 | Happy 113th Birthday Walt Disney! |
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| DisneyDan
Friday, December 5, 2014 8:14:02 AM |
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Today is 5th December, which would have been Walt Disney's 113th birthday.
Born in Chicago on 5th December 1901 to Canadian father Elias and American mother Flora, Walt found himself growing up in a rapidly changing world. The automobile, electricity and telephones were amongst the new technologies that were gradually altering the way people went about their everyday lives.
Soon came World War I, and Walt found himself too young to enlist - but he did anyway!
While away he discovered his talent for drawing, and became known for decorating the helmets his comrades had found, with illustrations.
From there Walt developed his talents further, and found himself creating characters and shorts such as the Alice comedies and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Sadly Oswald wasn't too lucky for Walt, but it did spur him onwards to develop a new character in 1928 - Mickey Mouse.
Mickey was Walt, and Walt was Mickey.
Walt Disney was a creative genius, who was far ahead of his time. Bringing a whole new definition to the world of film and television, Walt pioneered many new concepts and technologies.
Walt won more Oscars during his lifetime than any other person, a record that he still holds.
With his studio now one of the best in the world, Walt turned to other things. Bigger things.
Walt's ultimate dream was of course Disneyland; a place where anyone can come and have fun, away from reality.
In July 1955 Disneyland opened and has since become probably the most famous theme park in the world. Capturing Walt's very essence, and offering a true escape from the outside world, Disneyland was, and continues to be, the Happiest Place on Earth.
Of course, Walt's dream grew and grew, and so did Disneyland, to the point where Walt dreamt even bigger!
Florida was to be the home of Walt's final dream, one which sadly he did not get to see through to completion (having passed away in 1966).
Walt dreamt of a huge community where people not only lived and worked, but where they played an vacationed; known as EPCOT. A complete city built from the mind of this brilliant man.
Walt Disney World opened in October 1971 by his surviving brother and business partner, Roy, and was dedicated to Walt having changed the name from simply Disney World to Walt Disney World.
Although Walt's vision of EPCOT never came to fruition as he saw it, it certainly has come true. Walt Disney World has given Central Florida a different identity to what it had 50 years ago. From swamps to a metropolis filled with hotels, malls, other theme parks and indeed entire communities of people who live and work there. Walt Disney World itself has thousands of Cast Members who live and work at the resort, who come from all over the world, ensuring that Walt's final vision is forever captured in an amazing and colourful reality.
Over a century after his birth, we are on the brink of the 12th Disney Park opening (Shanghai, 2015/16), have a world filled with hundreds more movies, TV shows and even stores, a cruise line and much, much more.
All the parks have their own little nod to Walt and his dreams, remembering the man who started it all.
Walt Disney lived to entertain, and entertained for a living. He gave the world a slice of imagination and inspiration that is unrivalled, and that will continue for many more decades.
Happy 113th Birthday, Walt Disney. We thank you for your dedication to your dreams.
Dan. |
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 | Happy 86th Birthday Mickey and Minnie Mouse! | |
| DisneyDan
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 10:52:21 AM |
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Hello everyone,
Today is the 86th birthday of the two most famous mice in the world, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
On 18th November 1928, Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie debuted to the public, and stars were born.
Without Mickey and Minnie, we wouldn't have the Disney company that we have today. For that we are eternally grateful to Walt Disney, and of course Mickey and Minnie, and look forward to many more decades of fun and laughter with them.
Happy 86th Birthday Mickey and Minnie!
In our usual style, here's a photo cavalcade of some of the magical adventures we've had with Mickey and Minnie at the Disney Parks and Resorts over the years.
Happy Birthday Mickey and Minnie!
Dan. |
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| Happy 43rd Birthday Walt Disney World Resort! | |
| DisneyDan
Wednesday, October 1, 2014 8:53:28 AM |
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Today is the 43rd anniversary of the grand opening of the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, and the 32nd anniversary of EPCOT!
For 43 years Walt Disney World has enchanted millions of guests from all over the world with its incredible attractions, amazing entertainment and excellent service and facilities.
In our usual style, here's a cavalcade of photos of our magical experiences at Walt Disney World over the years. I have deliberately left out character images for today, since I really wanted to celebrate the beauty of the parks, and the work of the dreamers who believed they could build this magical place.
Happy 43rd birthday Walt Disney World, here's to many, many more!
Dan. |
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 | Happy 27th Birthday DuckTales and Rescue Rangers! | |
| DisneyDan
Thursday, September 18, 2014 12:19:03 PM |
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Hello everyone,
On this day, 18th September, in 1987 Disney premiered two of its most popular television shows of all time - DuckTales and Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers.
Let's celebrate in our usual Character Central style with some of our favourite DuckTakes and Rescue Rangers character photos from the Disney Parks!
Happy Birthday Gadget, Launchpad and all the other stars that debuted that day!
Dan.
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 | Happy 84th Birthday Pluto! | |
| DisneyDan
Friday, September 5, 2014 11:26:03 AM |
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Hello everyone,
Today, 5th September, is Pluto's 84th birthday! First appearing in the Mickey Mouse short "The Chain Gang" in 1930, Pluto was first seen tracking Mickey down after he escaped from prison! Since then though, Pluto has become Mickey's faithful companion and one of his best friends.
Let's celebrate in our usual Character Central way, with a cavalcade of photos from our adventures with Pluto over the years at the Disney Parks!
Happy 84th Birthday Pluto!
Dan.
In case you missed it earlier, today is also Oswald the Lucky Rabbit's birthday! You can check out my dedicated Oswald post, here.
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 | Happy 13th Anniversary Tokyo DisneySea! | |
| DisneyDan
Thursday, September 4, 2014 7:08:36 AM |
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Today, 4th September, is the 13th anniversary of the grand opening of Tokyo DisneySea at Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan.
Extravagant, incredibly detailed, beautifully themed and elaborately decorated, Tokyo DisneySea set a new bar in theme park design, becoming an instant hit with not just the Japanese, but world over. Last year alone, Tokyo DisneySea attracted over 14 million visitors, making it the 4th most visited theme park in the world.
Its seven themed ports offer an incredible array of attractions, stores, dining venues and experiences that are all amazing in their own individual ways. We have been fortunate enough to visit Tokyo DisneySea numerous times over the years, most recently in May of this year, which of course means we have taken many, many photos there!
In my usual style, I want to share with you a selection of our photos from our various trips (below).
Happy 13th anniversary Tokyo DisneySea!
Dan.
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 | Happy 50th Anniversary Mary Poppins! | |
| DisneyDan
Wednesday, August 27, 2014 4:34:01 PM |
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Today is the 50th anniversary of the premier of Walt Disney's Mary Poppins at the Grauman's Theater in Hollywood.
In our usual Character Central style, let's celebrate with a cavalcade of photos of Mary Poppins, Bert and Mr Penguin at the Disney Parks around the world!
Happy 50th Birthday Mary Poppins, Bert and Mr Penguin!
Dan. |
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 | Happy 59th Birthday Disneyland! | |
| DisneyDan
Thursday, July 17, 2014 11:52:47 AM |
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Hello everyone,
Today (17th July) is the 59th anniversary of the grand opening of the original Disney theme park, Disneyland in Anaheim, California!
For a change, for my photo tribute, I thought I'd share with you non-character pictures. Let's celebrate and enjoy the beauty of the park itself!
Happy 59th Birthday Disneyland!
Dan. |
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 | Happy 12th Birthday Lilo and Stitch! | |
| DisneyDan
Saturday, June 21, 2014 11:32:54 AM |
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Hello everyone,
Today is the 12th anniversary of the general release of Disney's Lilo and Stitch. Although I would normally go by premiere date for birthdays, I was out of the country on Monday (16th) when it was theirs. Therefore their general release date is considered their secondary birthday!
Without further delay here are a cavalcade of pictures of the stars of the film, Stitch, Lilo, Captain Gantu and Dr Jumba Jookiba!
Happy 12th Birthday Lilo and Stitch!
Dan. |
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 | Happy 80th Birthday Donald Duck! | |
| DisneyDan
Monday, June 9, 2014 10:23:24 AM |
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Today is Donald Duck's 80th birthday!
Starring in more roles than his best pal Mickey, Donald Fauntleroy Duck is hot tempered but ever loveable. His very human, and often hilarious, frustration with the more irritating side of life has provided entertainment to his fans since his debut in the Silly Symphonies in 1934. Donald Duck’s ever suffering love interest is Daisy Duck, who along with her short temper, make the perfect match.
A very keen traveller, Donald is also friends with Jose and Panchito whom he met on his exploits to South America.
While something very small can make him flip, Donald's down to earth approach to life means he is adored by generations of fans world over.
Happy 80th Birthday Donald Duck!
In our usual Character Central style, here's a cavalcade of photos from some of our favourite moments with Donald at the parks.
Dan. |
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