Sep 14: Broadway's Belle #14

On this day in 2004 actress Brooke Tansley first stepped into the role of Belle in Disney's Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast. She became the 14th actress to play the lead role on Broadway (replacing Belle #13 - Christy Carlson Romano).
Originally from Waterbury, Connecticut, Tansley had made her Broadway debut in Hairspray. (She was the first actress from Waterbury to star on Broadway since Rosalind Russell in the 1953 production of Wonderful Town.)
Her Disney connection goes back to childhood, when Brooke and her brother Scott won a trip to Disney World.
Her run as Belle was to last just until January ... but was extended twice into September 2005.
Fans of TV's Law & Order may recognize her from the finale of season 6 - in which she played a character named Belle.

Click HERE for more September 14 Disney history.

Sep 13: The Velvet Fog-Disney Connection

On this day in 1925, jazz singer, composer, arranger, actor & drummer Mel Tormé was born in Chicago, Illinois. Nicknamed the Velvet Fog, he is probably best known for co-writing "The Christmas Song" (often referred to as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire").
A child prodigy, Tormé first sang professionally at age 4 in a Chicago restaurant! Between 1933 and 1941 he acted on radio serials and wrote his first song ... at age 13. While still a teen he sang, arranged, and played drums in a band led by Chico Marx (of the Marx Brothers). In 1943, Tormé made his movie debut in Frank Sinatra's first film Higher and Higher. Tormé went on to write some 250 songs, of which many became jazz standards.
Tormé's connection with Disney goes back to the 1948 live-action So Dear To My Heart, in which his song "County Fair" was used in. During the 1970s Tormé appeared numerous times at the Top of the World - a restaurant/show room once located at the top of Disney World's Contemporary Resort (today known as the California Grill). In 1996, he recorded and released the album "A&E: An Evening With Mel Tormé Live From the Disney Institute." In 2006 his timeless tune "The Christmas Song" was used in Disney's live-action holiday feature The Santa Clause 3.
Although Mel passed in 1999, the Tormé-Disney connection continues today as his son James (also a respected jazz singer) has performed with his trio at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Click HERE for more September 13 Disney history.

Sep 11: Speaking of history ...

I am surprised and somewhat disappointed in the lack of attention Patriot Day received from Disney fan sites this year. I always associate Disney with American pride and Americana. Obviously so did Walt ... think of all the theme park attractions that are based upon American history.
I didn't expect lengthy paragraphs about Patriot Day to be posted on Disney fan sites, but an American flag icon or some such image or reference to Patriot Day would have been nice to see. Sometimes it's so much more than just about vacation photos and personal theme park opinions.
On the other hand the fact that most hop into The Hall of Presidents because of its air conditioning instead of its presentation ... I guess this lack of interest shouldn't really surprise me.
This Day in Disney History isn't about opinions but (hopefully) accurate facts and interesting anecdotes about Walt Disney and his company. I rarely give my personal opinions about events, movies, theme parks, etc. - but today I needed to vent. Today I needed to take my website (which is a hobby that I am passionate about) and my American pride and mesh them together. Thanks for reading.

To see how the events of September 11, 2001 affected Disney click HERE.

August 22: Skeletons Night Out

On this day in 1929, Disney’s first Silly Symphony cartoon short The Skeleton Dance was released. Voted #18 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons (in 1994) the short features four human skeletons dancing and making music around an eerie graveyard.
Composer Carl W. Stalling (a pioneer and Disney’s first musical director) supplied the music and actually first suggested the idea for a series of musical one-shot cartoons to Walt at a gag meeting in 1929. The Skeleton Dance is notable for being the first animated cartoon to use non-post-sync sound.
Although Ub Iwerks is given credit as the short’s animator – he was assisted by Wilfred Jackson and a very young Les Clark (who would go on to become one of Walt’s “Nine Old Men”).

Click HERE for more August 22 Disney history.

August 21: A Bear's Beginning

On this day in 1921, an 18" high Alpha Farnell teddy bear from Harrod's in London, England was given to Christopher Robin Milne on his first birthday. Christopher was the son of writer A. A. Milne. The bear was first named Edward Bear before being commonly known as Winnie-the-Pooh. (This is the exact bear that in 1987 was put on display at The New York Public Library.)
The manufacturer of this now famous teddy can be traced back to 1840 in Notting Hill and John Kirby Farnell – who made small textile goods such as tea cosies, pin cushions and pen wipers. But it was Agnus Farnell (John's daughter) who began making soft toys in 1870 with the backing of her father and Henry her brother.
After their father’s death in 1887 Agnus and Henry moved the company to Acton and leased an 18th century house "The Elms" where they set up a soft toy business - originally using rabbit skins to make the toys! The company is believed to have produced its first Teddy Bear in 1908. In 1921, J. K. Farnell became a private limited company. That same year Agnus set up the Alpha works next to the existing Farnell factory and produced bears designed by Sybill Kemp.
Alpha Farnell bears were sold in most major stores, including Harrods in London.

Click HERE for more August 21 Disney history.

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.