On this day in 1994, Epcot's CommuniCore East and West both closed. Located in two semi-circle buildings to the east and west of Spaceship Earth, CommuniCore featured science and technology exhibits.
Designed to tbe the central hub of the park, this area was often referred to as "Future World's Global Main Street." The pavilions (opened since Epcot's 1982 debut) presented such attractions over the years as FutureCom, Phraser, Chip Cruiser, Epcot Outreach, Expo Robotics, Compute-A-Coaster, Backstage Magic, and the Astuter Computer Revue.
In an effort to keep Epcot updated, CommuniCore was closed and redesigned into Innoventions (which opened in July 1994).
Click HERE for more January 31 Disney history.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Jan 30: Author of Fantasy
On this day in 1924, author Lloyd Alexander was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (and later raised in Drexel Hill). Though neither of his parents cared for books, he decided to become a writer while in his early teens.
His most famous work is the children's fantasy The Chronicles of Prydain, a 5-volume series. The first two books formed the basis for Disney's 1985 animated film The Black Cauldron. Alexander's fantasy novels detail the adventures of Taran (a young man who is awarded the honor of Assistant Pig-Keeper but dreams of being a grand hero) and his four unlikely companions.
The author of more than 40 books, winner of two National Book Awards, Alexander was also a cartoonist, advertising writer, layout artist, and magazine editor.
Sadly he passed away in 2007 at age 83.
Click HERE for more January 30 Disney history.
His most famous work is the children's fantasy The Chronicles of Prydain, a 5-volume series. The first two books formed the basis for Disney's 1985 animated film The Black Cauldron. Alexander's fantasy novels detail the adventures of Taran (a young man who is awarded the honor of Assistant Pig-Keeper but dreams of being a grand hero) and his four unlikely companions.
The author of more than 40 books, winner of two National Book Awards, Alexander was also a cartoonist, advertising writer, layout artist, and magazine editor.
Sadly he passed away in 2007 at age 83.
Click HERE for more January 30 Disney history.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Jan 29: Disney's Debut Of Princess Aurora
On this day in 1959, Disney's sixteenth animated feature Sleeping Beauty was released. It was the first animated feature to be shot in Super Technirama 70 (a large format wide-screen process).
Adapted from Charles Perrault's classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, it was directed by Les Clark, Eric Larson, and Wolfgang Reitherman - under the supervision of Clyde Geronimi.
Sleeping Beauty spent almost the entire decade of the 1950s in production with story work beginning in 1951. The voices were recorded in 1952 and a year later animation production began. The music was recorded in 1957 with total production finally ending in 1958.
Since the film was being made while Walt was building Disneyland, Imagineers declared the Anaheim park's castle Sleeping Beauty's (to help promote the feature).
Unfortunately during its original release, Sleeping Beauty returned only half the invested sum of $6,000,000 - nearly bankrupting the studio! It was criticized for being slow paced and having little character development.
Due to subsequent theater and home video releases, the film has more than made its money back and today is hailed as one of the best animated features ever made.
Click HERE for more January 29 Disney history.
Adapted from Charles Perrault's classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, it was directed by Les Clark, Eric Larson, and Wolfgang Reitherman - under the supervision of Clyde Geronimi.
Sleeping Beauty spent almost the entire decade of the 1950s in production with story work beginning in 1951. The voices were recorded in 1952 and a year later animation production began. The music was recorded in 1957 with total production finally ending in 1958.
Since the film was being made while Walt was building Disneyland, Imagineers declared the Anaheim park's castle Sleeping Beauty's (to help promote the feature).
Unfortunately during its original release, Sleeping Beauty returned only half the invested sum of $6,000,000 - nearly bankrupting the studio! It was criticized for being slow paced and having little character development.
Due to subsequent theater and home video releases, the film has more than made its money back and today is hailed as one of the best animated features ever made.
Click HERE for more January 29 Disney history.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Jan 28: A Legend Retires
On this day in 1982, Wally Boag the original Pecos Bill/Traveling Salesman gave his final performance in The Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland.
Originally written by Wally Boag and Don Novis, The Golden Horseshoe Revue first opened in Frontierland in July 1955. The show featured fast-paced comedy routines featuring slapstick humor, music, dancing, squirting water guns and balloons (known as Boagaloons).
In 1971 Boag took his character to Walt Disney World and re-crafted the saloon show into the Diamond Horseshoe Revue. Three years later he returned to Disneyland and finished his career on January 28, 1982. Wally had done the show almost continuously since 1955, and was later cited in The Guinness Book of World Records for the most number of performances of a show. (The Golden Horseshoe Revue closed by 1986.)
In 1995, Boag was inducted into the ranks of the Disney Legends and even had a Main Street window named after him. He is currently working on his autobiography.
Click HERE for more January 28 Disney history.
Originally written by Wally Boag and Don Novis, The Golden Horseshoe Revue first opened in Frontierland in July 1955. The show featured fast-paced comedy routines featuring slapstick humor, music, dancing, squirting water guns and balloons (known as Boagaloons).
In 1971 Boag took his character to Walt Disney World and re-crafted the saloon show into the Diamond Horseshoe Revue. Three years later he returned to Disneyland and finished his career on January 28, 1982. Wally had done the show almost continuously since 1955, and was later cited in The Guinness Book of World Records for the most number of performances of a show. (The Golden Horseshoe Revue closed by 1986.)
In 1995, Boag was inducted into the ranks of the Disney Legends and even had a Main Street window named after him. He is currently working on his autobiography.
Click HERE for more January 28 Disney history.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Jan 27: Alice's Author
On this day in 1832, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was born in England. Better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, he was an author, mathematician, clergyman, and photographer.
His most famous writings Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass (1872) were the inspiration for Disney's 1951 animated feature Alice in Wonderland.
Carroll's tale of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit-hole into a world of fantasy dates back to 3 years before its 1865 publishing. Carroll was rowing down the River Thames (on the way to a picnic) with the 3 daughters of a friend when he created a mystical story to entertain them. The three sisters - Lorina, Alice, and Edith loved the tale so much that Alice (age 10) asked Carroll to write it down. He eventually did and in November 1864, he presented Alice with a manuscript titled Alice's Adventures Underground.
Carroll went on to have success with other written works such as The Hunting of the Snark and Sylvie and Bruno. In 1856 he took up the new art form of photography and over the next 24 years completely mastered the medium.
Click HERE for more January 27 Disney history.
His most famous writings Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass (1872) were the inspiration for Disney's 1951 animated feature Alice in Wonderland.
Carroll's tale of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit-hole into a world of fantasy dates back to 3 years before its 1865 publishing. Carroll was rowing down the River Thames (on the way to a picnic) with the 3 daughters of a friend when he created a mystical story to entertain them. The three sisters - Lorina, Alice, and Edith loved the tale so much that Alice (age 10) asked Carroll to write it down. He eventually did and in November 1864, he presented Alice with a manuscript titled Alice's Adventures Underground.
Carroll went on to have success with other written works such as The Hunting of the Snark and Sylvie and Bruno. In 1856 he took up the new art form of photography and over the next 24 years completely mastered the medium.
Click HERE for more January 27 Disney history.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Jan 26: Disney's Kansas City Connection
On this day in 2004, the Kansas City Star reported that a museum honoring Walt Disney is planned for the site of his old Laugh-O-Gram Studios in Kansas City, Missouri.
The studio, which was located on the second floor of the McConahay Building at 1127 East 31st Street, played a role in the early years of animation. In May 1922 Walt founded Laugh-O-Grams Films with $15,000. Among his employees were pioneers Ub Iwerks, Hugh Harman, and Rudolph Ising. Walt secured an $11,000 contract to produce six cartoons for Pictorial Clubs, Inc. Unfortunately Pictorial went bankrupt and Walt had problems making ends meet. A Kansas City dentist temporarily saved the day when he commissioned Disney to produce a short called Tommy Tucker's Tooth. Disney took the $500 earned and invested it into a live-action/animated piece called Alice's Wonderland.
Unfortunately Laugh-O-Gram declared bankruptcy (before Alice could be completed) in 1923 and Disney moved to Hollywood, California. Years later Walt told interviewers that he was inspired to draw Mickey Mouse by a tame mouse who visited his desk at the Kansas City studio.
Today Thank You Walt Disney, Inc. is restoring the old studio to look as it did in 1922 ... complete with Walt's office!
Click HERE for more January 26 Disney history.
The studio, which was located on the second floor of the McConahay Building at 1127 East 31st Street, played a role in the early years of animation. In May 1922 Walt founded Laugh-O-Grams Films with $15,000. Among his employees were pioneers Ub Iwerks, Hugh Harman, and Rudolph Ising. Walt secured an $11,000 contract to produce six cartoons for Pictorial Clubs, Inc. Unfortunately Pictorial went bankrupt and Walt had problems making ends meet. A Kansas City dentist temporarily saved the day when he commissioned Disney to produce a short called Tommy Tucker's Tooth. Disney took the $500 earned and invested it into a live-action/animated piece called Alice's Wonderland.
Unfortunately Laugh-O-Gram declared bankruptcy (before Alice could be completed) in 1923 and Disney moved to Hollywood, California. Years later Walt told interviewers that he was inspired to draw Mickey Mouse by a tame mouse who visited his desk at the Kansas City studio.
Today Thank You Walt Disney, Inc. is restoring the old studio to look as it did in 1922 ... complete with Walt's office!
Click HERE for more January 26 Disney history.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Jan 25: It's 'arf comedy...'arf mystery...and it's howlarious!
On this day in 1961, Disney's 17th animated feature One Hundred and One Dalmatians was released.
Often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, the film features the voice of Rod Taylor as Pongo, the first of the Dalmatians, and Betty Lou Gerson as the voice of the villainous Cruella De Vil. Based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith, the Disney plot centers on a flamboyant Cruella De Vil who steals dalmatian puppies to create a one-of-a-kind spotted coat.
The production of 101 Dalmatians ushered in a change in the graphic style of Disney's animation. A time and money saving technology called Xerography was used. This hard "sketchy" graphic style would remain the norm at Disney until the technology improved (prior to the release of The Rescuers) allowing for a softer look.
Click HERE for more January 25 Disney history
Often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, the film features the voice of Rod Taylor as Pongo, the first of the Dalmatians, and Betty Lou Gerson as the voice of the villainous Cruella De Vil. Based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith, the Disney plot centers on a flamboyant Cruella De Vil who steals dalmatian puppies to create a one-of-a-kind spotted coat.
The production of 101 Dalmatians ushered in a change in the graphic style of Disney's animation. A time and money saving technology called Xerography was used. This hard "sketchy" graphic style would remain the norm at Disney until the technology improved (prior to the release of The Rescuers) allowing for a softer look.
Click HERE for more January 25 Disney history
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