By Taylor White D23 celebrates Hocus Pocus with these 13 tricks and treats of trivia, conjured from the depths of the Walt Disney Archives! 1. Producer David Kirschner, the creator of the An American Tale and the Child’s Play franchises, originally conceived Hocus Pocus as a bedtime story for his two young daughters in the …
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By Ross Anderson Who Framed Roger Rabbit was released under Disney’s Touchstone banner and was a combined production of Disney and Amblin Entertainment, which was founded by Steven Spielberg. The film’s story takes place in 1947, opening with a typical mid-century cartoon short. As the short concludes, we find that the “toons” are just acting …
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By Jim Fanning Melody Time is not just a Disney classic. It’s seven Disney classics in one. Celebrating seven decades of delighting audiences with its animated delicacies, Melody Time is one of Walt Disney’s “package films,” comprised of several short animated pieces “packaged” together to form one feature. With its cornucopia of varied stories, dynamic …
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By Jim Fanning Better get ready to hear, better get ready to cheer—here comes The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band! Released on March 21, 1968, this delightful slice of cinematic Americana tells the musical story of the Bower clan—Grandpa (Walter Brennan), father and mother (Disney Legend Buddy Ebsen and Janet Blair), and eight …
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By Jim Fanning Take one cat and two dogs who comically converse among themselves in human voices, separate them from their humans, and send them off on a perilous quest through the Sierra Nevadas to find their family, and you have Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. This Disney hit, the popularity of which inspired a …
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By Jim Fanning What do you get a pirate, or rather, the ghost of a pirate for his 50th anniversary? Forget gold doubloons—this spirited swashbuckler is only after your laughter! Walt Disney’s Blackbeard’s Ghost, which first materialized 50 years ago on February 8, 1968, is a zany fantasy-comedy that tells the supernatural tale of a …
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By Jim Fanning Action, adventure, fantasy, Sherman Brothers songs, spectacular special effects—all this and Hayley Mills, too! It’s Walt Disney’s In Search of the Castaways, released on December 19, 1962 as Disney’s big Christmas release. Directed by Disney Legend Robert Stevenson with his usual flair for characterization, humor, and convincing fantasy, this action-adventure epic spins …
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By Jim Fanning ‘Tis the Season for Scrooge—Scrooge McDuck, that is! Uncle to Donald Duck, Scrooge is the world’s richest duck. Created by Disney Legend Carl Barks in 1947, Uncle Scrooge is, according to Barks, “by any measurements the richest character ever to live in the realm of fiction. He is also the stingiest. He …
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By Jim Fanning On October 10, 1952, Walt Disney’s Trick or Treat flew into theatres just in time for Halloween—and for 65 years, this classic animated short has hilariously haunted audiences with an autumnal bounty of boo-tiful laughs. Both scary and sweet, Trick or Treat details how, on one eventful All Hallows Eve, Donald Duck …
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By Jim Fanning A circus bear, a crooning cricket, and a certain Mouse are the leading animated luminaries in Walt Disney’s Fun and Fancy Free. Released 70 years ago today, this unique mélange of song, stars, and cartoon favorites was one of Walt’s “package features”—post-World War II animated features made from “packaging” together shorter featurettes. …
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