April 29: Inside The Castle

On this day in 1957, the official dedication of a new walk-through attraction inside the Sleeping Beauty Castle took place at Disneyland.
An icon of the park since its debut in 1955, internally the castle had been an incomplete shell (except for dozens of feral cats who had made it their home). Walt Disney himself assigned Imagineer Ken Anderson to design something inside the castle that guests could look at. An idea to explain the story of Sleeping Beauty was hatched. Although Disney's film version wasn't complete at the time, Imagineers designed a walk-through diorama containing scenes of the Sleeping Beauty tale.
The official dedication of the walk-through took place on this day in 1957 ... at 3 p.m. with the Disneyland band performing "When You Wish Upon A Star." Along with Walt helping in the ceremony was actress Shirley Temple dressed as a princess. (As a child Temple had been a huge box-office draw and in 1939 presented Walt with the famous Oscar statues for his Snow White feature.) Also in attendance were Temple's 3 children. (They had all stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and had visited the park the day before the dedication.)
After Walt spoke to the gathered crowd about the new walk-through, Temple told the story of Sleeping Beauty and then cut the ribbon to open the attraction.
In 1977 the walk-through was updated to mirror the actual animated feature. Yet in October 2001, the attraction was "closed for refurbishment." It wasn't until November 2008 that the "Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough" once again opened to guests.

Take a walk-through of April 29 Disney history HERE.

April 26: The Brilliance of Eyvind Earle

On this day in 1916, master painter, illustrator, and writer Eyvind Earle was born in New York City. Two years later his family moved to Hollywood, California, and at the young age of 10 Earle began to paint.

By the time he began working at Walt Disney Studios in 1951, his paintings had already been exhibited at such prestigious venues as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. His first assignments at Disney was as a background painter for the short For Whom The Bulls Toil, the feature Melody, and the Academy Award winning short Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom.
Earle graduated to production designer & color stylist, and continued as a background painter for such classic animated features as Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp. Earle also painted the illustrations for "Walt Disney's Peter Pan and Wendy" Little Golden Book,
and designed five murals for the Disneyland theme park.

In the 1960s, Earle left Disney and started his own motion picture animation company where he created animated TV commercials for such clients as Chevrolet Motors, Chrysler Corporation and Kellogg Cereal Company.

In the late 1960s, Earle returned to painting full-time and for the next 35 years his work was featured in traveling exhibitions as well as one-man shows all over the U.S.
In 1998, he was honored at the 26th Annie Awards with the Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement in the art of animation. He passed away just two years later.

Learn more about this remarkable talent HERE.

Click HERE for much more April 26 Disney history.

April 23: America's First Sweetheart

On this day in 1928, Shirley Temple was born in Santa Monica, California. Beginning her screen career at the age of three, she first skyrocketed to fame in 1934 in the feature Bright Eyes. Between 1935-1938 she was the top box-office draw in the U.S.

An Academy Award winner, Shirley Temple's Disney-connections are many.

In February 1939, she presented Walt Disney with one statuette and seven miniature statuettes for his Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, at the 11th Academy Awards.

That same year Temple was caricatured (along with other
Hollywood stars) in the Donald Duck cartoon
The Autograph Hound.

In April 1957, Temple (now an adult with children of her own) took part in a re-dedication of Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland.

Later in life Temple sat on the board of directors for some of the largest enterprises ... including The Walt Disney Company (between 1974-1975).

In 2001, The Wonderful World of Disney aired the episode "Child Stars: The Shirley Temple Story."

"When I first met Walt Disney, I remember him being a little shy, but pleasant. I was very pleased to be the one to present him with his unique Academy Award for Snow White. To me Walt will always be a king of a very special magic kingdom of imagination." -Shirley Temple

Click HERE for more April 23 Disney history.

April 22: Discover The Magic Of The Place Everyone Calls Home

On this Earth Day in 2004 - Sacred Planet, a documentary by Walt Disney Pictures, was released.
Directed by Jon Long and narrated by veteran actor Robert Redford, the film features amazing shots of natural wonders, nature, and people from all over the world. State of the art camera techniques, including motion controlled time-lapse photography were combined with an eclectic soundtrack of acoustic and world music to create a journey into the mystical sights and sounds of nature. An IMAX film, Sacred Planet takes viewers to such locations as the forests of British Columbia, the snowy glaciers of Alaska, the ancient ruins of Thailand, and the tropical jungles and underwater mysteries of Borneo.

Click HERE for more Earth Day Disney History.

April 21: Up, Up & Away

After weeks of soft-openings, the Characters In Flight attraction at WDW had an official opening ceremony on this day in 2009. (Ironically due to heavy winds - no guests were actually able to experience the ride on that particular morning.)
A large tethered helium-filled balloon located in Downtown Disney, West Side (not far from Planet Hollywood), 30 guests at a time can be lifted 400 feet above Buena Vista Lagoon for a breathtaking 360-degree panoramic view. Built by Aerophile (a company headquartered in France), the yellow and red balloon called Aero30 is attached to a round gondola that is 19 feet in diameter. Guests board from a specially designed platform before starting their 6-minute flight. On a clear day ... it is possible to see up to 10 miles away!

Soar on over HERE for much more April 21 Disney history.

April 20: Drive-In Dining Sci-Fi Style

On this day in 1991, the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant opened at the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park (today called Disney's Hollywood Studios). Known for its unique atmosphere, this restaurant's simulated nighttime sky is filled with fiber-optic twinkling stars that look down on guests. Patrons who are lucky enough to dine while seated in chrome "convertibles" face a giant screen showing '50s and '60s sci-fi flicks and cartoons. The license plates of the parked automobiles contain the initials of the Imagineers who designed the restaurant. Located on Commissary Lane, the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant serves lunch & dinner.

Click HERE for more April 20 Disney history.

April 18: Big Day of B-Days!

Born April 18:
Leopold Stokowski (1882)
Hayley Mills (1946)
James Woods (1947)
Kenny Ortega (1950)
Bruce Gordon (1951)
Rick Moranis (1954)
Jane Leeves (1961)
America Ferrera (1984)

What are their ties to Disney?

Click HERE and find out!