For years, Disneyland has been known as the Magic Kingdom, but on this day in 1988 the park got an extra dose of magic from some of the world’s top magicians, when Disney’s Magic in the Magic Kingdom appeared on televisions nationwide. Lance Burton, Harry Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, and John Ratzenberger were some of the guests …
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At the time of its premiere, IllumiNations was the most dazzling, high-tech nighttime spectacle ever produced by Disney. Taking place around World Showcase at EPCOT, IllumiNations included lighting effects, lasers, fountains, fireworks, and projected images all set to a lush orchestral score. Don Dorsey and Adam Bezark were the creative and show directors for this …
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Long before I was “D23’s Scott Wolf,” writing This Day in Disney, my first job with Disney was as a production assistant on DuckTales, which premiered on this day in 1987. It was a thrill to begin working on the second season of the series because it had just finished 65 episodes and was a …
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On this day in 1987, Patrick Dempsey made his Disney debut in the film Can’t Buy Me Love. As unpopular high school senior Ronny Miller, he is in love with Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson), the most popular girl on campus. At the most opportune time, he hires Cindy to pose as his girl so that …
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Just two weeks after Walt Disney died in 1966, Beverly Butrum was inspired to get a job at Disneyland, and she liked it so much, she stayed until 2003. From the grand opening of The Disney Gallery on this day in 1987 until her retirement, Butrum was a staple of the Gallery and had her …
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On this day in 1987, with a smile and a song “Disney’s Golden Anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was celebrated in an episode of The Magical World of Disney. Using Disneyland as a backdrop, host Dick van Dyke is joined by the Seven Dwarfs and Jane Curtin, who portrays the wicked Queen, …
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Disney marketing executive Jack Lindquist, who hatched the idea for Disney Dollars, recalled later that at the beginning it wasn’t just Disney venues that accepted them. “It was not just a promotion gimmick. It wasn’t a giveaway. I wanted to create a real currency for Disneyland, and we did and it’s still being used today. …
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Nominated for five Academy Awards®, this film brought Paul Newman his first Academy Award win, playing for the second time the role of “Fast” Eddie Felson. Newman, known for his naturalistic acting ability, had been nominated for the Oscar® six times before and each time went home empty-handed. So he decided to stay home and …
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Disney Store made its debut on this date in the Glendale Galleria. The first Store design was Hollywood-themed because in the early days, it was believed that every Store’s interior theme would reflect its immediate community. On opening day, people turned out by the hundreds to see Disney’s first retail store outside of a theme …
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A long time ago… Star Tours took flight at Disneyland with a 60-hour party! It was on this day in 1987 that guests could first hop aboard a Starspeeder 3000 for an exhilarating trip to Endor, even if that meant waiting in a line which stretched from Tomorrowland, down Main Street and past the Great …
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