The Disney Look... to the Past! (March 9-15)

Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of the weekly feature known as "The Disney Look... to the Past!"
We hope you will enjoy all these very interesting facts about the Walt Disney Company:
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This Week in Disney History: March 9 - 15

March 13, 2005 – Crush ‘n’ Gusher opens at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon

Water slides tend to be a downhill proposition, but if you’d like to try defying gravity, grab a raft and venture inside the abandoned tropical fruit processing center near the shores of Hideaway Bay. Climb the steps toward one of three 400-foot slides: the Banana Blaster, Coconut Crusher or Pineapple Plunger, and hang on tight. Torrents of white water will send you shooting up roller coaster-like inclines, over sudden drops and through hairpin turns en route to a splashdown finale. This family-friendly “water coaster” is the only ride of its kind in Central Florida, with water jets that pump 1,350 gallons of water per minute to propel riders uphill. Aquaduck, aboard the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy also uses this system to deliver white-knuckle thrills on the Disney Cruise Line.

Also this week in Disney history:

March 9

1984 – Debut of “Splash,” the first film released under the Touchstone Pictures banner, 

1985 – Main Street Electrical Parade debuts at Tokyo Disneyland

1994 – “Ellen” debuts on ABC as “These Friends of Mine”

1999 – “Frank and Ollie,” a documentary about animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, debuts on video

March 10

1978 – Walt Disney Pictures releases “Return from Witch Mountain”

1996 – Fulton’s Crab House opens at the Downtown Disney Marketplace

2006 – Disney releases a remake of “The Shaggy Dog,” starring Tim Allen

2009 – Disney launches D23, the official community for Disney fans

March 11

1977 – Walt Disney Pictures releases “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”

2010 – Disney music composers Richard and Robert Sherman receive a window on Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Park

March 12

1999 – Disney’s Winter Summerland Miniature Golf opens next to Blizzard Beach at the Walt Disney World Resort

March 13

1969 – Walt Disney Pictures releases “The Love Bug,” the highest-grossing film of the year

March 14

1960 – The CircleVision 360 film “Circarama” closes at Disneyland Park

1998 – The stand-alone McDonald’s restaurant near Blizzard Beach opens at the Walt Disney World Resort

2008 – Block Party Bash officially debuts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

March 15

1995 – Plans unveiled at Carnegie Hall for Disney Institute

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Thank you very much for reading, and have a great day!

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