Thursday, July 24, 2008

July 24: Brains, Brawn and Beyond

On this day in 2005,

Walt Disney Pictures’ Sky High - directed by Mike Mitchell and written by Paul Hernandez, Robert Schooley, & Mark McCorkle - had its premiere at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California.

The story of fourteen-year-old Will Stronghold (played by Michael Angarano), the son of two famous superheroes - Steve and Josie Stronghold (Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston), Sky High received generally favorable reviews and earned just under $64 million in the U.S. alone.

The plot surrounds Will who attends a school in the sky for superheroes called Sky High, despite the fact that he has no superpowers … and is hiding this fact from his parents.

Sky High Original Soundtrack was released two days later on July 26. It featured covers of songs from the 1980s performed by modern day acts.

Click HERE for more July 24 Disney history.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

July 22: A Dimension Of Sound - A Dimension Of Sight

On this day in 1994 the Disney World attraction The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opened at Disney-MGM Studios (today called Disney's Hollywood Studios).
Commonly referred to as simply Tower of Terror, the attraction is a simulated free-fall thrill ride based on a television series created by Rod Serling. It is themed to resemble a fictional inn called Hollywood Tower Hotel which was "struck by lightning" on October 31, 1939. The story of the hotel is adapted by elements of the original Twilight Zone anthology series (which first aired in 1959).
At 199 feet tall, the Tower of Terror is the second tallest attraction on Disney World property (Expedition Everest is taller by a half-a-foot).

Click HERE for more July 22 Disney history.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

July 02: Debuted Today

On this day in 1964, Disney's live-action feature The Moon-Spinners premiered. (It was generally released on July 8.)
Based on a suspense novel by English novelist Mary Stewart, the film starred Hayley Mills, Eli Wallach, Peter McEnerey, Pola Negri, Joan Greenwood, and Irene Papas. Negri (who portrayed Madame Habib) - retired at the time, was convinced by Walt himself to return to the screen for one last time.
The film centers around Nikky Ferris (played by Mills) and her Aunt Francis (played by Greenwood) who take a trip to the Greek island of Crete. The two vacationers get mixed up with a jewel thief (played by Wallach), romance, and murder!

Click HERE for more July 02 Disney history.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

July 01: Main Street Fixture

On this day in 1911, Charles David "Bub" Thomas was born in Lewistown, Montana. A singer, entertainer, nightclub owner, and painter/sketch artist, Bub was one of the original Dapper Dans of Walt Disney World.
Bub and his fellow harmonizers, Jerry Siggins, Bob Mathis, and Dick Kneeland first began entertaining at the Florida resort while it was still under construction. The Dapper Dans were present on October 1, 1971 along with composer Meredith Wilson, the grand marshall of the opening day parade, for the Magic Kingdom's debut.
Bub was a fixture on Main Street for 25 years (during which time many of the members of the barbershop quartet changed). Sadly Bub was killed in a car accident in Orlando on January 28, 1997.

Click HERE for more July 01 Disney history.