Walt Disney Animated Feature Promotion History
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Hall of Fame Christmas Show with Walt Disney & Mickey's Gang (December 23, 1934)
29:46

Hall of Fame Christmas Show with Walt Disney & Mickey's Gang (December 23, 1934)

Hall of Fame was a radio show that aired on NBC in the early 1930's hosted by John McIntire. For their 1934 Christmas show they brought in Walt Disney and his stable of animated characters. This is one of Walt Disney's earliest radio appearances and you get a glimpse at who the popular Walt Disney characters were in 1934. Over the years several of them vanished from the core group but here they are at the dawn of the Walt Disney Studios and their popularity. Both Walt and his characters would go one to appear on several radio shows at the height of the medium. Original airdate December 23, 1938 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.
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Walt Disney on Lux Radio Theater (Dec 20, 1937)
4:11

Walt Disney on Lux Radio Theater (Dec 20, 1937)

Lux Radio Theater was a classic radio anthology series broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company [ABC] in 1943–1945); CBS Radio network (Columbia Broadcasting System) (1935–54), and NBC Radio (1954–55). Initially, the series adapted Broadway plays[1] during its first two seasons before it began adapting films. These hour-long radio programs were performed live before studio audiences. The series became the most popular dramatic anthology series on radio, broadcast for more than 20 years and continued on television as the Lux Video Theatre through most of the 1950s. The primary sponsor of the show was Unilever through its Lux Soap brand. The show reenacted theatrical films as radio plays and was hosted by the legendary film director Cecil B. deMille. For their Christmas 1937 program, Song of Song, Walt Disney dropped in at the end of the show to plug the world premiere of his new film, Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. Snow White would premiere less than 24 hours after this. In this rare clip you can hear Walt list of future films that were years away such as Bambi and Fantasia. Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.
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Walt Disney's Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs Premiere (December 21, 1937)
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Walt Disney's Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs Premiere (December 21, 1937)

On December 21, 1937 Walt Disney's Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater. A who's who of Hollywood fixtures came out to see the film. Some of the first costumed Walt Disney characters ever also appeared at this event and intermingled with the celebrities. This legendary premiere was a huge success that far surpassed expectations. Here's a radio broadcast of the red carpet before the premiere edited with photos from the event. This is a treasure we're blessed still exists. Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.
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Lux Radio Hollywood Presents Walt Disney's Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs (Dec 26, 1938)
59:47

Lux Radio Hollywood Presents Walt Disney's Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs (Dec 26, 1938)

Lux Radio Theater was a classic radio anthology series broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company [ABC] in 1943–1945); CBS Radio network (Columbia Broadcasting System) (1935–54), and NBC Radio (1954–55). Initially, the series adapted Broadway plays[1] during its first two seasons before it began adapting films. These hour-long radio programs were performed live before studio audiences. The series became the most popular dramatic anthology series on radio, broadcast for more than 20 years and continued on television as the Lux Video Theatre through most of the 1950s. The primary sponsor of the show was Unilever through its Lux Soap brand. The show reenacted theatrical films as radio plays and was hosted by the legendary film director Cecil B. deMille. For their Christmas 1938 program, Walt Disney appeared with most of the cast from his film Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs to retell the story to listeners at home. In the adaptation, there's a few extended versions of the songs. At the end of the show deMille interviews Walt Disney on the success of his films. Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.
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Lux Radio Hollywood Presents Walt Disney's Pinocchio (Dec 25, 1939)
59:30

Lux Radio Hollywood Presents Walt Disney's Pinocchio (Dec 25, 1939)

Lux Radio Theater was a classic radio anthology series broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company [ABC] in 1943–1945); CBS Radio network (Columbia Broadcasting System) (1935–54), and NBC Radio (1954–55). Initially, the series adapted Broadway plays[1] during its first two seasons before it began adapting films. These hour-long radio programs were performed live before studio audiences. The series became the most popular dramatic anthology series on radio, broadcast for more than 20 years and continued on television as the Lux Video Theatre through most of the 1950s. The primary sponsor of the show was Unilever through its Lux Soap brand. The show reenacted theatrical films as radio plays and was hosted by the legendary film director Cecil B. deMille. For their Christmas 1939 program, Walt Disney presented Pinocchio with most of the cast from his film. The film had fallen behind schedule and missed its planned Christmas release but would debut six weeks later in February. This was the first time audiences ever met any of the characters or were told their story that's become quite familiar today. A few deleted verses to songs and a deleted reprise of When You Wish Upon a Star by the Blue Fairy can be heard in this special presentation. Pinocchio is the most lavish animated feature ever made and it's a shame it's not counted among the other 1939 Hollywood classics as the greatest year in cinema history. Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.
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Walt Disney's Song of the South Syndicated Radio Shows (1946)
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Walt Disney's Song of the South Syndicated Radio Shows (1946)

Song of the South was an A-list production and Walt's first since Bambi. World War II had slowed down the output of animated features at his studio and it wasn't until Cinderella that Walt would get to make a true animated feature again. After the war, the Walt Disney Studios could only churn out what's known as "package features" with shorts and featurettes edited together to feature length. Walt wanted to get into live action to increase output and keep costs down. RKO, Walt's distributor, required animation must be included in his films. The solution was to transform the animated feature Uncle Remus, which had been in development at the studio since the 1930's, into a live action film with animated sequences. Many of Walt's artists agreed that Song of the South was the highpoint of their careers at the studio. The project was an important personal one for Walt, having grown up with the stories, and when he selected James Baskette to star as Uncle Remus, he'd planned to do a series of films based on the Joel Chandler Uncle Remus stories. Unfortunately, Baskett passed away shortly after the film was released, but not before Walt personally saw to it that he was awarded an Oscar for his efforts. To promote Song of the South, Walt Disney starred in these radio shows with the cast of the film and his stable of stars interacting with the characters. He'd been doing radio shows like this since the 1930's and would continue to interact with his characters in television in the 50's and 60's adding to their realism. These song of the South shows were syndicated and aired in markets to promote the film. These show stars Walt Disney, James Baskett, Nick Stewart, Johnny Lee, Clarence "Ducky" Nash, Luana Patten, Bobby Driscoll, and Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers, Walt Disney, James Baskett, , Nick Stewart, Johnny Lee, and Donald Duck. Be sure to nominate this historical film on the National Film Registry at the link 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.
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Charlie McCarthy Show with Walt Disney & Donald Duck (September 21, 1947)
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Charlie McCarthy Show with Walt Disney & Donald Duck (September 21, 1947)

Edgar Bergen was a ventriloquist who had a weekly radio show with his dummies Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd that started in the 1930's. Bergen and his characters starred in feature films and were like the Muppets of their era. (Jim Henson had Bergen and his characters on the Muppet Show, cameo in The Muppet Movie and dedicated that film to his memory.) In 1947 Walt Disney cast Bergen and his dummies as themselves in his package feature Fun & Fancy Free. Bergen was a friend and neighbor of Walt Disney and Walt called on him again to star in his first TV show One Hour in Wonderland in 1950. To promote Fun & Fancy Free, Walt appeared on Bergen's show with Donald Duck. When the film debuted, Bergan and his dummies were given top billing. When the film was released to VHS, DVD, and streaming many decades later, they're no longer featured in the promotional materials. The irony is this film is probably the only piece of media that most modern audiences of today have seen with Bergen and his dummies. His daughter is actress Candince Bergen. Original airdate September 21, 1947 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.
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Ichabod & Mr Toad Bing Crosby Show Promos (1949)
13:04

Ichabod & Mr Toad Bing Crosby Show Promos (1949)

In 1949 Bing Crosy devoted several different segments of his radio show across two months to promote Walt Disney's new animated feature The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr Toad. Bing told and sung the Ichabod segment. For your enjoyment, here are all four segments edited into one clip. Each of these songs contain verses not used in the final film. Original air dates: Katrina Sept 21, 1949 Katrina October 5, 1949 Ichabod October 12, 1949 Headless Horseman October 26, 1949 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.
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Walt Disney's Cinderella - Perry Como Presents (1950)
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Walt Disney's Cinderella - Perry Como Presents (1950)

In this 1950 episode of Perry Como Presents this promo for Walt Disney's Cinderella. The sequence features Perry Como, the Fontane Sisters, and Cinderella's actual voice in the film, Ilene Woods. There's also a cameo by Clarence "Ducky" Nash and Donald Duck. Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.
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Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland - Fred Warring Show (1951)
30:57

Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland - Fred Warring Show (1951)

To promote the original release of Alice in Wonderland, Walt appeared on the Fred Warring Show along with several actors from the film who played their characters in person. Walt had been doing similar promotions with his film releases going all the way back to radio in the 1930's. Fred Warring was a popular musician and bandleader in the golden ages of television and radio. His band was known as Fred Warring & his Pennsylvanians and recorded dozens of albums over the years including an album tying in with the release of Alice in Wonderland. The Fred Warring Show ran on radio from 1933 to 1957 and transitioned to television from 1949 to 1954. Warring was a comic strip art collector and had a friendship with Walt Disney so it was natural they would collaborate together on this episode. This presentation is notable for including characters from the book who were cut from the film. Walt had been trying to adapt Alice in Wonderland into a feature film since the early 1930's and when he was finally successful, it was marketed just like all of his previous films had been. Starring Walt Disney Fred Waring & his Pennsylvanians Kathryn Beaumont as Alice Sterling Holloway as Cheshire Cat Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum as The Mad Hatter Mark Brull as Jabberwocky Mike Doty as Tweedle Dum Poley McClintock as Tweedle Dee Hugh Fleming as The Queen Nadine Gay as Boy with the sword Herman Hennig as Walrus Ray Sax as Carpenter Gloria Mudell as Dormouse Johnny Petterson as White Rabbit Betty Reynolds as Duchess Directed by Bob Banner Original airdate March 11, 1951 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.
Walt Disney's Disneyland - A Tribute to Joel Chander Harris (1956)
58:23

Walt Disney's Disneyland - A Tribute to Joel Chander Harris (1956)

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.
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12
Hollywood Goes to a World Premiere (Mary Poppins) (August 27, 1964)
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Hollywood Goes to a World Premiere (Mary Poppins) (August 27, 1964)

This theatrical featurette was a newsreel released to advertise the original release of Mary Poppins. This historical document shows what it was like on the night of August 27. 1964 when Mary Poppins debuted at the Grauman's Chinese Theater and was a smash success. There were also live radio and television broadcasts of this very special night. Although the announcer claims this was Walt's first premiere since Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, that's inaccurate. All of Walt's films had a gala premiere from Song of the South in Atlanta to Darby O'Gill & the Little People in Dublin. Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.
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Pocahontas Premiere in the Central Park, New York City (June 10, 1995)
2:02:57

Pocahontas Premiere in the Central Park, New York City (June 10, 1995)

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.
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fun New Orleans Premiere Fox 8 Broadcast (June 19, 1996)
1:37:23

The Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fun New Orleans Premiere Fox 8 Broadcast (June 19, 1996)

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.
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fun New Orleans Premiere (June 19, 1996)
1:30:02

The Hunchback of Notre Dame Festival of Fun New Orleans Premiere (June 19, 1996)

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.
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Hercules Strikes Manhattan (June 15, 1997)
54:31

Hercules Strikes Manhattan (June 15, 1997)

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.
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Tarzan in Concert with Phil Collins (1999)
43:45

Tarzan in Concert with Phil Collins (1999)

Release date June 25, 1999 Posted for historical purposes. This channel is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company.

Walt Disney's Disneyland - A Tribute to Joel Chander Harris (1956)

9 months ago
185
Entertainment TV & Movies Walt Disney Song of the South James Baskett Nick Stewart Animation Cartoons Disneyland Splash Mountain National Film Registry

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.

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