1928:
Walt Disney copyrights his Mickey Mouse film Plane Crazy.
2005:
Actor & singer Eddie Albert passes away at age 99 in California. Best known for his role on
the classic television series Green Acres, Albert's Disney credits include the 1975 Escape to Witch Mountain and
the 1963 Miracle of the White Stallions. (Born in 1906, Albert was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.)
1915:
Radio, film & TV character actor Sam Edwards is born in Macon,
Georgia. His Disney voice credits include adult Thumper for Bambi, Ollie the Owl for
the America Sings attraction and Heffalumps & Woozles, as well as Owl & Tigger for
Winnie the Pooh LP records. Edwards also narrated & provided voices for numerous
Disneyland Storyteller albums and appeared in Disney live-action features and
television movies. (Edwards' son William Edwards - a professional ragtime pianist
known as "Perfessor" Bill Edwards has performed at Disneyland!)
1920:
Singing legend and actress Peggy Lee, who contributed greatly to
Disney's 1955 animated feature Lady and the Tramp, is born in
Jamestown, North Dakota. Lee was the speaking and singing voices of
Darling, Peg, and the two devious cats Si and Am. She also co-wrote all of the
film's songs with her friend and Decca Records colleague Francis "Sonny" Burke. (A
multi-faceted artist and performer, Lee had her first #1 hit in 1942 with "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place.")
1949:
Actress and model Dayle Haddon, who played the role of Jane Douglas in the 1973
live-action feature The World's Greatest Athlete, is born in Quebec, Canada.
1962:
Comedian Bob Goldthwait, the voice of Pain in Disney's 1997 feature
Hercules and the TV series House of Mouse, is born in Syracuse, New
York. His voice credits also include Lilo & Stitch: The Series and Buzz Lightyear of Star
Command. (Ranked as the 61st greatest comedian of all time by Comedy Central, film fans
know him for his role of Zed in the humorous Police Academy movies.)
1963:
The 15th Emmy Awards, hosted by Annette Funicello (an original Mouseketeer) and
Don Knotts (known for his role on The Andy Griffith Show), is held. Walt Disney's
Wonderful World of Color NBC-TV series wins 2 Emmy Awards - one for Outstanding Program Achievement in
the Field of Children's Programming and a second for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction and Scenic
Design (Carroll Clark - Art Director, Marvin Aubrey Davis - Scenic Designer).
1986:
EPCOT's Spaceship Earth reopens with a new narration by legendary newsman
Walter Cronkite, a new finale song titled "Tomorrow's Child," and a new sponsor -
AT&T. It is the attraction's second version.
Actress/model Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey is born in Spain. She played the mermaid Syrena in the 2011 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
1989:
Disney Channel airs the 25th episode of MMC. Today is Hall of Fame Day!
1990:
Mickey's Starland opens in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
(Originally known as Mickey's Birthdayland in 1988, it will later be renamed Mickey's Toontown Fair.)
2001:
Veterans of World War II and Pearl Harbor survivors are honored at a special
screening of the new Disney/Touchstone movie Pearl Harbor at 8 a.m. at the Edwards
Big Newport Theatre in Newport Beach, California. All proceeds from the event, being hosted by a
group of World War II veterans, will be contributed to the Orange County Veterans Charities.
The ABC-TV series House of Mouse airs the episode
"Everybody Loves Mickey."
2003:
Memorial Day
Herman's Hermits featuring Peter Noone finish up their successful 4-day engagement at Epcot with 3 final shows at the America Gardens Theater.
2006:
Disney/Pixar's Cars stages its world premiere at Lowe’s Motor Speedway
in Charlotte, North Carolina. NASCAR legends Richard Petty
& Darrell Waltrip, and others from the voice cast of the film
are joined by a host of stars from the racing world.
Disney Channel premieres the Hannah Montana episode "Mascot Love."
It is the eighth episode of the hit series starring Miley Cyrus.
Disney-MGM hosts the second (of 4) Star Wars Weekends.
Celebrity guests include Jake Lloyd and Matthew Wood.
1983:
The EPCOT Outreach information area opens in Communicore West. It is an educational cul-de-sac where guests can investigate at length any of EPCOT Center's major themes, or other Disney-related information. Graphic displays line the walls leading up to a counter where a staff of researchers (including a librarian) can attempt to answer any questions guests may have.
Over at Disneyland, the Cast Premiere of The New Fantasyland called
"Unlock the Magic" begins at 8:30PM.
1999:
Exactly 44 years to the day since he joined the Disney Company, Dick Nunis
retires as chairman of Walt Disney Attractions. During his tenure with The Walt Disney
Company, Disneyland grew from 600 cast members to 13,000, and Walt Disney World was transformed
from undeveloped swampland in Central Florida to a vacation kingdom employing more than 60,000.
Mickey's Toontown opened in
Disneyland in 1993. It is themed
on the Toontown seen in the film
Who Framed Roger Rabbit. At
Disney World, a Mickey's Toontown
Fair first opened as Mickey's
Birthdayland in 1988. Its storyline
portrayed the land as the holiday
home for the characters who
reside at Mickey's Toontown in
California.
2008:
Today is Memorial Day in the USA.
MAY 26
2009:
An advanced screening of the new Disney-Pixar animated feature Up takes
place at AMC Star Grand Rapids in Michigan. (The film officially opens May 29.)
Walt Disney Records releases Disney Pixar Greatest, a collection of the greatest songs and scores from favorite Disney·Pixar films. It includes song performances by such
artists as Randy Newman, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, and Rascal Flatts, plus scores by Thomas Newman,
Michael Giacchino, and Randy Newman.
Spaceship Earth reopens
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MAY 26
THIS DAY MADE IN THE USA
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"I couldn't say enough good things about Dick (Nunis). In the last couple of years in this state, Dick has become synonymous with the evolution of economic development and going beyond (relying on) tourism."
-John Anderson (president of Enterprise Florida)
1966:
Actress Helena Bonham Carter, who portrayed the Red Queen in Disney's 2010
Tim Burton film Alice in Wonderland and the 2016 sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass, is born in London, England. She also portrayed Red Harrington, an ivory-legged brothel madam, in the 2013 The Lone Ranger and the Fairy Godmother in Sir Kenneth Branagh's 2015 live-action adaptation of romantic fantasy film Cinderella.(Harry Potter fans will know her as Bellatrix Lestrange. Director Burton is Carter's "domestic partner" and father to her children.)
Mickey's Starland opens at WDW
"Walt believed strongly that what would make Disneyland different was the people - he wanted them to feel that they were part of the
organization. That's why he established the first-name policy - he was Walt, I was Dick, and so on. From an overall operations point of view,
the most important thing is to work together to make sure that when guests come, they have a wonderful experience." -Dick Nunis
2010:
Lee DeWyze tapes the famous "I'm Going to Disney World!" television
commercial for Disney Parks at the Nokia Theater after being crowned
the newest American Idol in Los Angeles, California.
Art Linkletter, a legendary star of radio and television (for more than 75 years)
who served as Master of Ceremonies for the opening day of Disneyland in 1955,
passes away at age 97. A close friend of Walt Disney, he also hosted the 1959 television special for
Disneyland’s first New Tomorrowland and was later inducted a Disney Legend in 2005. Born in 1912, Linkletter
was best known for his funny interviews with children and ordinary folks on such 1950s and '60s TV shows as
People Are Funny and House Party.
Disney quietly introduces Disney Tickets Together - an application allowing
Facebook users to buy tickets to Toy Story 3 without leaving the social networking
site and while, at the same time, prodding their friends to come along. Believed to be
a first-of-its-kind, Disney Tickets Together could transform how Hollywood sells movie tickets.
2000:
The final Star Wars Weekends of the 2000 season begins at Disney-MGM.
Celebrity guests include Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia, Saturday and Sunday) and Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett).
Shanghai Noon, a martial arts western comedy film starring Jackie Chan, Owen
Wilson and Lucy Liu, is released by Touchstone Pictures. Bumbling Chon Wang (Chan) works as an Imperial guard in the Forbidden City of China. When Princess Pei Pei (Liu) is taken hostage, Wang
convinces American cowboy Roy O'Bannon (Wilson) to help rescue her.
2011:
The day following Scotty McCreery's win on American Idol, Disney
announces the 17-year-old country crooner will visit Disney's
Hollywood Studios on Monday, May 30. Although he didn't exclaim "I'm going to Disney World"
after his victory Wednesday night, McCreery will take part in a 10 a.m. parade at the Florida theme park.
Disneyland guests get an unannounced preview of "Mickey’s Soundsational Parade," a new nine-float affair featuring Mickey Mouse and such favorite
characters as Peter Pan, Aladdin and Ariel. Accompanied by dancers and musicians, the
highlight is Mickey actually playing an acoustic drum set on the lead float ... a Disney first! "Mickey's
Soundsational Parade" will officially step off the following day.
1991:
The soundtrack for The Rocketeer is released on Hollywood Records. It features the
whimsical music of James Horner and two vocal tracks performed by actress/singer Melora Hardin.
The Rocketeer will premiere June 19 in Hollywood.
MAY
Disney's Hollywood Studios' newest section, Pixar Place, includes many of the original soundstages used when the park hosted actual production
facilities This small but popular themed area resembles the Emeryville, California, campus of Pixar Animation Studios. Its star attraction is Toy Story
Midway Mania!, an interactive 3D attraction inspired by classic carnival midway games, each hosted by characters from the Toy Story film series.
Pixar Place also features character meet-n-greet opportunities and a few snack stands.
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Photo by Bernie at Disney.Rocket9.net
"I don't really care how I am remembered as long as I bring happiness and joy to people." -Eddie Albert
May 26
Selected Disney credits:
The Flight of the Grey Wolf (1976)
Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)
Hog Wild (1974)
The Biscuit Eater (1972)
2017:
A new presentation called "The Music of Pixar Live! A Symphony of Characters" begins at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. Presented three times nightly, it is staged at the park’s Theater of the Stars (the longtime home of the "Beauty and the Beast — Live on Stage" show). The production features tunes from Pixar scores, from films ranging from Toy Story to the new Cars 3.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No
Tales, the fifth installment in the Pirates of the
Caribbean film series, is released. Johnny Depp,
Kevin McNally and Geoffrey Rush reprise their roles as Jack
Sparrow, Joshamee Gibbs and Hector Barbossa, respectively,
and are joined in the cast by Javier Bardem, Brenton
Thwaites and Kaya Scodelario. Thrust into an all-new
adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow, (Depp),
feels the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when
deadly ghost sailors led by his old nemesis, the evil Captain
Salazar (Bardem), escape from the Devil's Triangle!
1995:
The teen romantic drama Mad Love is released by Touchstone Pictures. Matt Leland, played
by Chris O'Donnell, falls for Casey Roberts, played by Drew Barrymore, the new girl in school. She's fun-loving and
eccentric, but there's a darkness to her whimsy that Matt can't begin to comprehend. When Casey attempts to commit
suicide, her parents place her in a mental institution. Matt springs her out, and together the young lovers head on a
road trip in hopes of curing her problems.
Animator, cartoonist, director and producer Isadore "Friz" Freleng passes away at age 88 in California. Beginning his career in animation at United Film Ad Service, he made the acquaintance of fellow animators Hugh Harman and Ub Iwerks. In 1923, Iwerks' friend, Walt Disney, moved to Hollywood and put out a call to his Kansas City colleagues to join him. Freleng made the move to California in January 1927 and joined the Walt Disney studio. While at Disney, he worked on the Alice Comedies and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons. By the early 1930's, Freleng was working for Warner Bros. where he introduced and/or developed several of the studio's biggest cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester the Cat, and Yosemite Sam.
2004:
The premiere of Touchstone's romantic comedy Raising Helen takes place at the El Capitan Theatre, in Hollywood, California. In attendance are cast members Kate Hudson, Spencer Breslin, Hayden Panettiere, Abigail Breslin, Joan Cusack, Sakina Jaffrey, and director Garry Marshall. The film will
be generally released two days later.
1894:
Actor Paul Lukas, who played Proffesor Pierre Aronnax in Disney's 1954
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, is born in Budapest, Hungary.
2013:
Avengers Assemble, an animated television series based on the Marvel Comics superhero team, premieres on Disney XD with the 2-part episode "The Avengers Protocol." Distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television, the voice cast includes Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, James C. Mathis III, Adrian Pasdar,
Bumper Robinson, Roger Craig Smith, Fred Tatasciore, Travis Willingham, and Mick Wingert.
1939:
Sportscaster Brent Musburger is born in Portland, Oregon. Joining ESPN and ABC Sports in 1990, Musburger covered the NBA Finals, as well as hosting Monday Night Football and providing play-by-play for Saturday Night Football and the SEC Network. (The integration of ABC Sports with ESPN began after The Walt Disney Company bought ABC in 1996.) In January 2017, he left the ESPN and ABC television networks after 27 years. He voiced himself in Pixar's Cars 2, Planes, and Planes: Fire & Rescue. Musburger also played himself in the 1998 Touchstone comedy The Waterboy.
