Favourite disney fact

[Rapunzeland]

Whats your all time favourite disney fact that you pull out when someone asks
Mines the reason why goofy and pluto are so different

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Whats your all time favourite disney fact that you pull out when someone asks
Mines the reason why goofy and pluto are so different

July 17, 1955 - it was so hot the asphalt melted, causing women's high heels to sink into the pavement.

 

[Rapunzeland]

July 17, 1955 - it was so hot the asphalt melted, causing women't high heels to sink into the pavement.

It is quite sjocking to hear how unprepared the opening was at first! Good one

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I have one. Disneyland's Grand opening party on July 17th was not actually it's opening day. The 17th was an invite only press, studio workers, and construction workers event. It was not open to the public (although many got in on counterfeit tickets) July 18th was actually its opening day.

 

[Rapunzeland]

I have one. Disneyland's Grand opening party on July 17th was not actually it's opening day. The 17th was an invite only press, studio workers, and construction workers event. It was not open to the public (although many got in on counterfeit tickets) July 18th was actually its opening day.

It would be cool to see opening day counterfeit tickets!

 

[tvguy]

Walt couldn't afford to pay TV personality Art Linkletter anything more than Union scale to co-host the opening day TV Special. So Linkletter got the exclusive right to sell film and cameras in Disneyland for the first 10 years it was open.
CHA CHING!

 

[Domo]

Walt Disney always intended EPCOT to be a living city, complete with tram and train systems, underground roads, an airport and hotel.

 

[Rapunzeland]

Walt Disney always intended EPCOT to be a living city, complete with tram and train systems, underground roads, an airport and hotel.

I never knew this till about a month ago!! Its became really popular on YouTube for some reason I guess because epcots getting updated

 

[mummabear]

So there is a Disney fact I would like to know and haven’t tracked down yet.

The castle at Disneyland is known as Sleeping Beautys castle. But Sleeping beauty wasn’t released until 4 years after the park was open.

So was the castle in the movie based on the one in the park already? Was the movie in production at the time of buildling? (And even so why did they choose Sleeping Beauty rather than Cinderella or Walt’s favourite Snow White?)

What was the castle called originally?(just the castle?)

 

[Rapunzeland]

So there is a Disney fact I would like to know and haven’t tracked down yet.

The castle at Disneyland is known as Sleeping Beautys castle. But Sleeping beauty wasn’t released until 4 years after the park was open.

So was the castle in the movie based on the one in the park already? Was the movie in production at the time of buildling? (And even so why did they choose Sleeping Beauty rather than Cinderella or Walt’s favourite Snow White?)

What was the castle called originally?(just the castle?)

From what I know from studying animation sleeping beauty started production in 1951 and disneyland castle was themed sleeping beauty to promote the upcoming film. Its actually based on Neuschwanstein Castle in germany and idk if this last bit is true or not but the designer who had to present the castle was unhappy with it but had to present it to walt. So he turned it around and by doing so we all take pictures with what was the back of the castle.

 

[ols386]

That Pluto is Mickey’s dog, not Goofy’s dog.

 

[VandVsmama]

Walt invented Mickey Mouse on a cross-country train ride from NYC to LA after he'd lost the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Walt's brother Roy thought that the company was done for but Walt convinced them that it would work. Walt sent Roy a telegram from 1 of the train stations en route saying that everything is ok and that he'd explain when he arrived back home.

Walt Disney forged his birth certificate in order to be old enough to sign up with the Red Cross in WW II. He got assigned to drive ambulances for part of the time he served in France.

Walt Disney also had very little formal training in animation. He taught himself how to do animation from reading one of the only animation books available in the local library.

Mickey Mouse is named Mickey because of Walt's wife. Mickey's original name was Mortimer and Lillian thought the name Mickey sounded a lot better.

 

[VandVsmama]

Marketing guy Kay Kamen is the main reason why the Disney company didn't go out of business during the Great Depression. He worked with Walt on successfully merchandising Mickey Mouse in major department stores all over the country. Walt had been trying unsuccessfully to merchandise Mickey Mouse with other companies, but the process of getting something from an idea on paper to having test products to review to then having items available to sell in stores took up to a couple of years start to finish at that time. Kay Kamen figured out how to streamline that and dramatically reduce that time frame.

The money that Disney company made from that was used by Walt to animate Snow White.

So without Kay Kamen, there would have been no "Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs." How amazing is that?!

** Edited to add **
There's a whole DIS podcast about this that Michael Bowling did a couple of years ago. It's fascinating to listen to. Just search for it on the DIS podcast web site!

 

[tvguy]

Walt Disney forged his birth certificate in order to be old enough to sign up with the Red Cross in WW II. He got assigned to drive ambulances for part of the time he served in France..

If true, it would have to be World War I. He was 40 when the U.S. entered World War II since he was born in 1901. He was 16 when the U.S. entered World War I in 1917.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Walt dreamed up Disneyland when he'd take his daughters out to amusement parks on Saturdays, and sit on a bench watching them on rides thinking, "Wouldn't it be nice if parents could have some fun too?".

I also think it's cool that resort rooms at the Contemporary Resort were prefab and lifted into place with cranes.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

If true, it would have to be World War I. He was 40 when the U.S. entered World War II since he was born in 1901. He was 16 when the U.S. entered World War I in 1917.

Yes, it was WWI.

Here is a picture of him next to an ambulance, note the drawing on the side canopy.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I have another. Walt was a workaholic. His wife, Lillian, would sometimes fall asleep on the sofa in his office, waiting for him to end his day so they could go home. Walt would turn the clock back so she didn't realize how late it was. He liked to walk around to every artist's station and pick through their work. In the morning, they could tell he'd been looking through things when they were a little crooked and such.

 

[VandVsmama]

If true, it would have to be World War I. He was 40 when the U.S. entered World War II since he was born in 1901. He was 16 when the U.S. entered World War I in 1917.

I fat fingered that one! It should have said WWI, not II!