Good Morning Disney Friends!
Today in Disney History:
1944:
This day's Disney Studio Labor-Management Commission newsletter notes:
Ward Kimball's Huggajeedy 8 is doing a swell job of entertaining the boys in the hospitals. Next trip will be to the Norconia T.B. Ward, where they'll try a new act, complete with "chalk-talk," skits and jam session. This is in reference to Kimball's musical group which will eventually turn into The Firehouse Five Plus Two.
1957:
At
Disneyland, Don DeFore's Silver Banjo Barbecue restaurant in Frontierland opens. Operated by well-known actor Don DeFore and his brother Verne, the restaurant is inspired by a silver banjo their father had given them. Located right next to Aunt Jemima’s restaurant, the Silver Banjo is the only concession in Disneyland with the name of a real living person. (Although at this time Art Linkletter owns the Kodak concession - his name is not visible.)
1959:
At Disneyland, all of the new attractions that had been dedicated yesterday (
June 14) officially open to the public.
"
Kodak Presents: Disneyland '59" airs on ABC-TV's
Walt Disney Presents. Art Linkletter hosts the 131st episode, which introduces viewers to the new attractions that had been dedicated the
day before - the Monorail, the Submarine Voyage and the Matterhorn Bobsleds. The 90-minute show also features Annette Funicello, Ricky Nelson, Fred MacMurray, the cast of
Zorro, and of course Walt Disney himself.
1994:
The TV special, "The Lion King: A Musical Journey With Elton John" airs on ABC the same day Disney's 32nd animated motion picture
The Lion King premieres in select U.S. cities. The film, featuring songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, will become the highest grossing animated film of all time (until the release of
Finding Nemo). The all-star voice cast includes Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Moira Kelly, Robert Guillaume, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and Jim Cummings.
The Lion King will win two Academy Awards for its achievement in music and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. (The success of the film will lead to several sequels, spin-offs, video games and even a live stage version.)
2012:
Disneyland Resort caps off its $1 billion renovation of Disney California Adventure with the public opening of Cars Land and the new Buena Vista Street. Based on the Disney-Pixar movie
Cars, Cars Land is the largest piece of a five-year expansion at Disney California Adventure Park, adding 12 acres of new attractions to the theme park. It is a recreation of the fictional town of Radiator Springs, featuring Luigi's Flying Tires, which flies riders over what looks like a giant air hockey table; Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, which swings riders in trailers in a "tow-si-do" square dance; and Radiator Springs Racers, which takes
riders through a race through a mountain range. Buena Vista Street (formerly known as Sunshine Plaza) is similar to the layout and style of Main Street, USA. The land includes dining, shopping, parades, and entertainment. Also featured is the Red Trolley Car, providing transportation between the park's main entry at Buena Vista Street and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in Hollywood Land.