyland, Mickey's Mouseworks opens on Main Street.

Disney invites over 1,200 children from across Europe, South Africa, and Israel, to join Winnie the Pooh and his friends in Disneyland Paris for The Winnie the Pooh Friendship Celebration.

Disney's Remember the Titans, starring Denzel Washington

as football coach Herman Boone, is released in theaters.

Disney World announces plans for an attraction and merchandising area based on their 1992 animated feature Aladdin. "The Magic Carpets of Aladdin" will take Magic Kingdom guests on a carpet ride in the Adventureland area of the park.

2003:

Country & western singer Wesley Tuttle (who in 1944 was the second country artist ever to sign with Capitol Records) passes in California. Tuttle yodeled as one of the dwarfs in Disney's 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The Walt Disney company introduces a new video-on-demand service called MovieBeam, that lets users download and store films via a set-top device.

1971:

Actor Mackenzie Crook - known for his role of Ragetti in both Disney features Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - is born in Kent, England.

2006:

The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival kicks off its 11th season the same

day the 1st Annual NFFC WORLD Convention begins its 3-day event at Disney

World.

Disney Channel debuts the 16th Hannah Montana episode "Good Golly, Miss

Dolly" featuring country music legend Dolly Parton as Miley's godmother.

2004:

The late Frank Thomas is remembered at a special event held at the

El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. One of the most beloved of the celebrated

"Nine Old Men" - Thomas passed September 8.

1906:

Musical director, composer, orchestrator, and conductor Charles Wolcott is born in Flint, Michigan. His Disney credits include Bambi, The Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music, Song of the South, and Fun and Fancy Free. (By 1950 he will transfer to MGM Studios as Associate General Musical Director, and in 1958 become General Musical Director. In 1961 Wolcott will move to Israel and serve as a member of the Universal House of Justice - the supreme governing body of the Bahá'í Faith.)

Award-winning actress

Jodie Foster made

her motion picture

debut in Disney's

1972 live-action film,

Napoleon and Samantha,

playing the role

of Samantha.

1999:

At Epcot, the Mickey Mouse arm holding a wand is dedicated with "2000" over Spaceship Earth.

2001:

Disney's House of Mouse debuts the episode "Goofy for a Day."

2007:

High School Musical: The Ice Tour has its world premiere at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The tour will visit more than 100 cities in its first year alone, including cities in Europe, Canada and Mexico.

2005:

Disney Electronics introduces Disney Mix Sticks digital audio MP3/WMA players.

1954:

Actor, puppeteer, and voice-over artist Jeff Breslauer is born in New York. His Disney theme park roles include Chester Diggs at Animal Kingdom, Papa Noel at Epcot's Canada pavilion, and The Dreamfinder (while manipulating Figment) in front of Epcot's Imagination pavilion. Breslauer puppeteered in The Muppets Take Manhattan (operating an Irish setter) and The Muppets at Walt Disney World.

"You've heard of the golden rule, haven't you? Whoever has the gold makes the rules!" -Jafar (from Aladdin)

2008:

It is announced that classical musical composer Philip Glass has been commissioned by the New York City Opera to compose an opera that imagines the final months in the life of Walt Disney. The opera, "The Perfect American," is based on a recent novel by American-born writer Peter Stephan Jungk in which a fictional Austrian cartoonist who worked for Disney in the 1940s-50s recounts the story of the legendary founder of the Walt Disney Company. It will open City Opera's 2012-2013 season and honor the composer's 75th birthday.

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