The Disney Look.. to the Past! (11/06-12)

Here you are this week's look at what happened right on this week.... some years ago!

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This Week in Disney History: Nov. 6 - 12

Nov. 8, 1973 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "Robin Hood"

Plenty of films have been made about the legendary English archer of Sherwood Forest who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor, but come on, this one had a singing rooster! It's somewhat based in canon, as "The Rooster" is called Allan-a-Dale by the other characters, who according to folktales was a minstrel accompanying Robin Hood's band of merry men. He probably didn't sound a lot like Roger Miller, the country music legend who provided the voice and three songs from the soundtrack, but then again, Little John wasn't a bear and Prince John wasn't a perpetually thumb-sucking lion, either. This fan favorite and Academy Award nominee (for the song "Love," by George Bruns and Floyd Huddleston) was directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, who helmed seven Disney animated features spanning from "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (1961) to "The Rescuers"(1977).

Nov. 10, 1998 - Innoventions officially opens at Disneyland Park

There couldn't be a better place than Tomorrowland, and a more appropriate building than the former home of the Carousel of Progress for this showcase of future technologies. In fact, Tomorrowland's Audio-Animatronic mayor Tom Morrow (see what they did there?) greets visitors with a jaunty reworking of the Sherman Brothers' classic theme, "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow." At Innoventions, you'll step into the Dream Home of the Elias family, where new technology is incorporated into every aspect of their life. Feel free to play with the touch screen coffee tables, change the background music or just check out what's in the fridge. Upstairs, the hands-on atmosphere continues with more interactive exhibits about science, health and communication, plus an opportunity to meet Honda's bipedal robot, ASIMO. Innoventions also has been at the heart of Future World at Epcot since 1994.

Also this week in Disney history:

Nov. 6  

1942 - "Sky Trooper" (Donald Duck cartoon short) debuts

1998 - Touchstone Pictures releases "The Waterboy"

2009 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "A Christmas Carol"

   

Nov. 7  

1962 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "The Legend of Lobo"

1997 - Citricos opens at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

   

Nov. 8  

2002 - Tokyo Disneyland welcomes its 300 millionth guest

   

Nov. 9  

1993 - Fountain View Espresso and Bakery opens at Epcot

1994 - The Skway attraction closes at Disneyland Park

1999 - The Skyway attraction closes at Magic Kingdom Park

2001 - "LuminAria," a holiday light and music show, debuts at Disney California Adventure Park

   

Nov. 10  

1953 - "The Living Desert" (True-Life Adventure) debuts

1959 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "Third Man on the Mountain"

2006 - Walt Disney is the first recipient on a star on Anaheim's Walk of Fame

   

Nov. 11  

1953 - "Working for Peanuts" (Donald Duck cartoon short) debuts

1956 - Walt Disney appears on the television game show "What's My Line?"

   

Nov. 12  

1932 - "The Klondike Kid" and "Wayward Canary" (Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts) debut

1946 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "Song of the South"at Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta 

1993 - Walt Disney Pictures releases "The Three Musketeers" 

1999 - Downtown Disney Marketplace carousel opens

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