The Disney Look.. to the Past! (09/27 - 10/08)
Here you are this week's look at all the things that have taken place inside the Walt Disney Company:
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This Week in Disney History: Nov. 20 - Dec. 3
Nov. 22, 1991 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "Beauty and the Beast"
Nov. 21, 1992 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "Aladdin"
"Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin" debuted one year apart during a remarkable period for the Walt Disney Animation Studios. After a two-decade malaise that began with Walt Disney's passing, and was perpetuated by the departure of former animators to start a rival studio, Walt Disney Animation Studios created a string of films between 1984 and 1994 that captivated audiences worldwide and renewed the mass appeal of the medium. An executive shake-up empowered a stable of young filmmakers including Don Hahn, Ron Clements, John Musker, John Lasseter, Joe Ranft and Tim Burton, to stop thinking in terms of "What would Walt have done?" and focus on making films that showcased the full visual and storytelling potential of animation.
"Beauty and the Beast" has ties to the early Studios. Walt had considered the story as possible source material for a full-length animated film, making two attempts to develop the French fairy tale before abandoning it. The new team gave "Beauty and the Beast" the green light as a nonmusical adaptation. That idea was scrapped the following year, and the songwriting team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken was brought aboard. The second Disney film to utilize the Pixar-developed CAPS production software, animators employed new tools that helped create virtual "dolly" shots and combine hand-drawn animation with computer generated backgrounds. "Beauty and the Beast" only features this in one sequence - Belle and the Beast's ballroom dance - but the astonishing visual result convinced the Studios to invest further in computer animation. Though the film's Academy Award wins were for music (Best Original Score and Original Song for "Beauty and the Beast"), its place in animation lore was cemented by becoming the first nominated for Best Picture.
The follow-up project was pitched by Ashman, who sadly never saw the final cut of "Beauty and the Beast" or "Aladdin," passing away in early 1991. Tim Rice finished the songwriting alongside Menken, with each lyricist ultimately contributing three songs to the film about the Agrabah "street rat" who swept a princess off her feet. Of course, it never hurts to get an assist from a genie with phenomenal cosmic powers (and an itty bitty living space). Robin Williams' dialogue was largely ad-libbed, by one count performing 52 impressions during the recording sessions including Jack Nicholson, Groucho Marx and Ed Sullivan. Another dual Oscar winner for Original Score and Song ("A Whole New World"), "Aladdin" ended its theatrical run as the highest-grossing animated film of all time - but would be topped two years later by "The Lion King." The story of Disney animation from 1984 to 1994 is told in Don Hahn's documentary, "Waking Sleeping Beauty," available Nov. 30 on DVD.
Also this week in Disney history:
Nov. 20
1942 - "Pluto at the Zoo" (Pluto cartoon short) debuts
1963 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "The Incredible Journey"
1989 - The first $10 bill in Disney Dollars is released, featuring Minnie Mouse
1993 - Splashtacular, a live show centered around the interactive fountain in Future World, debuts at Epcot
1998 - Touchstone Pictures releases "Enemy of the State"
Nov. 21
1994 - Honey, I Shrunk the Audience opens at Epcot
1994 - The Timekeeper opens in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom Park
Nov. 22
1974 - The Lake Buena Vista Club opens at the Walt Disney World Resort
1989 - The Walt Disney World Swan opens to Guests
1991 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "Beauty and the Beast"
1994 - Disney's All-Star Music Resort opens at Walt Disney World
1995 - Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios release "Toy Story"
Nov. 23
1966 - Walt Disney goes to the Disney Studios in Burbank for the last time
1989 - Star Tours opens at Tokyo Disneyland
1998 - Kona Cafe (formerly Coral Isle Cafe) opens at Disney's Polynesian Resort
Nov. 24
1995 - The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights debuts at the then-Disney-MGM Studios
1999 - Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios releases "Toy Story 2"
Nov. 25
1938 - "Ferdinand the Bull" (animated short) debuts
1971 - "America the Beautiful" (Circle-Vision 360 film) opens at Magic Kingdom Park
1987 - Touchstone Pictures releases "Three Men and a Baby"
1992 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "Aladdin"
1998 - Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios release "A Bug's Life "
Nov. 26
1943 - "Home Defense" (Donald Duck cartoon short) debuts
1958 - "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" debuts as a theatrical feature (without the Mr. Toad segment from "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad")
1996 - Magic Kingdom leaders officially commission the Liberty Belle riverboat in Liberty Square
Nov. 27
1996 - Walt Disney Pictures releases the live-action version of "101 Dalmatians"
2002 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "Treasure Planet"
Nov. 28
1947 - "Chip an' Dale" (short) debuts
1974 - StarJets open at the Magic Kingdom Park
Nov. 29
1971 - The first Walt Disney World Resort golf classic begins
Nov. 30
1931 - "Mickey Cuts Up" (Mickey Mouse cartoon short) debuts
Dec. 1
1955 - Maxwell House Coffee House opens at Disneyland Park
1971 - The Roy O. Disney engine begins service on the Walt Disney World Railroad
1994 - Parasailing becomes an offering at Disney's Contemporary Resort
Dec. 2
1929 - "Haunted House" (Mickey Mouse short) is released
1935 - Marc Davis (animator and one of Walt Disney's "Nine Old Men") joins The Walt Disney Studios
1965 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "That Darn Cat"
Dec. 3
1948 - "Mickey and the Seal" (Mickey Mouse cartoon short) debuts
1980 - Leaders hold the ground-breaking and dedication ceremonies of Tokyo Disneyland Park
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