A fantastic Disney trivia website!

TraceyBrown · Jan 30, 2008

Disney Trivia

Just for some quick study up before the interview!

wikipedia said:

History

Founding and early success (1922â€“1966)

* 1923: Walt signed a contract with M.J. Winkler to produce a series of Alice Comedies - October 16 - the date used as the start of the Disney company. Originally know as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, with brothers Walt and Roy Disney, as equal partners.[3]
* 1924: First Alice comedy, "Alice's Day at Sea", released.
* 1926: At Roy's suggestion, the company changed its name to the Walt Disney Studio shortly after moving into the new studio on Hyperion Avenue in the Silver Lake district.
* 1927: The Alice series ends; first Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon.
* 1928: Walt loses the Oswald series contract; first Mickey Mouse cartoon, "Steamboat Willie", released at the Colony Theatre in New York, the first cartoon with sound on November 18.
* 1929: First Silly Symphony, "The Skeleton Dance". On December 16, the original partnership formed in 1923 is replaced by Walt Disney Productions, Ltd. Three other companies, Walt Disney Enterprises, Disney Film Recording Company, and Liled Realty and Investment Company, are also formed.
* 1930: First appearance of Pluto.
* 1932: First three-strip Technicolor short released: "Flowers and Trees"; first appearance of Goofy.
* 1934: First appearance of Donald Duck.
* 1937: Studio produces its first full-length feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The film is also the first American animated feature film in history, and was the highest-grossing film of all time until 1939's Gone with the Wind.
* 1938: On September 29, Walt Disney Enterprises, Disney Film Recording Company, and Liled Realty and Investment Company are merged into Walt Disney Productions.
* 1940: Studio moves to the Burbank, California buildings where it is located to this day. Release of animated features Pinocchio, the first animated film to win both Best Original Score and Best Song Academy Awards, and Fantasia, the first film to be recorded in stereophonic sound ("Fantasound").
* 1941: A bitter animators' strike occurs; as the USA enters World War II, the studio begins making morale-boosting propaganda films for the government. Dumbo is released.
* 1942: Saludos Amigos marks the beginning of a series of low-budget "package" animated films that would continue until 1950. Bambi is also released, after a six-year production period.
* 1943: Saludos Amigos is released in the United States.
* 1944: The company is short on cash; a theatrical re-release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs generates much-needed revenue and begins a reissue pattern for the animated feature films.
* 1945: For the first time, the studio hires live actors for a feature film (Song of the South).
* 1947: Sign First Independent Studio, The byrnest studio in Orlando which went bankrupt three years later.
* 1949: The studio begins production on its first all-live action feature, Treasure Island; the popular True-Life Adventures series begins.
* 1950: Cinderella is released, ending the series of "package" animated films and reviving Disney feature animation.
* 1951: Alice in Wonderland (1951 film) released.
* 1952: Walt Disney forms WED Enterprises on December 16 to design his theme park.
* 1953: Walt Disney forms Retlaw Enterprises on April 6 to control the rights to his name. It will later own and operate several attractions inside Disneyland, including the Monorail and the Disneyland Railroad. Peter Pan is released.
* 1954: The studio founds Buena Vista Distribution to distribute its feature films; beginning of the Disneyland TV program, which runs for decades under several different titles. Disney becomes one of the first American theatrical TV producers to show his recent films on television, although most of them are first shown in truncated versions to fit a one-hour time slot. Others are divided into two or more one-hour segments over several weeks, so that they can be shown on Disney's TV show.
* 1955: Disneyland Resort opens in Anaheim, California. Lady and the Tramp, the first widescreen animated film, is released
* 1957: Walt Disney Productions went public on November 12.
* 1959: Sleeping Beauty is released.
* 1961: One Hundred and One Dalmatians is released, the first feature-length animated film to use Xerography.
* 1963: The Sword and the Stone is released.
* 1964: Mary Poppins is released.
* 1966: Walt Disney dies of lung cancer.

[edit] After Walt's death (1967-1983)

* 1967: Construction begins on Walt Disney World Resort; the underlying governmental structure (see Reedy Creek Improvement District) is signed into law. The Jungle Book, the last animated film involved with Walt Disney himself, is released.
* 1970: The Aristocats is released.
* 1971: The Walt Disney World Resort opens in Orlando, Florida; Roy Oliver Disney dies; Donn Tatum becomes chairman and Card Walker becomes president.
* 1973: Robin Hood is released.
* 1976: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film) becomes the first movie made by the studio to be shown on TV complete in one evening, as opposed to the way the Disney films were divided into weekly segments on his television show.
* 1977: Roy Edward Disney, son of Roy and nephew of Walt, resigns from the company citing a decline in overall product quality and issues with management. The Rescuers is released.
* 1978: The studio licenses several minor titles to MCA Discovision for laserdisc release; only TV compilations of cartoons ever see the light of day through this deal.
* 1979: Don Bluth and a number of his allies leave the animation division; the studio releases its first PG-rated films, Take Down and The Black Hole.
* 1980: Tom Wilhite becomes head of the film division with the intent of modernizing studio product; a home video division is created.
* 1981: Plans for a cable network are announced. Dumbo hits the shelves for video retail, making it the first animated Disney feature available on video. The Fox and the Hound is released.
* 1982: Epcot (formerly EPCOT Center) opens at Walt Disney World Resort; Walt Disney's son-in-law Ron W. Miller succeeds Card Walker as CEO.
* 1983: As the anthology series is canceled, Disney Channel begins operation on US cable systems. Tom Wilhite resigns his post as head of the film division. Tokyo Disneyland opens in Japan.

[edit] Eisner era (1984â€“2005)

* 1984: Touchstone Films is created after the studio narrowly escapes a buyout attempt by Saul Steinberg, and releases its first film Splash. Roy Edward Disney and his business partner, Stanley Gold, remove Ron W. Miller as CEO and president, replacing him with Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. The Walt Disney Classics video collection starts up.
* 1985: The studio begins making cartoons for television beginning with Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears and The Wuzzles. The Black Cauldron, the studio's first PG-rated animated film, is a box-office failure, along with Return To Oz. The home video release of Pinocchio becomes a best-seller.
* 1986: The company's name is changed on February 6 from Walt Disney Productions to The Walt Disney Company. Disney's first R-rated film, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, is released under the Touchstone banner. The Great Mouse Detective is released.
* 1987: The company and the French government sign an agreement for the creation of the first Disney Resort in Europe: the Euro Disney project starts. The company opens up a Hall of Fame with Fred MacMurray as the first induction. Tough Guys Don't Dance is Disney's first thriller movie.
* 1988: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a co-production of Disney's Touchstone Pictures and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment is released on June 22. Oliver and Company is released on November 18.
* 1989: Disney offers a deal to buy Jim Henson's Muppets and have the famed puppeteer work with Disney resources; Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios) opens at Walt Disney World; The Little Mermaid sparks a Disney animation renaissance.
* 1990: Jim Henson's death sours the deal to buy his holdings; the anthology series is canceled for the second time. The Rescuers Down Under is released.
* 1991: Beauty and the Beast is released, becoming the only animated film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
* 1992: The controversial Euro Disney Resort opens outside Paris. Aladdin is released.
* 1992: The Disney Company is granted permission for a National Hockey League expansion franchise. The team is named the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to coincide with the release of The Mighty Ducks.
* 1993: Disney acquires independent film distributor Miramax Films; Winnie the Pooh merchandise outsells Mickey Mouse merchandise for the first time; the policy of periodic theatrical re-issues ends with this year's re-issue of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but is augmented for video.
* 1994: Frank Wells is killed in a helicopter crash. Jeffrey Katzenberg resigns to co-found his own studio, DreamWorks SKG. Plans for Disney's America, a historical theme park in Haymarket, Virginia, are abruptly dropped. Euro Disneyland is renamed Disneyland Paris. The Classics video line is unofficially canceled and replaced with the Masterpiece Collection. The Lion King, the highest-grossing traditionally animated film in history. [4]
* 1995: In October, the company hires Hollywood super agent Michael Ovitz to be president. Disney purchases DiC, and owned rights to shows, including dubbing of the first two seasons of Sailor Moon. The first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, is released by Disney, and becomes the year's top-grossing film. Pocahontas is also released.
* 1996: The company takes on the Disney Enterprises name and acquires the Capital Cities/ABC group, renaming it ABC, Inc. To celebrate the pairing, ABC's first Super Soap Weekend is held at Walt Disney World. Disney makes deal with Tokuma Shoten for dubbing and releasing of Studio Ghibli films in the U.S. In December, Michael Ovitz, president of the company, leaves "by mutual consent". The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film) is released.
* 1997: The anthology series is revived again; the home video division releases its first DVDs. The Southern Baptist Convention votes to boycott The Walt Disney Company over opposition to the latter offering equal health and other benefits to gays and lesbians, as well as Disney allowing outside organizers to have "Gay and Lesbian Days" at Walt Disney World. Disney ignored the boycott, which failed and was withdrawn by the SBC on June 22, 2005.[5] Hercules is released.
* 1998: Disney's Animal Kingdom opens at Walt Disney World. Kiki's Delivery Service, the first Studio Ghibli film under the Disney/Ghibli deal, is released on video. Disney Cruise Line sets sail with its first ship, the Disney Magic. Mulan is released. A Bug's Life is released as the second produced by Pixar Animation Studios.
* 2000: Fantasia 2000 is released to IMAX Theaters.
* 2000: Robert Iger becomes president. Disney-owned TV channels are pulled from Time Warner Cable briefly during a dispute over carriage fees. Disney begins its Gold Classic Collection and Platinum Edition DVD line, replacing their Classic and Masterpiece Collection series.
* 2001: Disney's California Adventure and Tokyo DisneySea open to the public; Disney begins releasing Walt Disney Treasures DVD box sets for the collector's market.
* 2001: Disney buys Fox Family for $3 billion in July, giving Disney programming and cable network reaching 81 million homes.
* 2001: Disney changes Fox Family to ABC Family.
* 2001: Fort Worth billionaire Sid Bass is forced to sell his Disney holdings due to a margin call caused partially by the stock market fall that followed the 9/11 attacks. The fact that Bass had bought his shares on margin was a shock when it was revealed. Losing Bass was a blow to Eisner; Bass was one of his major backers and had recruited Eisner to Disney.
* 2002: Walt Disney Studios open near Disneyland Paris (renamed Disneyland Park). The entire area is now called Disneyland Resort Paris. Disney finishes negotiations to acquire Saban Entertainment, owner of children's entertainment juggernaut Power Rangers. Subsidiary Miramax acquires the USA rights to the PokÃ©mon movies starting with the fourth movie.
* 2002: Disney releases the Academy Award nominated film Lilo & Stitch
* 2002: Disney teams up with famous video game company Squaresoft (later known as Square-Enix) to release their first ever role-playing game with various Disney characters, Kingdom Hearts. Disney releases Spirited Away in the U.S., which goes on to be the first anime to win an Oscar for Best Animated Film. Disney begins joint venture business with Sanrio for Sanrio's greeting cards.
* 2002: Disney's movie Treasure Planet is released in theaters.
* 2002: Disney shut downs Fox Kids in 2004 turns it into Jetix.
* 2003: Roy E. Disney resigns as the chairman of Feature Animation and from the board of directors, citing similar reasons to those that drove him off 26 years earlier; fellow director Stanley Gold resigns with him; they establish "SaveDisney" to apply public pressure to oust Michael Eisner. Pixar computer animated film Finding Nemo is released by Disney, becoming the highest-grossing animated film in history until 2004's DreamWorks film Shrek 2. Live-action film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is released, becoming the first film released under the Disney label with a PG-13 rating.
* 2004: Pixar ends distribution agreement with Disney. Disney would later buy Pixar. Home on the Range and The Incredibles are released.
* 2004: Comcast makes an unsuccessful hostile bid for the company. CEO Michael Eisner is replaced by George J. Mitchell as chairman of the board after a 43% vote of no confidence. Disney turns down distributing controversial documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11, which ends up making $100 million. On February 17, Disney buys the Muppets (excluding the Sesame Street characters).
* 2004: Disney creates Jetix the children's block that mainly consists of Fox Kids shows and original programming on ABC Family and Toon Disney.
* 2005: Jetix is distributed worldwide in Europe and Latin America in channels of their own rights.
* 2005: On July 8 Roy E. Disney rejoins the company as a consultant with the title of Director Emeritus.
* 2005: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is released in the US.
* 2005: Disneyland celebrates its 50th anniversary on July 17. Hong Kong Disneyland officially opens on September 12.
* 2005: Kingdom Hearts II, the sequel to the game created when Disney teamed up with Square-Enix in 2002, is released.

[edit] Iger era (2005â€“Present)

* 2005: Bob Iger replaces Michael Eisner as CEO on October 1. Also on October 1, Miramax co-founders Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein left the company to form their own studio.
* 2005: Jetix is added a companion channel Jetix Play exclusive to Europe.
* 2006: The Disney Channel Original Movie, High School Musical airs on January 20. It becomes the most successful movie at its time with 7.7 million viewers in its premiere broadcast in the U.S. Soundtrack was released on January 10, 2006 and was the best selling album of 2006, selling 6,469 copies in its first week and climbed to #1 on the Billboard album chart in early March and again in late March of 2006.
* 2006: On January 23, Disney announces a deal to purchase Pixar Animation Studios in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. The deal is finalized on May 5. In the process, former Pixar CEO, and current Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs, becomes the single largest individual Disney shareholder, holding 7% of outstanding shares. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is released, breaking multiple box office records, including highest-grossing opening day and opening weekend. The film also becomes the third film in motion picture history to gross over US$1 billion, when unadjusted for inflation.
* 2006: Disney sets record for number of people to visit its parks. A record 112 million people visited Disney parks in 2006.
* 2006: Disney reacquires the rights to the Walt Disney-era Oswald the Lucky Rabbit films from NBC Universal.
* 2006: Disney releases the Cars computer animated movie by Pixar on June 9.
* 2006: On August, 31 ABC Family airs Jetix for the last time and Jetix is exclusive to Toon Disney.
* 2006: ABC Family makes Kyle XY the highest rated ABC Family Original Series to date.
* 2007: Disney released their first non-movie or TV show related media â€“ Spectrobes, a video game for the Nintendo DS.
* 2007: The Walt Disney Company Partners With Club Penguin
* 2007: Disney announces plans to make The Princess and the Frog, which would be a new Disney Princess movie made in traditional 2-D animation.
* 2007: The Disney Channel Original Movie, High School Musical 2 airs on August 17. The film set a new basic cable record upon its premiere, with a total of 17.24 million viewers tuning in, almost 10 million more than the debut of High School Musical. This made it the highest-rated basic cable broadcast of all time.
* 2007: Disney releases its first animated musical since Tarzan called Enchanted in November. It uses a mixture of traditional animation and live action, and is the first Disney box office film employing 2-d animation since Pooh's Heffalump Movie.
* 2007: In November Disney shuts down Disney Adventures Magazine for unknown reasons
* 2007: ABC Family premieres Slacker Cats, the first cartoon on ABC Family since the Fox Family era.
* 2008: Walt Disney and Yash Raj Films announce the first ever India-US made film, Roadside Romeo, which will be Bollywoods first animation film using the latest computer animations with Walt Disney in India.
* 2008: 'Disney MGM Studios' is changed to 'Disney's Hollywood Studios'
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brad · Jan 30, 2008

Good find!

disney_mad_2008 · Feb 25, 2008

C'est Bon! Good website!

DisneyGibbs · Feb 26, 2008

Woo awesome! Though I just delve into my A-Z of Disney.... I'm contemplating bringing it to the interviews.

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