The Tower of Terror Airs on The Wonderful World of Disney

The Tower of Terror Airs on The Wonderful World of Disney

“When: Halloween, 1939. Where: The Hollywood Tower Hotel. Who: Sally Shine and four others. What: They all disappeared mysteriously from the elevator,” as photojournalist Buzzy Crocker (Steve Guttenberg) explained on this day when The Tower of Terror movie made its de-boo on The Wonderful World of Disney in 1997. But Crocker is certain he’s got …

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Downtown Disney West Side

Downtown Disney West Side Opens at Walt Disney World

On this day in 1997, people could forget all their troubles, forget all their cares and go to Downtown Disney West Side for the first time. That, along with the existing Downtown Disney Marketplace and Pleasure Island, made up what was then referred to as the Downtown Disney Area, an ever-changing destination committed to keeping …

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Recess School's Out

One Saturday Morning Debuts on ABC

Premiering on this day in 1997 was One Saturday Morning. The two-hour ABC Saturday morning show aired various episodes of animated series along with various short segments. Two series also debuted on this day as part of One Saturday Morning. Pepper Ann focused on a quirky 12-year-old girl with an eternal quest to be cool. …

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Hercules and his unicorn in Disney film Hercules

Hercules Premieres

On this day in 1997, Hercules put the glad in gladiator, when the film of mythological proportions was released in theatres… and that’s the gospel truth. Andreas Deja, who animated the adult Hercules, recalls some challenges in the design of the zero-to-hero character. “What was difficult about him is to set him graphically in that …

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Light Magic at Disneyland

Light Magic Debuts at Disneyland

Featuring fiber-optic effects, music, pixies, and Disney characters, Light Magic replaced Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade as an all-new streetacular. The show encouraged guests to “dream and to believe that those dreams can come true.” With four moving floats, each 80-feet long, and the parade made two stops—one in front of “it’s a small world” …

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nightmare ned sleeping

Nightmare Ned Debuts on ABC

If you think you’ve ever had weird dreams, be glad you’re not Ned Needlemeyer, star of the animated series Nightmare Ned, an eight-year-old boy who has some fantastically freaky nightmares! Aimed at the younger generation, this animated series had an impressive voice cast which included Everybody Loves Raymond‘s Brad Garrett as Ned’s father and Saturday …

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New Amsterdam Theatre Inaugurated

In 1903, New York’s New Amsterdam Theatre opened with its first production, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The New York Times deemed it “A Gorgeous Theatre and a Dazzling Shakespearean Production.” After years of successful Broadway productions and playing home to the Ziegfeld Follies, the theatre on West 42nd street fell upon hard times. In 1997, …

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ABC Airs Walt Disney World’s 25th Anniversary Party

Remember the magic of Walt Disney World’s 25th Anniversary? If you weren’t fortunate enough to visit the resort for that milestone and see Cinderella Castle decorated like a giant cake, perhaps you got a taste of it on this day in 1997, when Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) and Will Friedle (Boy Meets …

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Glenn Close as Cruela De Vil in 101 Dalmatians (1996)

101 Dalmatians is Released

The live-action film 101 Dalmatians was first spotted in theaters on this day in 1996, featuring 101 of the furriest and funniest stars vs. the meanest, nastiest and most outrageous Disney villain of all, Cruella De Vil (Glenn Close). If you think 101 dalmatians seems like a monstrosity, this film utilized 220 very pampered pooches. …

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