The Village Smithy is not another name for Dave Smith, founder of the Walt Disney Archives… it’s the name of the blacksmith in a village, a person who works with iron to create useful items such as horseshoes or wagon wheels. On this day in 1942, The Village Smithy cartoon short was released with Donald …
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“Any bonds today?” These words are heard in the Irving Berlin song which became an anthem of sorts during World War II, encouraging Americans to show their patriotism and purchase war bonds, government-issued savings bonds that helped finance the war. Similarly, the Canadian government encouraged its citizens to buy bonds, and called upon Walt Disney …
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It can never hurt to learn how to protect yourself… unless your instructor is Goofy. The Art of Self Defense, which hit theaters on this day in 1941, humorously explores the history of self defense — from the Stone Age to the present day. Starting with scientific conditioning, Goofy, in typical “how to” fashion, demonstrates …
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Who doesn’t know the lyrics to the classic song “Heigh Ho” from the first Disney animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? But do you remember these lyrics? “Heigh ho, heigh ho, we’re the wisest Dwarfs we know,” or what about “Heigh ho, heigh ho, we all must help, you know. We’ll win the …
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The “This Day in Disney” that we’ve cooked up for you today is the Donald Duck cartoon short Chef Donald, which first arrived in theaters on this day in 1941. Intrigued by a radio cooking show, Donald sets aside his scrapbooking in an attempt to cook some waffles. Since Donald “gets stuck with all the …
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“Eeeeeeeeeh ho ho hooey!” If you’re ever skiing and hear that yell, it’s a safe assumption that Goofy might be skiing somewhere near you, or perhaps just a novice skier. Some expert skiers feel that Goofy’s performance in The Art of Skiing, released on this day in 1941, is somewhat reminiscent of every skier’s initial …
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Uncharacteristically, Donald Duck decides to do the right thing in the cartoon short Donald’s Camera, which snapped into theaters on this day in 1941. Passing a camera shop window, Donald reads the sign, “Shoot nature with a camera instead of a gun!” Taking this to heart, the level-headed duck takes to the forest for some …
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On this day in 1941, a story about a little elephant flew onto the big screen, instantly touching the hearts of audiences everywhere. Years later, when Dumbo aired on the Disneyland television show, Walt admitted that it was his favorite movie of all his films. In his on-camera introduction he said, “From the very start, …
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Hola! On this day in 1941, Walt Disney and his staff arrived in Rio de Janeiro on a goodwill tour of South America. Ted Thomas is the writer/director of the film on this subject, Walt & El Grupo, so we felt he was a perfect source to learn more about the topic. “Fearing growing Nazi …
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During World War II, with fear of a growing Nazi influence in Latin American capitals, Nelson Rockefeller’s agency —the Coordinator for Inter-America Affairs—asked Hollywood filmmakers to include Latin American themes in their films as part of a Good Neighbor Policy. Additionally, Walt Disney was personally asked to be a cultural ambassador to South America, so …
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