1999:
At Walt Disney World, Discovery Island (an 11-acre zoo whose attendance has
been hurt by the 1998 opening of Disney's 500-acre Animal Kingdom) closes 25
years after it opened. The closure of Discovery Island means an end to Disney's second-oldest
Central Florida attraction and marks the first time the company has closed one of its ticketed attractions.
The one hundredth sailing of the Disney Magic is celebrated!
2004:
Sam McKim, the legendary Disney Imagineer who drew the first souvenir maps of
Disneyland in 1954, passes away of heart failure at age 79. McKim joined WED
Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering) as an illustrator, six months before the opening of Disneyland.
He created many of the sketches used in the original design of Disneyland, including Main Street and
Frontierland. McKim also worked on Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and the Haunted Mansion.
The seventh Phil of the Future episode "My Way" first airs
on Disney Channel.
1894:
Disney Legend Joseph Fowler is born Lewiston, Maine. After retiring from the
U.S. Navy in 1948, Fowler was overseeing the construction of tract homes in the San Francisco
region when Walt Disney came looking for a naval expert to help with the building of the paddle
steamer Mark Twain, for the still under-construction Disneyland. Fowler was hired and went on
to oversee all construction of Disneyland, and later as Chairman of the Board of WED and Director
of Buena Vista Construction Company - helped build Walt Disney World. Disney World's original steam
ship (which opened October 2, 1971) was named the Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat. He was also
Technical advisor on Disney's live action movie 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea. Fowler was
71 when he completed the Magic Kingdom in Florida and 87 when Disney called on him again to
help build a futuristic theme park called Epcot Center. In California, the dock at Disneyland's
Rivers of America is still known as Fowler's Harbor.
1928:
Disney's 24th Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short Tall Timber is released. Oswald tries to spend
a day in the great outdoors ... but his canoe sinks and latere gets chased by bears!
1932:
Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon The Bears and the Bees is released.
1934:
Architect-designer (and one of the leaders of the postmodernist movement)
Michael Graves is born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He and his firm designed the
Dolphin and Swan Hotels for Walt Disney World, the post office for Disney's Florida community Celebration,
and the Team Disney Building in Burbank, California - which feature the seven dwarfs.
1956:
Actor & filmmaker Tom Hanks, the voice of Sherrif Woody for Disney/Pixar's Toy Story
films, is born in Concord, California. He also appeared on the 1994 TV special "The Wonderful
World of Disney: 40 Years of Television Magic." His Touchstone film credits include the 1984 fantasy/comedy
feature "Splash" - the very first film released by Disney's Touchstone Films, the 1989 comedy "Turner and Hooch," the 2004 comedy "The Ladykillers," and the 2015 drama "Bridge of Spies." In 2013 he portrayed Walt Disney in the film "Saving Mr. Banks," and Geppetto in a live-action version of "Pinocchio" in 2022. Some of his successful non-Disney films include "Big," "A League of Their Own," "Sleepless in Seattle," "Philadelphia," "Forrest Gump," "Apollo 13," "That Thing You Do!," "Saving Private Ryan," "You've Got Mail," "The Green Mile," "Cast Away," "Catch Me If You Can," "The Terminal," "Polar Express," "The Da Vinci Code," and "Sully." In Hanks' career as an actor and producer, he has received many award nominations including six Academy Award nominations.
1998:
Walt Disney World auctions off a limousine, 2 costume sewing machines, a sofa
from the Empress Lilly riverboat, and a 4-foot tall beer stein. Four times a year since
1985, Walt Disney World has been holding auctions to unload items it no longer wants.
2003:
The Disney Gallery (located in Disneyland) celebrates
the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the
Black Pearl with a special event. An adventure fantasy film based
on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney theme parks, it is directed by
Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The story follows
blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and pirate Captain Jack Sparrow
(Johnny Depp) as they rescue the kidnapped Elizabeth Swann (Keira
Knightley) from the cursed crew of the Black Pearl, captained by Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). The film's world premiere had been held at Disneyland Resort on June 28, 2003.
Marita Giovanni and Bruce Graham win the HUMANITAS Prize for writing the
2002 Disney Channel Original Movie A Ring of Endless Light. (The HUMANITAS
Prize is an annual screenwriter's award founded in 1974 to encourage, stimulate and sustain the nation's
screenwriters in their humanizing task, and to give them the recognition they deserve.)
2006:
Bell, appears at the Oakland Museum of California's exhibit on
Disneyland's 50-year history.
1986:
Singer, dancer & actress Kiely Williams, a member of Disney's The Cheetah Girls, is
born in Alexandria, Virginia. She appeared in the television films "The Cheetah Girls," "The Cheetah Grils 2," and "The Cheetah Girls: One World." Williams also played herself in an episode of "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody."
1938:
Tony Award-winning actor Brian Dennehy, the voice of Django in Disney/Pixar's 2007 Ratatouille, is born in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
A letter/article (dated April 26, 1938) penned by Walt Disney appears in The Arizona Daily Star. Under the title "Yesterday's Newspaper Boys Are Today's Leaders," Walt's words include:
I was an old man of nine when I tackled my first business venture. You guessed it - I had a paper route in
Kansas City. To say the least, it kept me out of mischief, because my brothers and I had to get up every
morning, deliver papers, have breakfast and then go off to school. After school we started out all over again.
Pianist Richard Carpenter and
guitarist John Bettis performed music
at Coke Corner on Disneyland’s Main
Street U.S.A. during the summer of
1967. Because they routinely
deviated from the selections of turn-
of-the-century tunes they were asked
to perform ... the pair were sacked
after four months. Richard went on
to have great success with his sister
Karen - as The Carpenters. Many of
their biggest hits were written by
Richard and John Bettis!
1955:
Business Week runs the article "Mouse That Turned To Gold."
It tells readers - "In some ways, the $17-million Disneyland amusement park that opens in Anaheim, Calif.,
July 18, is a far cry from the little rodent that first scampered accross the movie screen in 1927."
The New York Times runs "Disneyland Gets Its Last Touches" - an article
about the new Anaheim park, which will open in 8 days.
1989:
The Disney Channel Premiere Film Great Expectations, based on Charles Dickens' classic novel, debuts.
2007:
Deconstruction of the 50-ton Mickey Mouse arm and wand,
leaning on Epcot's Spaceship Earth, begins. Also coming down
are the 36-foot-high "Epcot" letters and colored stars splashing across the sphere.
The arm and glove went up for Walt Disney World's 2000 millennium celebration.
1991:
Actor/singer Mitchel Musso, first known as Oliver Oken on Disney Channel's Hanna Montana, is born in Garland, Texas. His Disney voice credits include The Search for Santa Paws (as Adult
Santa Paws), Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (as Jeremy Johnson), and Milo Murphy's Law (as Wally).
Musso's debut album was released in 2009 on Walt Disney Records.
1976:
Actor-director-producer Fred Savage, best known for his role as Kevin Arnold on
the long-running TV series The Wonder Years, is born in Chicago, Illinois. He lent his
voice to Disney Channel's Kim Possible and narrated the 1998 The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story. Savage has
also directed episodes of Phil of the Future, That's So Raven, and Hannah Montana.
"Yeehaw! Come on, partner! We've got to get this wagon train a'movin'!" -Sheriff Woody's pullstring quote
1975:
Disney's One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing a British comedy film is released by Walt Disney Productions. Based on the 1970 novel The Great Dinosaur Robbery by David Forrest, the film was
made entirely on location in England at Elstree Studios and Pinewood Studios, along with some location shoots
around Windsor, Berkshir. The film stars Peter Ustinov, Helen Hayes, Clive Revill, Derek Nimmo, Joan Sims, Bernard
Bresslaw, and Natasha Pyne. A group of spirited British nannies become involved in a race with the inscrutable
Chinese intelligence service. The prize is a top-secret microfilm hidden in the skeleton of a dinosaur on display in the
Natural History Museum.
1992:
Disney's Beauty and the Beast is widely released in theaters in Argentina and Peru.
1982:
Walt Disney's Tron, one of the first films from a major studio to use computer
graphics extensively, premieres. A computer programmer is transported inside the software world
of a mainframe computer, where he interacts with various programs in his attempt to get back out. The film
stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn (and his counterpart inside the electronic world, Clu), Bruce Boxleitner
as Alan Bradley (and Tron), Cindy Morgan as Lora Baines (and Yori) and Dan Shor as Ram. Tron features
a soundtrack - also released on this day, by Wendy Carlos and 2 songs by the rock band Journey.
(Despite earning $33 million in North America on its original release, it's
"poor box office performance" will earn Ron Miller, then Disney CEO
and Walt's son-in-law, the unaffectionate nickname of "Tron" Miller.
More than twenty years later a successful sequel,
TRON: Legacy, will be produced.)
JULY
JULY 9
JULY 9
THIS SITE MADE
IN THE
USA
Tron premieres
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2010:
The Taste of Africa Street Party starts this day at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Running until July 24, Taste of Africa brings music and dance parties to the Africa section of the park, along with
outdoor food and beverage vendors, authentic merchandise for sale and animal education experiences.
1951:
Film actor Chris Cooper is born in Kansas City, Missouri. Known for his roles in such major Hollywood films as The Bourne Identity, American Beauty and October Sky, Cooper portrayed Tex Richman in
the 2011 Disney The Muppets.
1966:
Actress Pamela Adlon is born Pamela Segall in New York City. She supplied the voice of
Vidia for Disney's "Tinker Bell and the Pixie Hollow Games," "Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue," "Tinker Bell
and the Lost Treasure," and "Tinker Bell." Her Disney voice credits also include episodes of "Phineas and Ferb," "Lilo & Stitch: The Series," "Recess," "Jungle Cubs," and "Milo Murphy's Law." Adlon also appeared as Jesse in the live-action Disney television episode "The Leftovers" in 1986. She may be best known as the voice of Bobby Hill on the animated series "King of the Hill," and as the star of the acclaimed FX comedy-drama series "Better Things."
"Mister Can Do"
"He's a fascinating guy, because what we have is this benevolent animator who would introduce us to his cartoon characters. But
what he was was very tough, competitive and a very loyal businessman that invented an art form that is still going great guns today.
To Walt Disney, ladies and gentlemen!" -Tom Hanks
July 09
1948:
Disney's short Pluto's Purchase, directed by Charles Nichols, is released.
Mickey sends Pluto to the butcher to buy some sausage. But when Butch the dog spots Pluto on his way
home, he contrives to take the sausage. Pluto manages to get home safely ... only to discover the sausage
is a birthday present for Butch!
Actor James Baskett, known for his portrayal of Uncle Remus in the 1946 Disney feature
film Song of the South, passes away at age 44 in Los Angeles, California. In recognition of his
warm portrayal of the famous storyteller he had been given an Honorary Academy Award in March 1948, making him the
first black male performer to receive an Oscar. Baskett had been in poor health since 1946 during the filming of
Song of the South due to diabetes and later suffered a heart attack.
Treasure of Matecumbe, a family adventure film directed by Vincent McEveety and
produced by Walt Disney Productions, is released in theaters. Based on the novel "A Journey
to Matecumbe" by Robert Lewis Taylor, the film's plot involves two 13-year-old boys; played by Johnny Doran &
Billy Atmore, who run away from their Kentucky home to hunt for treasure in Florida. Although filmed on various locations
in Kentucky and California, the final scene at a beached shipwreck was filmed at Walt Disney World's Discovery Island.
2019:
Elmore Rual Torn Jr., better known as actor, voice artist, and comedian Rip Torn passes away at age 88 in Connecticut. He voiced the god Zeus in Disney's 1997 animated feature Hercules, and played the role of Harvey in Disney's 1999 TV film Balloon Farm. Torn was known for
his roles in Men in Black and The Larry Sanders Show.
Actor Freddie Jones passes away at age 91. With an extensive career in television, theater and
cinema productions for almost sixty years, Jones supplied the voice for Dallben in Disney's 1985 animated The Black Cauldron. He also appeared in Touchstone's 2002 live-action The Count of Monte Cristo as Colonel Villefort.
The photorealistic animated remake of The Lion King has its world premiere in Los Angeles. Among those in attendance are Beyoncé (the voice of Nala), Donald Glover (the voice of Simba),
Chiwetel Ejiofor (the voice of Scar), Seth Rogen (the voice of Pumbaa), Billy Eichner (the voice of Timon), and
director Jon Favreau. The film will open July 18.
2017:
Voice actor and director Wally Burr passes away at age 93.
Best known as the voice director for The Transformers and The Transformers: The Movie, he
supplied the newsreel voice for Touchstone Pictures' 2001 Pearl Harbor.
1959:
Actor Massimo Corvo (most active in voice dubbing since the late 1980s) is born in Rome, Italy. He has dubbed over a number of animated Disney roles, including the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Shan-Yu in Mulan, Bloat in Finding Nemo, Pete in Goof Troop, Owl in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Jafar in Aladdin.
The TV series Walt Disney Presents airs the episode "Noik."
1995:
Actress Georgie Henley is born in West Yorkshire, England. She is best known for her
portrayal of Lucy Pevensie throughout The Chronicles of Narnia film series.
2012:
Toy Story Mania! opens at Tokyo DisneySea in the Tokyo Disney Resort. Designed by Walt Disney Imagineering and inspired by Disney·Pixar's Toy Story franchise, the attraction first debuted at Walt Disney World in 2008. Park guests wear 3-D glasses (Carnival Games Goggles) aboard spinning vehicles that travel through virtual environments based on classic carnival midway games.
2020:
Disneyland's Downtown Disney reopens to the general public at 10 a.m. after a four-month coronavirus closure.
1936:
Actor, director and screenwriter James Hampton is born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Best known for his comedic TV roles of Private Hannibal Shirley Dobbs on F Troop (1965-1967), and Leroy B. Simpson on The Doris Day Show (1968-1969), he also appeared in 2 live-action Disney feature films. Hampton played Captain Anderson in the 1978 science fiction comedy "The Cat from Outer Space," and Harry Oslo in the 1981 adventure comedy superhero film "Condorman." In 1972 he appeared in the Disney television movie "Justin Morgan Had a Horse," playing Aaron. Having roles in such popular films as "The Longest Yard," "The China Syndrome," and "Teen Wolf," James Wade Hampton passed at age 84 in 2021.
2021:
Black Widow, a superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name, is released in the United States simultaneously in theaters and through Disney+ with Premier Access. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the film stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow. Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), the film sees Romanoff on the run and forced to confront a conspiracy tied to her past. The cast includes Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova / Black Widow, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, O-T Fagbenle as Mason, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster, William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross, Ray Winstone as Dreykov, and Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff / Black Widow.
