2005:
Seventy-five six-foot tall Mickey Mouse statues begin their visit at Disney's California Adventure. They will be on display until February 22.
"Mickey is the symbol of American hopefulness: We'll get through this, we'll whistle through bad times. Americans put their dreams into this little character. He never lost his cheerfulness,
never became a cynic. People identify with his personality,
his eternal optimism." -Roy E. Disney (born on This Day in Disney History 1930)
1904:
Actor Ray Bolger is born in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Best known for his role as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, Bolger played the role of Barnaby in Disney's 1961 live-action feature Babes in Toyland. He was also one of many celebrities who took part in Walt Disney World's three-day opening festivities in October 1971.
1927:
1930:
Roy Edward Disney, a longtime senior executive for Disney
and the nephew of Walt Disney, is born to Roy Oliver and
Edna Disney in Los Angeles, California. He will begin working for
his Uncle Walt after graduating from college in 1951 as an assistant director.
He'll continue to work as a writer, director, and producer until 1967 when he is elected to the Board of Directors of
the company. A strong supporter of Disney animation, Roy E. will best be known for organizing the ousting of two
top Disney executives: first, Ron Miller in 1984, and then Michael Eisner in 2005. As the last member of the Disney family to be actively involved in the company, Roy E. Disney was often compared to his uncle and father.
1932:
The first Silly Symphonies color comic page - "Bucky Makes His Name" - is
published in Sunday editions of newspapers. The strip features a new character named Bucky
Bug created specifically for the strip by Earl Duvall (and later drawn by Disney comic artist Al Taliaferro). Bucky is
the first Disney character to make his first appearance in a comic strip outside "The Mickey Mouse Universe."
1970:
Walt Disney World's Preview Center, located on Buena Vista Boulevard near
the intersection of Interstate 4 and State Road 535 in Florida, opens. Housed
in a modern glass, concrete and steel structure, the center features displays of models and drawings of the soon-to-be-open Florida theme park. (The structure, located next to the Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort Hotel in Downtown Disney, is today used by the Amateur Athletic Union.)
1999:
The 6th Annual Walt Disney World Marathon is held in Florida. Santiago de Araujo from Sao
Paulo, Brazil, wins for a second year in a row (with a time of 2:24:29). Other winners on this day include:
Women’s Overall: Marina Jones, Rancho Santa Margarita, Cal., 2:54:21
Men’s Masters: Jeff Delie, Palm Harbor, Fla., 2:41:13
Women’s Masters: Catherine Grattan, Brisbane, Australia, 3:18:49
Men’s Chair: Saul Mendoza, Snellville, Ga., 1:46:06
Women’s Chair: Katherine Hunter, Orlando, Fla., 2:53:56
Men’s Half: Per Kristian Moerk, Kernersville, N.C. , 1:11:11
Women’s Half: Taeko Terauchi, Tokyo, Japan, 1:13:04
Men’s Half Chair: Marty Ball, Pine Plains, N.Y., 1:13:48
Men’s Racewalking: Gary Morgan, Clarkston, Mich., 3:45
Women’s Racewalking: Rachel Unanue, Philadelphia, Pa., 4:12
2001:
Disneyland Paris welcomes its 100-millionth visitor; Stefan and Andrea Seyffardt and their daughters Lisa, 6, and Marie, 4, from Germany.
2003:
The Disney Channel Original Movie You Wish! premieres. Based on Jackie French
Koller's 1991 novel "If I Had One Wish," the film stars A.J. Trauth and Spencer Breslin as brothers Alex &
Stevie, Lalaine as Ruby and Tim Reid as Larry. The soundtrack includes "You Wish!" sung by Lalaine.
The feature film 25th Hour, co-created with Touchstone Pictures, is released in U.S. theaters. Directed by Spike Lee and starring Edward Norton, the film takes place in New York City in the days following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Convicted New York drug dealer Montgomery Brogan (Norton) reevaluates his life in the 24 remaining hours before facing a seven-year jail term. The film is distributed by Buena
Vista Pictures.
2006:
The soundtrack to Disney Channel's High School Musical is released. (It will debut at number 143 on the Billboard 200, selling 6,469 copies in its first week!)
The 32nd People's Choice Awards are held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. Favorite Female TV Performer is awarded to Jennifer Garner for her starring role in Alias.
Glory Road Original Soundtrack, the soundtrack to the sports film Glory Road, is released through Hollywood Records. The film score was orchestrated by musician Trevor Rabin and features music composed by various artists.
Roy E. Disney voiced a cameo of himself in the animated series Disney's House of Mouse where Mickey accidentally sends him
an angry fax meant
for Mortimer Mouse.
JANUARY 10
2008:
Disney's newest Broadway production The Little Mermaid has its official opening
night at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. (The show also debuts its original cast album exclusively
on PlaybillRadio.com on the same evening - although the album won't be released until February.) The
stage adaptation, directed by Francesca Zambello, features new songs by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater
and stars Sierra Boggess as Ariel. In attendance is Jodi Benson - the original voice of Ariel for Disney's
animated version. An "opening night after party" takes place at the Roseland Ballroom.
1941:
Disney's Donald Duck short Timber is released. Donald steals Pete's supper ... so Pete puts him to work as a lumberjack to work for his meal;
a job that Donald does not exactly enjoy.
WDW Preview Center opens
Little Mermaid debuts on Broadway
JANUARY 10
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
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2010:
Adriano Bastos of Sao Paulo, Brazil, wins his sixth straight Walt Disney World
Marathon crossing the Epcot finish line in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 8 seconds
ahead of a field of an estimated 24,000 runners! Lisa Mizutani from Tsukuba,
Japan, wins the Women's Overall with a time of 2:51:20.
Other 2010 winners (over the last two days) include:
Men’s Masters: Matthew Dobson, Jay, Fla., 2:38:16
Women’s Masters: Terri Rejimbal, Tampa, Fla., 3:14:28
Men’s Chair: Krige Schabort, Cedartown, Ga., 1:42:37
Women’s Chair: Shirley Reilly, Tucson, Ariz., 2:22:33
Men’s Half: Chad Johnson, Rochester Hills, Mich., 1:07:02
Women’s Half: Emily Mortensen, Rochester Hills, Mich. 1:17:32
Men’s Half Chair: John Payne, Germantown, Tenn., 1:40:31
17th Annual Walt Disney World Marathon
"My dad was there from the beginning, so he had that connection with Walt and the connection
to the beginning, so he understood the core of what this place really is, and he understood how important it was and how important
\good story telling is, no matter what form." -Roy P. Disney (Roy E. Disney's son)
1910:
An 18-year-old named Joyce Clyde Hall from Nebraska steps off a train in Kansas City, Missouri for the first time. Equipped with little more than two shoe boxes of picture postcards and his entrepreneurial spirit, he will start what today is Hallmark Cards, Inc. Interestingly, Hall only lived about a mile away from Walt Disney in Kansas City ... though they didn't meet until they began doing business in 1931! That was the year Hall received the license to produce greeting cards with Disney characters on them. Years later, a Hallmark store could be found at both Disneyland (from 1960 to 1985), and at the Magic Kingdom in Florida (from 1974 to 1985). Hallmark released an exclusive album with Disney titled "Hallmark Celebrates 75 Years With Mickey" in 2003 to celebrate Mickey Mouse's 75th Anniversary.
1992:
Disney's Hollywood Pictures releases The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, a thriller starring Rebecca De Mornay as a vengeful nanny out to destroy a naive woman and steal her family.
2011:
The Visual Effects Society (VES) announces the nominees for the 9th Annual VES Awards ceremony recognizing outstanding visual effects artistry in film, animation, television, commercials and video games. Among the Disney nominees:
-Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual-Effects Driven Feature Motion Picture - TRON: Legacy and Alice in Wonderland
-Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture - Tangled and Toy Story 3
-Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie or a Special - Prep and Landing: Operation Secret Santa
-Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture - Tangled – Rapunzel
-Outstanding Animated Character in a Broadcast Program or Commercial - Prep and Landing: Operation Secret Santa – Lanny
-Outstanding Effects Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture - Toy Story 3
-Outstanding Created Environment in a Live Action Feature Motion Picture - TRON: Legacy – Disc Game
-Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture - TRON: Legacy and Alice in Wonderland
The 9th Annual VES Awards will take place on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in California.
1960:
The TV special, Hedda Hopper's Hollywood, airs on NBC. Hosted by Hopper,
guest interviews include one with Walt Disney.
JAN
JAN
The late Roy E. Disney is honored (on what would've been his 80th birthday) at
a memorial service at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. About 1,000
people attend, including many animators, actors and studio heads. During the memorial, Disney's CEO and
President Robert Iger announces that the main animation building in Burbank will be renamed the Roy E.
Disney Animation Building.
17
#6
1998:
The twelth episode of Disney's Recess, "The Voice/Kids in the Mist" premieres on ABC-TV.
2013:
A Salute to the Golden Horseshoe Revue begins at Disneyland. A Limited Time Magic event,
guests can attend a show inspired by the world-famous Frontierland stage production, through February 4.
Three of Disney's animated films are nominated for an Academy Award in the same category. Brave, Frankenweenie, and Wreck-It Ralph are all nominated for Best Animated Feature. Paperman is
nominated for Best Short Film Animated. The 85th Academy Awards ceremony will be presented on February 24.
The 18th Critics Choice Awards are presented. Among the winners:
-Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln as Abraham Lincoln
-Best Adapted Screenplay: Tony Kushner – Lincoln
-Best Animated Feature: Wreck-It Ralph
-Best Score: John Williams – Lincoln
January 10
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
2015:
The Disney World Half Marathon takes place on this morning in Florida. Luke Humphrey
edges teammate Mike Morgan to place first. Both from Lake Orion, Michigan, Humphrey wins with a time of 1:08:56.
Morgan was last year's Half Marathon winner. Megan Goethals, from Rochester, Michigan, is the first female to
cross the finish line with a time of 1:16:25.
2016:
Brazillian Fredison Costa wins the Walt Disney World Marathon for the fifth time!
Costa, who lives in Kissimmee, Florida, captures his third consecutive title in the 26.2-mile race — and fifth overall,
all in the past six years — despite finishing in 2 hours, 33 minutes, 24 seconds. It is the slowest time of any men’s
winner in the 23-year-old race's history. Natasha Yaremczuk from Canada, is the only woman to finish in less
than three hours with a time of 2:52:23.
Pixar's Inside Out wins Best Motion Picture, Animated at the 73rd annual
Golden Globe Awards.
Austin & Ally, a sitcom about a teen aspiring songwriter with stage fright and an
aspiring singer who obtains celebrity status overnight, airs its last 2 episodes
back-to-back on the Disney Channel. Season 4 closes out with the episodes "Musicals & Moving On" and "Duets & Destiny." Debuting in December 2011, the cast included Ross Lynch as Austin (an outgoing confident singer), Laura Marano as Ally (a shy singer-songwriter), Raini Rodriguez as Trish (Ally's best friend and Austin's manager), and Calum Worthy as Dez (an aspiring director who films Austin's music videos)
2018:
Doreen Tracey, a former child star who played one of the original Mouseketeers on
"The Mickey Mouse Club" in the 1950s, passes away at the age of 74 in Thousand
Oaks, California. She maintained ties to Disney and show business throughout her life, appearing in the
film Westward Ho the Wagons! and touring with the Mouseketeers. Born in London in April 1943, to parents
who worked in vaudeville, Tracey arrived in the United States when she was 4 and learned to sing and dance.
She nabbed a spot on "The Mickey Mouse Club" when she was 12.
1974:
Actor, musical comedian, screenwriter and director Jemaine Clement is born in Masterton, New Zealand. Best known as half of the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, his Disney film credits include Muppets Most Wanted, The BFG, and Moana.
Remember... Dreams Come True, a fireworks display at Disneyland (first created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the park) which ran from 2005-2009, reopens.
2020:
Disney's 20th Century Fox releases the science fiction horror film Underwater. Produced by Chernin Entertainment, the film stars Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., Mamoudou Athie, and T.J. Miller. Underwater follows a group of scientists at the bottom of the ocean who encounter a group of creatures after an earthquake destroys their laboratory.
The Disney Channel animated series The Owl House debuts with the episode "A Lying
Witch and a Warden." Created by Dana Terrace, the show follows Luz (voiced by Sarah-Nicole Robles) a self-
assured teenage human girl who accidentally stumbles upon a portal to another world.
The animated short film Loop premieres on Disney+. Two kids at canoe camp find themselves adrift on
a lake, unable to move forward until they find a new way to connect and see the world through each other’s eyes.
Walt Disney Records releases both Disney Junior Music: The Rocketeer and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Music from the Disney+ Original Series).
1982:
Comedic character actor Paul Lynde, who played the sportscaster in Disney's 1963
Son of Flubber, passes away at age 55 in California. TV fans will remember him for his many appearances on the sitcom "Bewitched" and the game show "The Hollywood Squares." He also voiced animated characters for four Hanna-Barbera productions.
1901:
Actor Harry Harvey is born in what is today known as Oklahoma. With a career spanning 50 years, his credits include episodes of Disney's weekly television show. Harvey played the Sheriff in the 1964 "For the Love of Willadean" and a Townsman in the 1972 "Justin Morgan Had a Horse." He also portrayed Mr. Finch in the 1968 Blackbeard's Ghost and a Fight Rooter in the 1967 The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin.
2023:
The 80th Golden Globe Awards are handed out. Among the winners:
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture - Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy - Abbott Elementary
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy -
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Television Series - Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
