October 05: Vacancy Available

On this day in 1955, the Disneyland Hotel first opened in Anaheim, California.
When Disneyland debuted in July 1955, the park was in a remote area not near any motels or hotels. Walt Disney wanted to build an inn for Disneyland visitors, but his finances had been depleted by the construction of the theme park. So he negotiated a deal with Jack Wrather (a Texas oil millionaire) and his business partner Maria Helen Alvarez to own and operate a hotel across from Disneyland.
For the next 3 years, Wrather-Alvarez Productions ran the Disneyland Hotel. (In 1958 Wrather bought Alvarez out ... making him the sole owner until his death in 1984.) The original hotel consisted of just over 100 rooms in 5 two-story complexes, but over the years the hotel was expanded to include 3 guest room towers, restaurants, and other modern conveniences.
Today Disney owns the Disneyland Hotel, but none of the original 1955 portions of the building remain.

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October 04: Walt Disney World Winners

On this day in 2006, the Spangler family from Randolph, Ohio became the first big winners of Disney's "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration.
One of 50,000 online entrants, Tammy and Raymond Spangler along with their children Derrick and Ashley, were rewarded with a morning at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World ... all to themselves. On this Wednesday morning, the family walked hand-in-hand on a red carpet down a very quiet Main Street. Halfway to the Cinderella Castle they were suddenly surrounded by some 1500 Disney characters (including mice, maids, baseball players and princesses)!
For the next few hours the Spanglers rode Space Mountain, Dumbo, Jungle Cruise, and other attractions with no wait time. (The Magic Kingdom opened on this day at 10 a.m. to the general public.)

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October 03: Off To Never Land

On this day in 1971, the Walt Disney World attraction Peter Pan's Flight opened in Fantasyland. Only the third day of business for the young Magic Kingdom, Peter Pan's Flight is based on the animated 1953 feature and the original Disneyland version.
Guests "fly" over London seated in pirate galleons while experiencing the sights and sounds of Peter Pan.
One of the major differences with the Florida version is the load/unload area which features moving ramps (like the Haunted Mansion) to allow for a smooth flow of guests. Although the Disneyland version was updated in the early 1980s, the WDW version was the first to have Audio-Animatronic characters.
Today the attraction is considered low-tech, but it is still one of the most popular Magic Kingdom attractions ... which is amazing considering it hasn't changed since opening!

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On Holiday

Today in Disney History will be on a short break.
Be back the first week of October.
Meanwhile get your daily dose of Disney history at This Day in Disney History.

September 23: A Tailor Named Mickey

On this day in 1938, The Brave Little Tailor (a Mickey Mouse short produced in Technicolor) was released. Based upon the Grimm fairytale "The Valiant Little Tailor," it featured the work of animators Fred Moore, Bill Tytla, Les Clark, Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston.
When a giant threatens a medieval European kingdom, its king mistakes tailor Mickey's (voiced by Walt Disney) boasting of killing seven flies with one blow ... to be giants! An embarrassed Mickey must fight the giant for real.
The Brave Little Tailor was the second to last Mickey Mouse cartoon to feature his original design. For his future appearances, Fred Moore would draw Mickey with smaller eyes that had pupils.
The short was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject Cartoon ... but ironically lost to Disney's own Ferdinand the Bull.

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September 18: Mary's Official Debut

On this day in 2004, Cameron Mackintosh's stage production of Mary Poppins officially opened for a limited run at the Bristol Hippodrome in Bristol, England. Already in previews since September 15, the musical continued until November 6 when it moved to the Prince Edward Theatre in London the following December.
The show's origin can be traced back to 1993 when Cameron Mackintosh (a theatrical producer known for Cats and Phantom of the Opera) acquired the rights to develop a stage play adaptation of Pamela Travers' book Mary Poppins. It actually took a year for the ninety-plus-year-old Travers to give Mackintosh the green light. It would take another 8 years before Disney opened talks with Mackintosh on a possible collaboration. In this way, the stage production could use the familiar music (written by the Sherman Brothers) from the Disney film version. By 2003, a workshop of the show was already in the works with new music written by George Stiles & Anthony Drewe, as well as the Sherman Brothers' old favorites.
When Mary Poppins had its world premiere on this day in 2004, the cast included Laura Michelle Kelly as Mary and Gavin Lee as Bert. Following the success of the West End production (at the Prince Edward Theatre), a Broadway production debuted on November 26, 2006 at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City. Broadway favorite Ashley Brown (known to Disney fans for her performance in On the Record and Beauty and the Beast) was brought in to play Mary and Gavin Lee revived his role as Bert.
Although the London production closed two years later in 2008, Broadway's Mary Poppins continues its run in New York City.

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September 17: Constitution Day

On this day in 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia for the last time to sign a document - known as the Constitution - they had created earlier.
The first constitution of the 13 United States was called the Articles of Confederation, which was ratified in 1781. In September 1786, representatives from five states met to discuss adjustments to the Articles of Confederation. It was later realized that rather than amend the existing articles, a new document called the Constitution should be written.
The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It provides the framework for the organization of the U.S. Government and for the relationship of the Federal government to the States, to citizens, and to all people within the USA.
On September 17, 1787 the Constitution was completed. Among the 39 delegates who signed the document ... George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton.
The next time you find yourself in Walt Disney World's Liberty Square looking at The Hall of Presidents building ... you'll know why the number 1787 appears over the entrance.

Click HERE for more September 17 Disney history.