Cartoonist Carl Barks voluntarily retires after 3 decades of drawing Donald Duck comic books for Disney. First hired in 1936, Barks started out as an apprentice animator on the storyboards of several Donald Duck shorts. From 1943 to 1966 he wrote and drew hundreds of Donald Duck stories and created Duckburg and several new characters for the comics, such as Uncle Scrooge McDuck, Gyro Gearloose, Gladstone Gander and the Beagle Boys.
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At Disneyland, the America Sings attraction officially opens to the public in Tomorrowland's Carousel Theater. A special press preview is held with invited guests receiving a promotional version of the soon-to-be released LP record and a painted casting of Eagle Sam. Sam - voiced by Burl Ives - guides visitors through 4 big musical acts, each with a medley of period tunes. The attraction, featuring over 110 Audio-Animatronics animal characters, replaces the General Electric Carousel of Progress (which has moved to Walt Disney World).
The opening of Disney's Grand Floridian Beach Resort ushers in an era of accelerated hotel building at WDW during which 10 new resort hotels have been added to date. The Grand Floridian, located at 4401 Floridian Way, is the third Magic Kingdom monorail resort located on the beaches of the Seven Seas Lagoon between the Polynesian Resort and the Magic Kingdom. The luxurious hotel - the crown jewel of the Walt Disney World resorts - isthemed to be reminiscent of turn-of-the-century Victorian Florida. Also opening in the hotel is Flagler's restaurant, 1900 Park Fare restaurant, M. Mouse Mercantile shop, Narcoossee's restaurant, Victoria and Albert's restaurant, and the Grand Floridian Cafe restaurant. (In 1997 the hotel's name will be changed to The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa when a top-of-the-line facility spa and health club is added.)
Disney's 35th animated feature film Hercules is officially released in the U.S. and Canada, the same day Disneyland's Hercules Victory Parade debuts. Based on the legendary Greek mythology hero Heracles (known in the film by his Roman name, Hercules) it is directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The all-star voice cast includes Tate Donovan as Hercules, James Woods as Hades, Susan Egan as Megara, Danny DeVito as Philoctetes, Rip Torn as Zeus, Bobcat Goldthwait as Pain, Wayne Knight as Demetrius, and Hal Holbrook as Amphitryon. (The film will earn 4 Annie Awards.)
Disneyland's Viewliner (a predecessor to the monorail) debuts. The system is made up of two separate narrow gauge, miniature trains that operate alongside portions of the Disneyland Railroad main line. Billed by Disneyland as "the fastest miniature train in the world," it is Walt's first attempt at "mass-transit" in the park. The vehicles were designed by Walt Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr and were based on General Motors’ futuristic "Las Vegas Aerotrain." Their coaches were constructed by a company called Standard Carriage Works and the locomotives were built in the machine shop of the Walt Disney Studios. (The Viewliner will operate until September 1958.)
Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short The Fox Chase is released. A comic running-of-the-fox with Oswald atop a reluctant horse against a smarter-than-usual fox.
Roy Oliver Disney is born in Chicago, Illinois. The middle of 5 children, he along with his younger brother Walt started what is today The Walt Disney Company. Roy guided the business side of the Disney company leaving his brother, Walt, free to produce and create. Roy served as president of Walt Disney Productions from 1945 to 1968 and chairman of the board from 1964 until his death in 1971. A modest man, it was Roy's idea to change the name of the Florida park from simply Disney World to Walt Disney World (after the death of his brother in 1966). Married to Edna Francis in 1925, Roy was the father of Roy E. Disney. Today there is a statue of Roy O. Disney seated on a park bench beside Minnie Mouse at the Town Square section of Main Street, U.S.A., at the Magic Kingdom theme park in Florida, and outside the Team Disney building at Disney's corporate headquarters in Burbank, California.
Disneyland's Skyway to Fantasyland and Skyway to Tomorrowland begin transporting guests across the park. Guests take off from a small Alpine chalet seated in gondolas in Fantasyland on their way to Tomorrowland. Tomorrowland guests pass over such attractions as the Richfield Autopia and the Goodyear PeopleMover on their way to Fantasyland. The Skyway was built by Von Roll, Ltd. based in Bern, Switzerland. When Walt Disney Imagineering bought the ride, it became the first Von Roll Type 101 aerial ropeway in the USA. (In 1959, Skyway riders will pass through the Matterhorn mountain when the Matterhorn bobsleds attraction is added!)
The Walt Disney Archives is established on the studio lot in Burbank, California, with help from David R. Smith, and charged with recording and preserving the history of Disney. Smith's connection with Disney dates back to 1967 when, as a librarian at UCLA, he compiled an extensive bibliography on Walt Disney, spending over a year researching all Disney publications and productions.
The Touchstone/Amblin Entertainment film Who Framed Roger Rabbit premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Actor Bob Hoskins plays a private detective who investigates a murder involving the famous cartoon character, Roger Rabbit (voiced by Charles Fleischer). The film will be generally released in U.S. theaters the following day. Who Framed Roger Rabbit marks the first (and to date, only) time that characters from several animation studios - including Disney, Universal, MGM, Republic, Turner Entertainment, and Warner Bros. - appear in one film!
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