By Melissa Pankuch, Walt Disney Archives Originally conceived to be an episode of the Disneyland television series, Pete’s Dragon tells the story of a young orphan named Pete and a mischievous dragon, Elliott, which takes place in the quaint town of Passamaquoddy, Maine. On the anniversary of its general release in 1977, let’s take a …
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By Katie Strobel, Walt Disney Archives We’re continuing our Fantasia (1940) composer series by exploring the life and music of Franz Schubert. Ave Maria (1825), streaming now on Disney+ Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Fantasia: 01:58:22-02:04:15 Franz Schubert may not be a household name like Beethoven, but he too was an important figure in bringing about the …
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By Katie Strobel, Walt Disney Archives We’re continuing our Fantasia (1940) composer series by exploring the life and music of Ludwig van Beethoven. Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”) (1808), streaming now on Disney+ Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Fantasia: 01:12:14-01:36:09 Ludwig van Beethoven is one of those historical figures who is often used to show the bridging …
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By Katie Strobel, Walt Disney Archives We’re kicking off our Fantasia (1940) composer series by exploring the life and music of the earliest composer in the group, J.S. Bach. The film is streaming now on Disney+. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565 (between 1703 and 1707) J.S. Bach (1685–1750) Fantasia: 00:02:52-00:13:38 Johann Sebastian …
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By Holly Brobst, Walt Disney Archives This December we celebrate the 55th anniversary of the release of one of my favorite Disney films, That Darn Cat! A 1965 “cops and robber” comedy from Walt Disney Productions, the film was produced by the inimitable trio of Walt Disney, Bill Walsh, and Ron Miller. Studio stalwart Robert …
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By Rebecca Cline, Director, Walt Disney Archives Inspired by the Mickey Mouse compilation film Mickey’s Birthday Party, which was itself released to celebrate Mickey’s 25th anniversary in 1953, Walt Disney Productions released this fun pamphlet for families. This vintage publication, sponsored by Weather-Bird Shoes, is full of ideas, games, and directions for a birthday party, …
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By Katie Strobel, Walt Disney Archives Fantasia (1940) celebrates its 80th anniversary on November 13, 2020, and is remembered to this day for its beautiful marriage of images to music. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences even honored conductor Leopold Stokowski and his associates with a Special Award for creating this new form …
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By Christina Pappous, Walt Disney Archives Today marks the 80th anniversary of the 20th Century Fox film The Mark of Zorro (1940), directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Tyrone Power as Don Diego Vega and his masked alter ego, El Zorro! Set during the days of Spanish California, The Mark of Zorro tells the story …
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By Katie Strobel, Walt Disney Archives Mickey Mouse Book, published by Bibo and Lang in 1930, was the first Disney book. Along with being sold to the public, the book was also distributed to theaters that hosted Mickey Mouse Clubs and was given to the members. It begins with a story and a board game, …
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Original Story by: Ken Anderson Compiled and Edited By: Amy Opoka, Walt Disney Archives In early 1957, Walt Disney asked Imagineer and story artist Ken Anderson to come up with a haunted house experience for Disneyland. Ken conceived multiple early concepts for what would become the Haunted Mansion attraction, and pitched them to Walt Disney. …
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