The evolution of Walt Disney’s opening credits has gone from 3-minute static images to fully animated sequences . Learn more about the history of opening title cards and why the film industry transitioned to closing credits.
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Tomorrowland and Frontierland were home to some of Disneyland’s most popular restaurants in 1955 - Space Bar, the Chicken Plantation Restaurant, Aunt Jemima’s Kitchen, and Casa de Fritos, home to the invention of the dorito. Learn more about these opening year restaurants.
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Virginia Davis was Walt Disney’s first human star to ever appear on the big screen. Her role as Alice in The Alice Comedies shot Disney to stardom, giving Disney inspiration for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Learn more about how Virginia got involved with Disney and what she did with her life post-Disney.
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Main Street USA is known for its various gift shops, candy stores, and delicious restaurants. A lot of the buildings that stand on Main Street USA were around during the opening of Disneyland in July 1955, and housed some of Walt Disney’s most beloved dining locations. Learn more about some of the opening day restaurants.
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Did you ever wonder if you could get your hands on any of the toys in Toy Story (1995) as a child? Many of Andy’s toys did exist before the 1995 Pixar film, including Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, the Green Army Men, the Barrel of Monkeys, Etch A Sketch, the Magic 8 Ball, the Troll Dolls, and many more. Read on to learn more about all of the REAL toys of Toy Story!
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Lilo and Stitch premiered in June 2002 with 5 Elvis Presley songs on its soundtrack. The film was released on the 25th anniversary of the King of Rock and Roll’s passing, and was a major contributor to the resurgence of his music. Learn more about how Disney got the permissions for the film, and Priscilla Presley’s appearance at the premiere.
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Cinderella is one of the most retold European fairytales of all time. Tracing back to the 17th century, the title character has gone through many changes in her appearance, from appearing during a medieval period, to Walt Disney’s signature Cinderella, to the various live action remakes. Learn more about the evolution of Cinderella’s appearance.
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The first five Disney films, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi had major influence on all animated films we see today. The world premieres of these films were extremely important nights for Walt Disney and the Walt Disney Company. Learn more about the premieres of these films and their venues.
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The invention of audio animatronics was done by Imagineers in the early Disneyland California days. Some of the oldest audio animatronics are still around today, including animals in the Jungle Cruise, birds in the Enchanted Tiki Room, and pirates in the Pirates of the Caribbean. Learn more about what still remains today.
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With the live action of Snow White being filmed currently, let’s take a look back at the original voice actors that played our beloved seven dwarfs from the 1937 film: Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Happy, and Bashful.
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Each Pixar film has a group of dedicated writers, animators, directors, and actors behind it. Many of the Pixar films have production dedications, honoring someone who passed away who impacted the company greatly. Learn more about who each film is dedicated to
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The Disneyland mountains have become staple attractions at every Disney park in the world. Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the Matterhorn Bobsleds…out of them all, which was the most expensive for the Walt Disney Company to build? How much would it cost to build them today? Click to read more!
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It’s been 3 years since I started The Disney Classics blog, and I am so grateful to everyone who has stopped by to read a big of Disney history. I’ve written all about Disney classic films, Disneyland, Disney Parks, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and so many others. Thank you all!
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Many of our favourite Disney characters from the Disney Renaissance Era made their way onto televisions sets throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s. Successful Disney movies such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, and others all received their own spin-off television shows. Learn more about each one here.
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The fish tank gang of Finding Nemo has some of the most beloved Pixar characters, like Peach the starfish, Gill the mysterious moorish idol fish, and Gurgles, the germophobic fish. Learn more about the voice actors and actresses behind these iconic Finding Nemo characters.
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Before Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney created Julius the Cat, a character featured in the Alice Comedies. Julius was known to be a close replica of Felix the Cat, but he also played a key role in the growth of the Walt Disney Company.
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Big Thunder Mountain is a beloved Disneyland attraction, but it hasn’t always been a Frontierland staple. The Mine Train rides of Disneyland California began with Rainbow Caverns Mine Train in 1956, and the eventual expansion in 1960 to become Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland. Learn more about these 2 original attractions and how Big Thunder Mountain Railroad came to be.
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DisneyToon Studios opened when Disney decided to make direct-to-video sequels of their classic movies. Films like The Return of Jafar, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time were all produced by this new animation division. Learn more about the full history of DisneyToon Studios.
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With the great success of Dumbo in the 1940s, Imagineer Tony Baxter designed Dumbo’s Circus Land to be an extension of Fantasyland in Disneyland California in the 1970s. It was feature Circus Disney, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the Casey Jr Circus Train, Mickey’s MadHouse, and a Pinocchio attraction.
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When the Golden Horseshoe officially opened with Disneyland in July 1955, Wally Boag made his mark in the Golden Horseshoe Revue and performed for over 30 years. Betty Taylor joined just a year after in 1956 as Slue-Foot-Sue. Learn more about the history of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon and Disney Legends Wally Boag and Betty Taylor.
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