Rediscovering Walt Disney

1984 was the 50th anniversary of Donald Duck and this TV special hosted by Dick van Dyke aired on CBS. Several celebrities of the time make appearances along with clips from Donald's cartoons. These types of specials were popular at the time, not just for Disney milestones but other characters as well. This was the last appearance of Donald Duck's original voice, Clarence Duck Nash. He would pass away a year later. The special only aired in America once but has reaired in Europe where the Disney Ducks are a popular institution. Original air date November 13, 1984 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This TV special hosted by Danny Kaye marked the world's introduction to EPCOT Center. Walt had envisioned EPCOT as the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. He'd planned to have American industry showcase their innovations here so that they would become practical reality for all people everywhere. It was to be a World's Fair style city where people could actually live, work, and play and was the entire reason for the Florida Project. He'd only agreed to built Walt Disney World in exchange for the Florida government to give him the privileges he required to build EPCOT as planned. When Walt Disney died in 1966, his brother Roy moved ahead with building Walt Disney World. Originally, it was to be a much smaller scaled version of Disneyland with different attractions but became a theme park that dwarfed the original. When the time came to built EPCOT, the studio board nixed Walt's plans and transformed it into an educational theme park. The World Showcase was adapted from an idea Walt had for an International Street in Disneyland that never got built. Future World became a World's Fair of consumer products. Everyone's surprise favorite character was Figment the baby dragon. He and Dreamfinder had originally been created for a proposed new land at Disneyland called Discovery Bay. Figment was the breakout star and became the mascot of EPCOT Center. Walt Disney's right-hand songwriters, the Sherman Bros, were brought in to write several songs for the new park and give it that Walt Disney feel. Although, not the experimental prototype community of tomorrow Walt had intended, this is the EPCOT we got and what the world came to know. In recent years the majority of the version of EPCOT Center we see at its opening has been demolished and replaced with attraction including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Muppet, and other characters. Initially there was an embargo on the traditional Disney characters except for Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Daisy, Minnie, Chip & Dale, etc to keep EPCOT Center separate from the fantasy park. Even then, these characters were dressed in costumes to reflect different areas of World Showcase. A few years after opening, McDonalds released a Happy Meal campaign of these characters in their EPCOT Center attire. Beloved actor and comedian Danny Kaye was brought in to host this TV special. He'd already hosted Disneyland's 25 Anniversary Special in 1980 Kaye was chosen to host this special for a variety of reasons. Not only was he a beloved entertainer but a world-renowned chef, a musical conductor, and had been affiliated with the United Nations UNICEF program since 1954. All of these qualities would tie in with what EPCOT Center became. He also knew Walt Disney personally and had heard his plans for EPCOT many times. In short, he knew all the things that EPCOT Center wasn't. Some accounts claim Danny Kaye wasn't easy to work with on this special. They say he was annoyed with the entire ordeal, snapping at guests and Disney CEO had him thrown off the property. Another tale claims Danny Kaye mooned the head of operations who didn't like Kaye either. Regardless, these tensions are nowhere apparent in the special itself. This special originally aired on CBS in 1982. This version of the TV special is a version that aired on Vault Disney in the late 1990's and hasn't been seen since. So, let's enjoy how EPCOT Center was when it originally opened in 1982. Original airdate October 23, 1982 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

Danny Kaye was brought in to host the 25th anniversary special of Disneyland for CBS in 1980. The shtick for this special is Kaye plays multiple characters throughout the special, something he was known for in a lot of his projects. Musical stars throughout include the Osmonds and Michael Jackson. It's a great snapshot of what Walt's park looked like 25 years after its construction. This is a Vault Disney airing from the late 90's. Original airdate March 6, 1980 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

When the Disney/MGM Studios opened there was an animation studio that tourists could visit and see how the animated features were made. Initially, the studio only did commercials but eventually picked up the slack on the animated features before making a few of their own. The Walt Disney Company loved the Florida Studio because they didn't have to pay union rates to their artists. At the end of the tour was this film that featured this celebration of the greatest moments in Walt Disney animation from Mickey Mouse through Aladdin. The film would be updated with each new film release. This is a love letter to what Walt Disney Feature Animation used to be. Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This is the sixth Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade to be aired on network television since 1984 and the first two hour version. This parade would become a staple for decades and something important in growing up Disney in the 80's and 90's, although the "Christmas" name would be dropped near the end of the Eisner age. The Christmas parade telecast really became a 2 hour infomercial for what the Walt Disney Company had in the works for the upcoming year. Eventually annual Easter and Independence Day Parade telecasts would join the Christmas Parade and the Christmas Parade itself would expand to a 2 hour Christmas morning broadcast tradition. Regis Philbin became the figure most associated with these parades. (The Easter and Independence Day Parade broadcasts were dropped near the end of the Eisner years as well.) The Christmas and Easter parades always aired on the ABC Network. The second parade broadcast had been ta 90 minute broadcast and proved so successful that this year it was a 90 minute one as well and expanded to include Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland. We get to see many coming updates to Walt Disney World. This Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade features a Christmas Day Presidential message from Ronald Reagan and newly elected George Bush. The Presidential message would be a staple of these parades for decades. This is a time capsule into Walt Disney history past. This is where the Eisner regime really hit their stride with the company and you can start to see their influence coming through. Here, we get a glimpse of Disney easing into the age of their animation renaissance. We get a behind the scenes segment on the newly released Oliver & Company. You can see this once small family company is transforming into the global conglomerate people think of today. Many of these characters you don't see any more either and they STILL cared about the legacy of Walt Disney. What a tremendous time capsule this is. There’s segments on the construction of Splash Mountain and the soon to be open Disney/MGM Studios. Joan Lunden and Alan Thicke co-host this parade with Regis Philbin. Sarah Purcell hosts the Disneyland segments with Scott Valentine on the street. Lunden was then the current co-host of Good Morning America and Thicke was one of the stars from the sitcom Growing Pains. Regis was a well known talk show host vet even then. This archetype of hosts for the parade broadcasts would continue with the parade for decades even though the hosts would change. Purcell was a famed talks how host of the time and Valentine was a star on the sitcom Family Ties. Joan Lunden is the longest-running host of the Disney parade broadcasts. Original air date December 25, 1988 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

For the 10th anniversary of Walt Disney World Dean Jones and Michelle Lee from The Love Bug were cast as new characters taking their family on vacation to Walt Disney World for this CBS special. (It would have been great if they'd reprised their Love Bug characters.) Along the way they bump into several stars of the day including a very young Michael Keaton. This only aired once and technically the 10th anniversary was 1981, not 1982. Original airdate January 21st, 1982 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This excellent Disney retrospective special commemorates the 50th anniversary of the studio lot Walt and Roy built with the profits from Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. This 2 hour special is hosted by Disney favorite Dick van Dyke and features a parade of celebrities sharing their favorite Disney memories as well as take turns hosting segments covering virtually every Walt Disney film genre there is. This special also marked the first time audiences got a glimpse of the then upcoming animated feature Beauty & the Beast. This special is a high point demonstrating how in these early years of the Eisner era there was still a lot of respect for the Walt Disney Company's foundations in this celebration of the past. It seemed like every year they were doing multiple specials honor Walt's past and they were! This special only aired once on CBS. Original air date May 20, 1991 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This is the seventh Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade to be aired on network television since 1984 and the second two hour version. This parade would become a staple for decades and something important in growing up Disney in the 80's and 90's, although the "Christmas" name would be dropped near the end of the Eisner age. The Christmas parade telecast really became a 2 hour infomercial for what the Walt Disney Company had in the works for the upcoming year. Eventually annual Easter and Independence Day Parade telecasts would join the Christmas Parade and the Christmas Parade itself would expand to a 2 hour Christmas morning broadcast tradition. Regis Philbin became the figure most associated with these parades. (The Easter and Independence Day Parade broadcasts were dropped near the end of the Eisner years as well.) The Christmas and Easter parades always aired on the ABC Network. The second parade broadcast had been ta 90 minute broadcast and proved so successful that this year it was a 90 minute one as well and expanded to include Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland. We get to see many coming updates to Walt Disney World. This Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade features a Christmas Day Presidential message from George Bush. The Presidential message would be a staple of these parades for decades. A few other world leaders send their Christmas greetings as well. This is a time capsule into Walt Disney history past. This is where the Eisner regime really hit their stride with the company and you can start to see their influence coming through. Here, we get a glimpse of Disney easing into the age of their animation renaissance. We get a behind the scenes segment on the newly released Little Mermaid. You can see this once small family company is transforming into the global conglomerate people think of today. Many of these characters you don't see any more either and they STILL cared about the legacy of Walt Disney. What a tremendous time capsule this is. There’s segments on the recently opened Disney/MGM Studios, Star Tours, Splash Mountain, and other attractions. We also get to see Kermit the Frog in one of his final appearances. The Henson Company was in the process of a merger in which Jim Henson was to be installed as the Walt Disney figure of the company. Henson would die only months later. Michael Eisner also announces the campaign to nominate the person of the century. This campaign would quietly vanish when imagineers kept voting for one of their co-workers and there was no way to correct the results so the kiosks were silently removed and it was never mentioned when the results were to be announced. Joan Lunden and Alan Thicke co-host this parade with Regis Philbin. Joanna Kerns hosts the Disneyland segments with Mark Price on the street. Lunden was then the current co-host of Good Morning America and Thicke was one of the stars from the sitcom Growing Pains. Regis was a well known talk show host vet even then. This archetype of hosts for the parade broadcasts would continue with the parade for decades even though the hosts would change. Kerns was a star of the sitcom Growing Pains and Price was a star on the sitcom Family Ties. Joan Lunden is the longest-running host of the Disney parade broadcasts. Original air date December 25, 1989 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This is the 1989 Walt Disney World Independence Day Spectacular hosted by Willard Scott and Gretchen Carlson (the current Miss America of the time.) This is the second time the parade aired and the first on Fox networks. Disney already had a Christmas and Easter broadcast but unlike those other parades, this broadcast celebrated America. The date this parade aired varied from year to year and even by network. This second Independence Day Parade broadcast aired on July 3 on Fox stations and varied by market. It was the shortest lived parade broadcast, only running 6 years. The final parade aired in 1992. The broadcast contains several song performances by popular stars of the time as well including New kids on the Block and the Temptations. Unlike the other parades, the Independence Day Parade didn't have a regular host. Original air date varied Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This companion special to Mickey Mouse's Birthday was released near the same time. Many forget that when it's Mickey Mouse's birthday, it's also Minnie's birthday too. This was the first time Minnie was showcased in a starring role ever. It's based on the 1986 album of the same name. Updating the animated shorts characters with contemporary music was nothing new. It had happened in the late 1970's with Disco. That album brought voice actress Russi Taylor to the role of Minnie Mouse. She was the first long term actress in the role. Prior to this, Minnie was voiced by whoever was available. The special included several popular stars of the era including Suzanne Somers and Elton John. This special demonstrates just how important Disney and Mickey Mouse was to American pop culture in 1988. It also shows how the past and Walt Disney's legacy was still very much revered and trying to be updated to the current times. This special only aired once and was never released to VHS or DVD but it should be. In hopes of generating interest in it again, we present it here for your rediscovery. Starring Russi Taylor as Minnie Mouse Robert Carradine as Maxwell Dweeb Suzanne Somers as Director Wayne Allwine as Mickey Mouse Elton John as Himself Don Pardo as Announcer Vanna White as Herself Philip Michael Thomas as Himself Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck Will Ryan as Goofy, Pete Bill Farmer as Pluto Dancers: Tina Caspary, Mavis Vegas Davis, Peggy Holmes, Lise Lang, Thelma Smith, Andrea Paige Wilson, Cheryl Yamaguchi Original air date February 25, 1988 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

The Disney/MGM Studios began as a proposed pavilion for EPCOT Center. It was expanded into a park that would be a working movie studio to avoid paying Hollywood union rates. Originally film and TV productions would be made there, the originally being Ernest Saves Christmas, as well as animated features. The animation studio was originally intended for commercial work but eventually expanded into helping to complete the animated features before producing their own such as Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. The MGM name and Leo the Lion logo was licensed by Disney from Sony to add prestige to the brand of the park. When the license ran out 20 years later, the park was re-dubbed the Disney Hollywood Studios. By then the working studio aspect had petered out and it became just a theme park about movies. The Great Movie Ride had been the park’s signature attraction and intended for the EPCOT pavilion. The rights to the MGM scenes and characters was negotiated with Ted Turner, who owned the MGM library at the time. Other scenes and characters came from Paramount Pictures (Eisner’s old stomping ground) 20th Century Fox, and others. Although, unaffected by the name license running out, the Great Movie Ride was demolished in 2017. The Disney/MGM Studios opened on May 1, 1989. The night before this special aired. It was a 2 hour affair full of reminiscing stars from the golden age and current celebrities. John Ritter tied it all together but there were other segments hosted by other celebrities such as Harry Anderson, Dick van Dyke, and the Pointer Sisters. Here’s a glimpse at what the park was like at the beginning and it no longer exists as founded. This special only aired once on NBC. Original air date April 30, 1989 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

The Disney/MGM Studios began as a proposed pavilion for EPCOT Center. It was expanded into a park that would be a working movie studio to avoid paying Hollywood union rates. Originally film and TV productions would be made there, the originally being Ernest Saves Christmas, as well as animated features. The animation studio was originally intended for commercial work but eventually expanded into helping to complete the animated features before producing their own such as Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. The MGM name and Leo the Lion logo was licensed by Disney from Sony to add prestige to the brand of the park. When the license ran out 20 years later, the park was re-dubbed the Disney Hollywood Studios. By then the working studio aspect had petered out and it became just a theme park about movies. The Great Movie Ride had been the park’s signature attraction and intended for the EPCOT pavilion. The rights to the MGM scenes and characters was negotiated with Ted Turner, who owned the MGM library at the time. Other scenes and characters came from Paramount Pictures (Eisner’s old stomping ground) 20th Century Fox, and others. Although, unaffected by the name license running out, the Great Movie Ride was demolished in 2017. The Disney/MGM Studios opened on May 1, 1989. This promotional film was done to advertise the new park. You'd contact Disney Parks about information on the park and would be sent this VHS Tape. This park no longer exists so it's a great glimpse at what once was. Original release year 1989 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

The Disney/MGM Studios began as a proposed pavilion for EPCOT Center. It was expanded into a park that would be a working movie studio to avoid paying Hollywood union rates. Originally film and TV productions would be made there, the originally being Ernest Saves Christmas, as well as animated features. The animation studio was originally intended for commercial work but eventually expanded into helping to complete the animated features before producing their own such as Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. The MGM name and Leo the Lion logo was licensed by Disney from Sony to add prestige to the brand of the park. When the license ran out 20 years later, the park was re-dubbed the Disney Hollywood Studios. By then the working studio aspect had petered out and it became just a theme park about movies. The Great Movie Ride had been the park’s signature attraction and intended for the EPCOT pavilion. The rights to the MGM scenes and characters was negotiated with Ted Turner, who owned the MGM library at the time. Other scenes and characters came from Paramount Pictures (Eisner’s old stomping ground) 20th Century Fox, and others. Although, unaffected by the name license running out, the Great Movie Ride was demolished in 2017. The Disney/MGM Studios opened on May 1, 1989. This promotional film was done to advertise the new park. It aired on the Disney Channel and was hosted by comedian Fred Newman. He was the leader of the New Mickey Mouse Club. This park no longer exists so it's a great glimpse at what once was. Original air date August 22, 1989 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This is a Making of special that only aired once on Fox to kick off Chip & Dale's Rescue Rangers joining DuckTales and thereby creating the Disney Afternoon. This aired in place of the first episode and features many of the behind the scenes figures who created the show. We also get to see how Professor Norton Nimnul's design was based on a real guy. This only aired once. These Disney Afternoon launch specials would move to prime time and expand to an hour long presentation over the next few years. (Although, Adventures of the Gummi Bears and Fluppy Dogs did air as episodes of the Disney Sunday Night Movie a few years prior.) They always featured a music video of the show's theme song, this one performed by the Jets. Like all Disney Afternoon series, Chip & Dale's Rescue Rangers debuted on the Disney Channel with a handful of weekly episodes that winter/spring before moving to daily network television in the fall. It went on to become one of the most beloved series of the programming block and Disney+ released a reboot film in 2022. Original air date August 28. 1989 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This is the fourth Walt Disney World Happy Easter Parade to be aired on network television from 1986. This parade would become a staple for decades and something important in growing up Disney during the 80's and 90's, before being abandoned in the early 2000's by the Eisner regime. This broadcast aired on ABC. The Walt Disney World Happy Easter Parade always aired on Easter afternoon after most Americans had returned home from attending morning church services. The parade always ended with the crowd singing Irving Berlin's Easter Parade as they dispersed after the festivities. It's a time capsule into Walt Disney and America's history past and pop culture past. Joan Lunden and Alan Thicke co-host this parade with Regis Philbin. It’s the same dynamic of the Christmas parades of the time. This was the first Easter parade co-hosted by Thicke Lunden was then the current co-host of Good Morning America and Thicke was one of the stars from the sitcom Growing Pains. Regis was a well known talk show host vet even then. This archetype of hosts for the parade broadcasts would continue with the parade for decades even though the hosts would change. Original air date April 3, 1988 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This TV special aired to commemorate the grand opening of EPCOT Center's Living Seas attraction. John Ritter hosts and is joined with segments featuring Olivia Newton John, Laura Branigan, and others. It only aired once on NBC. Original air date January 24, 1986 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This is the third Walt Disney World Happy Easter Parade to be aired on network television from 1986. This parade would become a staple for decades and something important in growing up Disney during the 80's and 90's, before being abandoned in the early 2000's by the Eisner regime. This broadcast aired on ABC. The Walt Disney World Happy Easter Parade always aired on Easter afternoon after most Americans had returned home from attending morning church services. The parade always ended with the crowd singing Irving Berlin's Easter Parade as they dispersed after the festivities. It's a time capsule into Walt Disney and America's history past and pop culture past. Joan Lunden and Ben Vareen co-host this parade with Alan Thicke and Regis Philbin. It’s the same dynamic of the Christmas parades of the time. This was the first Easter parade where Thicke appears. Lunden was then the current co-host of Good Morning America and Thicke was one of the stars from the sitcom Growing Pains. Regis was a well known talk show host vet even then. This archetype of hosts for the parade broadcasts would continue with the parade for decades even though the hosts would change. Original air date April 19, 1987 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

In 1988, the Walt Disney World Independence Day Spectacular joined its sister Easter and Christmas parade broadcasts. Like its siblings, the Independence Day Spectacular was a 2 hour advertisement on everything Disney. Unlike those other parades, this broadcast celebrated America. The date this parade aired varied from year to year and even by network. This first Independence Day Parade broadcast aired on July 3 on ABC. It was the shortest lived parade broadcast, only running 6 years. The final parade aired in 1992. In this parade at the end of President Ronald Reagan's two terms, you'll see something you never see today; the Walt Disney characters dressed in patriotic attire. The broadcast contains several song performances by popular stars of the time as well. Unlike the other parades, the Independence Day Parade didn't have a regular host. For its inaugural year Mark Summers and Tempestt Bledsoe host this debut parade. At the time, Mark Summers was the host of Nickelodeon's game show Double Dare and Tempestt Bledsoe was starring on the Bill Cosby Show spin off A Different World. Willard Scott hosted the man on the street segments around the park. He had been the long time weather man on NBC's Today Show and a regular host for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Original air date July 3, 1988 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

In 1956, Walt Disney made this short film to be run in theaters asking audiences to donate toward the United Cerebral Palsy Charity. This is a very rare film and we're fortunate it survives. Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This documentary was created as an industrial film for Walt Disney Feature Animation and was never intended to be seen by the general public. The film features lots of behind the scenes footage from various animated features as well as scenes from many Walt Disney animated films. Some of the release years on the animated features are incorrect. There's also an interview with Disney animator Glen Keane. Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This is the fifth Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade to be aired on network television since 1984. This parade would become a staple for decades and something important in growing up Disney in the 80's and 90's, although the "Christmas" name would be dropped near the end of the Eisner age. The Christmas parade telecast really became a 2 hour infomercial for what the Walt Disney Company had in the works for the upcoming year. Eventually annual Easter and Independence Day Parade telecasts would join the Christmas Parade and the Christmas Parade itself would expand to a 2 hour Christmas morning broadcast tradition. Regis Philbin became the figure most associated with these parades. (The Easter and Independence Day Parade broadcasts were dropped near the end of the Eisner years as well.) The Christmas and Easter parades always aired on the ABC Network. The second parade broadcast had been ta 90 minute broadcast and proved so successful that this year it was a 90 minute one as well and expanded to include Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland.We get to see many coming updates to Walt Disney World and a retrospective on the making of Cinderella, which was in theaters during this Christmas season. This is the final Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade to feature Christmas Day greetings from world leaders. Only a special Presidential message from the sitting US President would remind. This year the honors fall to President Ronald Reagan. The Presidential message would be a staple of these parades for decades. This is a time capsule into Walt Disney history past. This is where the Eisner regime really began their stride with the company and you can start to see their influence coming through. Here, we get a glimpse at what Disney was like in these earlier years BEFORE Pixar, before The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty & the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and the other beloved properties that came later and they could only rely on the characters that Walt Disney personally created. Walt had been dead for nearly 20 years at this point, and they were STILL coasting on the fumes he'd left behind. You can see how this was still a small company that was run like a family on the verge of becoming the global conglomerate people think of today. Many of these characters you don't see any more either and they STILL cared about the legacy of Walt Disney. What a tremendous time capsule this is. Joan Lunden and Alan Thicke co-host this parade with Regis Philbin. Lunden was then the current co-host of Good Morning America and Thicke was one of the stars from the sitcom Growing Pains. Regis was a well known talk show host vet even then. This archetype of hosts for the parade broadcasts would continue with the parade for decades even though the hosts would change. Joan Lunden is the longest-running host of the Disney parade broadcasts. Original air date December 25, 1987 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

After the success of The Lion King, there were high hopes for Pocahontas. The project originated as a traditional animated feature where the animals talked with John Candy portraying Redfeather the turkey and Stephen Fry as Percy the pug. After Beauty & the Beast was nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award, studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg rebooted the movie hoping to tailor make an Oscar winner. The tone of the film shifted from a traditional family film packed with Disney fun to a much more serious in tone drama. It was essentially a Romeo & Juliet story set in the first long-term settlement in America. The Walt Disney Company collaborated with several leftist activists in shaping this film and this was really the start of political correctness entering the animated films. Pocahontas was also the first of the animated features to inject leftist ideological beliefs into the narrative. Here, we find an extreme environmentalist message overpowering the film. Lyricist Tim Rice refused to work on the film finding the concept to be anti-western culture. While the decedents of the real-life Pocahontas had initially collaborated with Disney on film, they became some of its loudest critics. The real-life Pocahontas was a pagan woman who converted to Christianity and united her people with the settlers in Christ. Her baptism into Christianity is one of the paintings of the most significant moments in American history that's depicted in the Capitol rotunda. In the Disney version, Pocahontas converts Captain John Smith to paganism in a reversal of the historical record. When the film was released, it was a much hyped affair -- the biggest to date. One of the promotional events was the film's premiere marketed as the largest film premiere in history. The film was screened drive-in theater style at Central Park in New York City. Here's broadcast of the premiere edited with an introduction from the laserdisc release on what the premiere entailed along with a local news report from that evening. This is to give modern audiences an idea just how big the Walt Disney animated features were at the time. These were major cultural events when the world stopped to take notice. Throughout the broadcast are behind the scenes segments on the making of the film. While Pocahontas is regarded as a flop today, it wasn't. The film made more than Aladdin, Beauty & the Beast, and The Little Mermaid. It just didn't top The Lion King, which was the most successful animated feature ever released up to that time and one of the highest grossing films ever made. Pocahontas marked the beginning of the decline for Walt Disney Feature Animation. For a variety of reasons, the hand drawn films would never again enjoy the popularity they shared in the early 90's. What's interesting about Pocahontas is even though the Walt Disney Company bent over backwards to placate the activists at the time, the woke of today smear this film as racist for the very same points leftist activists praised the film for in the 90's. That's why you just make the best film you can produce and ignore the critics. That's what Walt Disney did. Original air date June 10, 1995 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

Starting with Pocahontas, the Walt Disney Company kept trying to top the release events of each successive film. The Hunchback of Notre Dame had an epic release in New Orleans with a parade and a stage show before the film's premiere in the New Orleans Superdome. For Hercules, Disney brought the recently dismantled Main Street Electrical Parade out of retirement, trucked it to New York City, and held an epic event there. This would be the final of these epic premieres for a Disney animated feature as both Hunchback and Hercules each just broke 100 million dollars. At the time, there was a boycott going on against Disney by multiple Christian groups that never gets mentioned in the history books but, by the timing, it must have had an impact. Although Hercules was a departure from the animated epics that Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame had been, it was still set in epic settings with a cast of thousands. In some ways, it was a return to the animated comedies of the Disney animated films from the late 80's and early 90's. As a film, it's a solid story with actor James Woods stealing the show as Hades. This was the first of the animated features to have a stylized look that many audiences thought made the Disney animated features look cheap instead of having a unique artistic style. It took a lot more effort to successfully pull off the look of these stylized films but audiences didn't appreciate that effort. They wanted the more traditional Walt Disney look. Hercules had the largest marketing campaign of any 1990's animated feature, starting nearly a year before the release and including numerous tie-ins. After the dismal returns on the film, Disney scaled back the scope of their releases after this. When Mulan debuted the following summer, it was a much smaller release with a more modest marketing campaign. This was the last of an era as the decline of Walt Disney Feature animation by the politically correct management would eventually march it off a cliff and finally close its doors in the early 2003. Hercules Strikes Manhattan is the Disney Channel special that aired the festivities of the film's premiere. Like the previous two events, there were interviews and behind the scenes segments about the making of the film. These film premieres were major cultural events like a holiday and these television special broadcasts were a big part of that. Hercules isn't a bad film and worth revisiting by future generations if only to enjoy the performance of James Woods as Hades. Original air date June 14, 1997 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

To top the Pocahontas premiere in Central Park, the Walt Disney Company set out to do an even bigger event for the release of their next animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This time they trucked many of their parade floats and performers to New Orleans and held a grand gala including a parade and an epic premiere at the New Orleans Superdome. This would mark the first time Disney held a parade outside of one of their parks. There would be more to come. Mayor Ray Nagin was on hand for the festivities, decreeing the date as Hunchback of Notre Dame Day. Nagin would later be convicted on 20 counts of Federal Bribery, Honest Services Wire Fraud, Money Laundering, Conspiracy, and Tax Charges after an investigation on the failures of the city’s infrastructure during Hurricane Katrina. Incidentally, Disney's relationship with New Orleans that would result in the Princess & the Frog begins with this event. The Hunchback of Notre Dame struggled to make 100 million at the box office. Ever since Beauty & the Beast received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Picture, there was an attempt to tailor make an Oscar winner. Hunchback is one of those films. While some blame the film’s bait and switch marketing campaign that focused on the party and comedy aspects of a story that was in reality a serious drama, there were other factors at play too. In 1996 several Christian groups began a boycotts against the Walt Disney Company over some of the perceived anti-Christian policies the company embraced. This is never cited in animation history books or articles but it’s a fact that the Disney animated films began to financially tank when this boycott started and only slightly rebounded after it was lifted. Some claimed that Walt Disney would have never made as serious of a film as the Hunchback of Notre Dame but the tone of the story was very much in keeping with some of his proposed animated films during the 1940’s when he was pushing the boundaries of animation. Because of the financial failures of his early animated features, Walt pulled back. Hunchback is a film worth seeing as a mature tale of where animation can go but it’s never enjoyed the classic status of the animated features from the early 90’s. Then CEO Michael Eisner deeply connected with this film and tried to launch a live action musical adaptation before he left the studio. Those additional songs make up a stage production that premiered in Germany a few years after the film. This video includes the local news coverage of The Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fun Parade on New Orleans Fox affiliate Fox 8. Other cable stations and broadcast networks also covered the event. We offer this video to demonstration just how popular these major Disney animated feature films were in the 90’s. Original air date June 19, 1996 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

To top the Pocahontas premiere in Central Park, the Walt Disney Company set out to do an even bigger event for the release of their next animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This time they trucked many of their parade floats and performers from their American theme parks to New Orleans and held a grand gala including a parade and an epic premiere at the New Orleans Superdome. This would mark the first time Disney held a parade outside of one of their parks. There would be more to come. Mayor Ray Nagin was on hand for the festivities, decreeing the date as Hunchback of Notre Dame Day. Nagin would later be convicted on 20 counts of Federal Bribery, Honest Services Wire Fraud, Money Laundering, Conspiracy, and Tax Charges after an investigation on the failures of the city’s infrastructure during Hurricane Katrina. Incidentally, Disney's relationship with New Orleans that would result in the Princess & the Frog begins with this event. The Hunchback of Notre Dame struggled to make 100 million at the box office. Ever since Beauty & the Beast received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Picture, there was an attempt to tailor make an Oscar winner. Hunchback is one of those films. While some blame the film’s bait and switch marketing campaign that focused on the party and comedy aspects of a story that was in reality a serious drama, there were other factors at play too. In 1996 several Christian groups began a boycotts against the Walt Disney Company over some of the perceived anti-Christian policies the company embraced. This is never cited in animation history books or articles but it’s a fact that the Disney animated films began to financially tank when this boycott started and only slightly rebounded after it was lifted. Some claimed that Walt Disney would have never made as serious of a film as the Hunchback of Notre Dame but the tone of the story was very much in keeping with some of his proposed animated films during the 1940’s when he was pushing the boundaries of animation. Because of the financial failures of his early animated features, Walt pulled back. One of his dream projects was to do a serious in tone animated feature based on the Song of Hiawatha. Hunchback is a film worth seeing as a mature tale of where animation can go but it’s never enjoyed the classic status of the animated features from the early 90’s. Then CEO Michael Eisner deeply connected with this film and tried to launch a live action musical adaptation before he left the studio. Those additional songs make up a stage production that premiered in Germany a few years after the film. This video includes the Disney Channel coverage of The Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fun Parade and stage show. The stage show includes a host of Walt Disney animation stars performing the songs they had sang in the animated features. Other cable stations and broadcast networks also covered the event. We offer this video to demonstration just how popular these major Disney animated feature films were in the 90’s. Original air date June 19, 1996 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.