2002:
A charity auction takes place in Paris as part of the 10-year Euro Disney celebration.
2004:
Disney's newest musical On The Record begins performances in Chicago at The
Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. The touring production will perform through
December 12.
Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade (a special holiday season parade) debuts at Walt
Disney World's Animal Kingdom.
The Hollywood premiere of the Mary Poppins 40th anniversary DVD takes place at
the El Capitan Theater in California.
1835:
Writer & humorist Mark Twain is born Samuel Langhorne
Clemens in the small town of Florida, Missouri. (He was raised
in Hannibal, Missouri.) Walt Disney admired Twain's writing and so the famous
author's name and image can be found scattered throughout Disney theme parks
all over the world. Tom Sawyer Island - based on Twain's classic The Adventures
of Tom Sawyer - is the only Disneyland attraction that Walt personally designed!
Disneyland also features the Mark Twain Riverboat, which takes guests on a
12-minute journey around the Rivers of America. Both Disneyland Paris and Tokyo
Disneyland have versions of the Mark Twain Riverboat as well. In Florida, Mr. Twain appears in Epcot's Audio-Animatronic stage show The American Adventure, and the Magic Kingdom features
a version of Tom Sawyer Island (located in Frontierland).
Disney's 1990 animated The Prince and the Pauper is loosely based on Twain's classic novel
The Prince and the Pauper, first published in 1881. In 1991 The Disney Channel aired the Disney
Channel Premiere Film Mark Twain and Me, about a young girl who befriends the famous writer.
1918:
Red Cross volunteer Walt Disney, aboard the SS Vaubin (a converted cattle boat) arrives in Cherbourg, France. Although an armisitice has been signed ending the world war (on
November 11), the U.S. volunteers are in France to aid in the occupation. The harbor in Cherbourg is clogged by
a sunken boat, so the Vaubin steams to Le Havre (a city in Normandy on the English Channel). Walt and the
others disembark in Le Havre and are put on a train for Paris.
1927:
Actor Robert Guillaume, the voice of Rafiki in The Lion King animated
feature, is born in St. Louis, Missouri. He also voiced the old primate (who serves as a
Grand Vizier to the lion king) for The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, Timon & Pumbaa and The Lion
King 1½. Guillaume appeared on both the 1994 television specials The Making of 'The Lion King'
and Disney's Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra. (TV fans know Guillaume from the hit sitcoms Soap, Benson,
and Sports Night.)
1935:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon Cock o' the Walk, directed by Ben Sharpsteen, is
released. When a prize fighting rooster comes to town, a celebration is held, complete with elaborate parodies
of Busby Berkley dance routines. When the cock sweeps a young hen off her feet, however, he is challenged to
a fight by her jealous suitor.
1955:
Mickey Mouse Club airs on ABC-TV. Today is Anything Can Happen Day.
The 1939 Donald Duck cartoon Beach Picnic is shown.
1966:
Walt Disney (weeks after undergoing surgery) collapses at his California home. He is revived by medics and readmitted to St. Joseph's Hospital (under an assumed name to avoid publicity) in Burbank.
1979:
Disney veteran and Winsor McCay Award-winner Dick Huemer passes away at
St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, California. An animator, comic strip artist, director, & writer,
his long list of credits include such shorts and features as The Wise Little Hen, Wynken, Blynken and Nod,
Fantasia, Dumbo, The Reluctant Dragon, The Story of Anyburg U.S.A., and Alice in Wonderland. He was
given a Mousecar (an in-house award given by The Walt Disney Company) by the Disney Studio in February
1973 at a ceremony attended by a number of his peers. (Huemer will be named a Disney Legend in 2007.)
1986:
The TV series The Wonderful World of Disney airs the episode "Sunday Drive."
1987:
Red's Dream, a short film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by
John Lasseter, is released. It is the result of Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull wanting the staff to make
a film using the Pixar Image Computer and the rendering software Chapreyes. Set in a lonely city on a
rainy night, the film takes place in a bicycle shop (named "Eben's Bikes" for Pixar animator Eben Ostby) that
is closed for the night. In the corner of the shop sleeps Red, a red unicycle who languishes in the
"clearance corner", waiting to be purchased.
1997:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs "The Love Bug" on ABC-TV. A made-for-television
film starring Bruce Campbell, it marks the first new appearance of Herbie in more than 15 years.
2001:
For the first time ever, the Disney World Resort in Florida shares with Toronto's Cavalcade of Lights, the Walt Disney World Fireworks Spectacular. Cavalcade of Lights
has kicked off the festive season in the heart of Toronto for the last 35 years with an evening of twinkling lights
and dazzling ice-skating. This season the multi-media event will take viewers on a journey through the past
hundred years of Disney magic with giant moving images projected on the Sheraton Centre Hotel tower, choreographed fireworks, and symphonic music.
A California couple become engaged atop the Sun Wheel at Disney's California Adventure.
The Lizzie McGuire episode "Lizzie and Kate's Big Adventure" debuts on Disney Channel.
2003:
Mousefest 2003 (the largest Walt Disney World gathering of Disney fans from
around the Internet) begins in Florida. The 9-day event encompasses about 24 online communities
such as All Ears Net, Passporter, Mousesavers, WDWMAGIC, Disney Dollarless, and MousePlanet.
It is reported that Roy E. Disney (the nephew of Walt Disney and son of
Roy O. Disney) has resigned from the Walt Disney Company.
2005:
A purebred Beagle named Nutmeg (or "Meg" for short) is born in California.
This pup has the distinction of having an unusual "Hidden Mickey," approximately two-and-a-half inches long
on the top of her head! At nine-months of age, the natural "Mickey" markings will enable Meg to help Disneyland celebrate the "tail end" of their 50th Anniversary Celebration.
The "Liberty Oak," which is the
focal point of the Liberty
Square area in Walt Disney
World's Magic Kingdom, is the
proud parent of more than 500
young trees. They all started
out as acorns harvested from
the single oak!
1995:
Disneyland performer Wally Boag is among the 9 inducted as Disney Legends.
The ceremony is held at the Disney Legends Promenade (sidewalk area in front of the Disney Studio Theatre).
1978:
Nita Booth, a member of Disney Channel's The All New Mickey Mouse Club,
is born in Virginia. Joining MMC for season 4, she remained with the show until the end of season 7.
Actor and producer Gael García Bernal is born Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He supplied the voice of Héctor Rivera in the 2017 Coco.
NOVEMBER 30
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
NOVEMBER 30
N
O
V
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Young Walt Disney arrives in France
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"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." -Mark Twain
1995 Disney Legeneds inducted
"When in doubt, tell the truth." -Mark Twain
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The Disneyland television series airs "The Story of the
Animated Drawing," hosted by Walt Disney himself. This is the first of
what will be three episodes based on Disney's "The Art of Animation" book. (Actually at the time of airing, the
"Art of Animation" hasn't been published yet and so the book Walt is reading from on camera is just a prop!)
"When I was in high school I read this book called, The Art of Animation, by Bob Thomas, it's all about the Walt Disney studio and the
making of Sleeping Beauty. I read this and it dawned on me - wait a minute, people do animation for a living?" - Pixar's John Lasseter
Season 2 Episode 11
2007:
At Walt Disney World, singer Jessica Simpson tapes the finale performance for the
24th annual "Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade," which will
air December 25.
2010:
The much anticipated video game Epic Mickey is released in North America.
Designed by Warren Spector, with 2D cinemas by Powerhouse Animation Studios, Inc., and developed by
Junction Point Studios for the Wii console, Epic Mickey is part of an effort by The Walt Disney Company to
re-brand the Mickey Mouse character.
In New York City, actress Jennifer Grey celebrates her recent Dancing With The Stars victory along with fellow contestant Kyle Massey at a special celebration for the launch of Disney Epic Mickey at the new Disney Store in Times Square. The store opens
at 7:00 a.m., allowing fans an opportunity to meet both Grey and Massey as they hand-deliver the game to the first several hundred fans that have lined up to purchase it!
Waking Sleeping Beauty is released to DVD. A 2009 documentary film directed by Disney film
producer Don Hahn and produced by Hahn and former Disney executive Peter Schneider, it reveals the history of
Walt Disney Feature Animation from the making of The Fox and the Hound in 1980 to the release of The Lion King
in 1994.
1952:
Director, writer and producer Henry Selick is born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. Best known for directing James and the Giant Peach and The Nightmare Before Christmas, he was an animator
and an inbetween artist early in his career at Disney. Although uncredited, Selick worked on Pete's Dragon,
The Small One and The Fox and the Hound. (Also known for directing the stop-motion Coraline, Selick studied
at the Program in Experimental Animation at California Institute of the Arts, under the guidance of Jules Engel.)
1969:
The Wonderful World of Disney airs part 2 of "The Secrets of the Pirate's Inn" on
NBC. Ed Begley (in one of his last roles) plays Dennis McCarthy a retired Irish sea captain who, along with
3 kids, search for the lost treasure of pirate Jean Lafitte. When the loot is unearthed, reporter Carl Buchanan
unfortunately makes off with the treasure and kidnaps one of the kids!
Film director, film producer, and screenwriter Marc Foster is born in Germany.
He directed the 2018 fantasy comedy-drama Christopher Robin.
1988:
The Disney Channel debuts the teen sitcom Good Morning, Miss Bliss. Hayley
Mills stars as Miss Carrie Bliss, a teacher at John F. Kennedy Junior High School in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Originally a pilot for NBC, Good Morning, Miss Bliss will run for one season on the Disney Channel. When the
show is dropped by the Disney Channel after 13 episodes, the rights will be acquired by NBC who will retool the
series as the more successful Saved by the Bell. As Saved by the Bell, the focus of the show will shift toward the
exploits of the students themselves (rather than Miss Bliss).
November 30
2013:
Disney's landmark musical event, "The Lion King," plays
its 6,681st performance on this evening, surpassing the original Broadway production
of "Les Misérables" (6,680 performances) to become the fourth longest-running show
in Broadway history. First debuting in Minneapolis back in July 1997, the musical became a success
even before premiering on Broadway three month later at the New Amsterdam Theater. On June 13, 2006,
"The Lion King" moved to the Minskoff Theatre.
2017:
ABC-TV airs The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration.
The 2-hour special is hosted by Julianne Hough, Nick Lachey, and Jesse Palmer.
2018:
Kuma the dog, the original star of Disney Channel's Dog With A Blog, passes
away at the age of 16 (just shy of his December 15th birthday). Rescued by his owner/trainer
Sarah Clifford from a shelter, Kuma went on to also work in 74 episodes of Nick Jr’s show Mutt & Stuff as
well as the feature-length films An American Crime (2007) and Wrong (2012).
2011:
Nominations for 54th Annual Grammy Awards are announced. Among the nominees:
-Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media: Tangled
-Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: Tron: Legacy (Daft Punk, composers)
-Best Song Written for Visual Media: "I See the Light" (from Tangled) and "So Long" (from Winnie the Pooh)
Winners will be announced February 12, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
1944:
John Pasquin, producer & director of film, television and theatre, is born in Houston, Texas. His producing debut came in 1991 with the ABC sitcom Home Improvement starring Tim Allen, also directing a number of episodes of the series. He also directed Allen in the films The Santa Clause (1994), and Jungle 2 Jungle (1997).
1972:
Television & film score composer and conductor Christophe Beck is born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His Disney/Touchstone credits include Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), Ice Princess
(2005), The Muppets (2011), Paperman (2012), Frozen (2013), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014), Frozen Fever (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), and Frozen II (2019).
2020:
ABC-TV airs The Disney Holiday Singalong. The program is a followup to The Disney Family Singalong and The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II.
1985:
Actress Kaley Cuoco is born Kaley Christine Cuoco in Camarillo, California. Portraying Elisa Bowers in the 2000 Disney Channel Movie Alley Cats Strike, she later landed her breakthrough role as Bridget Hennessy on the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules (2002–2005). Cuoco went on to voice Brandy Harrington on the animated Disney Channel series Brandy & Mr. Whiskers (2004–2006). She is probably best known for her role as Penny on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019).
