2006:
Broadway hit Beauty and the Beast. She has been cast in the
title role of the forthcoming Disney/Cameron Mackintosh
musical Mary Poppins.
It's A Small World at Disneyland celebrates its 40th anniversary!
1966:
The It's A Small World attraction (direct from the World's Fair) opens in
Fantasyland at Disneyland. Also stylized as "it's a small world," the interior boat ride (sponsored by Bank of America) features 297 animated children, 256 toys, a canal filled with 233,000 gallons of water, and of course the
famous song It's a small world (after all) written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. It is the park's first continually loading high capacity ride. The day is marked by special ceremonies attended by Walt Disney himself
in which water from all over the world is poured into the attraction's moat. Advertising manager Jack Lindquist has had jugs of water taken from rivers, lakes and oceans around the world brought in for the ceremony. Disneyland will throw another grand opening celebration for the attraction two days later. It's A Small World will prove to be so popular that versions will later be added at the Magic Kingdom in WDW, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland.
Film director, screenwriter, and playwright Roger Kumble is born in Harrison, New York. He directed Martin Lawrence, Raven-Symoné and Donny Osmond in Disney’s 2008 successful family-comedy College Road Trip.
2005:
The Disney Magic is welcomed to the west coast during a ceremony at San Pedro, California.
1953:
Disney's first ever 3-D cartoon released in the U.S. premieres at
the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood, California. It is a short distributed by RKO titled Melody
(Adventures in Music). Written by Dick Huemer and co-directed by Ward Kimball, Professor Owl (voiced by Bill
Thompson) teaches his music class (made up of birds) about melody and its importance to the world of music.
Melody will later be shown in the Fantasyland Theater at Disneyland as part of the 3D Jamboree.
1960:
Disneyland's Mine Train Thru Nature's
Wonderland opens in Frontierland the same
day The Art of Animation exhibit opens in
Tomorrowland. An "E" ticket attraction, the Mine Train
Thru Nature's Wonderland is an improved version of the
Rainbow Caverns Mine train, which first opened in 1956.
The attraction covers a very large portion of
Frontierland and features over 200 Audio-Animatronic
animals plus themes and scenery from Walt Disney's
popular True-Life Adventure films. On this day Walt
himself christens the new scenery with some help from his
grandchildren - Tammy, Joanna, and
Chris Miller (pictured left).
The Art of Animation opens adjacent to Art Corner - a retail store in Tomorrowland selling postcards, flip
books, artist prints, art supplies, animation kits and original hand-painted animation cels. The exhibit
contains artwork and other items drawn from an international traveling display that had promoted the release
of Sleeping Beauty.
1961:
The TV series Walt Disney Presents airs the segments
"Disneyland '61" and "Olympic Elk." "Disneyland '61" takes viewers on a tour of the famous Anaheim theme
park to showcase Disneyland's most up-to-date attractions. The remainder of the episode consists of the True-Life
Adventure entry "Olympic Elk," a saga of the annual elk migrations in Washington State's Olympic Peninsula.
1988:
Gulf Coast Room (one of the select Walt Disney World restaurants that required jackets
for men) closes in the Contemporary Resort Hotel. One of the most elegant of Walt Disney World’s continental restaurants, it closes to make way for added convention space.
1993:
Groundbreaking begins for the Tower of Terror attraction
at Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park in Florida.
Super Mario Bros., a fantasy adventure film based loosely on the Mario video game
series by Nintendo, is released by Hollywood Pictures. Distributed by Buena Vista
Pictures, the film follows the Mario brothers (played by Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo) in their quest to
rescue Princess Daisy (Samantha Mathis) from a parallel universe ruled by the ruthless President Koopa
(Dennis Hopper).
1994:
Disney's Wilderness Lodge (located at 901 Timberline Drive)
opens at Walt Disney World. The 728-room lakeside deluxe resort (inspired by
the beautiful early American National Parks) features an 80-foot tall fireplace in its lobby.
Only a mile away from the Magic Kingdom, the resort is surrounded by 56 acres of oak
and pine trees and includes an artificial geyser and hot springs.
1999:
A new Main Street Electrical Parade makes its debut at Walt Disney World in Florida.
(The parade was first brought to life at Disneyland in Anaheim, California from 1972 to 1996.) The
preview party is attended by 5,000 Floridians and celebrity guests like actors LeVar Burton, Lacey Chabert,
Carrie Fisher, Jonathan Lipnicki and Judge Reinhold. (Longtime Walt Disney World fans may recall an earlier
version of the Main Street Electrical Parade that performed at the Magic Kingdom beginning in 1977.)
Actor Cameron Boyce, best known to Disney Channel fans for his role of Luke on the
sitcom Jessie, is born in Los Angeles, California. His credits also include episodes of
Shake It Up and Good Luck Charlie. Boyce played Carlos, the son of Cruella de Vil, in Disney's 2015 television
film Descendants. He later reprised the character for the animated shorts Descendants: Wicked World and in the
sequels Descendants 2 and Descendants 3.
2002:
Disney releases Rascal, The Journey of Natty Gann, and Cheetah to DVD.
Eastman Kodak Company announces that it signed a multi-year agreement with The Walt Disney Company. This renews the company's long-standing relationship as the exclusive imaging supplier of film and related products at world-renowned Disney theme parks and resorts in the U.S.and Paris, as well as for the Disney Cruise Line. Kodak has been as the official film and camera partner at Disneyland since the park opened in 1955. (After filing for bankruptcy, Eastman Kodak will end their sponsorship agreement with the U.S. Disney theme parks in December 2012. A much smaller Eastman Kodak will emerge from the bankruptcy ashes in 2013, focusing on chemicals and imaging for business.)
2004:
The 3rd of 5 consecutive Star Wars Weekends kicks off at the
Disney-MGM Studios. Special celebrity guests over the next 3 days include Anthony Daniels
(who played C-3PO) and Andy Secombe (who portrayed Watto).
The animated Disney short Lorenzo has its nationwide release, playing in front of
Touchstone's Raising Helen. Lorenzo, about a fat cat whose haughty manners become the cause of his
own undoing, is based upon pencil sketches and a story idea created by Disney veteran Joe Grant 20 years ago.
Raising Helen tells the story of a single and self-involved woman named Helen Harris, played by Kate Hudson, who
has a thriving fashion career and a lavish lifestyle in New York City. She is shocked to hear that her sister and brother-in-
law have died in an accident, and alarmed that they have named her the guardian of their three kids. As the children
struggle with the change, Helen has to decide whether she'll cling to her old ways or come to terms with her new family
role. Directed by Garry Marshall, the cast includes John Corbett, Joan Cusack, Hayden Panettiere, siblings Spencer
and Abigail Breslin, and Helen Mirren.
Disney Channel premieres the That's So Raven episode "Leave It to Diva."
This episode is directed by actress Donna Pescow (best known to Disney Channel fans as Eileen Stevens of
Even Stevens).
On the standby line at WDW's Rock 'n Roller Coaster, there
are metal grates along the
wall in the queue. The grates
allow air from the indoor
attraction to escape ... thus
"cooling off" guests who are
waiting outside!
2007:
Today is Memorial Day.
Disney learns that their Pirates 3 has surpassed $400 million in ticket sales around the world in its first six days of release.
1986:
Alice in Wonderland becomes the fifth "Walt Disney Classic" to be released on video.
MAY 28
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Disneyland's It's A Small World opens
2009:
Academy Award-nominated animation producer Don Hahn appears at the
Glendale Americana Barnes & Noble in California. He discusses the recently published
Drawn To Life two-volume set; a collection of Walt Stanchfield's lectures and notes from over 20 years of
teaching animation at the Walt Disney Studios.
Samuel Jacobo, a graduate of Summit High School, becomes the five millionth
guest to pass through the gates of Disneyland for a Grad Nite ... an all-night
tradition that began in 1961! As Mr. 5 Million, Jacobo receives a $500 Disneyland Resort gift card,
4 passes to come back and hop between the 2 parks, and a one-night stay at the Disney Dream Suite.
(Disney’s Grad Nite 2009 has been running since May 14.)
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MAY 28
THIS DAY MADE IN THE USA
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"I kind of got seduced by the animation process when I came to the studio for a summer job. I was a musician in
school, and I came to the studio just when the old guys were still there – Frank and Ollie and Woolie Reitherman. I
got to work with them, and actually one of the first movies I worked on was with Don Bluth on Pete’s Dragon,
which was a live-action combination." -Don Hahn
2010:
Walt Disney Pictures releases Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
An action-adventure fantasy film written by Jordan Mechner, Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, and
Carlo Bernard, it is directed by Mike Newell and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Starring
Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan, Gemma Arterton as Princess Tamina, Ben Kingsley as
Nizam, and Alfred Molina as Sheik Amar, the film is based on the 2003 video game of the
same name. A young fugitive prince and princess must stop a villain who unknowingly
threatens to destroy the world with a special dagger that enables the magic sand inside
to reverse time.
It is announced that Disney's California Adventure Park
will now be called simply Disney California Adventure. On this same
day, the Silly Symphony Swings has a "soft opening" two weeks before the
official grand opening of the re-themed ride.
Retired Disney Imagineer Bob Jolley passes away at age 88. First working as a scenic artist in the
movie business, Jolley began his Disney career at the Walt Disney Studios and moved in 1973 to Walt Disney Imagineering. He worked on such attractions as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland and later became the field art director for the World Showcase pavilions in EPCOT. Jolley specialized in show finishes and was considered an expert in aging and graining sets and buildings.
2004
1997:
Walt Disney Records takes part in a Ronald McDonald House fundraiser in Los
Angeles, California. Among the guests singers are Roger Bart (the voice of Hercules), Jodi Benson
(the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid), and Paige O'Hara (the voice of Belle in Beauty and the Beast).
It's a world of laughter - A world of tears - It's a world of hopes - And a world of fears ...
"With his brush, Bob could transport us to new worlds. He was able to express thousands of years of geologic evolution, layers of culture and
deep connections to stories from many genres." -Bob Weis, executive vice president of creative development at Walt Disney Imagineering.
MAY
Most Disney's Hollywood Studios enthusiasts know that Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith features a high-speed launch of 0-60 mph in
2.8 seconds ... but did you know that is a force of nearly 5 Gs?! (Astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle experienced a mere 3 Gs at liftoff.)
At 3,400 feet, the coaster's track is more than a half-mile long.
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Photo by Bernie at Disney.Rocket9.net
"I think it’s safe to say that having fun has universal appeal." -Walt Disney
2012:
Today is Memorial Day, a federal holiday observed annually in the
United States on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day is a day of remembering
the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
May 28
2014:
After more than five years of planning, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train officially opens at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom theme park. A family-friendly steel roller coaster, the ride travels both indoors and outdoors. This completes the multi-year makeover of the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland.
Disney's Maleficient premieres at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. In attendance are
Juno Temple, Lesley Manville, Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning and Sam Riley. The film will be generally
released May 30.
Maya Angelou, a poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist, passes away at age 86
in North Carolina. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. Angelou narrated The Hall of Presidents attraction at Walt Disney World from 1994 to 2001.
2016:
"The Jungle Book: Alive With Magic" debuts at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The all-new, limited-
engagement show features dazzling special effects and production numbers inspired by Indian cultural traditions.
1957:
Actor Erik Rolf passes at age 45 in San Diego, California. Playing the role of John, husband of Sally portrayed by Ruth Warwick, in Disney's 1946 Song of the South, Rolf was married to Warwick in real life. He appeared in
roughly 18 films from 1942 to 1950, including Disney's Davy Crockett, Indian Scout.
2018:
Star Wars: Path of the Jedi closes in Tomorrowland at Disneyland on this Memorial Day holiday. The attraction will re-open in March 2019 with new features.
The 25th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival comes to an end.
1956:
Cinematographer Don Burgess is born in Santa Monica, California. He was Director of Photography for such films as Enchanted (2007), The Muppets (2011), and Muppets Most Wanted (2014). (Burgess was nominated for the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for the 1994 Forrest Gump.)
1981:
Laura Bailey, a voice actress & voice director, is born in Mississippi. Providing voices for English-language versions of anime, animation and video games, her credits include Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man, Black Widow in a number of Marvel projects such as Avengers Assemble, and the science fiction animated series Future Worm!
2000:
High Fidelity: Music from the Motion Picture is released by Hollywood Records.
2021:
Cruella, a crime comedy-drama film based on the character Cruella de Vil from Dodie Smith's 1956 novel "The Hundred and One Dalmatians" and Disney's 1961 animated film adaptation, is released to theaters and simultaneously made available on Disney+. The third live-action adaptation in the 101 Dalmatians franchise,
Cruella stars Emma Stone as the title character, Emma Thompson as Baroness von Hellman, Joel Fry as Jasper Badun, and Paul Walter Hauser as Horace Badun. Set in 1970s London during the punk rock movement, the film follows Estella, an aspiring fashion designer, and explores the path that will lead her to become a notorious criminal known as Cruella de Vil.
All 6 short films under Disney’s Launchpad is made available on Disney+. The shorts are helmed by newcomer directors from minority backgrounds and all deal with various uplifting themes relating to family, culture and experience.
