Elton John and Tim Rice collaborated on 19 new songs for Disney’s stage musical Aida, which officially opened—after several preview performances—at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago on this day in 1999, the first stage musical Disney produced that was not based on an animated movie. The stage show tells of a tragic love triangle …

Look up above in your browser. It used to read d23.disney.go.com. The go.com part has an interesting story. In 1998, after Disney acquired 43% of Infoseek, the popular web search engine, it combined Disney’s existing network with Infoseek and launched the new Go network. The goal of the Go network was to blend both Disney …

The Disney Wonder was built in the year following completion of the Disney Magic. With the first ship, a long and meticulous process of design and re-design eventually produced a perfect specimen of sleek function and nostalgic glamour. Like its predecessor, the Disney Wonder construction took place in the celebrated Fincantieri shipyards in Italy, known …

It was on this day in 1999 that the Hollywood Pictures film The Sixth Sense started making cents for Disney — lots of cents, in fact (for a time it was the company’s highest-grossing live-action film). As a distinguished child psychologist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) routinely treats troubled kids, but he’s never had a …

For many years, people have enjoyed Disney magic, and starting on this day in 1999, the public could see Disney wonder as well, the Disney Wonder cruise ship, that is. Like its sister ship, Disney Magic, the 964- foot Disney Wonder blends classic beauty and grace with all the modern luxuries, technology, and comforts that …

In the pre-show for Disney Hollywood Studio’s Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, guests meet the rock group Aerosmith (via realistic video) who must be whisked away for a concert. Regretting that they are disappointing fans upon their departure, they promise all visitors in attendance backstage passes for their concert. With the concert starting soon, guests hop …

Tarzan, based on the classic tale Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, tells the famous story of a boy who is orphaned in the African jungle and raised by a family of gorillas. Glen Keane, the Disney animator who designed the character of Tarzan, drew his inspiration from his teenage son, Max, a …

On this day in 1999, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction opened at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, taking passengers on a wild ride which includes the vehicle bouncing along with Tigger, floating through a “floody place” with Piglet and drifting through the mysterious dream world of Heffalumps and Woozles. The …