This Week in Disney History: April 9-15

There’s always a great, big, beautiful tomorrow at The Walt Disney Company, because every day is tied to a milestone in the heritage and rich history of a company that has been entertaining millions of people every year. Published every week, this interesting series features highlights from all the divisions of The Walt Disney Company. Let's see what happened this week:

April 11: Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage! opens at Disney California Adventure Park

Young Guests at Disney’s California Adventure Park start learning life lessons from Disney Channel series characters from “Rolie Polie Olie,” “Stanley,” “The Book of Pooh,” and “Bear in the Big Blue House” at Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage!” The show, which opened in 2001 at the Walt Disney World Resort, also debuted at Disney California Adventure Park in April 2003 and at Walt Disney Studios Park in France in April 2009.

April 9

1961 – Walt Disney dedicates the Snow White Grotto and Wishing Well adjacent to Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Park

1987 – Disney Traders, a shop in World Showcase Plaza at Epcot, opens.

2005 – Space Mountain: Mission 2 debuts at Disneyland Paris

April 10

1930 – “The Barnyard Concert” (Mickey Mouse cartoon short) debuts

1992 – Walt Disney Pictures releases “Newsies”

2009 – “Hannah Montana the Movie” is released in the United States

April 11

1997 – Hollywood Pictures releases “Grosse Pointe Blank”

2003 – The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh opens at Disneyland Park

2003 – “Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage!” opens at Disney California Adventure Park

April 12

1946 – The cartoon short “Pluto’s Kid Brother” debuts

1992 – Disneyland Paris opens as Euro Disney

1995 – ‘Ohana opens at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort at the Walt Disney World Resort

1996 – Walt Disney Pictures releases “James and the Giant Peach”

April 13

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

2001 – Disney Channel Original Movie “Hounded” airs

2011 – “Happy Endings” television comedy debuts on ABC

April 14

1934 – “The Big Bad Wolf” (Silly Symphony) debuts

1962 – Spring Fling, an entertainment event, is first held at Disneyland.

2006 – “The Wild” is released by Walt Disney Pictures

2008 – Ollie Johnston, Disney animator and the last surviving member 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

1962 – The television special “Disneyland After Dark” debuts on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color

1973 – The Walt Disney Story opens at Magic Kingdom Park

1983 – Tokyo Disneyland opens

1983 – Disneyana Shop opens in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park

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