Walt Disney would have been 110 years old today. The man was a lot more complicated than the ‘Uncle Walt’ character he created for public consumption. Here are a few books I recommend if you’re looking to gain more insight into the man who started… Read More »Happy Birthday Walt!
Today marks the big 40 for Walt Disney World and the Magic Kingdom. I’m out and about today trying to soak in as much of the atmosphere and celebration there is today. Disney is putting on a small bit of a show today, but there… Read More »Walt Disney World 40th Anniversary is Today!
Today, June 9th, 1934, Donald Duck made his big screen debut in Walt Disney’s animated short “The Wise Little Hen.” Donald was a late comer to the group known as the “Fab Five” (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy & Pluto). He was so late, he was the only one to premiere in color.
Although his birthday is sometimes given as Friday the 13th in shorts and comics, today is the generally accepted date.
Donald helped fill a gap in the Fab Five. Mickey Mouse had started to lose his edge and become a more respected figure. Donald’s more wild attitude and quick temper gave Animators a lot to work with. Since then the wily duck has grown a huge fan base, sometimes rivaling Walt’s pal Mickey at the box office and in merchandise sales.
Update: A couple people commented wondering why I used an image of Donald Duck as a Nazi here. That images is from Der Fuehrer’s Face, a 1942 animated cartoon starring Donald Duck. It was directed by Jack Kinney and released on January 1, 1942 as an anti-Nazi propaganda movie for the American war effort. The film won the 1942 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. It was the only Donald Duck cartoon to win an Oscar. The short was voted #22 of “the 50 Greatest Cartoons” of all time by members of the animation field in a 1994 survey. So yeah, it was kind of an important moment in Donald Duck’s history.
Donald even has his own theme song:
Who’s got the sweetest disposition
One guess, guess who?
Who never never starts an argument
Who never shows a bit of temperament
Who’s never wrong but always right
Who’d never dream of starting a fight
Who gets stuck with all the bad luck
No one, but Donald Duck
So happy birthday Donald. Thank you for all the laughts you’ve provide the world.
One last thing: Here’s a bit of trivia for you. Donald Duck has a middle name. See if you can guess what it is before you click below the jump for the answer:
Today is the 109th Anniversary of Walt Disney’s birth. We celebrate his legacy everyday here at The Disney Blog. But today I would love to hear how Walt’s life and legacy has affected you. Please share in the comments the most special ‘Disney’ moment in… Read More »Happy Birthday Walt Disney!
Congratulations to Ruthie Thompson on her 100th Birthday today. Ruthie was recently profiled in the Vanity Fair piece on the Ink and Paint Girls. Ruthie grew up on the street where Walt Disney lived in Hollywood. She was asked to be an extra in a… Read More »Ruthie Thompson – Happy 100th Birthday
I took off Friday for my son’s 6th birthday. As per his wish, we spent some time meandering through the Magic Kingdom doing what he wanted to do (mostly).
The day started with ride over to the park on the monorail. Believe it or not, that was my first ride on the transport since the tragic death of monorail purple’s pilot. The system functioned as it should, there may have been a couple extra cast members on the platform, but for the most part things were the same as they ever were.
We tried to time our arrival with the little show that takes place at the train station as the park opens to guests. It’s a cute show, but it seemed most of the cast members were just going through the motions and the guests that were selected to open the park really didn’t do any thing much. I think it’s time for some new magical moment to be created here, hopefully one that doesn’t involve crowding hundreds of people into a small area and then forcing them to move through an even smaller passage way all while strollers run over their toes and elbows are thrown jostling for position.
So having survived Disney’s version of the Running of the Bulls, what do we do next? Head to our first Fast Pass? No! Not this day. We went straight to the Harmony Barbershop where the official festivities for “Pink Hair Day” were set to begin.
(follow me below the jump for a photo of the famous pink hair and more from the day)
Traveling to Walt Disney World for your Birthday just might be the most inexpensive vacation you’ve had in a long time. Not only will you get free admission to one of the theme parks on your birthday, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort… Read More »Another Birthday Deal at Disney World
Ron is an Annual Passholder to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. His birthday was Friday the 2nd and he decided to spend it at Disneyland and take advantage of the special offer that’s part of the new “What Will You Celebrate?” promotion.
I’ve asked Ron to provide us with some details of how the day went. Considering it was the second day of the promotion, it sounds like everything went swell.
Got in late from a great day at Disneyland so this is the first chance I’ve had to send you an update from our birthday experience. Either good or bad, there isn’t a whole lot to tell about the birthday promotion but I’ll do my best to provide as much detail as possible.