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Magic on Main Street - A Disneyland podcast

Supporting Black Culture at Disney

Season 1, Ep. 24

We’re back! This week we are discussing the ways you can familiarize yourself with and support Disney’s black culture. Also, a HUGE announcement about reopening the Disneyland Resort including California Adventure, Downtown Disney, The Grand Californian and The Paradise Pier Hotel. As usual, we’ve got updates on merch, what to watch on Disney+ and all of the ways you can bring the magic into your home until we can get back to the parks!

 

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  • Topic 1 - This Week in Disneyland history
  • 1956:
  • Disneyland debuts Tom Sawyer Island & the Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island in Frontierland, the film 3D Jamboree at the Mickey Mouse Club Theater, and the Storybook Land Canal Boats attraction in Fantasyland.
  • Tom Sawyer Island (today known as Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island) is an artificial island surrounded by the Rivers of America and inspired by the works of Mark Twain. Guests visit the island by traveling on a motorized raft which is piloted by a Disneyland Cast Member. 
  • The short 3D Jamboree features the famous Mouseketeers and their leader Jimmy Dodd. The presentation includes the animated shorts Melody and Working for Peanuts all in 3D. Storybook Land Canal Boats (originally known as Canal Boats of the World in 1955) features 13 boats (powered by outboard motors) afloat in 465,000 gallons of water.
  • 1958:
  • Disneyland's Columbia ship opens on the Rivers of America. It is a full-scale version of the first ship to carry the American flag around the world. It actually was built in large part from the plans for the HMS Bounty (of mutiny fame). Disney's shipbuilders couldn't find plans for the original Columbia, so they relied heavily on those of Captain Bligh's ship, which had similar dimensions. It has cost $300,000 to build. Fowler's Harbor (named after Admiral Joseph Fowler, who helped to build Disneyland) is also officially opened on this day to dock the new ship. A dedication ceremony takes place with Fowler and Walt Disney himself in attendance
  • The Disneyland attraction Alice in Wonderland debuts in Fantasyland. Actress, Kathryn Beaumont, voice of Alice in the 1951 animated movie, provides the voice for the dark ride. It follows the path of the movie, as the riders (as Alice) follow the White Rabbit down the Rabbit Hole into Wonderland. Disneyland's first "Alice" attraction - Mad Tea Party (a spinning tea cup ride), has been operating since the park's debut in July 1955
  • 1959:
  • Three major attractions are christened at Disneyland on this day:
  • The first urban monorail system in the U.S., the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail System, begins operation in California's Disneyland. The two Mark I trains run on a .8 mile track around Tomorrowland. Walt Disney and U.S. Vice president Nixon and their families are on hand for the dedication of the "Highway in the Sky." (In June 1961, the Monorail will become a true transportation link instead of just a sightseeing ride. With an extended 2 1/2 mile track, Disneyland Hotel guests will be able to board the Monorail at the hotel and begin their park visit in Tomorrowland.)
  • Also on this day at Disneyland, the Matterhorn Mountain with its Matterhorn Bobsleds, opens. Modeled after the Matterhorn, a real mountain in the Swiss Alps, it is the first roller coaster to use cylindrical rails and urethane wheels (which will become standard in the roller coaster industry). At 147 feet tall, the Matterhorn contains 500 tons of structural steel. The ride consists of two separate tracks that run somewhat parallel to each other for much of the ride, intertwining and eventually deviating from each other at the loading areas.
  • The Submarine Voyage ride is officially dedicated on this day as well in Tomorrowland (although it has has been open since June 6). The attraction has cost about $2.5 million to create. The Nautilus and 7 sister submarines - the Triton, Sea Wolf, Skate, Skipjack, George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Ethan Allen allow 38 Disneyland guests at a time to take their own voyage to the North Pole. For the dedication of the new Submarine Voyage attraction the opening ceremonies feature eight live mermaids performing a synchronized swimming ballet in the lagoon.Mrs. Mildred Nelson, wife of the chief machinist on the the first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus,helps Walt Disney christen the sub D-301, appropriately named Nautilus. 
  • Also taking place at 1:30 is a special dedication parade specifically designedfor this day's festivities. The parade and all the day's events are filmed for an ABC television special to be titled Kodak Presents Disneyland ’59.
  • 1967:
  • The Club 33 restaurant (for members-only) opens at 33 Royal Street, in New Orleans Square at Disneyland. It is comprised of two dining rooms and several adjoining areas, all of which hold a wide array of magnificent antiques and original works of art. A secret feature of the theme park, the entrance of the private club is located next to the Blue Bayou Restaurant at "33 Royal Street" with the entrance recognizable by an ornate address plate with the number 33 engraved on it.
  • 1971:
  • The All American College Band performs for the very first time at Disneyland.  The All-American College Band, made up of musicians from colleges all across the United States, will perform for 11 weeks throughout the summer (and become a yearly tradition).
  • 1972:
  • The Main Street Electric Parade kicks off at Disneyland for the very first time. The floats include the Blue Fairy, Casey Junior Circus Train, Alice In Wonderland, Chinese Dragon, Dumbo’s Circus, Cinderella’s Ball, "it’s a small world", and the American Finale.
  • 1974:
  • Disney World’s "Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue" dinner show debuts in Pioneer Hall at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. Created as a college workshop summer production only, guest response will be so positive that Walt Disney World entertainment will continue the show with a permanent professional cast at the end of the 1974 summer! 
  • 1975:
  • Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln returns to Disneyland after being replaced in 1973 with The Walt Disney Story.
  • 1983:
  • The Disneyland parade Flights of Fantasy, which celebrates the opening of the New Fantasyland, debuts.
  • 1999:
  • Disney's animated feature Tarzan premieres in the U.S. at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood
  • The computer controlled sign that welcomes guests to the main entrance of Disneyland's parking lot is removed. Its site will be absorbed into the new California Adventure area. (This is only the second sign to greet guests as they entered Disneyland in the park's 44 year history. The original marquee, erected in 1958, had letters that had to be changed by hand!)
  •  Disney's 37th animated feature Tarzan is generally released in the U.S.
  • 2010:
  • Toy Story 3 has its worldwide premiere at Taormina Film Fest in Italy. (It will premiere in the U.S. the following day.)
  • 2012:
  • An expanded and spruced-up Carnation Café debuts on Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland park.
  • A 4.1 earthquake in Yorba Linda that shake parts of Southern California on this evening adds a little extra unexpected excitement to the star-studded red carpet opening of the new Cars Land at the Disneyland Resort.
  • Disneyland Resort caps off its $1 billion renovation of Disney California Adventure with the public opening of Cars Land and the new Buena Vista Street. Based on the Disney-Pixar movie Cars, Cars Land is the largest piece of a five-year expansion at Disney California Adventure Park, adding 12 acres of new attractions to the theme park. It is a recreation of the fictional town of Radiator Springs, featuring Luigi's Flying Tires, which flies riders over what looks like a giant air hockey table; Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, which swings riders in trailers in a "tow-si-do" square dance; and Radiator Springs Racers, which takes riders through a race through a mountain range.
  • 2016:
  • Finding Dory, a 3D computer-animated comedy adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures, hits U.S. theaters. 
  •  The revamped Soarin’ flight simulator rides at Disney California Adventure and Epcot open to guests. Now called Soarin' Around the World, new scenes include a flight over Switzerland’s Matterhorn, the Arctic Ocean with a leaping whale, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, Germany’s Neuschwanstein castle, a herd of African elephants, the Great Wall of China, Egyptian pyramids, India’s Taj Mahal, hot air balloons in Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah  border, outrigger boats off Fiji, the Iguazu waterfalls on the Argentina-Brazil border and France’s Eiffel Tower. A new soundtrack performed by the London Studio Orchestra is based on Jerry Goldsmith's original Soarin’ score. Patrick Warburton (best known as Elaine’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Puddy on "Seinfeld") returns as chief flight attendant and host.
  • 2018:
  • Incredibles 2, a computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, is released to theaters in the U.S.
  • Topic 2 - News 
  • Reopening
  • Dates
  • AP
  • Expiration stays the same or extend
  • Recharge for payment
  • New expiration
  • Tickets
  • Hotels update
  • Josh D’AMaro Announcement:
  • Topic 3 - Merch
  • New Disney Rainbow Collection Mickey Loungefly Backpack and Dog Tee Parades into shopDisney for Pride Month
  • New Rainbow Mickey Collection Drops on shopDisney In Honor of Pride Month
  • New Pirates of the Caribbean Loungefly Mini Backpack Sails Into shopDisney
  • Topic 4 - Hidden Mickey
  • Topic 5 - Food
  • Cooking up the magic: The chefs at Lamplight Lounge in Disney California Adventure park have put a fun spin on a lunchtime classic with these PB and J Rolls.
  • Topic 6 - Events/Entertainment
  • Artemis Fowl is now streaming on Disney+
  • MAIN - Disney's Black Culture
  • Disney+
  • Splash Mountain retheming
  • The Walt Disney Company has pledged $5 million to support nonprofit organizations that advance social justice, beginning with a $2 million donation to the NAACP to further their longstanding work promoting social justice by eliminating disparities and racial discrimination through their advocacy and education programs.
  • “The killing of George Floyd has forced our nation to once again confront the long history of injustice that black people in America have suffered, and it is critical that we stand together, speak out and do everything in our power to ensure that acts of racism and violence are never tolerated,” said Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “This $5 million pledge will continue to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations such as the NAACP that have worked tirelessly to ensure equality and justice.”
  • In addition, through the Disney Employee Matching Gifts program, employees are able to increase their impact in their communities by donating to eligible organizations, with the Company matching those gifts.
  • Disney’s “Real Change” In Wake Of George Floyd Killing Protests
  • Below is a link to a statement we sent to our fellow @Disney employees. It's from Bob Chapek, our CEO, Latondra Newton, our Chief Diversity Officer, and me.
  • Floyd Norman, an Animated Life
  • Prime movies
  • Soul
  • https://movies.disney.com/soul?


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