Music Behind the Magic: Timeline
Disney: The Music Behind the Magic
Historical Timeline & Fun Facts
1928 Mickey Mouse debuts in Steamboat Willie, the first cartoon with synchronized sound to enjoy popular success. Did You Know? Mickey Mouse was the first animated character in history to perform with synchronized musical effects therefore thrilling millions and revolutionizing the film industry forever.
1929 In his ninth cartoon, The Karnival Kid, Mickey Mouse actually talks for the first time.
1933 "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" from the Silly Symphony short, Three Little Pigs, becomes the first original Disney song to become a popular hit.
1937 Snow White becomes the first feature-length animation in America and helps define musical storytelling. Did You Know? Some doctors warned parents that kids who watched the 83-minute color cartoon would permanently damage their eyes.
1938 Victor’s three-disc set for Snow White becomes the first soundtrack album from a feature film. (The term “soundtrack�? is first used on the Pinocchio album).
1940 Disney invents Fantasound, a precursor to both surround sound and stereo.
1940 “When You Wish Upon a Star�? wins an Academy Award® for Best Song. Did You Know? Pinocchio required more than two million individual drawings and a budget of $3.5 million in 1940, which today would translate to more than $100 million. Did You Know? “When You Wish Upon a Star�? is one of the 20 Most Recorded Songs in American Music.
1954 Disney’s leap into the new medium of television helps launch a Davy Crockett craze. Did You Know? More than 10 million coonskin caps were sold during the Davy Crockett craze!
1955 Disneyland opens
1956 Mouseketeer Annette Funicello has her first hit single with "Tall Paul," written by the Sherman Brothers.
1956 Disney launches its own record label, Disneyland Records (now Walt Disney Records). Did You Know? Disney: The Music behind the Magic not only celebrates 80 years of music-making but also coincides with WDR’s 50
th Anniversary Celebration.1964 The soundtrack for Mary Poppins is the first major triumph for Disneyland Records (now Walt Disney Records). It spends 72 weeks on the Billboard charts, including 14 weeks at number one, fending off The Beatles and Bob Dylan, as well as soundtracks for Goldfinger and The Sound of Music.
1983 Disney Channel goes on the air and discovers and cultivates popular young performers like Hilary Duff on Lizzie McGuire and Raven-Symoné on That’s So Raven.
1989 Disney returns to its musical storytelling roots with The Little Mermaid and sparks a rebirth of animation. Did You Know? Composer Alan Menken has won eight Academy Awards® for his work on The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas.
1994 Disney's first theatrical production, Beauty and the Beast, debuts on Broadway.
1996 Radio Disney goes on the air
1997
The Lion King, directed by Julie Taymor, debuts on Broadway