This Week in Disney History: February 17-23, 2020

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:

Rivers of Light debuted February 17, 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. This unique nighttime show combines the majesty of nature and magic of technology into a colorful, enchanting display. One highlight of the show is the larger-than-life lantern floats in the shape of dazzling animals.

Feb. 17
1934 – “Camping Out” (Mickey Mouse cartoon) debuts
1995 – Walt Disney Pictures releases “Heavyweights”
2006 – Walt Disney Pictures releases “Eight Below”
2012 – “Minnie’s Fly Girls Charter Airline” musical show debuts at Disney California Adventure Park at Disneyland Resort
2012 – “Radio Rebel” (Disney Channel Original Movie) debuts
2017 – “Rivers of Light” nighttime show officially opens at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park at Walt Disney World Resort

Feb. 18
1933 – “Mickey’s Pal Pluto” (Mickey Mouse cartoon short) debuts
1939 – “Mickey’s Surprise Party” (cartoon commercial) is delivered to the National Biscuit Co. for showing at the 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair
1953 – “The Alaskan Eskimo” (People and Places featurette) debuts
1960 – The Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony, produced by Walt Disney, is held in Squaw Valley, California
1995 – “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes” (two-hour television movie remake) airs on ABC
2000 – The “45 Years of Magic Parade” and “Believe… There’s Magic in the Stars” fireworks show debut at Disneyland Park

Feb. 19
1943 – “Pluto and the Armadillo” (Pluto cartoon short) debuts
1967 – “The Boy Who Flew with Condors” (television show) airs

Feb. 20
1928 – “Africa Before Dark” (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon short) debuts
1937 – “Moose Hunters” (Mickey Mouse cartoon short) debuts
1972 – “The City Fox” (television show) airs
1977 – “Go West, Young Dog” (television show) airs
1982 – “Beyond Witch Mountain” (television show) airs
2004 – Walt Disney Pictures releases “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen”
2015 – Walt Disney Pictures releases “McFarland, USA”

Feb. 21
1927 – “Alice’s Rodeo” (Alice Comedy) debuts
1947 – “Pluto’s Housewarming” (Pluto cartoon) debuts
1965 – “An Otter in the Family” (television show) debuts
1996 – Disney.com launches on the Internet
1997 – The first Club Disney entertainment complex opens in Thousand Oaks, California
2004 – “Snow White – An Enchanting New Musical” premieres at the Fantasyland Theater at Disneyland Park

Feb. 22
1964 – The below decks exhibit on the Sailing Ship Columbia opens at Disneyland Park
2012 – The interactive role-playing game Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom debuts at Magic Kingdom Park
2018 – Previews begin for the stage musical “Frozen” at the St. James Theatre on Broadway

Feb. 23
1935 – The Band Concert (Mickey Mouse cartoo) debuts
1939 – Walt Disney receives a special Academy Award for the creation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1955 – Davy Crockett at the Alamo(television show) airs
1986 – The Girl Who Spelled Freedom(television movie) airs
2010 – Captain EO returns to Disneyland Park for a limited engagement

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