For the first time ever, the greatest animated characters from major film studios came together as the cartoon cast of 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit, one of the wackiest, wildest, zippiest, and zaniest films ever to come from the Disney studio. Warner Bros.’ top hare Bugs Bunny shared a scene with Disney’s top mouse, Mickey, …
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P-p-p-p-p-p-p-please, sit back and read about Charles Fleischer, the voice of the leading man, er, rabbit, in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which held its premiere at Radio City Music Hall on this day in 1988. Discovered by Roger Rabbit director Bob Zemeckis while performing in a comedy club, the standup comic/actor took his silly role …
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In 1988, Suzanne Somers took a break from her starring role in TV’s She’s the Sheriff to co-star with Minnie Mouse in the totally hip, totally cool Totally Minnie TV special which aired on this day in 1988. When Maxwell Dweeb, a complete nerd portrayed by Robert Carradine, realizes he needs some help, he sets …
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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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