Via This Day in History, today in 1961:
Disney’s The Parent Trap, starring Hayley Mills, Maureen O’Hara, and Brian Keith, is released. Mills portrays twins Sharon and Susan, who are reunited years after being separated by their divorced parents. The film features the songs "For Now, For Always," and "Let’s Get Together," both written by the Sherman Brothers.
Other movies released on June 21st, Return to Oz (1985), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), and Lilo and Stitch (2002). A good day for Movie Releases!
- Save Our Anaheim Resort, the coalition formed to keep tourism business only in the Anaheim Resort District, has succeeded in collecting enough signatures to get its measure on the ballot. This measure would prevent the further development of residential housing near existing and future resort and theme park plots. There is some hope that a July 17th vote in the city council will reverse its earlier position ending this debate. In related news the City Council voted to fund the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce in spite of the chamber’s support of the SOAR campaign.
- Check out this thread at the aspecialthing.com forum. About half way down page 4 is a comment by Patton Oswalt (voice of Remy in Ratatouille) with a list of things to watch for in the movie. I also enjoyed reading Jason Kottke’s review on the film. His comments on how animation is the new real and live action is the new cartoon, ring very true.
- Disney is reorganizing all their international media distribution into one division. This will eliminate some duplication of effort and allow for a cohesive marketing plan. Another way Bob Iger is positioning The Walt Disney Company for long term success.
- Need for water conservation in Florida may be splitting the state in half. Disney and Orlando is using more water all the time and Southern Florida is running very low. Quite a bit of voting power is in Southern Florida, so this might get interesting.
- The NYDailyNews has advice on three fun activities you can find outside the theme park gates on your next trip to Walt Disney World.
- The Orlando Sentinel has a piece on how local craftsmen and prop shops are already experiencing a boom
from the coming Harry Potter land at Universal Studios. Actually, many
scoops have been made by just driving around and photographing what’s
laying in the work yards of these places. - While the major theme parks are experiencing banner years in attendance, many of the smaller regional amusement parks are struggling to keep the gates open. Rick Munarriz at the Motely Fool has some advice for them, "be like Mickey".