Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of "The Disney Look... to the Past!" Enjoy:
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This Week in Disney History: February 17-23
Feb. 17, 1998 – Groundbreaking for Rock ‘n' Roller
Coaster Starring Aerosmith takes place at Disney's Hollywood
Studios
You've scored a tour of G-Force Records to visit the
legendary rock band Aerosmith. But just as you arrive, their agent shoos the
band out of the recording studio — they've got a concert to get to! Don't worry;
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry wouldn't leave their fans hanging. They’re giving you
a lift to the show in a super-stretch limo, and this is no ordinary ride. It
revs from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds, twisting through three inversions
while zipping by L.A. landmarks like Beverly Hills and the Hollywood sign. You
get to the concert, and the band gives you a knowing wink from onstage. Another
ride in that limo? Wait a minute; we love that idea. Aerosmith worked
with Imagineers to produce the soundtrack, contributing eight classic songs that
pump through each limo's 125-speaker, 32,000-watt onboard audio system. Rock ‘n'
Roller Coaster was also an opening-day attraction at Walt Disney Studios Park at
Disneyland Paris in 2002.
Feb. 23,
2010 – “Captain EO Tribute”
opens at Disneyland Park
At the height of his
career, Michael Jackson collaborated with “Star Wars” producer George Lucas and
“The Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola on a 3-D space epic for Disney.
First opening in 1986 at Epcot and Disneyland Park, “Captain EO” stars Jackson
as the leader of an intergalactic brigade, captured after crash landing on a
strange planet and forced to confront an evil spider-like queen (played by
Anjelica Huston). EO uses the power of music to subdue her subjects and change
their world for the better. Jackson contributed two songs for the feature, “We
Are Here to Change the World” and “Another Part of Me,” while composer James
Horner wrote the score. The film closed at Epcot in 1994 and at Disneyland Park
in 1997, making way for “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience.” More than a decade
later, “Captain EO” returned to Tomorrowland, presented in its original theater
with a new 70-millimeter print and improved sound, thanks to acoustical
enhancements. The film has also reopened at Epcot, Tokyo Disneyland and
Disneyland Paris, giving Disney fans another chance to watch the “King of Pop”
light up the screen.
Also this week in Disney history:
Feb. 17
1995 – Walt Disney Pictures releases
“Heavyweights”
2004 – Disney announces the purchase of The Muppets from The
Jim Henson Company
Feb. 18
1960 – The Winter Olympics opening ceremony,
produced by Walt Disney, is held in Squaw Valley, Calif.
2000 – The “45 Years
of Magic” parade and “Believe… There’s Magic in the Stars” fireworks show debut
at Disneyland Park
Feb. 19
1985 – Mickey Mouse visits China in commemoration
of Disneyland Park’s 30th anniversary
Feb. 20
1986 – WED Enterprises is renamed Walt Disney
Imagineering
Feb. 21
1997 – The first Club Disney opens in Thousand
Oaks, Calif.
Feb. 22
1996 – Disney.com launches on the
Internet
2009 – “Wall-E” wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
Film
Feb. 23
1935 – “The Band Concert” (first Mickey Mouse
short in color) debuts
1939 – Walt Disney receives a special Academy Award
for “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”
2004 – “Snow White – An Enchanting
Musical” debuts at Disneyland Park
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Thank you for reading!
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