The Disney Look... to the past! (April 30 - May 6)

Hello, and welcome to our weekly look into the past of the Walt Disney Company! Let's see what happened this week, but in the past years:

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This Week in Disney History: April 30 - May 6

May 1, 1989 - Disney's Hollywood Studios opens

Stepping onto Hollywood Boulevard at the third theme park at Walt Disney World Resort, one gleans insight into the words that dedicated it: "We welcome you to the Hollywood that never was - and always will be." This stylized homage to early Tinseltown includes landmarks such as Grauman's Chinese Theatre, home of The Great Movie Ride, and the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, complete with celebrity caricatures and legendary Cobb salad. But Disney's Hollywood Studios originally included a working production facility, hosting a revival of "The Mickey Mouse Club" and the animation studio where "Mulan" and "Lilo and Stitch" were drawn. As the park evolved, the focus expanded to celebrating theater and music, reflected in long-running shows like "Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage" and the thrilling Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. For the daring, the signature attraction, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, looms 13 hair-raising stories over Sunset Boulevard and beckons guests to drop in.

May 2, 1964 - "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" debuts at the 1964 World's Fair

In 1962, Walt Disney gave a tour of his studios to World's Fair President Robert Moses, who hoped that Disney would contribute attractions to the upcoming fair in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Upon seeing an unfinished Audio-Animatronics prototype of the nation's 16th president, Moses knew it had to be at the fair and persuaded the state of Illinois to feature it at its pavilion. It was the most sophisticated figure WED Enterprises had ever built. Blaine Gibson created the realistic face from a copy of an actual life mask of Lincoln, cast by sculptor Leonard Volk in 1860. Lincoln's address contained segments from multiple speeches given before and during his presidency, with the voice provided by actor Royal Dano. One of the breakout successes of the fair, "Great Moments" made its way to the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland Park in 1965. At Magic Kingdom Park, guests can see Mr. Lincoln and the 43 other United States chief executives at the Hall of Presidents in Liberty Square.

Also this week in Disney history:

April 30

1969 -- Walt Disney World plays host to its first official press event, showcasing plans for a theme park and resort hotels

May 1

1940 -- Walt Disney receives a U.S. patent on his multiplane animation camera 

1989 -- Pleasure Island officially opens in Downtown Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort

2009 -- Kidani Village, the Disney Vacation Club wing of Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, opens

May 2

2006 -- Disneyland Park welcomes the 2 billionth guest to a Disney park worldwide

May 3

1926 -- The El Capitan Theatre opens in Los Angeles 

1931 -- "The Moose Hunt" (Mickey short with first appearance of Pluto by that name) debuts

May 4

1949 -- "Seal Island," the first True-Life Adventure, debuts 

2005 -- Disneyland Park closes to the public for a media event prior to launching its 50th anniversary celebration

May 5

1986 -- Country Bear Vacation Hoe-Down, a new version of the Country Bear Jamboree, opens at Magic Kingdom Park

2004 -- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opens at Disney California Adventure Park

2005 -- The "Happiest Celebration on Earth" begins at Disney parks

May 6

1940 -- The Walt Disney Studios moves from Hyperion Avenue in Los Angeles to its current location in Burbank, Calif. 

1973 -- Lillian Disney helps dedicate "The Walt Disney Story" at Magic Kingdom Park

1988 -- Norway opens as the 11th World Showcase pavilion at Epcot

1990 -- The final episode of "DuckTales" airs on television

1991 -- The Walt Disney Company becomes part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average

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Thanks for reading!

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