On this day in 2000, the direct-to-video animated film An Extremely Goofy Movie was released. The sequel to A Goofy Movie, it features the voice of Bill Farmer as everyone's favorite Disney dog. In this film, Max (Goofy's son voiced by Jason Marsden) sets off for his first year of college, thinking he is free of his father. But his freshman days are interrupted when Goofy shows up at the same college to get a degree!
The voice cast also includes Jim Cummings (as Peter Pete), Brad Garrett (as Tank), Vicki Lewis (as Beret Girl), and Pauly Shore (as Bobby). Bill Farmer has been the voice of Goofy since 1986.
Click HERE for more February 29 Disney history.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Feb 28: "Aflac!"
On this day in 1955, stand-up comedian/actor Gilbert Gottfried was born in Brooklyn, New York. Known for his distinctive squeaky, grating voice he has played numerous roles in film & TV (and is currently the voice of the duck in the AFLAC commercials).
Gottfried is best known to Disney fans as the voice of Iago the parrot from the 1992 animated feature Aladdin. Iago is Jafar's sarcastic foul-mouthed parrot. Like many Disney characters, Iago has made recurring appearances on Disney's House of Mouse and in the Kingdom Hearts series. Gottfried also supplies the voice of Iago for Walt Disney World's The Enchanted Tiki Room and Mickey's PhilharMagic.
His Disney voice credits also include an episode each of The Emperor's New School and Hercules. Gottfried has even shot an episode of Disney Channel's Hanna Montana in which he plays a harsh music critic (scheduled to debut March 21, 2008).
Click HERE for more February 28 Disney history.
Gottfried is best known to Disney fans as the voice of Iago the parrot from the 1992 animated feature Aladdin. Iago is Jafar's sarcastic foul-mouthed parrot. Like many Disney characters, Iago has made recurring appearances on Disney's House of Mouse and in the Kingdom Hearts series. Gottfried also supplies the voice of Iago for Walt Disney World's The Enchanted Tiki Room and Mickey's PhilharMagic.
His Disney voice credits also include an episode each of The Emperor's New School and Hercules. Gottfried has even shot an episode of Disney Channel's Hanna Montana in which he plays a harsh music critic (scheduled to debut March 21, 2008).
Click HERE for more February 28 Disney history.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Feb 27: "And the Oscar goes to ..."
On this day in 1941, "When You Wish Upon a Star" won the Academy Award for Best Song. Written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington, it was introduced in Disney's animated Pinocchio where it was sung by Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket! (Along with Paul J. Smith, Harline and Washington also received the Oscar for Best Original Score on this day.)
Lyricist Ned Washington was born in Pennsylvania in 1901. One of the most prolific of the Tin Pan Alley writers, he collaborated on several Broadway scores. In 1934, Washington moved to Hollywood where he first worked for MGM and then Disney by 1938. Eventually he began writing with many composers - one in particular being Leigh Harline.
Composer Harline was born in Utah in 1907. He majored in music at the University of Utah and by 1928 moved to California. Leigh first joined Disney in 1932 and wrote tunes for some 50 animated shorts before scoring Walt's first feature-length animated feature Snow White. It has often been reported that Walt didn't actually like the musical score to Pinocchio ... until it won 2 Oscars. Unfortunately this caused Harline to leave the Disney Studio and never work for Walt again. Ironically the tune has become the "theme" of Disney!
Pinocchio's most famous melody was later used in opening sequences of Disney's anthology TV series and in Walt Disney Picture's opening logos.
Even Disney's cruise line ships use the iconic first seven notes of "When You Wish Upon a Star" as their horn signals.
Some music experts believe the first seven notes of the tune are borrowed from Claude Debussy's "Clair de Lune."
The American Film Institute has ranked "When You Wish" seventh in their 100 Greatest Songs in Film History.
Click HERE for more February 27 Disney history.
Lyricist Ned Washington was born in Pennsylvania in 1901. One of the most prolific of the Tin Pan Alley writers, he collaborated on several Broadway scores. In 1934, Washington moved to Hollywood where he first worked for MGM and then Disney by 1938. Eventually he began writing with many composers - one in particular being Leigh Harline.
Composer Harline was born in Utah in 1907. He majored in music at the University of Utah and by 1928 moved to California. Leigh first joined Disney in 1932 and wrote tunes for some 50 animated shorts before scoring Walt's first feature-length animated feature Snow White. It has often been reported that Walt didn't actually like the musical score to Pinocchio ... until it won 2 Oscars. Unfortunately this caused Harline to leave the Disney Studio and never work for Walt again. Ironically the tune has become the "theme" of Disney!
Pinocchio's most famous melody was later used in opening sequences of Disney's anthology TV series and in Walt Disney Picture's opening logos.
Even Disney's cruise line ships use the iconic first seven notes of "When You Wish Upon a Star" as their horn signals.
Some music experts believe the first seven notes of the tune are borrowed from Claude Debussy's "Clair de Lune."
The American Film Institute has ranked "When You Wish" seventh in their 100 Greatest Songs in Film History.
Click HERE for more February 27 Disney history.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Feb 26: Birth Of An American Hero
On this day in 1732, American Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion was born at his family's plantation in South Carolina. First a lieutenant colonel in Continental Army and later a brigadier general in the South Carolina Militia, Marion was nicknamed "Swamp Fox" for his unique guerrilla tactics against the British.
His elusive and crafty exploits became the inspiration for a television mini-series produced by Walt Disney between 1959-1961. The Swamp Fox starred Leslie Nielsen as Francis Marion and aired as part of the Disney anthology series.
Francis Marion is today considered the father of modern guerrilla warfare.
Click HERE for more February 26 Disney history.
His elusive and crafty exploits became the inspiration for a television mini-series produced by Walt Disney between 1959-1961. The Swamp Fox starred Leslie Nielsen as Francis Marion and aired as part of the Disney anthology series.
Francis Marion is today considered the father of modern guerrilla warfare.
Click HERE for more February 26 Disney history.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Feb 25: She's So Unusually Disney
On this day in 2005 singer-actress Cyndi Lauper appeared on Disney Channel's That's So Raven. First introduced to the record-buying public in 1983 with her smash album She's So Unusual, Lauper played the role of Ms. Patuto on the debut of the Raven episode "Art Breaker."
Popularly known as a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Lauper has also worked as an actress (she made her acting debut in the 1988 quirky comedy Vibes and appeared in 4 episodes of the hit TV series Mad About You).
Lauper's Disney connection doesn't stop with Raven, as her credits include Higglytown Heroes as Operator Hero and the animated feature Tarzan - in which her song "True Colors" was used.
In 2001, Lauper headlined the New Year's Eve entertainment lineup at Disney World's Pleasure Island, and in 2008 appeared alongside Miley Cyrus (a.k.a Hanna Montana) to present an award at the Grammys.
Click HERE for more February 25 Disney history.
Popularly known as a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Lauper has also worked as an actress (she made her acting debut in the 1988 quirky comedy Vibes and appeared in 4 episodes of the hit TV series Mad About You).
Lauper's Disney connection doesn't stop with Raven, as her credits include Higglytown Heroes as Operator Hero and the animated feature Tarzan - in which her song "True Colors" was used.
In 2001, Lauper headlined the New Year's Eve entertainment lineup at Disney World's Pleasure Island, and in 2008 appeared alongside Miley Cyrus (a.k.a Hanna Montana) to present an award at the Grammys.
Click HERE for more February 25 Disney history.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Feb 24: Hip Hip Poohray!
On this day in 1969, the animated Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subjects, Cartoons.
First released in December 1968 as a companion to the live-action The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit, it was the second Pooh short produced by Disney. With music written by Richard and Robert Sherman, the voice cast included Sebastian Cabot (as the narrator), Sterling Holloway (as Pooh), John Fiedler (as Piglet), Paul Winchell (as Tigger), Clint Howard (as Roo), and John Walmsley (as Christopher Robin).
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day went on to win an Oscar the following April 14.
Click HERE for more February 24 Disney history.
First released in December 1968 as a companion to the live-action The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit, it was the second Pooh short produced by Disney. With music written by Richard and Robert Sherman, the voice cast included Sebastian Cabot (as the narrator), Sterling Holloway (as Pooh), John Fiedler (as Piglet), Paul Winchell (as Tigger), Clint Howard (as Roo), and John Walmsley (as Christopher Robin).
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day went on to win an Oscar the following April 14.
Click HERE for more February 24 Disney history.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Feb 23: Final Curtain Call For Simba
On this day in 2002, Legend of the Lion King, a live Fantasyland show at Disney World's Magic Kingdom, played its final performance. Running since July 1994, the Kodak-sponsored show combined puppetry, film, and live-action to re-tell the story of Simba.
Held in a 500-seat theater (once home to The Mickey Mouse Revue and Magic Journeys) Legend of the Lion King featured key scenes from The Lion King animated movie - but were presented by fully articulated puppets. The 25-minute show featured eight different casts of ten people each that performed the show some 30 times a day. (Some of the puppets required multiple people to operate them.)
Legend of the Lion King was closed to make room for PhilharMagic (a 3D film attraction).
Click HERE for more February 23 Disney history.
Held in a 500-seat theater (once home to The Mickey Mouse Revue and Magic Journeys) Legend of the Lion King featured key scenes from The Lion King animated movie - but were presented by fully articulated puppets. The 25-minute show featured eight different casts of ten people each that performed the show some 30 times a day. (Some of the puppets required multiple people to operate them.)
Legend of the Lion King was closed to make room for PhilharMagic (a 3D film attraction).
Click HERE for more February 23 Disney history.
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