2005:
The 23rd annual edition of Walt Disney World's Night of Joy kicks off for
2 nights at the Magic Kingdom. This evening's musical lineup includes MercyMe, Casting
Crowns, Audio Adrenaline, Steven Curtis Chapman, Mark Shultz, Big Daddy Weave, Nicole C. Mullen,
Matthew West, and Vicky Beeching.
"Eisner Comments on Disney" (an Associated Press article by William Foreman)
is released. The Disney CEO reflects on his last 21 years with the company.
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1973:
At Disneyland, the General Electric Carousel of Progress closes. It will
be moved to Walt Disney World and be replaced in Disneyland by America Sings in June 1974.
The popular COP attraction had originally been part of the 1964-1965 World's Fair in New York.
1979:
Nikki Deloach, a member of "The All New Mickey Mouse Club," and one-fifth of the
girl group Innosense, is born in Blackshear, Georgia. A Mouseketeer during season 6 and 7, she was sometimes referred to as Peaches. After the cancellation of "The All New Mickey Mouse Club" in 1994 and Innosense's breakup in 2003, Deloach pursued an acting career. Her Disney/ABC credits include episodes of "Criminal Minds" as Audrey Hansen, "Castle" as Anne Klein, and "Grey's Anatomy" as Charlotte. Her film work includes the sequel of the Sandra Bullock thriller "The Net," called "The Net 2.0," and a role in the series "Emerald Cove," alongside some of her fellow Mouseketeers. She has also starred in several films on the Hallmark Channel.
The NBC-TV series The Wonderful World of Disney changes its name on this evening's program. It is now titled Disney's Wonderful World. Part 1 of the 1961 release "The Absent-Minded Professor," starring Fred MacMurray, is shown.
1988:
Tokyo Disneyland welcomes its 60-millionth guest!
Disney World hosts Night of Joy 1988 at the Magic Kingdom.
To be held over two consecutive evenings, musical acts include Geoff Moore & the
Distance, Mylon & Broken Heart, Stryper, Russ Taff, Take 6, White Heart, and BeBe
& CeCe Winans.
1990:
NBC's popular Disney television series airs for the last time as The Magical
World of Disney. Starting September 28, 1997 it will return to ABC as The Wonderful World of Disney.
1994:
Disney World's Night of Joy kicks off in the Magic Kingdom the same day
the staple attraction 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is officially closed.
1999:
The Dapper Dans (the popular Disney barbershop harmony group)
appear in TV segments of A & E Biography's Child Stars: The
Osmonds. The program describes the fateful day when The Osmonds audition for The
Lawrence Welk Show was canceled and their parents took them to Disneyland to cheer
them up. That day the boys were brought to the attention of Disneyland entertainment
managers by the Dapper Dans. The Dapper Dans are seen in Osmond family home movie
footage taken at Disneyland.
2000:
The animated series "Teacher's Pet" debuts on ABC's One Saturday Morning block. Created by Gary Baseman, the series follows a 9-year-old boy named Leonard (voiced by Shaun Fleming) and his dog Spot (Nathan Lane) who dresses as a boy in disguise as a student named Scott. Leonard, a fourth grader, lives in fear because his mother, Mary Helperman (Debra Jo Rupp), is his teacher. Because of this, he is often mocked and called a "teacher's pet." The voice cast also includes David Ogden Stiers as Mr. Molly (Leonard's neurotic orange cat), Jerry Stiller as Pretty Boy (Leonard's wisecracking green canary), and Wallace Shawn as Principal Strickler. The series will run through May 2002 (eventually finishing its run on Toon Disney).
Also premiering on ABC is the fifty-eighth episode (and season five debut) of
Disney's Recess, "The Coolest Heatwave Ever/No Strings Attatched."
2001:
Disneyland's Country Bear Playhouse attraction (originally known as the Country
Bear Jamboree) lowers its curtain after 29 years. Opened since March 1972, the space will be
used for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
Singer-actress Heather Headley, the original Aida in Disney's Broadway hit musical
Aida, offers her final performance.
Tapestry of Nations, a parade at the Epcot theme park in Walt Disney World, runs
for the last time. Featuring puppets designed by Michael Curry (who later designed the puppets for The Lion King on Broadway and other theme park shows), Tapestry of Nations first debuted in October 1999.
2003:
Disney's 1959 Sleeping Beauty makes its debut on DVD the same day Disney
World's Magic Kingdom hosts a special pre-parade tribute to the classic
animated feature.
Disney historian Leon Janzen passes away after suffering a heart attack. The 57-year-old is best known for starting and maintaining (along with his brother Jack) the popular "The E-Ticket Magazine" since 1986. Leon was also an avid collector of early 1950's toys and books. (Years later "The E-Ticket Magazine" will officially become part of the Walt Disney Family Museum!)
Radio Disney: Kid Jams, Vol. 6 is released. The enhanced CD features such artists as Hilary Duff, Atomic Kitten, Hampton And The Hamsters, and Stevie Brock.
2004:
Disney World's 22nd Night of Joy begins at the Magic Kingdom.
The special 3-night event includes concerts by such Christian music stars as Michael
W. Smith, Avalon, Jars of Clay, Point of Grace, and Steven Curtis Chapman. (It is the first time the event has started on a Thursday night.) The Walt Disney World Food Drive takes place during Night of Joy with collection stations located at the ticket & transportation center and the main gate of the Magic Kingdom.
In a letter dated September 9, Walt Disney Company CEO Michael Eisner
announces that he will retire from the Walt Disney Company after September
2006, when his contract with the company expires.
Disney's 1994 animated classic
The Lion King is dedicated to
the late Frank Wells - Disney's
President and Chief Operating
Officer (1984-1994).
1993:
Actor Charlie Stewart, Bob on Disney Channel's "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," is born in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to appearing in the 2006 feature film "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," Stewart's credits include episodes of "The Suite Life on Deck," "Even Stevens," and "The Drew Carey Show."
1966:
Comedian, actor, writer, and film producer Adam Sandler is born Adam Richard Sandler in Brooklyn, New York (though he was raised in Manchester, New Hampshire). A Saturday Night Live alumni, Sandler starred in the Walt Disney Pictures 2008 comedy feature Bedtime Stories as Skeeter Bronson - his first family film and first film under the Walt Disney banner - although Touchstone Pictures released his comedy The Waterboy in 1998. Sandler also guest-starred as himself in the 2013 Jessie episode "Punch Dumped Love" (the episode's title is a spoof of Sandler's 2002 movie Punch Drunk Love).
(Film fans recognize Sandler from such features as Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates, and Grown Ups.)
SEPTEMBER 9
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
SEPTEMBER 9
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Carousel of Progress closes
At the Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction
at Disneyland, Wells' love of mountain-
climbing is honored with skiing
expedition boxes emblazoned with the
words "Wells Expedition."
"I turn to my complete set of E-Tickets constantly while working on projects for the Park. The Janzen's passion
for early Disneyland resulted in a resource like no other, especially in the pre-internet era before wonderful blogs
with historical content existed!" -animator & designer Kevin Kidney
1938:
The Disney short Mickey's Parrot, directed by Bill Roberts and animated by
Les Clark, is released. A talking parrot wanders through Mickey's house while Mickey (voiced by Walt
Disney) and Pluto (voiced by Pinto Colvig) think they're tracking an escaped criminal!
2009:
Walt Disney Records celebrates the 40th Anniversary of The Haunted Mansion
with two new CD releases - The Story and Song From The Haunted Mansion and
The Haunted Mansion.
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Adam Sandler born
2011:
Disney announces it has promoted Robert Chapek to be president of the
company's new consumer products division, which consolidates its retail and
licensing efforts. Chapek had been president of Disney's distribution division since 2009 and was
president of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment before that. The new consumer products organization
consolidates retail and licensing of Disney's business lines, including products related to Walt Disney
Studios, Pixar, Marvel, Media Networks and Interactive Media.
Disney Trade Celebration comes to Epcot for three days. The event, themed as The
Florida Project, will be at the park's World Showplace.
Disney's Night of Joy kicks off for the first of two evenings at Magic Kingdom
Park in Disney World. This night's entertainment includes Skillet, Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, Matthew
West, Francesca Battistelli, Group 1 Crew, Sidewalk Prophets, and Disciple.
2012:
The Broadway cast of the Disney musical Newsies performs at a free outdoor
concert in Times Square. The yearly event Broadway on Broadway, which kicks off the 2012-2013
season, features performances from new shows and long-running favorites.
September 09
"Thou sword of truth, fly swift and sure, that evil die and good endure!"
-Flora (from Sleeping Beauty)
2013:
The re-imagined California Grill, the upscale restaurant located atop Disney's
Contemporary Resort, debuts. Opened since 1995, the 15th floor eatery now features
new floor to ceiling windows and decorative elements based on the work of iconic Disney artist Mary Blair.
2018:
Disneyland Paris ends its 25th anniversary celebration on this day.
1971:
Actor/comedian Eric Stonestreet, best known for portraying Cameron Tucker in the ABC mockumentary sitcom "Modern Family," is born in Kansas City, Kansas. He received two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (out of three nominations) for his role of Cameron. In 2008 he appeared on an episode of ABC's mystery-comedy series "Pushing Daisies," and voiced Minimus in 16 episodes of the Disney Junior animated series "Sofia the First" (2013-2018). Stonestreet also played Magnus Antas (the Mad Santa) in the Disney+ original series "The Santa Clauses." Fans of the animated comedies "The Secret Life of Pets" and "The Secret Life of Pets 2" (created by Illumination) know him as Duke, a shaggy Newfoundland mix.
2015:
The final episode of the Disney XD series Mighty Med airs. Starring Jake Short, Bradley Steven Perry, Paris Berelc, Devan Leos, and Augie Isaac, the series focused on teenage best friends Kaz and Oliver who get after-school jobs at Mighty Med, a secret hospital for superheroes.
1980:
Actress Michelle Williams is born in Montana. She played Glinda and Annie Gale in the 2013 Disney fantasy film Oz the Great and Powerful and Pammy in Touchstone's 1997 drama A Thousand Acres.
1891:
Animation director and writer Vernon Stallings is born in California. First working for Bray Productions in 1916 where he directed the Colonel Heeza Liar series of shorts and the Krazy Kat shorts, he invented "the glass disk in the center of the drawing board" in the 20s which eventually became known as the animation desk. Later working for Disney, Stallings directed the Silly Symphonies short Merbabies, and worked in story development on such feature films as Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942) and Song of the South (1946).
2016:
Fantasy in the Sky (the very first fireworks performance at Disneyland) debuts for
a third time in the park's history since 1958.
1943:
Character actor Art LaFleur is born in Gary, Indiana. He played 'Red' Sweeney in the 1995 Man of the House, the White House's security chief in First Kid (1996), and the tooth fairy in both The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006). LaFleur also appeared on ABC's Home Improvement as Jimbo in a season 1 episode and the television Lifetime movie A Snow Globe Christmas (2013) as Mr. Barns. Best known for his appearances in The Sandlot and Field of Dreams, LaFleur passed at age 78 in 2021.
1965:
Actor, musician and comedian Chip Esten is born Charles Esten Puskar III in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Perhaps best known for playing the role of country singer Deacon Claybourne on the ABC/CMT drama "Nashville" from 2012 to 2018 (which subsequently kickstarted his own musical career) he also appeared in the ABC improvisation show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" as a series regular between 1999–2005. Esten appeared in Disney's 2008 comedy-drama film "Swing Vote" (a Touchstone Pictures production) as Lewis. He also played the recurring role of Morgan Ross on Disney Channel's "Jessie" in 2011. In 2013, he appeared as a contestant on ABC's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" (donating his winnings to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). You may recognize him from guest appearances on such television shows as "The New Adventures of Old Christine," "The Mentalist," and "The Office," and as a regular on the Netflix series "Outer Banks." A singer/guitarist, Esten is a frequent performer on the "Grand Ole Opry," a weekly live country music radio broadcast.
2024:
Disney Legend James Earl Jones, the voice behind the iconic characters Darth Vader and Mufasa, passes away at his home in Dutchess County, New York. He is 93.
