On this day in 1975, the Disneyland attraction Mission to Mars opened in Tomorrowland. (A similar attraction would open at Disney World in June 1975.) First called Flight to the Moon (an original opening day Disneyland attraction) it was updated once man had actually traveled to the moon.
Mission to Mars (designed with NASA) launched guests to the red planet. But prior to blastoff, guests entered a viewing area (or Mission Control) where they were greeted by an Audio-Animatronic named Mr Johnson. With the use of film clips, Johnson explained space travel and the effects of a microgravity environment.
After the pre-show, guests boarded their spacecraft - a circular theater with stadium-like seating and circular flat screens on the ceiling and floor. To add to the realism, the seats simulated the vibrations and G-forces from "Hyper-space."
Mission to Mars closed on November 2, 1992 and the building remained unused until May 1998 when it was turned into ... Redd Rockett's Pizza Port.
Click HERE for more March 21 Disney history.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Mar 20: Oscar Night
On this evening in 1948, the 20th Academy Awards were held at the Shrine Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.
Songwriters Allie Wrubel and Ray Gilbert took home the Best Music, Original Song Oscar for "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" from Disney's Song of the South. Other song nominees in that category included "Pass that Peace Pipe" (from Good News), "You Do" (from Mother Wore Tights), "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" (from The Perils of Pauline), and "A Gal in Calico" (from The Time, the Place, and the Girl).
The team of Daniele Amfitheatrof, Paul J. Smith, and Charles Wolcott were nominated for Best Music, Scoring of A Musical Picture for their contribution to Song of the South. But Alfred Newman took home the Oscar for his work on Mother Wore Tights.
Both Disney's Pluto's Blue Note and Chip an' Dale lost to Edward Seltzer's Tweetie Pie for Best Short Subject, Cartoon.
Among the Honorary Oscars presented was one to actor James Baskett "for his able and heart-warming characterization of Uncle Remus, friend and storyteller to the children of the world, in Walt Disney's Song of the South."
Click HERE for more March 20 Disney history.
Songwriters Allie Wrubel and Ray Gilbert took home the Best Music, Original Song Oscar for "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" from Disney's Song of the South. Other song nominees in that category included "Pass that Peace Pipe" (from Good News), "You Do" (from Mother Wore Tights), "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" (from The Perils of Pauline), and "A Gal in Calico" (from The Time, the Place, and the Girl).
The team of Daniele Amfitheatrof, Paul J. Smith, and Charles Wolcott were nominated for Best Music, Scoring of A Musical Picture for their contribution to Song of the South. But Alfred Newman took home the Oscar for his work on Mother Wore Tights.
Both Disney's Pluto's Blue Note and Chip an' Dale lost to Edward Seltzer's Tweetie Pie for Best Short Subject, Cartoon.
Among the Honorary Oscars presented was one to actor James Baskett "for his able and heart-warming characterization of Uncle Remus, friend and storyteller to the children of the world, in Walt Disney's Song of the South."
Click HERE for more March 20 Disney history.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Mar 19: Happy Birthday Danger Man!
On this day in 1928, Emmy Award-winning actor Patrick McGoohan was born in Astoria, Queens, New York. Best known from the television series Danger Man (also known as Secret Agent) and the cult classic The Prisoner, McGoohan was raised in the UK (hence his British fame but neutral accent).
Disney fans know his voice as Billy Bones from the 2002 Treasure Planet. But he also appeared in Disney's 1964 live-action The Three Lives of Thomasina and the 3-part TV serial The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh.
(McGoohan directed, wrote and appeared in a handful of "Columbo" TV episodes!)
Click HERE for more March 19 Disney history.
Disney fans know his voice as Billy Bones from the 2002 Treasure Planet. But he also appeared in Disney's 1964 live-action The Three Lives of Thomasina and the 3-part TV serial The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh.
(McGoohan directed, wrote and appeared in a handful of "Columbo" TV episodes!)
Click HERE for more March 19 Disney history.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Mar 18: A Window For Orlando
On this day in 2003, Imagineer & Disney Legend Orlando Ferrante received a Window on Disneyland's Main Street, USA. During his 40 years at WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering) Ferrante helped create magical lands in parks all around the world.
A small ceremony was held on this day (during park hours) to dedicate his Window - located on Center Street near the lockers. The Dapper Dans kicked off the ceremony with their rendition of "Walking Right Down the Middle of Main Street, USA." Also taking part was Disneyland Resort Ambassador Daina Baker, Marty Sklar (Vice Chairman and Principle Creative Executive of Walt Disney Imagineering), Jim Thomas (Vice President of Project Management of WDI), and Don Goodman (President of WDI).
Ferrante's Window reads:
Click HERE for more March 18 Disney history.
A small ceremony was held on this day (during park hours) to dedicate his Window - located on Center Street near the lockers. The Dapper Dans kicked off the ceremony with their rendition of "Walking Right Down the Middle of Main Street, USA." Also taking part was Disneyland Resort Ambassador Daina Baker, Marty Sklar (Vice Chairman and Principle Creative Executive of Walt Disney Imagineering), Jim Thomas (Vice President of Project Management of WDI), and Don Goodman (President of WDI).
Ferrante's Window reads:
The Pico Organization
Installation and Coordination
World Class Projects
"We Never Sleep in Any Time Zone"
Orlando Ferrante
Founder
Installation and Coordination
World Class Projects
"We Never Sleep in Any Time Zone"
Orlando Ferrante
Founder
Upon arriving at Disney, his first job involved installing the Enchanted Tiki Room. This was followed by relocating and installing the attractions developed by Disney for the 1964-65 World's Fair. In 1966, Ferrante established a new department called Project Installation Coordinating Office ... or PICO for short. From Walt Disney World to Disneyland Paris, his keen skills proved to be invaluable. Retired since 2002, Ferrante's last assignment was helping in the launch of the second Disney Cruise Line ship in Venice, Italy.
"My main love has been the production and installation of the shows and rides. I love seeing the ideas and being able to help make them a reality." - Orlando FerranteClick HERE for more March 18 Disney history.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Mar 17: 5,246 feet of Test Track!
On this day in 1999, the Epcot attraction Test Track officially debuted. Sponsored by General Motors, Test Track had first opened to the public in December 1998.
A popular Disney World ride (Fastpass typically runs out by mid-afternoon), guests ride in futuristic test cars through a GM "testing facility." They experience 5 minutes of tests to illustrate how automobile prototype evaluations are conducted. The vehicles are powered by 3 onboard computers - which believe it or not has more processing power than the Space Shuttle! Test Track snakes through the 150,000-square-foot pavilion and even at times outside of Epcot's public areas.
One unfortunate aspect of Test Track is that it often breaks down ... which can take up to an hour to get restarted.
Click HERE for more March 17 Disney history.
A popular Disney World ride (Fastpass typically runs out by mid-afternoon), guests ride in futuristic test cars through a GM "testing facility." They experience 5 minutes of tests to illustrate how automobile prototype evaluations are conducted. The vehicles are powered by 3 onboard computers - which believe it or not has more processing power than the Space Shuttle! Test Track snakes through the 150,000-square-foot pavilion and even at times outside of Epcot's public areas.
One unfortunate aspect of Test Track is that it often breaks down ... which can take up to an hour to get restarted.
Click HERE for more March 17 Disney history.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Mar 16: Released Today
On this day in 1999, Walt Disney Records and American Gramaphone (a Nebraska-based record company) released the CD Manheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse: Unique Musical Creations Based on Disney Songs.
Manheim Steamroller, considered a "new age" group and founded by Chip Davis & Jackson Berkey in the mid-1970s, are best known for their modern renditions of Christmas songs. (The group has sold 27 million albums in the U.S. alone.)
Started as an alias for Davis (a record producer/composer), the name "Manheim Steamroller" comes from an 18th-century German musical technique - an ascending arpeggio popularized by the Manheim style of composition.
Manheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse features 12 tracks of Disney favorites:
"Chim Chim Cher-ee"
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"
"Under the Sea"
"Hakuna Matada"
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"
"Go the Distance"
"The Ballad of Davy Crockett"
"Heigh-Ho"
"You've Got a Friend in Me"
"When You Wish Upon a Star"
"Reflection"
"Mickey Mouse March"
Manheim Steamroller would later perform at Epcot in May 2002 as part of the Flower Power Concert Series.
"To be associated with a company like Disney, whose catalog of music is so rich and spans so many generations, is an arranger's dream." - Grammy Award-winning Chip Davis
Click HERE for more March 16 Disney history.
Manheim Steamroller, considered a "new age" group and founded by Chip Davis & Jackson Berkey in the mid-1970s, are best known for their modern renditions of Christmas songs. (The group has sold 27 million albums in the U.S. alone.)
Started as an alias for Davis (a record producer/composer), the name "Manheim Steamroller" comes from an 18th-century German musical technique - an ascending arpeggio popularized by the Manheim style of composition.
Manheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse features 12 tracks of Disney favorites:
"Chim Chim Cher-ee"
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"
"Under the Sea"
"Hakuna Matada"
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"
"Go the Distance"
"The Ballad of Davy Crockett"
"Heigh-Ho"
"You've Got a Friend in Me"
"When You Wish Upon a Star"
"Reflection"
"Mickey Mouse March"
Manheim Steamroller would later perform at Epcot in May 2002 as part of the Flower Power Concert Series.
"To be associated with a company like Disney, whose catalog of music is so rich and spans so many generations, is an arranger's dream." - Grammy Award-winning Chip Davis
Click HERE for more March 16 Disney history.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Mar 15: Born Today
On this day in 1904, James Patrick O'Malley (also known as J. Pat O'Malley) was born in Burnley, England. A singer-turned-actor, O'Malley had a long career on radio, Broadway, film, and television as a character actor.
A move from England to the United States in 1935 eventually brought him to the attention of Walt Disney. His first voicing of an animated character was Cyril Proudbottom in Disney's 1949 The Wind in the Willows. His voice can also be heard in the 1951 Alice in Wonderland - in which he performed all the voices in the "Walrus and Carpenter" segment.
Already known to the studio casting directors for his voice work, O'Malley was chosen to play the television role of the English servant Perkins assigned to watch over Monty Markham in The Adventures of Spin and Marty. He appeared on all 3 Spin and Marty serials.
O'Malley continued to work for Disney throughout the 1960s doing voice work for One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Jungle Book, and Mary Poppins (the Cockney coster in the "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" segment).
O'Malley later contributed his voice talents to the Disneyland attraction Pirates of the Caribbean. Among the characters he voiced ... the Pirate Captain dunking the magistrate into the well!
O'Malley's non-Disney TV credits is staggering, as he appeared in episodes of Lassie, Perry Mason, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Twilight Zone, My Favorite Martian, F Troop, Bewitched, Batman, Hogan's Heroes, The Mod Squad, I Dream of Jeannie, Bonanza, Adam-12, Emergency, Maude, Three's Company, Barney Miller, Fantasy Island, and Taxi.
It's been often stated that J. Pat was a kind and gentle man, who made this world a better place for having been here, and he left his legacy on film.
Click HERE for more March 15 Disney history.
A move from England to the United States in 1935 eventually brought him to the attention of Walt Disney. His first voicing of an animated character was Cyril Proudbottom in Disney's 1949 The Wind in the Willows. His voice can also be heard in the 1951 Alice in Wonderland - in which he performed all the voices in the "Walrus and Carpenter" segment.
Already known to the studio casting directors for his voice work, O'Malley was chosen to play the television role of the English servant Perkins assigned to watch over Monty Markham in The Adventures of Spin and Marty. He appeared on all 3 Spin and Marty serials.
O'Malley continued to work for Disney throughout the 1960s doing voice work for One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Jungle Book, and Mary Poppins (the Cockney coster in the "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" segment).
O'Malley later contributed his voice talents to the Disneyland attraction Pirates of the Caribbean. Among the characters he voiced ... the Pirate Captain dunking the magistrate into the well!
O'Malley's non-Disney TV credits is staggering, as he appeared in episodes of Lassie, Perry Mason, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Twilight Zone, My Favorite Martian, F Troop, Bewitched, Batman, Hogan's Heroes, The Mod Squad, I Dream of Jeannie, Bonanza, Adam-12, Emergency, Maude, Three's Company, Barney Miller, Fantasy Island, and Taxi.
It's been often stated that J. Pat was a kind and gentle man, who made this world a better place for having been here, and he left his legacy on film.
Click HERE for more March 15 Disney history.
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