On This Disney Day In May - May 2023 Exercise Challenge

Congrats to all the color-changers this afternoon!! I'm at 450 and Cheshire Cat Pink (PollyannaMom) along with :ccat:Twilight Sparkle, the :car:TEAM has reached Lightning McQueen Red, and :hmghost: Bethislucy has jumped right to Grim Grinning Ghosts Green!!


On May 26th in 2006:
Disney/Pixar's Cars stages its world premiere at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. NASCAR legends Richard Petty & Darrell Waltrip, and others from the voice cast of the film are joined by a host of stars from the racing world.
 


25 treadmill minutes for me last night, plus an estimate of 25 "real" minutes of walking this morning during a longer period of stop-and-go walking at an event (500/600).

The team is at 7,399 minutes! :cheer2:

On May 27th in 1977:
Disneyland holds a grand opening ceremony for its newest attraction, Space Mountain (just in time for the Memorial Day weekend crowds). Attending the debut are the six surviving astronauts from the original seven Project Mercury space travelers and the widow of the seventh. Also opening along with Space Mountain is the 1,100-seat Space Stage, the 670-seat Space Place fast-food restaurant and the Starcade electronic arcade. It is the second Space Mountain in the world (the first one opened at WDW in Florida in 1975).

Here is a short commercial for the ride's debut:

And this article talks about the astronauts at both openings.

We also have this one - a bit shorter, about the restaurant mentioned above. (I learned it was the only Disneyland restaurant to serve both Coke and Pepsi. :drinking1 )

jun22129.jpg
 


On May 27th in 1966:
The It's A Small World attraction (direct from the World's Fair) opens in Fantasyland at Disneyland. Also stylized as "it's a small world," the interior boat ride (sponsored by Bank of America) features 297 animated children, 256 toys, a canal filled with 233,000 gallons of water, and of course the famous song It's a small world (after all) written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. It is the park's first continually loading high capacity ride. The day is marked by special ceremonies attended by Walt Disney himself in which water from all over the world is poured into the attraction's moat. Advertising manager Jack Lindquist has had jugs of water taken from rivers, lakes and oceans around the world brought in for the ceremony. Disneyland will throw another grand opening celebration for the attraction two days later. It's A Small World will prove to be so popular that versions will later be added at the Magic Kingdom in WDW, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland.


Here are a couple short videos. (I like the second one better, but the sound cuts out a little over halfway in.) ~



And here is a longer one if you've got a bit more time, or Small World is just your favorite! ~

 
Last edited:
20 for me (520/600), and we have color changes!! -

:car: sophy1996 has reached Lightning McQueen Red,
and the :jumping1:TEAM has reached goal and Green!

Well done, everyone!!

On May 29th in 1903:
Legendary comedian, actor and entertainer Bob Hope is born in London, England. (His family immigrated to the U.S. in 1908 and settled in Ohio.) Hope's first of many connections to Disney was in 1939 when he presented the Short Subject Award and personally handed Walt the Oscar for Ferdinand the Bull. In 1965 Hope appeared on the television special Jack Benny Visits Walt Disney, and in 1971 took part in NBC-TV's Grand Opening of Walt Disney World. Hope
was at the Walt Disney World Tencennial in 1981 where he helped lead a thousand piece marching band and eight years later spoke at the ribbon cutting for Disney-MGM Studios dedication. He also left his hand prints in the cement of the forecourt of The Great Movie Ride. Hope later was a guest on NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of WDW and in 1999 participated in the very first Disneyland Christmas lighting ceremony (one of his last official appearances). Bwana Bob's a small, freestanding store in Walt Disney World's Adventureland (originally called the Adventureland Kiosk) is actually a tribute to him! With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films. Between 1941 and 1991, Hope made 57 tours for the United Service Organizations (USO), entertaining active duty U.S. military personnel around the world. Leslie Townes Hope passed at age 100 in 2003.
 
35 minutes yesterday (555/600) brings me :-)car: PollyannaMom) to Lightning McQueen Red, which :car: :hmghost: Twilight Sparkle skipped right over to join :hmghost:sophy1996 at Grim Grinning Ghosts Green!!! Congrats, everyone!!

The team is at 8,545 minutes and 111% of goal!! :cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:


On May 30th in 1971:
Tony Award-winning actress & singer Idina Menzel is born in Queens, New York. She appeared as Nancy Tremaine in Disney's 2007 feature Enchanted and supplied the voice for Elsa the Snow Queen in Disney's 2013 animated Frozen, the 2015 short Frozen Fever, the 2017 featurette Olaf's Frozen Adventure, the 2018 Ralph Breaks the Internet and the 2019 Frozen II. She also sang Frozen's Oscar- and Grammy Award-winning song "Let It Go," which reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (making Menzel the first Tony Award-winning actress to reach the top 10). In March 2014 Menzel performed the song live at the 86th Academy Awards. She and Kristen Bell received stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame simultaneously on November 19, 2019. Seven days later, Menzel took part in the debut of Saks Fifth Avenue's Frozen-themed holiday windows in New York City. (Menzel first rose to prominence when she originated the role of Maureen Johnson in the Broadway musical Rent. In 2003, she originated the role of Elphaba in the Broadway musical Wicked, a performance for which she won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.)

 
25 minutes for me yesterday - so if I can get 20 in today, I'll make my goal.

Same 20 left for @Oneanne to DOUBLE her goal! - You got this!! :cheer2:


On May 31st in 1985:
WED Enterprises announces a project concept for expansion of Disneyland's Frontierland. To be called Big Thunder Ranch, it will features an outdoor petting zoo, a walk-through log cabin, and a variety of scenery meant to create the atmosphere of a Western ranch. It is scheduled to open in June 1986.

Here's an old promotional video I found. The Big Thunder Ranch part is around 2 minutes in:
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











facebook twitter
Top