On this day in 1940, Disney employees completed their move to the current Burbank home of the Walt Disney Studios, but Associated Press reporter Robin Coons was not sure if this meant big change in the future of Disney’s work. She wrote at the time, “I was worried because the removal to the new factory, …
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One of Tugboat Mickey‘s pure joys is seeing Mickey, Donald, and Goofy together in one short — and the madcap trio light up the screen in this cartoon just as they had to highly comedic effect in shorts such as The Whalers (1938) and Clock Cleaners (1937) all the way back to Mickey’s Service Station …
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When the legendary Studio Theatre opened its doors at 7 p.m. on this day in 1940 at the Disney Studio Lot, guests enjoyed a special lineup of films, which included an RKO Pathé Newsreel, MGM’s Mad Maestro cartoon, an episode of the RKO short-movie series Information Please and a double feature of Shirley Temple in …
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Many a celebrity has enjoyed dining at the commissary at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, including Walt Disney himself. And while the commissary interior has seen major changes over the years, it remains a comfortable place to take a break for a bite to eat. In 1979, actress Cloris Leachman made no secret that …
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In the Donald Duck cartoon short The Riveter, released in theaters on this day in 1940, evil Pete, this time a construction foreman, fires a pig who is a riveter, and Donald Duck quickly applies for the job. Inexperienced, Donald soon has problems with the riveting gun, causing all kinds of high-rise havoc. Although silly …
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Pinocchio premiered in New York on February 7, 1940. Directed by Ben Sharpsteen and Hamilton Luske. Voices include Dickie Jones (Pinocchio), Cliff Edwards (Jiminy Cricket), Christian Rub (Geppetto), Evelyn Venable (Blue Fairy). 87 min. The film required the talents of 750 artists, including animators, assistants, inbetweeners, layout artists, background painters, special-effects animators, and inkers and …
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As families grow, it’s sometimes necessary to move into new homes. That was certainly the case as the Disney family grew. For 14 years, the Disney Studios were located on Hyperion Avenue in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles. This is where Mickey Mouse was “born” in 1928, as well as Minnie, Donald Duck, …
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What do Dracula and the demon character Chernabog from Fantasia have in common? Hollywood legend Bela Lugosi first portrayed the most famous Count on Broadway and later starred in the title role of the 1931 classic horror film Dracula. Although he went on to appear in more than 100 other films, including The Raven and …
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Back in 1939, when Donald Duck tried to get into fictional “Hollywood Studios” in the cartoon short The Autograph Hound, he was met by a cruel and unreasonable security guard, whom he consistently had to outwit during his hunt for autographs of the biggest stars of the day. Amongst the Hollywood stars and starlets he …
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With an emphatic “hi-ho,” Captain Donald keeps time for his nephews, Huey, Duey, and Louie, as they paddle aboard a little brown schooner in Sea Scouts, a Donald Duck short released on this day in 1939. As any Donald Duck fan worth his weight in feathers knows, it isn’t long before something — and just …
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