A Nanny and a Princess highlight this week in Disney

April 3:

• 1952: Walt Disney begins his quest to develop a world of his own when he submits drawings for a ‘Fairy Land’ to the California Parks and Recreation Commision

April 4:

• 1960: The original hand behind Mickey Mouse, Ub Iweks, is honored by the Acadamy of Motions Pictures with a Technical Oscar for the design of a special effects optical printer.
• 2006: Off to Walt Disney World...The Western Way Beltway opens in Florida connecting Interstate 75 directly with into Walt Disney World, bypassing the crowded Interstate 4 and the city of Orlando.

April 5:

• 1930: A Princess is born. On this day Mary Costa, the voice of Briar Rose (Princess Aurora) is born in Knoxville, Tennessee.
• 1956: Disneyland guests are flush with excitement as the ‘Crane Bathroom of the Future’ opens in Tomorrowland.
• 1963: Mr. Lincoln has his first great moment when he ‘meets’ with Farifax Cone, the head of the Illinois World’s Fair Commission. Mr. Cone sees the audio animatronic Lincoln at the Disney Studios and is convinced that the figure will be included in the Illinois Pavillion at the upcoming World’s Fair.
• 1965: Julie Andrews receives the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Mary Poppins. The movie also goes onto win Awards for best song (Chim, Chim, Cher-ee), Original Score, Film Editing, and Special Visual Effects.

April 6:

• 1959: More Awards as the Academy awards ‘The Grand Canyon’ (Best Short Subject) and ‘White Wilderness’ (Best Documentary - the 3rd for the True Life Adventure Series).

April 7:

• 1970: Ward Kimball’s cartoon short, ‘It’s tough to be a Bird’ is awarded the Oscar for best animated short.
• 2003: The Disney anthology television series are inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. This honor covers all variations for the Disney series from the original ‘Disneyland’ through it’s current title of ‘the Wonderful World of Disney’.

April 8:

• 2005: Broadway’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’, 4500 performances and counting....