This Day in Disney History: November 13
Welcome back to our magical tour through Disney history. Today we are looking at the events that occurred on this day in Disney history- November 13.
On this day, we had the world premieres of some absolute Disney classics, a Broadway hit show, and one of Walt’s most ambitious projects. Let’s get going!
Fantasia Premiers (1940)
On this day in 1940, Fantasia premiered at Broadway Theater in New York.
Disney’s third animated feature, Fantasia consists of eight animated segments set to classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski. The music for the film was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Fantasia would be a commercial disappointment upon its release, but would be re-evaluated as a classic following the film’s 1970 re-release.
Beauty and the Beast Debuts (1991)
On this day in 1991, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast premiered at the El Captain Theatre in Hollywood.
An instant Disney classic, the film would be held up by some as the pinnacle of the Disney Renaissance. The music of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman would win two Academy Awards, and the film would become the first animated film to be nominated for the ceremony’s Best Picture.
The Lion King Opens on Broadway (1997)
On this day in 1997, Disney’s The Lion King opened on Broadway.
Debuting at the Amsterdam Theater, Disney’s newest Broadway musical debuted to a packed house. Attending the performance was celebrities, Sir Elton John, Dame Julie Andrews, Rosie O’Donell and Mary Tyler Moore.
The Lion King would go onto become a Broadway hit, earning six Tony Awards and eight Drama Desk Awards.
Toy Story 2 Premiers (1999)
Finally, On this day in 1999, Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 2 had its world premiere (also) at the El Captain Theater.
On hand for the festivities were film stars Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Estelle Harris and even the Western band Riders in the Sky.
Toy Story 2 was a massive success, eventually having the third highest opening weekend of all time. The film was also a critical darling, landing on many critic’s best film lists of 1999. Most impressively however, may be that It currently holds 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
That’s all for this day in Disney history- November 13. If today was too film heavy for you, come back tomorrow when we’ll look back at some major park news, a classic TV show, and a special day for a very famous frog!