With the great success of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney knew Mickey was destined for merchandise superstardom and began seeking a manufacturer. Certainly Mickey would prove profitable, as there was already bootleg Mickey merchandise on the market. Walt was particularly interested in teaming up with George Borgfeldt & Co. The Borgfeldt importing company was founded in …

(cast pictured: David Leisure, Park Overall, Richard Mulligan, Kristy McNichol, Dinah Manoff) Three years after The Golden Girls premiered, a spinoff about a golden boy debuted on this day in 1988. Empty Nest starred Richard Mulligan as Dr. Harry Weston, a widowed pediatrician, living with his neurotic daughter Carol (Dinah Manoff), and his dog, Dreyfuss, …

With a bedknob, a broomstick, and the magic words “Treguna, Mekoides, and Tracorum Satis Dee,” moviegoers were first bewitched by Bedknobs and Broomsticks on this day in 1971 at the world premiere in London, England. The film was shown at the famed Odeon Theater in Leicester Square. The Odeon first opened its doors in 1937 …

On this day in 1949, moviegoers were taken on a wild ride with the release of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. The film combined two stories, The Wind in the Willows, featuring Mr. Toad, an amphibian with a need for speed, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, featuring a school teacher with a …

Welcome space travelers. How’d you like to take a flight to the moon? When the attraction Flight to the Moon first debuted at Walt Disney World, man had never walked on the moon. By 1975 in Tomorrowland, a world of the future not the present, trips to the moon were passé, so Disney offered one …

Dog lovers everywhere couldn’t help but be charmed by Underdog, the story of a bumbling beagle who is kidnapped for guinea pig purposes by Capitol City’s evil Simon Bar Sinister. He escapes Bar Sinister’s evil clutches, but not before being exposed to mysterious substances that not only enable him to speak but that also give …

With 815,000 square feet of exhibit space spanning three floors, genuine superstar appearances—including Nicolas Cage, Miley Cyrus, John Travolta, and Johnny Depp in full Jack Sparrow regalia—and more than 80 presentations, panels, and screenings, the first-ever D23 Expo delivered enough pixie dusted magic to please any Disney fan. For the first of four whirlwind days, …

As part of the Year of a Million Dreams marketing promotion at the Disneyland Resort, the rooms above the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in New Orleans Square were remodeled into the extravagant Dream Suite. Guests of the Resort, chosen at random, would win the opportunity to spend a night in the lavish 2,600-square-foot quarters. …

Once upon a time, on this day in 2007, Disney’s animated world collided with modern-day New York when Enchanted cast its spell on theater audiences nationwide. The film tells the story of the animated Princess Giselle, who finds herself thrust from her animated world of Andalasia into the real live-action world of New York. Princess …

After nearly seven years from conception to completion, Pixar released its eighth feature-length animated film, Ratatouille, on June 29, 2007 to immense critical and commercial success. Set in Paris, the film follows an aspiring chef and rat, Remy, who was recently forced to abandon his home in the French countryside. Once in Paris, he sniffs …

More than three years in the making, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage opened its hatches on this day in 2007. The gee-whiz ride through liquid space used the latest imaging, audio, and power technologies, all new Pixar animation and updated versions of the eight original subs from the original E-ticket Submarine Voyage to take submariners on …

“Is everybody happy?” That’s the question that Disney Legend Fulton Burley asked audiences at the start of each performance of Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue, and he truly wanted to make people happy and continued to do so, both onstage throughout his 26 year run as the Irish tenor of the Golden Horseshoe Revue, and offstage …

On this day in 2007, bikes, brawls, and burning bars exploded onto movie screens with the release of Wild Hogs, which tells the story of four suburban couch jockeys suffering from mid-life crises. The quartet takes to the American asphalt on their motorcycles expecting nothing but fun and adventure but learn along the way that …

On this day in 2007, Bridge to Terabithia materialized in theaters. The Disney/Walden Media collaboration tells the story of youngsters Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) and Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb) who, tired of being bullied at school and neglected at home, escape into the woods where Leslie opens Jess’s mind to the amazing kingdom of Terabithia. …

The Prestige first materialized on this day in 2006, conjuring up a mysterious story of two magicians (portrayed by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) in Victorian-era London, whose intense rivalry leads them on a lifelong battle for supremacy, featuring astonishing twists and deadly consequences. Magicians Ricky Jay and Michael Weber were brought on as consultants …

Wondering what was cooking at the Disney Parks on this day in 2006? Healthier food options! It was announced that Disney Parks would be changing foods in its U.S. theme parks to reduce calories, fats, and sugar and also to provide healthier alternatives to fried foods and sodas. Plans were also announced to eliminate trans …

On this day in 2006, the football film Invincible kicked off in theaters, telling the true story of coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) of the powerhouse Philadelphia Eagles, and an aspiring pro football player, Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a down-on-his-luck 30-year-old substitute teacher and bartender. When Coach Vermeil hosted an unprecedented open team tryout, the …

The turn 2 grandstands at Charlotte Motor Speedway—known in 2006 as Lowe’s Motor Speedway—were turned into an open-air theater on this day in 2006 for the world premiere of Disney·Pixar’s Cars. The seats faced four custom-built outdoor screens, measuring five stories high and 15 stories wide, with seating for 30,000. Before the premiere, the movie’s …

Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s 1845 tale The Little Match Seller, The Little Match Girl is a 2006 Academy Award®-nominated animated short film, sans dialogue, that features a young girl who tries in earnest to sell matches on the snowy streets of Russia. After a day without success, the young girl curls up in a …

After the supercalifragilistic success of Mary Poppins on stage in London, it seemed only natural for the story of the practically perfect nanny to fly on to Broadway. On May 8, 2006, it was announced that Ashley Brown would play the title role and Gavin Lee would star as Bert. Lee had originated the role …

On this day in 2006, Eight Below journeyed into theaters, telling a tail of friendship between eight amazing sled dogs and their guide, Jerry (Paul Walker). Stranded in Antarctica during the most unforgiving winter on the planet, Jerry’s beloved sled dogs must learn to survive together until Jerry—who will stop at nothing—rescues them. Driven by …