April 29th has been an eventful day in the history of the Walt Disney Company. From births and deaths, to end of park icons, and the opening of resort staples, here are some big events that occurred on April 29th, today, in Disney history.
1939: The Premiere of Snow White Ends
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was Walt Disney's first feature-length animated film. Walt knew he wanted to make a feature-length animated film as early as 1933, but struggled to settle on the right property. Paramount Pictures kept him from acquiring the rights to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and "Rip Van Winkle". He was approached with an offer to make Bambi, but knew his studio didn't yet have the technical skills to do so. Snow White was decided on in Spring of 1934.
The film premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre on December 21, 1937. Three weeks later, in January 1938, it would open at Radio City Music Hall in New York and a theater in Miami. These successful runs convinced RKO Radio Pictures to place the film into general release on February 4, 1938. In London, the film was in theaters for over 27 weeks. The last of the Snow White premieres would finally close on April 29th, 1939, a whopping 64 weeks after the film had initially premiered.
1989: Roger Rabbit's Big Win
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 partially-animated fantasy comedy film that was produced by Touchstone Pictures and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, both owned by Disney and now consolidated under the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures brand. The film was released on June 22, 1988. It starred Bob Hoskins as Eddie Valiant, a private investigator who hates toons, hired by the animated eponymous Roger Rabbit (voiced by Charles Fleischer) to exonerate him after he is framed for murder.
At the 61st Academy Awards, which occurred on April 29th, 1989, the film took home a grand total of four Oscars: Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effects, Best Visual Effects, and Best Animation Direction. It had earned an additional three nominations: Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound.
Roger Rabbit was a fixture in the Disney parks for much of the 90s, but has been slowly phased out over the years. As of 2018, Roger Rabbit is no longer consistently available for meet and greets in the parks. However, his attraction, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, remains open in both Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland.
1994: The First International Flower and Garden Festival Begins
Every year, Epcot plays host to a number of festivals. The Festival of the Arts, which premiered in 2017, takes place in January and February; Flower and Garden is hosted from March through May; The International Food and Wine Festival takes over from August through November; and the International Festival of the Holidays takes place from late November through the end of December.
The Flower and Garden festival first premiered on April 29th, 1994. It started with a small display by the miniature train set in the Germany pavilion and expanded to what now covers 17 booths, 9 year-round locations, and a grand total of 90 days.
And this is just a small sample of the events that have occurred on this day in Disney history! With over a 100 years to their name, you can find an important or interesting Disney event on almost every day of the year. My source for this, and every Today in Disney History article can be found here: This Day in Disney History.com
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