1913 - Candy Candido, the voice of Fidget in Disney's 1986 animated feature The Great Mouse Detective, is born Jonathan Joseph Candido, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His distinctive deep voice can also be heard as the Indian Chief in Peter Pan, the Tournament Crocodile in Robin Hood, and the Graveyard Executioner in the Haunted Mansion attraction! A radio performer, musician, and vocalist, Candido provided the "voice" for TV's Gentle Ben!

1924 - Screenwriter Rod Serling is born Edwin Rodman Serling in Syracuse, New York. His popular Twilight Zone TV series will be the inspiration for Disney's Tower of Terror theme park attractions.

1939 - Lux Radio Theater with the cooperation of Walt Disney Productions presents an adaptation of Pinocchio with film actor John Garfield.

1950 - Walt Disney's first television special, One Hour in Wonderland airs on NBC at 4 P.M. Sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company and hosted by Walt himself, it is watched by about 20 million people (although only 10.5 million TV sets exist in the U.S.). Guests include Edgar Bergen & his dummies Charlie McCarthy & Mortimer Snerd, Walt's daughters Diane & Sharon, Kathryn Beaumont (the voice of Alice in Wonderland) and Bobby Driscoll (the voice of Peter Pan). The Firehouse Five Plus Two - a Dixieland ensemble made up of Disney employees - also performs.

1951 - The second Disney TV special The Walt Disney Christmas Show, hosted by Walt Disney, airs on CBS at 3 P.M. Sponsored by Johnson and Johnson, the show promotes the upcoming animated feature Peter Pan.

1953 - The Donald Duck short Canvas Back Duck is released. Donald is lured into the boxing ring (after proving his prowess at various circus games) only to discover his opponent is Pegleg Pete! Also released is the Goofy short How to Sleep. Poor Goofy can sleep anywhere at anytime ... except when his head hits the pillow at night! Even a cartoon character can suffer from insomnia.

1955 - Disneyland's Mike Fink Keelboats (a Southern-style cruise through the back waterways of the Rivers of America) opens in Frontierland.

1957 - Disney's Old Yeller is released. The film stars Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, Chuck Connors, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Beverly Washburn, and a yellow Black Mouth Cur named Spike in the title role. Directed by Robert Stevenson, Old Yeller was shot at the 700 acre Golden Oak Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley, thirty miles north of Disney. (Spike will go on to appear in 20th-Century-Fox's 1960 remake of A Dog of Flanders, as well as on the short-lived NBC series The Westerner , and sire two more generations of animal actors!)

1958 - The Walt Disney live-action feature film Tonka is released. It stars Sal Mineo, Philip Carey, and Jerome Courtland.

1963 - Walt Disney's 18th animated film The Sword In The Stone (based on the book by T. H. White) is released. Merlin the Magician (voiced by Karl Swenson) teaches a young boy (voiced by Rickie Sorensen) who is destined to be King Arthur.

1983 - Walt Disney's Christmas Parade is broadcast live from the Magic Kingdom for the very first time. The 90-minute telecast is hosted by Joan Lunden and Mike Douglas (the singing voice of Prince Charming in Cinderella).

1984 - Joan Lunden and Bruce Jenner host Disney World's Christmas Day Parade from the Magic Kingdom. The telecast features Regis Philbin (future parade host) for the first time.

1985 - Disney World's Christmas Day Parade is broadcast on television. Hosted by Joan Lunden and Ben Vereen, the special also features Regis Philbin and greetings from U.S. President Reagan and other world leaders.

1986 - Joan Lunden and Ben Vereen return as hosts of Disney World's Christmas Day Parade. Regis Philbin hosts a segment celebrating Disney World's 15th birthday and Snow White leads the parade as its Grand Marshal.

1987 - Disney World's Christmas Day Parade is broadcast on television. Hosted by Joan Lunden and Alan Thicke, the special also features Regis Philbin and Leonard Maltin.

1988 - Joan Lunden and Alan Thicke return as hosts of Disney World's Christmas Day Parade. The 2-hour telecast (a first for the parade special) includes Regis Philbin giving a sneak preview of Disney-MGM Studios.

1989 - Joan Lunden and Alan Thicke once again return as hosts of Disney World's annual parade. Stars from the current hit sitcoms Growing Pains, Family Ties, and Major Dad make appearances. Regis Philbin interviews Kermit the Frog about joining the Disney family.

1990 - The team of Joan Lunden and Alan Thicke return as hosts of Disney World's Christmas Day Parade (for the 4th time). Regis Philbin hosts a segment on the Disney-MGM Studios Backstage Tour. Musical guests include Lee Greenwood and Amy Grant.

1990 - Disney's 1979 science fiction feature The Black Hole is released into U.S. theaters for a fourth and final time. It is the 11th Anniversary edition rerelease.

1991 - Joan Lunden and Regis Philbin (for the very first time) host Disney World's Christmas Day Parade television special. Because Disney's Surprise Celebration is running at the Magic kingdom, the parade is broadcast from the Disney-MGM Studios.

1992 - The team of Joan Lunden and Regis Philbin return as hosts of Disney World's Christmas Day Parade. Special guests include Ed McMahon, Miss America Leanza Cornette, and John Davidson. Al and Wilson from ABC's Home Improvement make an appearance too.

1993 - Joan Lunden and Regis Philbin return to host Disney World's Christmas Day Parade television special. Guests include Kathy Lee Gifford, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Robby Benson.

1994 - Disney World's Christmas Day Parade is broadcast on ABC-TV. Hosted by Joan Lunden and Regis Philbin, the special features comic Margaret Cho, skater Nancy Kerrigan and Jonathan Taylor Thomas (reporting from Disneyland).

1995 - Walt Disney World's Very Merry Christmas Parade, hosted by Joan Lunden and Regis Philbin, airs on television.

1996 - Walt Disney World's Very Merry Christmas Parade, hosted by Suzanne Somers and Jerry Van Dyke, airs live on television.

1997 - A Magical Walt Disney World Christmas, hosted by Melisa Joan Hart and Ben Savage, airs on television.

1998 - The world famous Harlem Globetrotters slam-dunk into Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida for a series of performances through the New Year.

1998 - Walt Disney World's Very Merry Christmas Parade hosted by Caroline Rhea and Richard Kind, airs on ABC. Wayne Brady makes his first appearance and Donny Osmond sings a Mulan medley including "True to Your Heart" and "I'll Make a Man Out of You."

1999 - Following the success of the "outtakes" during the end credits of last year's A Bug's Life, Disney and Pixar have decided to add a group of funny all-new "outtakes" to Toy Story 2 beginning today.

2000 - Disneyland closes its gates from 3pm to 6pm due to a high number of visitors!

2001 - ABC-TV airs Walt Disney World's Very Merry Christmas Parade. The special is hosted by Regis Philbin (appearing for the 13th time) and Kelly Ripa. Comedian Wayne Brady and singers Aaron Carter, Charlotte Church and Mandy Moore appear as well at different locations on Disney property.

2002 - The Lion King (Disney's blockbuster 1994 hit feature) opens exclusively in IMAX theaters and large format cinemas.

2002 - The 19th Annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade airs on ABC-TV. Hosted by Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, the special features such stars as actor John Ritter, comedian George Lopez, singer John Rzeznik (of the Goo Goo Dolls) and actress/pop star Hilary Duff.

2003 - The 20th Annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, hosted by Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, airs on ABC-TV. (Philbin has hosted more Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parades than anyone!) Guests include American Idol favorite Clay Aiken, Disney Channel star Raven, actress-singer Andrea McArdle, and entertainer Wayne Brady.

2003 - Disney's live-action Young Black Stallion opens exclusively in IMAX and other large format cinemas.

2004 - The team of Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa return for a fourth year to host The 21st Annual Walt Disney World Christmas Parade on ABC-TV.

2005 - The 22nd Annual Walt Disney World Christmas Parade, hosted by Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, airs on ABC-TV. Special guests include The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Raven, Diana Krall, Wayne Brady, and Kimberly Locke.

2005 - "Walt Disney World Resort: Plugged In," a weekly podcast, debuts. The podcast features behind-the-scenes tours of Disney's four Florida theme parks, celebrity interviews, news about upcoming events and conversations with Walt Disney Imagineers.

2005 - It is reported that Disney's theme parks have made a list of the top 25 best-attended North American amusement parks in 2005. At the #1 spot is the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando with 16.1 million visitors. Other Disney parks include Disneyland at #2, Epcot at #3, Disney-MGM Studios at #4, Animal Kingdom at #5. and Disney's California Adventure at the #7 position.

2006 - The team of Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa return for ABC's 23rd airing of the Walt Disney World Holiday Parade. Also appearing is Ryan Seacrest (from Disneyland), the cast of "High School Musical", and Beyonce.

2006 - At Disney World, the Magic Kingdom shuts down for 55 minutes due to capacity crowds.

2007 - The 24th Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade airs on ABC-TV. Hosted by Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, the show was actually taped last November 30 and December 1. Guests include Patti LaBelle, Joey Fatone, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and members from "Dancing With the Stars."

2008 - Disney's annual holiday TV special Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade airs on ABC. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the program is once again hosted by Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Special guests include Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, Jose Feliciano, Corbin Bleu, Jonas Brothers, David Cook, David Archuleta, the Imagination Movers and Sarah Brightman.

2008 - Walt Disney Pictures Bedtime Stories opens in theaters. The adventure comedy stars Adam Sandler as a hotel handyman whose bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew mysteriously come true. Directed by Adam Shankman (known for such features as Hairspray and The Wedding Planner), Bedtime Stories also features former-Mouseketeer Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, and Courtney Cox.

2008 - Actress-singer Eartha Kitt passes away at age 81 in New York City. Best known as a cabaret star and for her 1953 Christmas song "Santa Baby," Kitt was featured in many Disney projects. Her voice credits include Yzma for TV's The Emperor's New Groove and the features The Emperor's New Groove and The Emperor's New Groove 2: Kronk's New Groove, and Bagheera the Panther for The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story. Kitt also appears in the live-action feature Holes as Madame Zeroni.

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