The Disney Look... to the Past! (April 13-19)

Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of the weekly feature known as "The Disney Look... to the Past!"
Enjoy reading all of the following interesting facts about the Walt Disney Parks, Resorts, Movies, and more:

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This Week in Disney History: April 13-19

April 16, 2001 – Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge opens at the Walt Disney World Resort

Jambo! After your day exploring Disney’s Animal Kingdom or experiencing all the adventures of Walt Disney World, come home to the resort that offers a true taste of Africa. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge boasts its own 43-acre nature preserve, home to 33 species and approximately 200 individual hoofed animals and birds, greeting Guests from right outside their balconies. African culture exudes from the architecture, including the 60- to 80-year- old “King’s Door” located just inside the entrance to Jambo House, plus its collection of authentic African art and its welcoming family of Cast Members. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has expanded to include Disney Vacation Club villas and Sanaa (Swahili for “work of art”), a dining location overlooking the savanna that offers sumptuous African cuisine.

April 15, 1962 – The television special “Disneyland After Dark” debutsDisneyland Park is magical any time of day, but the park really comes to life when the sun sets and the lights start to twinkle along Main Street, U.S.A. Capturing the magic of nighttime at Disneyland Park, “Disneyland After Dark” first aired as part of “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color” on NBC. The special was hosted by Walt and featured appearances by some of the 60s’ hottest talents, including Annette Funicello, Bobby Rydell, and the network television debut of the Osmond Brothers. The inimitable Louis Armstrong also performed aboard the Mark Twain Riverboat, with help from Monette Moore and members of the legendary jazz band, the Hot Five. The smash special had enough star power that it was released theatrically in some countries.

Also this week in Disney history:

April 13
1935 – “Mickey’s Kangaroo,” the last black-and-white Walt Disney Studios cartoon short, debuts

April 14
1934 – “The Big Bad Wolf” (Silly Symphony) debuts
1984 – An updated version of the Alice in Wonderland attraction opens at Disneyland Park
2008 – Ollie Johnston, Disney animator and the last of Walt’s “Nine Old Men,” dies at age 95

April 15
1932 – The Mickey Mouse animated short “Barnyard Olympics” debuts, coinciding with the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles
1938 – The animated short “Donald’s Nephews” debuts, featuring the first appearances of Huey, Dewey, and Louie
1973 – The Walt Disney Story opens at Magic Kingdom Park
1975 – Flight to the Moon closes at Magic Kingdom Park
1983 – Tokyo Disneyland opens

April 16
2007 – Disneyland Resort announces the entire Disneyland Railroad fleet has been converted to run on biofuel instead of diesel

April 17
1958 – The Circarama film “America the Beautiful” debuts at the World’s Fair in Brussels, Belgium, making it the first Disney attraction ever to open outside a Disney Park

April 18
1953 – The final classic Mickey Mouse theatrical short, “The Simple Things,” debuts; the next one released, three decades later, was “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” (1983)
1983 – Disney Channel goes on the air
1994 – “Beauty and the Beast: A New Musical” premieres at the Palace Theatre in New York City

April 19
1999 – Sales of tobacco products are discontinued at all four Walt Disney World theme parks, and smoking is prohibited except in designated areas

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Thank you for reading, and have a great rest of your week!

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