Treasure Island (1950) Remind Me Treasure Island (1950) Treasure Island (1950) is probably the movie that most inspires people to do the stereotypical "aaaargh!" pirate imitation. The character of Long John Silver has been around since the 1883 publication of Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure novel on which the film is based. There have also been many film and television adaptations before and since, the best known being Victor Fleming's 1934 version that reunited the stars of The Champ (1931), Wallace Beery and child actor Jackie Cooper, as Silver and the young Jim Hawkins. Yet it's Robert Newton's performance as the pirate in this Disney adaptation that has remained the most iconic and the most widely seen. Stevenson's story, in fact, has been the most influential on our perception of pirates, particularly Long John Silver: one-legged with a parrot on the shoulder, a gnarled face, constantly in search of buried treasure with the aid of a cryptic map marked with an X.

Young Jim Hawkins's adventures with Long John Silver in search of such treasure formed the bones of Stevenson's plot, which along with rousing action also offered an atmospheric coming-of-age story and an astute comment on the nature of morality. These essential elements made it more or less intact into Disney's 1950 film version, the studio's first non-animated feature. Originally, Walt Disney planned to make the movie as a full-length cartoon, but thanks to rising production expenses (not least the costly loss of a bitter labor dispute with his animators), the money men at the studio strongly encouraged Disney to make live-action movies as a way of climbing out of the red. So he chose this project as his first venture into that territory, and it paid off handsomely. The decision to film in England, rather than the West Indian setting of the story, was also financially motivated. Sales of Disney product had stockpiled quite a bit of money in the UK, whose laws prevented their pounds sterling from being exchanged totally into American dollars, so the studio decided to use the frozen funds to make the picture there, using a director less well known and less expensive.

Byron Haskin had been a successful special effects specialist since the late silent period, primarily at Warner Brothers, with such films to his credit as A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), The Sea Hawk (1940), and Passage to Marseille (1944). His directorial career prior to this consisted of only four silents and four post-war B movies including the Burt Lancaster film noir, I Walk Alone [1948]. Haskin's work on Treasure Island led to a few bigger projects, among them The War of the Worlds (1953), The Naked Jungle (1954), and a non-Disney, Australian-based sequel, Long John Silver (1954), again starring Newton as the pirate. In an interview conducted by Joe Adamson, Haskin recalled his reason for accepting the Treasure Island assignment: "I needed a film at the time I talked with Walt, and sure, I'd do Treasure Island in England. Who wouldn't? Of course, the deal was for peanuts. Total fee was $25,000. As it turned out we were nine months on the stage with this thing.

Me and the gateman were getting about the same wages. And I was there several additional months after." Despite fairly smooth financial sailing abroad, the Treasure Island production did encounter a problem with Britain's child labor laws. Child star Bobby Driscoll was not quite 13 at the time of the production and only allowed to stay in the country for six weeks. Haskin and crew had to rush to shoot all his scenes in the allotted time and use a double for shots done after his departure. A popular child actor from the age of 6 with a long-term contract with Walt Disney Productions, Driscoll had received an "Outstanding Juvenile Actor" Academy Award as the beleaguered boy in the noir thriller The Window (1949). His final job for Disney was voicing the title role in the animated Peter Pan (1953), after which his career went into a sad decline. As he got older, roles became harder to come by, and he fell into a tragic downward spiral of hard drugs and poverty. He was found dead of a heart attack at the age of 31 in an abandoned New York building in 1968.

Regarding Robert Newton in the role of Long John Silver, Haskin recalled how he handled the delicate situation of directing him since the actor, at the time, had an infamous reputation as a drunkard on sets. "Right off, I figured the best way to generate some personal enthusiasm in this guy," Haskin said, "was to suck him in as my helper with production problems. He knew all about English theatre. He was hung over when I first met him. I said, "Well, there will be about eight weeks before we shoot. Why don't you go fishing? When you come back you'll have the job of casting the most delightful part in the show -- Ben Gunn." Ben Gunn was the crazy guy marooned on Treasure Island...So Bob went fishing in Ireland for a week. He came back sunburned, his health restored. I kept drawing on him for advice about production problems and got him hunting for a real good character actor to play Ben Gunn. We had almost landed Alec Guinness, but he was tied up for run-of-the-play at the Savoy Theatre...Throughout the shooting he [Newton] came to work sober and full of good ideas...But he was unfortunate. The booze had really taken an advanced hold on him.

He was unable to portray his concepts fully when the camera was rolling. Something going on in his subconscious, and when the camera turned, he stiffened up and became a bit mechanical...losing the charm of the role...He gave a performance, but never one with that original genius shown in the rehearsals." The camerawork in Treasure Island was by legendary cinematographer Freddie Young, who won many accolades in his nearly 60-year career, including Academy Awards for Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and Ryan's Daughter (1970), all of them for director David Lean. Director: Byron Haskin Producers: Walt Disney, Perce Pearce, Herbert Smith Screenplay: Lawrence Edward Watkin, based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson Cinematography: Freddie Young Production Design: Thomas N. Morahan Original Music: Clifton Parker Cast: Bobby Driscoll (Jim Hawkins), Robert Newton (Long John Silver), Basil Sydney (Captain Smollett), Finlay Currie (Billy Bones), Walter Fitzgerald (Squire Trelawney). C-96m. Closed captioning. Treasure Island Day Treasure Island Day Treasure Island Day What is Treasure Island Day?

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is the quintessential pirate adventure story. It has become one of the most dramatized novels in history. November 13 is Robert Louis Stevenson’s birthday. He was born on that day in 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. A new history has come to light about his Treasure Island. It was real. On November 13, 1750, fifty chests of treasure that had been stolen from a Spanish galleon at Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina, were buried on a deserted island in the Caribbean. And because of Stevenson’s family ties to the Caribbean, he had to have known about it. Stevenson’s Treasure Map Dated August 1, 1750 In late August of 1750, the Spanish galleon, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, was driven by a hurricane from her intended course of returning to Spain to the desolate shores of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Shattered and unable to sail, she was towed into Ocracoke Inlet in order to save her million dollar cargo.

Owen Lloyd and his one-legged brother, John, two merchant captains from Hampton Roads, Virginia, whose own vessel had been driven to Ocracoke, formed a conspiracy and stole the silver from the galleon. Owen Lloyd sailed away with fifty-five chests of pieces of eight and buried his treasure on Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands on the date that would be later remembered as Robert Louis Stevenson’s birthday. It was a crude treasure map drawn by Robert Louis Stevenson’s stepson, Lloyd Osbourne, which was the initial inspiration for Treasure Island. Stevenson incorporated that map, with his own embellishments, into his story. It was the map of Treasure Island dated August 1, 1750, discovered in a sea chest belonging to a dead pirate named Billy Bones that launched the treasure hunt that became the stories main plot. This map has become the most famous treasure map in the world. Anyone who has read Treasure Island virtually signed on as crew on the Hispaniola with the memorable characters of Long John Silver, Jim Hawkins, and Billy Bones. Millions of people have read this classic tale of adventure since its first printing in 1883.

The story has since been made into more than fifty television and movie adaptations, as well as plays. Why Treasure Island Day? Treasure Island 1934 by MGM It seems that every seaside town that either has a connection with pirates or wishes that it did, holds an annual pirate festival for the amusement of children and adults alike. In our hectic daily lives we have become overwhelmed with the responsibilities and the complexities of modern life. In our dreams, we hearken back to a time when the ultimate free spirit—pirates—lived lives of adventure, irresponsibility and ease. So for one day a year, wannabe pirates cast off their lines that tie them to the shores of responsibility and set sail for freedom and adventure. Every generation since Treasure Islandwas published in 1883 has been captivated with this adventure tale. In 1934, the most remembered early film of Treasure Island was made with Wallace Berry and Jackie Cooper. There had been two silent productions prior to that. The first color version was released in 1950 by Walt Disney. This was the first non-animated film for Disney.

English actor, Robert Newton, who played Long John Silver, coined the now infamous pirate growl “Arrrgh.” For Disney, this was the beginning of its obsession with the pirate theme. In 1967, Disney launched an amusement park ride called Pirates of the Caribbean, inspired in part by Stevenson’s Treasure Island. To date, there have been four Pirates of the Caribbeanfilms grossing over a billion dollars each. The fifth installment is now in production. Jack Sparrow and Long John Silver owe Robert Louis Stevenson for their existence The story of the real Treasure Island involves many countries on two continents as well as islands in the Caribbean. Each location has its own role in the story of the real Treasure Island. So, on November 13, all pirate fans, adventurers, and free spirits, should not only remember the birthday of Robert Louis Stevenson, but also celebrate the day a very real treasure was buried in the Caribbean by a merchant captain named Owen Lloyd. Without whom there might not have been a Long John Silver or a Jack Sparrow that would capture our collective imaginations. About The Author John Amrhein, Jr. began his research in 1977 to facilitate his search for sunken shipwrecks.

He is now the leading authority on the 1750 Spanish fleet... Film History Milestones - 1950 Film theater attendance drastically declined due to the rise of television. 1950 Hollywood began to develop ways to counteract free television's gains by the increasing use of color, and by introducing wide-screen films (i.e., CinemaScope, Techniscope, Cinerama, VistaVision, etc.) and gimmicks (i.e., 3-D viewing with cardboard glasses, Smell-O-Vision, etc.). 1950 John Howard Lawson and Dalton Trumbo were imprisoned and the eight remaining members of the Hollywood Ten were convicted of contempt of Congress. 1950 Walt Disney's animated feature film Cinderella (1950), the studio's 12th animated 'classic', was in limited release in New York on February 22, 1950, and in wide-release on March 4, 1950. 1950 The popular comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz, was published for the first time in seven U.S.

newspapers in early October of 1950, and ran as a syndicated column until February of 2000, almost 50 years. Many television and film specials featuring the Peanuts characters have aired, including the first of four theatrical feature film releases, A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969). 1950 Japanese director Akira Kurosawa released Rashomon (1950, Jp.), a crime mystery about a man's murder and the rape of his wife. The tale was told through the subjective recollections and perspective of four different characters - a template called the "Rashomon Effect" that has been reproduced many times henceforth. It was also noteworthy as the first film to directly film the sun. 1950 Francis (1950) (aka Francis the Talking Mule) was the first of seven fantasy-comedy films, made by Universal Studios from 1950 to 1956 (the last "Francis" film was Francis in a Haunted House (1956)), featuring Donald O'Connor (in the first six films) as American GI Peter Stirling with his talking sidekick, Francis (voice by Chill Wills).

The films inspired the wildly-popular 60s TV series Mister Ed (1961-1966) with a talking horse as the title character (voice of Allan Lane) and Alan Young as Wilbur Post. 1950 Anthony Mann's Winchester '73 (1950), about a man on a quest, initiated a cycle of more serious-minded western films. It was the first of eight films that star James Stewart made with Mann (five of the eight were westerns, including Bend of the River (1952), The Naked Spur (1953), The Far Country (1954), and The Man from Laramie (1955)). 1950 Studio control of stars further eroded when James Stewart signed a precedent-setting independent (or free-lance) contract to share in the box-office profits (45% of the net profits) of the Anthony Mann western Winchester '73 (1950), and for the film version of the stage comedy Harvey (1950). The first-ever back-end deal was negotiated by legendary agent Lew Wasserman.

In fact, for all of Stewart's Universal Studios films (including Bend of the River (1952), and The Far Country (1954)), he took no salary in exchange for a large cut of the gross profits -- which turned out to be a very lucrative deal. As a result, he earned increasingly high salaries, became a pioneer of the percentage deal (a performer accepted a reduced or non-existent salary in exchange for a percentage of the box office profits), and was the industry's top box-office star by mid-decade. For Winchester '73 alone, Stewart earned $600,000. 1950 The career of former silent star Gloria Swanson (nominated and lost for Best Actress) was revitalized with the release of Billy Wilder's black comedy Sunset Boulevard (1950) . It was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won three - for Story and Screenplay, B/W Art Direction/Set Decoration, and Best Score. Swanson was nominated for Best Actress (and lost).

Wilder's film was controversial for its unflinching look at the Hollywood studio system and its politics, and for its casting of former and current Hollywood legends as themselves to add a touch of reality (Cecil B. DeMille, Hedda Hopper, Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson, H.B. Warner, Ray Evans, Jay Livingston) or a close facsimile (Erich von Stroheim). 1950 The melodramatic, sordid underbelly of theater show biz with dozens of quotable lines, producer Darryl F. Zanuck's All About Eve (1950) , earned a then-unmatched record of 14 Academy Award nominations and won six, including Best Picture (Zanuck), Best Director (Joseph L. Mankiewicz), and Best Supporting Actor (George Sanders).

Although widely considered to be Bette Davis' best film role as the petulant, angry aging diva Margo Channing -- who uttered one of the most famous lines in film history ("Fasten your seatbelts - it's going to be a bumpy night!") -- she, along with co-star Anne Baxter in the title role of Eve Harrington cancelled each other out and lost Best Actress honors to Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday (1950). Thelma Ritter and Celeste Holm were also nominated in supporting roles, giving All About Eve a record four female acting nominations. 1950 James Dean participated in a Pepsi-Cola commercial - his first acting job (paying $30) that launched his career. 1950 Marlon Brando made his feature film debut in director Fred Zinnemann's The Men (1950), a social conscience film with a message. He played the role of a paralyzed, embittered wheelchair-bound WWII veteran named Lt. "Bud" Ken Wilozek, who experienced physical and emotional trauma (including sexual impotence) due to his serious injuries as he attempted to re-enter society. It was the first instance of Brando's "Method" acting and style.

1950 King's Solomon's Mines (1950) was the first MGM film (and first Hollywood film) in the talkie era made without a studio musical score or soundtrack, using only African music. Almost 95% of the film was shot on location, making it a very expensive production. The film cost $3.5 million and required a monumental effort, to enlist 8,000 Africans from twelve different tribes and 6,000 animals (many of which were trained for the stampede sequence). Its African tribesmen were not black-face actors or American stand-ins representing the ‘natives’. It also showed its hero respectfully speaking the different languages of the tribes. 1950 Producer George Pal's Destination Moon (1950) was one of the first science-fiction films to take a serious look at space exploration, with its attempt to provide accurate details about space travel. 1950 Adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale, the family-oriented Treasure Island (1950) was Disney's first completely live-action feature film, and the first screen version of the story made in color.

Before 1950, Disney had already released some films that combined live-action and animation, such as Fantasia (1940) and Song of the South (1946). 1950 Animator Jay Ward, working with Alexander Anderson, Jr (whose idea was first turned down at Terrytoon Studios), created the immensely-popular animated, serialized NBC-TV show Crusader Rabbit, through their new company Television Arts Productions. It was the first American animated series produced especially for television. The show originally aired from 1950 -1952 and also had a color version in 1957, with both Lucille Bliss and GeGe Pearson providing the voice of the Don Quixote-like title character. It told about knight-in-armor Crusader Rabbit and his tiger companion Rags, combating nemesis Dudley Nightshade, with episodes ending in a cliffhanger. 1950 Legendary singer/entertainer Al Jolson died at the age of 64 of a heart attack. The brash vaudeville comedian and actor became famous by his appearance in Warners' The Jazz Singer (1927) , the first feature-length Hollywood talkie film with some spoken dialogue.

His life was commemorated in two musical films: The Jolson Story (1946) in which Jolson's voice was dubbed into Larry Parks' singing, and the sequel Jolson Sings Again (1949). Treasure Island CED Web Page Featured CED VideoDisc No. 33 - Summer 2004 Treasure Island (1934 and 1950) These two CED titles provide a nice contrast in the movie interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel "Treasure Island." The first was filmed in Black & White in 1934 and follows the novel more closely. The second was filmed in color in 1950, and while this version follows the novel less closely, it is probably a better action movie. This 1950 version is also Disney's first live-action production, and is the first full-length Disney title to appear as a featured CED. The two CED caddy cover illustrations appropriately show Long John Silver ( Wallace Beery , Robert Newton ) and young Jim Hawkins ( Jackie Cooper , Bobby Driscoll ) as they are the two characters around whom almost all the action of is centered.

The actors behind the Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins also provide interesting contrasts. Wallace Beery and Robert Newton both have the familiar parrot on their shoulders, with Berry playing Silver with a more folksy demeanor than Newton. In the case of Jim Hawkins, Jackie Cooper plays a tougher character than Bobby Driscoll, although Driscoll's performance is probably more realistic for someone suddenly thrust into a pirate adventure. The careers of Jackie Cooper and Bobby Driscoll provide a stark contrast in what can happen to Hollywood child actors as they mature. Jackie Cooper already had considerable experience when he appeared in "Treasure Island," most notably in The Champ in which three years earlier he was first paired with Wallace Beery. This movie was in 1979 re-made as the CED title The Champ starring John Voight and Ricky Schroder . Jackie Cooper made a smooth transition to adult actor and is still recognizable about 50 years later as hard-nosed newspaperman Perry White in the "Superman" movies. The story of Bobby Driscoll is entirely different, and is one of the saddest incidents in Hollywood history.

Driscoll also had quite a bit of prior experience as a child actor, winning a special Academy Award for juvenile acting a year before "Treasure Island" was released. He went on to provide the voice of Peter Pan in the Disney animated movie of the same name. But after that his acting career was practically over. Although married with three children, In the 1960's he became involved with heavy drugs and soon disappeared from site. His mother eventually persuaded Disney to launch an investigation into his whereabouts. The investigation determined that the body of an unidentified homeless man, found a year earlier in an abandoned New York City tenement and buried in a mass grave on the Hart Island Potter's Field, was that of Bobby Driscoll. He had once been quoted as saying, "They carried me on a satin pillow, then dumped me in the garbage," and that truly turned out to be the case. Film Review: Disney's Treasure Island Film Review: Disney's Treasure Island Updated on December 21, 2016 Background In 1950, Byron Haskin released Treasure Island, based on the 1883 novel of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson, as Disney's first completely live-action film.

Starring Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney, Walter Fitzgerald, Denis O’Dea, Finlay Currie, Ralph Truman, and Geoffrey Wilkinson, the film had an unknown gross at the box office. Synopsis Young Jim Hawkins discovers a treasure map among the personal items of a deceased resitdent at his family’s inn. He shows it to a noble and a doctor, who charter a ship to search for the treasure. However, the man they hired to be their cook, a sailor turned tavern owner named Long John Silver, was a well-known pirate. Review Treasure Island may not have been Disney’s first foray out of animation into live-action, but it was the first film the company put out that was completely non-animated and regardless of it bein departure from its usual products, the film is pretty good, keeping much of the characterization and story intact in its transferal from page to screen. There are some really great moments, like where Jim meets Ben for the first time, and the former really is trying to stop himself from completely freaking out while this madman who won’t shut up is in front of him. There’s also when the pirates take control of the ship.

It’s kind of funny seeing the two guys the captain left to guard the ship be outsmarted because they completely forgot to keep the side hatch guarded. As a whole, it is a nice coming of age story about Jim who goes from a naïve child who wants adventure to a boy who understands and sees every aspect of humanity found within Long John Silver. The characters are also pretty interesting as well. Silver is a fascinating person and character. He may be a scummy and unapologetic pirate, he’s actually living somewhat of a respectable life as an innkeeper at the beginning of the story. Yet, he is immediately willing to join an adventure at the promise of the gold and treasure that slipped by him so long ago. This gives the character a bit of realism as most would enjoy a second chance to find what they once lost. Furthermore, Silver has standards and won’t let Jim die, even when it comes to risking death by crossing the symbol of the Black Spot. That’s also notable with the whole crew. They might all be be bloodthirsty and evil pirates, but even they know that ripping a page out of the Bible to create a Black Spot is a bad idea.

Ben Gunn is also done well, presenting a mad pirate marooned on the island and delivering well. He won’t shut up and goes off on the strangest of tangents, while promising his loyalty for the oddest of reasons. At the same time, he not only knows where the treasure is, but leads the characters to it too. He’s possibly the best part of the film and there’s unfortunately not enough of him in the final product. That's just one of the problems the film has though. It's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, it's just that it really lacks and it isn't paced very well. Many scenes, especially those before setting sail, really drag on. Furthermore, Ben may be the best part of the film, but everyone just seems to innately trust him, despite him being part of Flint’s original crew. It could be they thought that three years stranded was punishment enough, but it doesn't come off that way. It also just kind of ends abruptly. The end of the novel says that Jim still has nightmares about the journey and notes that he still hears the voice of Captain Flint ringing in his ears. This is not present at all in the film. Here, the story just kind of ends.

Jim and the others just watch Silver row off with part of the treasure and it fades to black. While a return journey might not be a great idea to show, at least having a resolution for Jim and the other protagonists would have been welcome. Rate Me! 3 stars for Disney's Treasure Island the postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent WNI's positions, strategies or opinions. Nominated for Island You Most Wanted to Get "LOST" On More by this Author A review of Tim Burton's 1988 black comedy 0 A review of Tim Burton's 2010 fantasy film 0 Treasure Island | Disney Movies Cancel Treasure Island Ahoy, mateys! Walt Disney's first live action feature vividly brings to life Robert Louis Stevenson's timeless tale of buccaneers and buried gold. Authentic locales, rich color photography, and musket-roaring action set the stage for the stouthearted heroics of young Jim Hawkins and the skullduggery of the wily, one-legged pirate Long John Silver. Ahoy, mateys! Walt Disney's first live action feature vividly brings to life Robert Louis Stevenson's timeless tale of buccaneers and buried gold.

Authentic locales, rich color photography, and musket-roaring action set the stage for the stouthearted heroics of young Jim Hawkins and the skullduggery of the wily, one-legged pirate Long John Silver. DVD Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound Color: Color NOV 13 Disney History Epcot's 10th Annual International Food and Wine Festival comes to an end. It is reported that Chicken Little is the top film in U.S. and Canadian theaters for the second week in a row with about $32 million in sales. 1850: Scottish novelist, essayist, and poet Robert Louis Stevenson is born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Disney's 1950 adventure film Treasure Island was based on Stevenson's 1883 novel about buccaneers and buried gold. Disney's 1960 live-action film Kidnapped was based on Stevenson's 1886 historical fiction adventure novel. Stevenson's "Treasure Island" was also later the inspiration for Disney's 2002 animated feature Treasure Planet. Also among his best-known written works ...

"The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" and "The Ebb Tide." Director Robert Stevenson who directed Kidnapped and such other Disney films as Mary Poppins, That Darn Cat, and Old Yeller, was a direct descendant of Robert Louis Stevenson! 1906: Actress Hermione Baddeley is born in Shropshire, England. Her Disney credits include Mary Poppins (as Ellen), The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (as Miss Irene Chesney), The Happiest Millionaire (as Mrs. Worth), and The Aristocats (as the voice of Madame Adelaide Bonfamille - the owner of Duchess and her kittens). Fans of the classic TV sitcom Bewitched may remember Baddeley as Samantha's beloved childhood nanny Elspeth. 1917: Disney Legend Armand Bigle is born in Paris, France. He became known as Disney's "Godfather of Europe" for opening up new merchandising territories in that continent (beginning in 1949). 1934: Actor, director & producer Garry Marshall, the voice of Buck Cluck in the 2005 feature Chicken Little, is born in New York City.

Marshall directed both The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement live-action features and appeared in Race to Witch Mountain. Marshall also directed the 1990 live-action feature Pretty Woman, distributed by Buena Vista Pictures. (He was the executive producer of the 1970s hit sitcoms Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and The Odd Couple.) 1940: Disney's 3rd feature film, Fantasia premieres at New York's Broadway Theater (formerly known as the Colony where Steamboat Willie debuted). The film introduces stereophonic sound to the motion picture via a special sound system dubbed "Fantasound" - which literally vibrates the theater's seats! In attendance at the gala premiere are socialites Mrs. Henry F. DuPont, Mrs. William Randolph Hearst, and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt. (Although a triumphant premiere, Fantasia will not be appreciated for many years ...

until its re-release in the 1970s makes it a hit.) 1955: Actress Whoopi Goldberg, the voice of Shenzi the Hyena in both Disney's The Lion King and The Lion King 1 1/2, is born in New York City. She also starred in Touchstone Pictures' 1992 comedy Sister Act. 1957: The Disneyland TV series airs the episode "To the South Pole for Science." Directed by Winston Hibler, it is the last in a trio of Disneyland episodes commemorating Operation Deepfreeze, Antarctica's contribution to the International Geophysical Year of November 1956 to February 1957. During this period five naval bases have been established, with the Disney camera crew living and working along with the United States' Navy Task Force 43, and dutifully recording all scientific findings made by the military personnel. 1959: The TV series Walt Disney Presents airs "Elfago Baca: Move Along, Mustangers." It is the 7th of a 10-part mini-series starring Robert Loggia as a gun-slinger-turned-lawyer. This episode features a young James Coburn in a supporting role.

1960: Walt Disney Presents airs "Donald's Silver Anniversary." 1966: Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color airs "A Ranger's Guide to Nature" on NBC-TV. 1978: A special Amtrak train carrying Mickey Mouse (and animator Ward Kimball) leaves Los Angeles for a 5-day trip to New York. 1991: Disney's Beauty and the Beast (featuring the voices of Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, and Angela Lansbury) premieres at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, production of the film took three and a half years and required the talents of almost 600 animators, artists, and technicians! 1997: Disney's newest Broadway musical The Lion King opens at the New Amsterdam Theater in New York City. The cast album is also released at the theater and in the tri-state area. In previews since October 15, The Lion King musical had first debuted in Minneapolis last July. This evening's cast includes Jason Raize as Simba, John Vickery as Scar, Samuel E.

Wright as Mufasa, Heather Headley as Nala, Tsidii Le Loka as Rafiki, and Max Casella as Timon. The musical will win 6 Tony Awards and 8 Drama Desk Awards. Celebrities attending tonight's performance include Elton John (who has written the show's music), Julie Andrews, Rosie O'Donnell and Mary Tyler Moore. 1998: At the 26th Annual Annie Awards (the highest honor given for excellence in animation) Disney's Mulan wins 10 awards. Among the winners of the Winsor McCay Award is Eyvind Earle , who painted backgrounds for such Disney features as Sleeping Beauty and Lady and the Tramp. I'll Be Home for Christmas, a holiday-themed film starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a college student who has hardly ever been home for Christmas, is released through Walt Disney Pictures. 1999: Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 2 premieres at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California.

In attendance are Tim Allen (the voice of Buzz Lightyear), Tom Hanks (the voice of Woody), Riders in the Sky (performers of the "Woody Roundup" theme song), Estelle Harris (the voice of Mrs. Potato Head), Wayne Knight (the voice of Al), Robert Goulet (the singing voice of Wheezy) and astronaut Buzz Aldrin. The thirty-second episode of Disney's Recess, "That Stinking Feeling/My Funny Valentines" premiere on ABC-TV. Although considered the show's Valentine's Day special, "My Funny Valentine" airs on this day. 2000: Disney's live-action 102 Dalmatians (starring Glenn Close as Cruella De Vil) has its world premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. 2002: David de Vries replaces Bryan Batt as Lumiere, and Steve Lavner (making his Broadway debut) takes over as Lefou from Brad Aspel in Disney's Broadway show Beauty and the Beast. David de Vries had previously played the role of Lumiere on Broadway, on tour and in Canada.

2003: The Tony-winning Disney musical , The Lion King, celebrates six sold-out years at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre. The New York production has played 2,532performances! U.S. President Bush speaks to supporters during a $2,000-a- ticket luncheon at the Disney Grand Floridian Resort in Florida. (It is his 17th visit to Florida since taking office.) 2004: Stars from the ABC Daytime dramas join the fun at the 9th annual ABC Super Soap Weekend in the Disney-MGM Studios. 2006: The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights makes its seasonal debut at the Disney-MGM Studios in Florida. 1980: Actress-dancer-singer Monique Coleman is born in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Her Disney Channel credits include High School Musical and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. 1967: Actor/comedian Steve Zahn is born in Marshall, Minnesota. His Disney voice credits include Meet the Robinsons, Chicken Little (as the Runt of the Litter) and an episode of Phineas and Ferb.

Movie fans will recognize him from such features as National Security, Riding in Cars with Boys, and That Thing You Do! The 1883 novel Treasure Island, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, was released as a feature film by Disney in 1950. The famous novel was also the inspiration for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean theme park attraction and later the series of blockbuster films. The television special Mickey's 60th Birthday, combining live action/original animation and library animation, airs on The Magical World of Disney on NBC. Fantasia is thought to be the first American film to be released with no credits at all shown onscreen (not even the customary "Walt Disney presents") other than the film's title, the words "Color by Technicolor", and the words "Distributed by RKO Pictures". The written credits at the end of the film were added for the 1990 50th anniversary edition. 2007: Disneyland kicks off "Disney's Wildfire Heroes Salute" to express appreciation for the heroic efforts of the emergency workers battling the latest Southern California wildfires.

Starting this day (and running through February 2008) Southern California firefighters, law enforcement and rescue personnel can enjoy complimentary, three-day "Park Hopper" admission into Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure parks! "What you're going to see on the screen are the designs and pictures and stories that music inspired in the minds and imaginations of a group of artists." The most beautiful love story ever told. 2008: It is reported that Verizon and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts will team up to provide visitors with information on the theme parks through their wireless devices. "Can you hear me now?" NOVEMBER 13 1939: Voice actor, producer, writer, comedian and composer Will Ryan is born in San Francisco, California. First voicing Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore after the death of original voice Junius Matthews, Ryan went on to provided the voice of Rabbit, Tigger, as well as Eeyore for Disney Channel's long-running series Welcome to Pooh Corner.

He also provided the voice of Barnaby the Dog on the popular series Dumbo's Circus (starting in 1985) and Willie the Giant for both TV series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and House of Mouse. "I have created some of my best work while sitting on a bench at Disneyland. Over the last 40 years, I have gone with my family to Disneyland dozens of times. But I have always brought along a small bag of work so when I inevitably get tired, I can sit on a nice quiet bench in Fantasyland or Tomorrowland and read or write." -Garry Marshall 2010: Disney's landmark musical event, The Lion King celebrates 13 years on Broadway! The show continues to reign as a cultural phenomenon and one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its 1997 Broadway premiere, 17 global productions have been seen by more than 54 million people. 2011: The Tony Award-winning Disney musical The Lion King celebrates 14 years on Broadway.

Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), The Lion King is the seventh longest-running musical in Broadway history and one of only six productions in theatre history to play for ten years or more both on Broadway (in NY City) and in the West End (in London). 2012: In celebration of The Lion King 's 15th Anniversary, "Good Morning America" broadcasts live from the Minskoff theatre, for the first time ever. The coverage begins at 8:30 a.m. ET, featuring multiple teasers from the stage and a pre-taped segment, ending with a live performance of "Circle of Life." The cast of Newsies make their west coast debut performing "Seize the Day" on ABC-TV's "Dancing with the Stars." November 13 Today is Treasure Island Day. 2014: Disneyland Resort launches its Holiday season with a ceremonial lighting of "it’s a small world" Holiday.The Gallardo family from La Habra in Orange County, has the honor of turning on the lights. 2016:

Question: Which Robert Louis Stevenson story became Disney's first non animated film in 1950?
Answer: Treasure Island