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.

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.

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.

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.

June 22: Passing of a Legend

On this day in 2008, Grammy Award-winning comedian, actor, and author George Carlin passed away at age 71. Carlin supplied the voices of Fillmore for the Disney/Pixar Cars and Zugor for Disney's Tarzan II.
Noted for his political humor and observations on language, psychology, and religion, Carlin's stand-up routines often focused on the flaws of every day America. Born in New York City in 1937, he first began appearing on television variety shows (such as The Ed Sullivan Show) in the 1960s. He was a favorite of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson and hosted the very first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. His best-known routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television" brought him fame and controversy.
Carlin was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 15th Annual Comedy Awards in 2001. His very last HBO stand-up special It's Bad for Ya aired on March 1, 2008.
On June 22, 2008 Carlin was admitted to St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California complaining of chest pains. Sadly he passed away later that day.

"Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?" -George Carlin

Click HERE for more June 22 Disney history

June 11: Dangerous! Daring! Devil-May-Care!

On this day in 1960, Disney released the live-action feature The Sign of Zorro, starring Guy Williams, to U.S. theaters. (The film had been released overseas in 1958.) The Sign of Zorro was actually put together from episodes of Disney's half-hour TV series Zorro.
Based on the character originally created by Johnston McCulley back in 1919, Disney's Zorro first premiered on October 10, 1957 on ABC-TV. During its run, 78 episodes were produced as well as 4 hour-long specials. Zorro was very popular with kids and its theme song (written by Norman Foster and George Bruns) was first recorded by the Mellomen (a singing quartet featuring Thurl Ravenscroft).
The Sign of Zorro finds the masked avenger up against Captain Monastario, a corrupt military governor who wants to make Southern California his own!

Click HERE for more June 11 Disney history.

June 10: Birth of Moochie

On this day in 1949, Kevin Corcoran (a child actor and director/producer) was born in Santa Monica, California.
As a young boy he appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 - 1963. Corcoran played several different (but similar) characters - oddly all bearing the nickname Moochie. He appeared in 3 Mickey Mouse Club serials beginning with "Adventure in Dairyland," in which he played Moochie McCandless, a farmer's son. He then portrayed Montgomery "Moochie" O'Hara in two Spin and Marty serials - "The Further Adventures of Spin and Mary," and "The New Adventures of Spin and Marty."
Although never a Mouseketeer, he did appear in a Mouseketeer outfit (with the name Moochie across the chest) in the 1957 TV episode "Disneyland: The Fourth Anniversary Show."
In 1959, Corcoran portrayed Montgomery "Moochie" Daniels in the live-action feature The Shaggy Dog. He also starred as Moochie Morgan in the made-for-TV films Moochie of the Little League and Moochie of Pop Warner Football.
His non-Moochie roles for Disney included Old Yeller (as younger son Arliss Coates), Pollyana (as Pollyana's friend. orphan Jimmy Bean), Swiss Family Robinson (as younger son Francis Robinson), and Babes in Toyland (as Boy Blue).
Corcoran later graduated from California State University (with a degree in theater arts) and returned to Disney as an assistant director and producer. Beginning in the early 1970s, his credits included Superdad, The Island at the Top of the World, and Pete's Dragon. In 1977 he worked on The New Mickey Mouse Club and was an associate producer on the 1978 sequel Return to Witch Mountain. He later co-produced Herbie Goes Bananas and produced the comedy series Zorro and Son.
Corcoran was honored as a Disney Legend in 2006.

Click HERE for more June 10 Disney history.