1975:
The Space Mountain attraction (sponsored by RCA) opens in
the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Florida. The grand
opening festivities included a band of 2,000 high school students, fireworks and the
release of 50,000 balloons. A space-themed indoor roller coaster, the first official
ride is taken by Colonel James Irwin, the pilot of the Lunar Module on Apollo XV.
The success of the ride will later prompt Imagineers to design a Space Mountain for Disneyland, Tokyo
Disney, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland.
Also opening on this day in the Magic Kingdom is the Carousel of Progress,
an attraction brought in from Disneyland that traces 100 years of innovations
in electricity. Through a rotating carousel, the attraction carries seated guests into the homes of
four generations of the same family from the days before electricity to the present. (COP originally
debuted at the New York World's Fair as Progressland and then made its way to Anaheim before settling in Florida.)
1986:
The third new Future World pavilion to be added to the
original roster, The Living Seas opens at Disney World's EPCOT. The Living Seas main
environment strecthes 203 feet in diameter with walls 48 feet high. Sponsored by United Technologies, the
pavilion features "Animated Atlas of the World," a short film explaining the geological and meteorological aspects
of the ocean. It also includes a 5.7 million gallon aquarium, home to one of the largest inland marine
environments in the world. The amazing environment contains nearly 3,500 individual specimens comprising
approximately 65 different species of Caribbean reef fish. The pavilion also houses the Coral Reef Restaurant
which allows dining guests to view The Living Seas through giant 8 inch thick acrylic windows.
Actress/model Jessica "Jessy" Schram is born in Skokie, Illinois. Her television credits
include 4 episodes of Once Upon a Time (2011-2016), an episode of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (2013),
and a recurring role in Nashville (2015-2016).
2005:
Actress Ruth Warwick, who portrayed Sally in Disney's 1946 Song of the South, passes away at age 88 in New York. Known for her performance in the classic 1941 film Citizen Kane, Warwick was also a fixture on the ABC-TV soap opera "All My Children."
Sadly on this same day, Pixar loses a member of its creative team when animator Dan Lee passes away at age 35 in California. In August 2003 he had been diagnosed with lung cancer - despite the fact that he was a nonsmoker. Best known as the creator of the title character from Finding Nemo, his credits also included Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., and Ratatouille. The 2007 Ratatouille, will be dedicated to Lee.
TODAY IS NATIONAL HAT DAY!
Put a lid on it.
1925:
Disney's Alice Comedy Alice the Toreador, featuring Virginia Davis, is released.
In this short, directed by Walt Disney, Alice finds herself in a bullfight!
1955:
Despite plans to open Disneyland without it, Walt Disney decides to go ahead and have Tomorrowland built. (It will be completed in 6 months.)
1958:
The Disneyland TV series airs episode 89 - "Donald's Weekend."
1960:
The TV series Walt Disney Presents airs the episode "Swamp Fox: Redcoat Strategy." In this fifth episode of an eight-part miniseries, the guerilla forces under the
leadership of Francis Marion (portrayed by Leslie Nielsen) have succeeded in capturing
British officer Colonel Townes (Henry Daniell). Unfortunately, Marion's longtime enemy
Colonel Tarleton (John Sutton) has, at the same time, seized the home of Marion's brother
Gabriel (John Sutton). As Marion prepares to escort Towne and his wife to Continental
Headquarters, Tarleton lays a carefully planned trap for the elusive "Swamp Fox", using
Redcoats disguised as American patriots!
Animated film director, screenwriter, voice actor, published children's book author/illustrator, and non-fiction author Kelly Asbury is born in Beaumont, Texas. Getting his start at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1983, his credits include The Black Cauldron, Sport Goofy in Soccermania, The Little Mermaid, The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story, Wreck-it Ralph, and Frozen.
1961:
Walt Disney Presents airs "Swamp Fox: Horses for Greene," the 8th and final episode
of a miniseries about real-life American Revolutionary hero Francis Marion. Marion
(Leslie Nielsen) and his fellow guerillas have placed themselves under the command of Continental Army officer
Captain Richardson (James Seay). Intending to instill some discipline into Marion's ragtag group, Richardson soon
finds that he is fighting a losing battle. But all worries about "following the book" are set aside when Marion is
ordered by General Greene to capture some horses from the Tories (British loyalists).
1997:
Production begins on Disney's The Emperor's New Groove.
(The animated feature will be released in December 2000.)
The very first Golden Satellite Awards, given by the International Press Academy, are handed out. Winners include:
-Best Animated or Mixed Media Film: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
-Best Costume Design: Evita – Penny Rose
-Best Film – Musical or Comedy: Evita
-Best Original Song: "You Must Love Me" performed by Madonna – Evita
-CD-ROM Educational – Children: 101 Dalmatians Storybook
1999:
The final section of Disney World's All-Star Resort, All-Star Movies
Resort (located at 1901 W. Buena Vista Drive) opens with
The Mighty Ducks and 101 Dalmatians buildings. The property is decorated with giant Disney film
icons such as the Fantasia Pool; a Mighty Ducks themed Duck Pond Pool; Herbie, The Love Bug, puppies from One
Hundred and One Dalmatians and some of the residents of Andy's Room from Disney's Toy Story.
2002:
Disney's 1994 live action adventure The Jungle Book, 1993 film Adventures of Huck Finn, 1982 computer drama Tron, and 1992 musical Newsies are all released on DVD.
2004:
Actor Johnny Depp is nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his
role in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
1943:
Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi - an animated short produced by Walt Disney is released by RKO. It is directed by Clyde Geronomi and principally animated by Ward Kimball. Intended as anti-Nazi propaganda (during the ongoing World War II) the film tells the story of Little Hans, a
German boy born and raised in Nazi Germany, who is educated to become a merciless soldier.
1990:
CEO Michael Eisner announces plans to expand the Walt Disney World theme parks, and to add a fourth park during the 1990s. He also states that a pavilion from the Soviet Union will hopefully be added at EPCOT, and that 16 new attractions are planned for the Disney-MGM Studios.
Actor Chris Warren Jr., known to High School Musical fans as Zeke Baylor, is born in Indiana. He also appeared as Zeke on a few episodes of Hanna Montana and played the role of Justin in episodes of Good Luck Charlie.
1954:
The Donald Duck short Spare the Rod, directed by Jack Hannah, is released.
Once again Donald has the same old problem of dealing with his three troublesome nephews, and he's torn
between using psychology or losing his temper.
2007:
Disney/Pixar's Cars wins Best Animated Feature Film at the 64th Golden
Globe Awards (beating out Happy Feet and Monster House.). It is the first
ever given in the new category of Best Animated Feature. Director John Lasseter accepts the
award on behalf of himself and the late Joe Ranft (who co-directed).
The tank used in Epcot's The Living Seas holds 5.7 million gallons of saltwater ... making it one of the largest saltwater tanks in the world! Called “the world’s sixth largest ocean,” Epcot’s Living Seas aquarium is packed with more varieties of fish than probably ever seen in a real ocean.
JANUARY 15
Earth man has long dreamed of exploring the mysteries of our galaxy and the infinite wonders of the universe beyond.
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JANUARY 15
THIS DAY MADE
IN THE
USA
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Click HERE for Disney & Space Travel.
"Dan was a longtime member of our Pixar family. He single-handedly designed Nemo and has been a major influence at Pixar.
Dan was a wonderful, irreplaceable, talented human being, and we miss him terribly." -Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton
"Animation is awesome!" -John Lasseter
2010:
The local Kansas City group Thank You, Walt Disney holds a fundraising event and
special premiere screening of Ted Thomas’s documentary Walt and El Grupo at the
Screenland Theater. The film tells the story of the Disney Studios goodwill trip to South American in 1941.
Also appearing is author J.B. Kaufman discussing his book, South of the Border with Disney: Walt Disney and the
Good Neighbor Program, 1941-1948. Thank You, Walt Disney is dedicated to preserving Walt’s legacy in Kansas
City, and is currently working to save and restore the Laugh-O-grams Studios (Walt’s very first animation studio)
which they saved from collapse and demolition.
The Phineas and Ferb episodes "What Do It Do?" and "Atlantis" premiere on
Disney Channel.
The 15th Annual Critics' Choice Awards are handed out. Disney-Pixar's Up wins Best Animated
Feature (beating out 4 nominees including Disney's Princess And The Frog). Best Score goes to Michael Giacchino
(edging out Randy Newman for The Princess and the Frog) for Up.
1940:
Glenn Miller and his big band record their version of "Give a Little Whistle" featuring
singer Marion Hutton. The song (penned by Ned Washington & Leigh Harline) has been written for Disney's
animated Pinocchio, which is still a month away from its release.
1905:
Composer and songwriter Allie Wrubel is born in Middletown, Connecticut.
He collaborated with lyricist Ray Gilbert on the song "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" for the film Song of the South
which won the Oscar for Best Song in 1947. Wrubel also contributed to the Disney films Make Mine Music and
Melody Time. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
1969:
The Disneyland Hotel's new Marina Tower officially opens. With the opening of the 319 room tower, the entrance of the Disneyland Hotel has been moved from West Street to the northern side of the property. The Marina Tower's new registration lobby (300 foot long and 70 foot wide - at this time, the biggest in the U.S.) features sixteen check in stations.
"We welcome you to The Living Seas. We welcome you to Seabase Alpha."
JAN
JAN
1957:
Animator David Pruiksma is born in northern Virginia, just a few miles from
Washington D.C. Hired at Walt Disney Feature Animation in the summer of 1981 as an inbetweener on
Mickey's Christmas Carol, his career at Disney included The Black Cauldron, Oliver and Company, Beauty and
the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted. He surprisingly
retired from Disney at the age of 44 and went on to teach animation.
2000:
The thirty-third episode of Disney's Recess, "The Barnaby Boys/Burried Treasure"
premieres on ABC-TV.
2013:
Disney unveils a major new gaming initiative called Infinity, at Disney's El
Capitan theater in Hollywood, California. The game creates a virtual world where gamers
can play with their favorite characters from different Disney stories. The game will be available on
consoles, mobile and online in June.
January 15
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
2016:
The Lion Guard, a new animated television series premieres on Disney Junior
(a program block on Disney Channel). Featuring Kion, the son of Simba and Nala, a one-hour
movie The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar had debuted last November.
2017:
Mickey and the Roadster Racers, a new series for preschoolers featuring Mickey,
Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy, airs for the first time on Disney Junior.
1996:
Actress-singer Dove Cameron, best known to fans of Descendants for her role of Mal, is born in Seattle, Washington. In 2012, Cameron was cast in a new Disney Channel Original Series entitled Bits and Pieces as Alanna. Shortly after filming the pilot, Bits and Pieces was retooled into Liv and Maddie and saw Cameron starring in the dual lead role of Liv and Maddie Rooney. She also had a recurring role as Ruby Hale in the ABC television series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2018.
2015:
Nominations for the 87th Academy Awards are announced.
Among the nominations for Disney:
-Best Supporting Actress: Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)
-Best Animated Feature: Big Hero 6
-Best Production Design: Into the Woods
-Best Costume Design: Maleficent and Into the Woods
-Best Animated Short: Feast
The Oscars will be handed out on February 22, 2015.
The 20th Critics' Choice Awards take place at the Hollywood Palladium.
Winners include:
-Best Action Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy
-Best Hair and Makeup: Guardians of the Galaxy
1993:
The biographical survival drama film Alive is released. Based on Piers Paul Read's 1974 book
"Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors", it is co-produced by Disney's Touchstone Pictures and distributed in North
America by Disney's Buena Vista Pictures. The film details the true story of a Uruguayan rugby team's crash aboard
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 into the Andes mountains on Friday, October 13, 1972. Narrated by John Malkovich,
it features an ensemble cast including Ethan Hawke, Josh Hamilton, Vincent Spano, Bruce Ramsay, John Haymes
Newton, Illeana Douglas, and Danny Nucci.
2012:
ABC-TV's Modern Family wins Best Series Musical or Comedy at the 69th Golden Globe Awards. Although nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, Cars 2 is edged out by The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.
1892:
Actor and director William Beaudine is born in New York City.
One of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers
and in a wide variety of genres, his Disney credits include Westward Ho, the
Wagons! (1956) and Ten Who Dared (1960). A low-budget specialist, forsaking his
artistic ambitions in favor of strictly commercial film fare, he made most of his
movies for Fox Films, Warner Brothers, Paramount, and Universal Pictures.
2020:
In celebration of their 45th anniversary, Disney World introduces commemorative merchandise for both Space Mountain and Carousel of Progress at the Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. shop.
1974:
Academy Award nominated sound engineer Sam Slyfield passes away at age 75 in California. His Disney credits included such shorts and features as Donald's Lucky Day, Fantasia, Bambi,
Victory Through Air Power, Donald Duck and the Gorilla, The Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music, Song of the South, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan.
2021:
Animator Dale Baer passes away at age 70 in California. With over 40 years of experience in the animation industry, his long list of Disney credits included such shorts & features as Robin Hood, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Rescuers, The Black Cauldron, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Lion King, Tarzan, The Emperor's New Groove, Meet the Robinsons, and Moana. A winner of an Annie Award in 2001 and the Winsor McCay Award in 2016, Baer also taught as part of the Character Animation program faculty of CalArts School of Film/Video. (His non-Disney credits included Bob's Burgers: The Movie, The Simpsons, and Tom and Jerry: The Movie.)
Secrets of Sulphur Springs, a new live-action sci-fi mystery television series, premieres on Disney Channel. The first of its kind for Disney Channel, the show follows 12-year-old Griffin Campbell (played by Preston Oliver), whose world has been upended by his father's decision to move the family from Chicago to take over an abandoned hotel property, The Tremont, in a town called Sulphur Springs. The Campbells, which includes Griffin's mother and his younger twin siblings, move into the hotel in hopes of restoring it to the vacation destination it once was. But on his first day at his new school, Griffin hears rumors that the hotel is haunted by the ghost of Savannah (played by Elle Graham), a girl who disappeared decades ago.
A brand new Disney+ Original action adventure comedy series titled WandaVision begins
to stream. Based on the Marvel Comics characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision, living idealized suburban lives, super-powered beings Wanda and Vision begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. The nine episode series stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany. Like other Disney+ shows made exclusively for the platform, WandaVision will air new episodes week-to-week. However, today's debut audiences will get to see two
episodes from the show. WandaVision is Marvel’s first scripted series for Disney+.
1971:
Actress & director Regina King is born in Los Angeles, California. From 2015 to 2017, King starred in the ABC anthology series American Crime, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards, She also supplied the voice for Dynamite in the 2014 animated Planes: Fire & Rescue. (Fans of The Big Bang Theory will recognize her as Janine Davis, Caltech's administrator of Human Resources Management.)
Puppeteer Eric Jacobson is born in Fort Worth, Texas. He is best known for performing the Muppet characters Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle for The Muppets Studio, as well as Sesame Street characters Bert, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, and Guy Smiley. Since 2001, Jacobson has appeared as part of the Muppets cast in several feature films and television series, including The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, The Muppets,
Muppets Most Wanted, and the ABC primetime television series The Muppets.
