Happy Birthday, Donald Duck!

Donald Duck made his grand debut on this day in 1934. Happy Birthday, Donald!

 

Happy Birthday, Goofy!

Goofy made his grand debut on May 25, 1932. Happy Birthday, Goofy!

 

May the Fourth Week: BB-8

When viewers first saw the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer, they were introduced to this strange droid that sped through the desert. Skeptical fans lamented the "lame" CGI effect that this droid obviously was. Right?

 

Actually, no. As the world would discover, BB-8 was very real. An amazing piece of robotics, he was revealed to fans in Anaheim, posing with his co-stars.

 

Fans can even own their very own version of BB-8 in a smaller form.

 

May the Fourth Week: The Holocron

It's a legend- the Lucasfilm Holocron! In order to keep track of the huge world spawned from the Star Wars films, Lucasfilm created a master database of every character, storyline, planet and more. The secret database could be used by licensees and others to ensure authenticity.

 

If it's an official part of the Star Wars Universe, it is in the Holocron. While mere mortals are not permitted to access the Holocron, it is believed that even Ackmena and Lumpy- characters from the ill-conceived Star Wars Holiday Special- are included.

 

 

While the database is used by internal Lucasfilm employees creating new books, movies and comics, it is also used by the licensing department to ensure that merchandise is on point.

 

 

 

The company has received many requests from fans for access to the database or a software version of it. Since the database is actively used for future projects, the company has refused to permit outsiders access.

May the Fourth Week: Casting the Force

The studio may not have had much faith in Lucas' film, but young Hollywood lined up for a chance to snag a role in this new 'Star' film that George was working on.

 

Robby Benson, who would later become the voice of Disney's Beast, tried out for the role of Luke Skywalker, a part that would go to Mark Hamill.

 

Cindy Williams, who had taken a role in Lucas' previous film American Graffiti, tried out to be Princess Leia. Carrie Fisher would get the legendary role.

 

Disney Legend Kurt Russell, eager to shed his goody two shoes reputation, eagerly sought the role of bad boy Han Solo. Harrison Ford would get the part.

 

And George Lucas originally wanted Orson Welles to provide the voice of Darth Vader. He became convinced that Orson's voice would be too distracting and familiar. He chose James Earl Jones instead.

May the Fourth Week: Lucas Rejected

George Lucas didn't have it easy in the early 1970's. His first mainstream project had initially been rejected by numerous studios. After it made $140 Million on a budget that was less than $1 Million, American Graffiti jolted Hollywood and meant that Mr. Lucas should have been able to make any film he wanted.

 

His next project would be Star Wars. Incredibly, Universal Pictures, which had first crack at Star Wars as a result of its partnership on American Graffiti had passed on the project. They thought it was confusing and would certainly be too expensive.

 

Having passed on the project, Universal waived its chance at the biggest hit of the 1970's. Certainly George's next stop would accept, right? Nope. United Artists had the same reservations and passed on it too.

 

George Lucas would eventually find a backer in Twentieth Century Fox, though they wouldn't necessarily be fully behind it. Their reluctance, however, would be a boon for George. They sold him the merchandise rights that would eventually allow him to secure the rights to his creation; rights that he would eventually sell to The Walt Disney Company.

May the Fourth Week: NSYNC in Episode II?

When George Lucas brought his beloved Star Wars franchise out of retirement, each film was highly anticipated. Everyone eagerly awaited each film and rumors flew around at a fast pace.

 

In the late 90's and early 2000's, one of the biggest boy bands around was NSYNC. Even George Lucas' children were not immune from their charms. They reportedly begged their father to include the band in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

 

So was this the truth or was it an insane rumor? At the time, none of those involved were willing to confirm or deny. Saturday Night Live featured a speculative sketch, mocking the very idea of the band being in the film. When the final film was released, NSYNC wasn't in it. Case closed, right?

 

Not exactly. As it turned out, a few members of the boy band did film scenes for the film. A combination of fan fury plus Screen Actors Guild rules tanked NSYNC's dreams of being in the film. The band had signed waivers, agreeing to be in the film for free. As members of SAG, they couldn't work on a film for free. This, combined with the fury of Star Wars fans made up George Lucas' mind. The band members were cut from the film. However, they may have actually ended up in the background of this scene:

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Leap Day! Disney's 29th Animated Film

The 29th feature length animated film released by Disney was unusual in more ways than one. The most unusual thing about it was that it was a sequel to another animated film, something that Disney had never done before. Rescuers Down Under was a follow-up to the modestly successful The Rescuers.

The film also shared the bill with a Mickey Mouse featurette, The Prince and the Pauper.

Coming just one year after Disney rejuvenated its feature animated film division with The Little Mermaid, this outing, which featured no music or songs, was just a straight up adventure. While modestly successful, its release came a little too late to make an impression on the studio heads at Disney. With its hit soundtrack, huge merchandise sales and positive reception, The Little Mermaid had laid out where Disney felt its theatrical future should be. The Rescuers Down Under would get little fanfare or interest from the company. Beauty and the Beast would get the company's full resources the next year.

Rest in Peace, Brian Bedford

Brian Bedford, who provided the voice of Robin Hood in Disney's Robin Hood has passed away at age 80. 

Mr. Bedford was born in England to a non-acting family. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, studying alongside Albert Finney and Peter O'Toole. Primarily a stage actor, he starred sporadically on British television and films until his big break in 1973- the lead voice role in Disney's Robin Hood. He made Robin Hood a dashing, lovable rogue. The film brought him his biggest audience.

The role sparked his career, getting him roles in various American movies and television shows. He was still actively working in Hollywood, making his home in Santa Barbara, California. His legendary role in Disney's Robin Hood will forever be remembered and enjoyed by children of all ages.

Disney Christmas Week: Lady and the Tramp

The film Lady and the Tramp begins on Christmas when Jim Dear gives his wife a special gift- Lady herself, romantically presented in a hat box.

This thoughtful gift was inspired by a real life present Walt Disney have to his wife- a cocker spaniel presented so sweetly in a hat box.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

They called it 'Disney's Folly' and said it was nothing but a gimmick, quickly forgotten by everyone. Yet today, it still stands as a Hollywood classic, beloved by children and adults alike. Happy Anniversary, Snow White!

Disney Quote Weekends

"Why does everyone want to go back to Jakku?"

Happy Anniversary, Mickey's Christmas Carol!

Happy Birthday, Mr. Van Dyke!

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse!

On November 18, 1928 Mickey Mouse made his grand debut. The cute little mouse, dreamt up out of desperation took the world by storm, taking his creator to places he had only imagined.

The children of the world instantly embraced this spunky little mouse who paved the way for a worldwide Disney empire. It truly all started with a mouse.

Even babies who know nothing of Walt Disney or DISNEYLAND are drawn to the lovable Mickey Mouse. He's still the most recognized star in the world, just the way his father dreamed.

"Think beyond your lifetime, if you want to do something truly great.”

-Walt Disney

Mickey Mouse Park

Mickey Mouse was always near and dear to Walt Disney's heart. No matter what amazing projects Mr. Disney embarked on, Mickey was always a part of them. That's why when Mr. Disney began to dream about a magical theme park built across the street from his Burbank studio, the first name he thought of to grace the modest plan was "Mickey Mouse Park."

The small eight acre parcel would have a train, a small town, a lake and of course, Mickey Mouse. Mr. Disney's original plan was to place statues of Mickey and friends that guests could pose next to for pictures. The centerpiece of the park, however, would be the Mickey statue.

Walt Disney's dreams soon grew, however, and it became obvious that he would need much more land. His mere park had become a Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom soon found a new home many miles south and would have a new name- DISNEYLAND. Despite this new name, the park would still feature Walt's famous friend. And to leave no doubt as to who ruled over this Magic Kingdom, Mickey Mouse's smiling face would welcome the millions of guests who would make the trek to DISNEYLAND from around the world.

Mickey's First Film

After Walt Disney lost Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to Universal Pictures, Walt came up with the idea for Mickey Mouse and sat down with the only animator he could trust- Ub Iwerks- to animate the first Mickey Mouse cartoon.

That cartoon would be- Plane Crazy. Ub had animated about 2/3rds of the film before Walt Disney came upon the magic of sound. Since Plane Crazy had been envisioned as a silent cartoon, he chose to scrap everything and come up with an idea for a cartoon that would feature sound. That cartoon was Steamboat Willie. 

Steamboat Willie was a sensation, catapulting Mickey Mouse to superstardom. Despite the fact that Walt's brother Roy was against it, Walt was proven right when Steamboat Willie broke every record. Afterwards, Plane Crazy was reworked with sound and Mickey Mouse became a worldwide celebrity.

Disney Quote Weekends

"You know, Borris, I do believe this is the first time you've ever gotten a chance to see our lovely, lovely home- it's simple, yet elegant!"

Amok! Amok! Amok! Strange Trick or Treaters

"Aren't you broads a little old to be trick or treating?"