The Disney Look... to the Past! (July 12-18)

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: July 12-18

July 17, 1955 - Disneyland Park opens in Anaheim, Calif.

On 160 acres where orange groves once grew, 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, the magical place Walt Disney dreamed of as he watched his two daughters ride the Griffith Park carousel first opened for an international media preview. Art Linkletter, Bob Cummings and Ronald Reagan brought the fun live to a nationwide audience on ABC, taking viewers into the Disneyland worlds of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy with help from a cavalcade of celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jerry Lewis, Debbie Reynolds, Fess Parker, and California governor Goodwin Knight (riding down Main Street, U.S.A. with Walt, above). The problems off-camera were many, like ladies’ high heels sinking into freshly poured asphalt, no functioning water fountains on a sweltering 101-degree day, and more than 17,000 Guests crashing the gates with counterfeit tickets. But Disneyland Park captivated the imagination of the entire planet, welcoming more than one million Guests by its seventh week of operation. The design of Disneyland Park is reflected in four other Magic Kingdoms in Orlando, Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong, with a fifth scheduled for opening in 2015 at Shanghai Disney Resort in China.

July 17 – Splash Mountain opens at Disneyland Park (1989) and Magic Kingdom Park (1992)
Troubles getting you down? Need to find your laughin’ place? Then pack your bag and leave home with Brer Rabbit on this log flume adventure. Problem is, you can’t run from trouble – there ain’t no place that far – and before long, Brer Fox and Brer Bear will have you in their clutches. To keep from becoming rabbit stew, you’ll plunge 52 feet down Chickapin Hill into the watery briar patch below. Splash Mountain retells the animated portions of Disney’s “Song of the South” (1946), which was adapted from the folk tales of Joel Chandler Harris. The attraction opened on Disneyland Park’s 34th anniversary in the newly renamed Critter Country, featuring more than 100 Audio-Animatronic figures including some from the former “America Sings” show in Tomorrowland. Exactly three years later, Splash Mountain opened to Guests in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom Park, with reimagined show scenes and wider side-by-side logs, but the same climactic drop of its Anaheim counterpart.

Also this week in Disney history:

July 12

1989 - Star Tours opens at Tokyo Disneyland

July 13

1925 - Walt Disney and Lillian Bounds are married in Lewiston, Idaho

1935 - The animated short “Mickey’s Garden” debuts 

1955 - Walt and Lillian celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary aboard the Mark Twain at Disneyland Park, followed by dinner at the Golden Horseshoe

July 14

1934 - The Silly Symphony short “The Flying Mouse” debuts

1975 - Disney leaders announce plans for Epcot

1978 - American Egg House restaurant opens at Disneyland Park

July 15

1994 - Walt Disney Pictures releases “Angels in the Outfield”

1995 - The Disney Wedding Pavilion opens at the Walt Disney World Resort

2005 - Space Mountain reopens at Disneyland Park with a rebuilt track and new special effects

2005 - Turtle Talk with Crush opens at Disney California Adventure

2011 - Walt Disney Pictures releases “Winnie the Pooh”

July 16

1954 - “Dragon Around” (Donald Duck cartoon short) debuts

July 17

1943 - Walt Disney Pictures releases “Victory Through Air Power” 

1989 - Splash Mountain opens at Disneyland Park

1992 - Splash Mountain soft opens at Magic Kingdom Park

1996 - Disney announces plans to open Disney California Adventure Park

2009 - Imagineer and Disney Legend Marty Sklar retires after 54 years of service

July 18

1932 - The animated short “Mickey in Arabia” debuts

1955 - Disneyland Park opens to the general public for the first time

1965 - Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln opens at Disneyland Park

1978 - The Lake Buena Vista Office Plaza (now SunTrust Building and home to Disney offices) opens across from the Downtown Disney Marketplace 

1997 - Disney’s Grand Floridian Beach Resort becomes Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

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Thank you for reading, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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