Rediscovering Walt Disney

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 1988. 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.

1956 marked the first rerelease of Song of the South. The Academy Award winning film had been first released in 1946 and the characters were a beloved Walt Disney property. The Uncle Remus comic strip had been running since 1945 and would run until 1972. Walt had included animated segments from the film on his two Christmas special in the early 1950’s as well as his debut Disneyland episode. The Song of the South characters were a major part of Walt Disney’s stable of stars just like Pinocchio, the 7 Dwarfs, and the 3 Little Pigs. For the 1956 rerelease, the film campaign revolved around Uncle Remus and his characters. It was a major campaign where a contest was held to send a few lucky families to the recently opened Disneyland. Due to war time shortages, far more merchandise was produced for this reissue than the film’s original release. For his TV show, Walt produced a segment suggested by the childhood of author Joel Chandler Harris to advertise the film. Walt would produce similar segments on his show about authors Hans Christian Andersen, Washington Irving, composer Peter Tchaikovsky, and others. These types of segments interested children into reading more about the real figures’ lives and share a little bit on where these stories originally came from. Here we present the Joel Chandler Harris episode as it originally aired commercials and all. Starring Jonathan Hale as J.A. Turner Sam McDaniel as Herbert Harry Shannon as Mr. Wilson David Stollery as Young Joel Barbara Wooddell as Mrs. Harris (as Barbara Woodell) Original air date January 18, 1956 Celebrate stolen history by nominating a classic film, Song of the South, to the National Film Registry as Woke Disney is purging every aspect of it from existence. In theory, that's why the National Film Registry exists. Walt Disney's Song of the South is the first Technicolor feature film made that blended live action with animation throughout the film. The popular song Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah won the Oscar for Best Song. Woke Disney has purged this song from the theme parks and elsewhere. Actor James Baskett is the first black actor to win an Oscar and it was for this film! He was honored with an eternal Oscar for his portrayal of Uncle Remus in Song of the South. Actor Nick Stewart played Br'er Bear, started the Ebony Showcase Theater with the earnings from this film. He returned to play Br'er Bear again in Splash Mountain and remodeled the theater. He was a Civil Rights pioneer and said "Walt Disney treated us like kings." Oscar winner Hattie McDaniel plays a major character in this film. She's the first black actress to win an Oscar for Gone with the Wind. The characters from this film were a major part of Walt Disney's stable of stars and he frequently revisited them again and again in his television, commercial, theme park ventures and more. The Uncle Remus stories were very special to Walt and so was this film inspired by them. Don't let Woke Disney erase important black, American, and cinematic history! Please nominate this historic film to the National Film Registry as Woke Disney purges every aspect of this special film from pop culture. The form is below. https://www.research.net/r/national-fim-registry-nomination-form Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

Trailers & TV Spots for the 1997 musical comedy adventure based on ancient Greek mythology. Plot: Hercules is on a quest to become a true hero while facing the menacing Hades. This film was an anomaly for the time in that it was primarily a comedy film among a sea of animated epics but it still retained the epic scale of the post-Beauty & the Beast period. The film was a box office disappointment, perhaps in large part due to the Christian boycott of Disney that was ongoing at the times. It's really James Woods' masterful performance as Hades that carries this film and it deserves to be more than only a cult classic. This video gives you a historic sampling of what the ad campaigns for the Walt Disney Animated Features was like at the height of the 1990's. Starring Tate Donovan as Hercules Josh Keaton as Young Hercules Roger Bart as Young Hercules' Singing Voice. Danny DeVito as Philoctetes James Woods as Hades Susan Egan as Megara Rip Torn as Zeus Samantha Eggar as Hera. Lillias White as Calliopes Cheryl Freeman as Melpomene LaChanze as Terpsichore Roz Ryan aa Thaila Vaneese Thomas as Clio Bobcat Goldthwait as Pain Matt Frewer as Panic Patrick Pinney as the Cyclops Hal Holbrook as Amphitryon Barbara Barrie as Alcmene Amanda Plummer as Clotho Carole Shelley as Lachesis Paddi Edwards as Atropo Paul Shaffer as Hermes Jim Cummings as Nessus, Tall Theban, & Elderly Theban. Wayne Knight as Demetrius Mary Kay Bergman as the Earthquake Lady Corey Burton as the Burnt Man Kathleen Freeman as the Heavyset Woman Keith David as Apollo Charlton Heston as opening narrator. Frank Welker as Pegasus. Songs be Alan Menken & David Zippel Screenplay by Ron Clements, John Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw, & Irene Mecchi Directed by John Musker & Ron Clements Release date June 13, 1997 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

For many years there’s been an urban legend that Walt Disney was a freemason and in league with the worst of the worst groups in humanity. If you look online, you’ll find numerous sites and a few videos dedicated to this conspiracy theory. However, what they either present are examples from long after Walt Disney died or untrue assumptions about what they’re seeing. This is a video essay on the topic featuring the genuine words of Walt Disney on the topic recreated in his voice with AI. We cover the "freemason" photos, Mickey Mouse, Club 33, and more. Here you'll get the historical record with factual evidence. Please consider contributing to our Give/Send/Go so we can continue preserving Walt Disney history like this. https://www.givesendgo.com/RediscoveringWaltDisney Posted for historical purposes. Walt Disney's voice is recreated with AI. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

Everyone's favorite redneck, Ernest P Worrell, started out as a character used in local TV commercials in Nashville, Tennessee in 1980. Played masterfully by comedian Jim Varney, Ernest was a throwback to the sorts of characters that were seen in theatrical comedy shorts in films in the 1930's though the 1960's such as the Three Stooges, Abbott & Costello, and Ma & Pa Kettle. The character caught on and became so popular that he started appearing in national TV commercials. Soon Varney was making appearances as Ernest on talk shows and TV specials and, by 1983, the Ernest character was appearing in direct to video films that built his audience in the fledgling VHS rental market. By 1985, Ernest was appearing in theatrical films and the Walt Disney Company signed Varney as Ernest to make a film. That first film, Ernest Goes to Camp (1987) was a Touchstone Pictures release and a surprise hit. Varney was signed to a 7 picture deal with Disney, although only three more films were ever made. Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) was the top grossing film of the series, having been adapted into an Ernest film from another project. It was also the first film to be show at the Disney/MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. That same year Ernest also got his own two-time Emmy award-winning Saturday morning TV show, Hey, Vern, It's Ernest!, on CBS. Several similar characters of the time had Saturday morning TV shows as well like PeeWee Herman, Ed Grimley, and ALF. Ernest Goes to Jail (1990) and Ernest Scared Stupid (1991) proved to be less than popular and the Disney deal ended before Ernest & the Voodoo Curse and a space parody with the character were filmed. Ernest made one final theatrical film, Ernest Rides Again (1993.) When it too bombed there were no more Ernest theatrical films and Ernest returned to the home video market for a string of annual releases. He still remained popular to a loyal base of fans who'd been with him since his pre-Disney days. All Ernest productions were primarily filmed in the Nashville area and included the same team from the days of the commercials until the very end. John Cherry and Coke Sams often co-write and directed the Ernest films with the same cast of character actors often appearing in many of the films. Varney took everyone up with him on his ride of success. The Ernest format usually featured Varney portraying multiple characters, many of whom were from the Worrell clan. Another feature was Ernest's best "friend," Vern, who was in the POV of the camera. Ernest was always trying to help Vern out in completing a project with disastrous results. Ernest's catchphrase was "Knowhutimean?" In the golden age of Disney's Ernest deal, they often featured the character in their parade broadcasts and TV specials and that's where this TV special comes in. When Disneyland opened Splash Mountain in 1989, they brought in Varney to play his Ernest character as the first person to take the first test pilot plunge as a "Splashtronaut", on Disneyland's new thrill ride. Given that Ernest was a southerner and Splash Mountain is based on a property centered around southern stories it made sense to Disney synergy to marry the two. The special aired on the Disney Channel and then on the Magical World of Disney before returning for a short run on the Disney Channel. In it, you'll see a few real life Imagineers who worked on the ride in cameos such as Bruce Gordon. The intent of this special was to get people interested in the ride and go to Disneyland. It's likely never to be seen again given all things Splash Mountain have been purged from Disney. It's great to see the ride when it first opened. Jim Varney was a great dramatic actor who was much more than the Ernest character that made him famous but he never gave up on him. He also returned to Disney to voice two animated characters. He was Slinky Dog in the Pixar films Toy Story and Toy Story 2 and Cookie in Atlantis: the Lost Empire. Jim Varney died of lung cancer on February 10, 2000. He was only 50 years old and by all account, he was just a good decent man. He would love that people are still enjoying his work decades after he's been gone. Knowhutimean, Vern? Knowhutimean? Original airdate July 7, 1989 Incidentally, please consider nominating Song of the South to the National Film Directory at the following link. Perhaps Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain would one day be a bonus feature on an official release. It's the only Ernest project to not have an official release. https://www.research.net/r/national-fim-registry-nomination-form For more information on Song of the South go here: https://rumble.com/v4q7fjc-walt-disneys-uncle-remus-foreword-1945.html Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This is the third Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade to be aired on network television from 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 and this is his debut parade. (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 previous year's parade 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 also get to see a preview of the then then upcoming Living Seas at EPCOT Center. This is also the first Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade to feature Christmas Day greetings from world leaders. In the years to follow, only the President of the United States would hold this honor. This is a time capsule into Walt Disney history past. This is where the Eisner regime really took control of 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 Ben Vereen co-host this parade with Regis Philbin. Lunden was then the current co-host of Good Morning America and Vereen was a popular stage, TV, and film actor at the time. 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, 1985 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This is the fourth 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 and this is second parade. (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 previous year's parade 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 also get to see a focus on the then current 15th anniversary of Walt Disney World and the upcoming 50th anniversary of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs in 1987. This is also the first Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade to feature Christmas Day greetings from world leaders. In the years to follow, only the President of the United States would hold this honor. This is a time capsule into Walt Disney history past. This is where the Eisner regime really took control of 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 Ben Vereen co-host this parade with Regis Philbin. Lunden was then the current co-host of Good Morning America and Vereen was a popular stage, TV, and film actor at the time. 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, 1986 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

1990 marked a year long celebration for the 35th anniversary of Disneyland. TV star Tony Danza hosts this star-studded experience from the Magical World of Disney on NBC. Guest stars include the cast of Cheers, the Muppets, Ernest, Charles Fleischer, President Ronald Reagan, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and C3PO. Many of these figures had a reason to be there. Cheers was the highest rated show on television at that time. Tony Danza was the star of the popular sitcom Who's the Boss. Will Smith was about to launch his own sitcom the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Ernest was enjoying a multi-picture deal with Disney. The Muppets were about to merge with Disney. Charles Fleischer was a comedic actor who'd been the voice of Roger Rabbit and appeared in Back to the Future Part II. President Reagan had just completed his two terms at President of the United States and had co-hosted the opening day festivities at Disneyland in 1955. There was a lot of cross market synergy at play here. On top of that, this special was directed by John Landis. For a time, TV specials like this on network television were a staple of the Walt Disney Company in both celebrating their historical milestones and their new releases this 35th celebration of Disneyland was typical for the time. It's like a scrapbook of what the park and pop culture was like at the time. Audiences today have no idea how revered Walt Disney’s history was back then when many of the people who’d participated in it were still with us. It’s certainly not like this anymore under Woke Disney. Original air date February 4, 1990 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This excellent documentary special was produced for Disneyland's 35th anniversary celebration and aired on The Disney Channel. Sitcom actor and magician, Harry Anderson takes us on a time traveling train ride into Disneyland's past and gives us a glimpse at its future by showcasing numerous attractions that were never built in the end. This special is filled with general basic information on the history of Disneyland dispersed with archival footage and clips from the animated features. You can see that this was produced by people who genuinely cared about Walt Disney and his overall legacy. A highlight of the production is a montage of Walt Disney footage set to Louis Armstrongs What A Wonderful World that's done as a tribute to Walt's memory. This special also uses some of the score from Back to the Future as well as a time travelling train as what moves the basic plot. This was mere months BEFORE the premiere of Back to the Future Part III which features a time travelling train in the finale. Coincidence? Hmmm... This special hasn't aired in decades 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. Original air date February 3, 1990 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

1988 marked a year long celebration for the 60th birthday of Mickey Mouse. There were publicity events throughout the year including many you see in this special. There was a Mickey Mouse hot air balloon sailing around the world, a cow with Mickey Mouse's head shape in its spots, a farmer's field with a Mickey Mouse silhouette that could be viewed from outer space and more. At Disneyland Mickey Mouse's Birthdayland debuted, it would later become Mickey Mouse's Toontown. A highlight of this 1988 celebration was a one hour TV special that aired on NBC. Because this was an NBC spectacular, the show includes the casts of several contemporary NBC television shows from that time, including Family Ties, Cheers, Hunter, L.A. Law and The Cosby Show. You also see cameos by such celebrities as Carl Reiner, John Ritter, Cheech Marin, Jill Eikenberry, and more. Several real life NBC affiliate newscasters also cameo throughout the special. The plot of the special is simple enough. Mickey Mouse steals the hat from the sorcerer used in the infamous Sorcerer's Apprentice short and the sorcerer casts a spell on Mickey so no one recognizes them. (Oddly enough, this sorcerer isn't Yen Sid from the cartoon but a new design.) The world tries to find the hidden Mickey in time for his big birthday bash and Donald Duck is suspected of murdering the mouse to take his place. The new animated star is also presented as Mickey's best friend, a role that would have been much better suited for Goofy. Who Framed Roger Rabbit had just premiered a few months before this and there was already high hopes for all on the future of this character. At the time, Roger had been integrated into the stable of main Disney shorts characters. Because the copyright on the character is shared with Steve Spielberg, Roger was eliminated after Dreamworks was founded as Disney's greatest competitor of the 1990's and 2000's. This imaginative 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. 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 Carl Reiner as Mel Fellini Charles Fleischer as Charlie the Stage Manager & Roger Rabbit John Ritter as Dudley Goode Jill Eikenberry as Mia Loud Michael Eisner as Himself Brian Bonsall as Andy Keaton Justine Bateman as Mallory Keaton Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton Tina Yothers as Jennifer Keaton Ed McMahon as Himself Fred Dryer as Sergeant Rick Hunter Michael Tucker as Stuart Markowitz Jimmy Smits as Victor Sifuentes Alan Rachins as Douglas Brackman, Jr. Richard A. Dysart as Leland Mackenzie Corbin Bernsen as Arnie Becker Blair Underwood as Jonathan Rollins Harry Hamlin as Michael Kuzak George Wendt as Norm Peterson Woody Harrelson as Woody Boyd Ted Danson as Sam Malone Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe Cheech Marin as the Disneyland custodian Phylicia Rashad as the Disneyland dancer Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux Betty White as Rose Nylund Burt Reynolds as Himself Dyan Cannon as Herself Phil Collins as Himself Annette Funicello as Herself Bette Midler as Herself Barbara Hershey as Herself Wayne Allwine as Mickey Mouse Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck Peter Cullen as the Wizard Russi Taylor as Minnie Mouse Original air date November 13, 1988 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

1987 was the year of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. It was the films 50th anniversary and being the first major film to enjoy such a milestone, the pop culture red carpet was brought out to observe it. (MGM’s The Wizard of Oz, always following in Snow White’s foot steps would follow this same template in 1989.) There was merchandise, sweepstakes, high-end collectibles, even the declaration of a Snow White week made by act of congress! A high point of the celebration was this TV special that aired on NBC in celebration of the film. Several such TV specials were produced at Disneyland in this era when Disney was just starting its transition away from a family feeling company and into the global entertainment conglomerate we know today. It was still a company with a heart because there were still a lot of people around from the Walt/Roy/Ub era who cared. This wasn’t just a job for them, this was an institution and it showed. For Snow White’s 50th anniversary a special program was created that was part narrative story, part documentary, and part pop culture celebration. The major plot of the story is Dick van Dyke is hanging out with his buddies, the seven dwarfs, when the evil Queen, played by Jane Curtin, casts a spell on Grumpy so he’ll retire and she can finally do away with Snow White. Sherman Helmsley plays the Slave in the Magic Mirror (Yeah, that certainly wouldn’t fly today...) and does so in an urban update of the original, much like Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio or even the Magic Mirror as played by Hans Conreid on Walt’s TV show. Through the course of the story, van Dyke convinces Grumpy and the others to stay in the film by reminding them of the story on its making. Through the course of the production we get to see historical footage and animation art from the original production, including glimpses of deleted scenes. In the end Dick van Dyke and the Dwarfs celebrates in singing a deleted song from the film, You’re Never Too Old To Be Young. Throughout the show there’s cameos of then current TV stars celebrating Snow White and finally Linda Ronstadt sings Someday My Prince Will Come for the finale. For a time, TV specials like this on network television were a staple of the Walt Disney Company in both celebrating their historical milestones and their new releases but Snow White’s Golden Anniversary is one of the most special among them. Audiences today have no idea how revered Walt Disney’s history was back then when many of the people who’d participated in it were still with us. It’s certainly not like this anymore under Woke Disney. Original air date May 22, 1987 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

This is the second Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade to be aired on network television from 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 and this is his debut parade. (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 previous year's parade had been a 1 hour broadcast and proved so successful that this year it became a 90 minute one and expanded to include Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland. We also get to see a preview of the then brand new featurette, Mickey's Christmas Carol. This is a time capsule into Walt Disney history past. This is the transitional Walt Disney World Christmas Parade as the Eisner regime took over the company. Here, we get a glimpse at what Disney was like 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. It wasn't anywhere near 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 Bruce Jenner co-host this parade with Regis Philbin. Lunden was then the current co-host of Good Morning America and Jenner was a former Olympic athlete. Regis was a well known talk show host vet even by this time. 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, 1984 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.