Chronology of the Walt Disney Company

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References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2023 December 20.


2009

January
  • Mayor Han Zheng of Shanghai, China, announces at a press conference that all major issues had been worked out with Diqney for a new park in mainland China. [1245.49]
January 19
  • Jonas Brothers perform at Disney Channel's Kid's Inaugural: We Are the Future concert. [1242.57]
January 22
  • Pinocchio is released on DVD in the US. [1248.55]
February 6
  • The It's a Small World attraction re-opens at Disneyland with new boats, new Spirit of America scene, re-recorded soundtrack, and 29 Disney characters added in their home worlds. [1245.49]
February 12
  • Grand opening of The American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. [1242.57] [1245.19]
  • Buena Vista releases the Touchstone Pictures / Jerry Bruckheimer Films movie Confessions of a Shopaholic to theaters in Russia and Thailand. [1378.151]
February 13
  • Buena Vista releases the Touchstone Pictures / Jerry Bruckheimer Films movie Confessions of a Shopaholic to theaters in the USA. [1378.151]
  • The Aaron Stone TV show debuts on Disney XD. [1378.1]
February 14
  • The American Idol Experience opens in Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. [1378.28]
February 16
  • The Disney Channel premieres the Disney Channel Original Movie Dadnapped. [1378.168]
February 22
  • The 81st Annual Academy Awards show is held. Director Andrew Stanton wins Best Animated Feature Film award for WALL-E. [1242.57]
March 2
  • Disney Cruise Line begins construction on two new ships, with a steel cutting ceremony at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. [1240]
March 9
  • The ABC TV network premieres the Castle series. [1378.124]
March 10
  • The Walt Disney Company announces the creation of the D23 official Disney fan club. [1378.167]
  • The Walt Disney Company releases the first issue of Disney Twenty-three magazine. [1242.3]
March 11
  • At the 2009 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of The Walt Disney Company, Disney announces the names of the company's two new cruise ships: Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. Each ship will have 1,250 staterooms and will each be 128,000 tons. [1240] [1275]

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  • The live action film Race to Witch Mountain premieres at the El Capitan Theatre in California. [1248.55]
March 15
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A copy of a film mocks the title of the Disney film Ratatouille as "RATATOOEY". A rat on a man's head pulls two of his hairs to make him cook, like in the movie. [1271]
March
  • Disney replaces the live host of the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney-MGM Studios, replaced by pre-recorded narration. [1378.54]
March 29
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. A protest sign has four words with first letters prominently showing "ESPN", the Disney sports TV channel. [1272]
March 31
  • The ABC TV network premieres the TV series Cupid. [1378.165]
April 5
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. "ESPN SPORTS NEWS" appears on a personal computer. [1273]
April
  • The Characters in Flight attraction opens in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World. [1378.128]
April 17
  • The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique store opens in Disneyland. [1378.75]
April 19
  • The Space Mountain attraction at Walt Disney World closes for refurbishment. [1245.11]
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the US. Someone says "I think Bart is an incredible combination of Habitat for Humanity and the Jonas Brothers." [1274]
April 22
  • Disney's Nature film division releases the film Earth in theaters in the US and Canada. [1251.19]
April 25
  • Disney premieres the film The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story at the San Francisco International Film Festival. [1378.94]
April 26
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA. A short scene mimics the 1960s Disney TV shows where Tinkerbell flies in front of the Disneyland castle. [1276]
May 1
  • Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village open in the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World, part of the Disney Vacation Club. [1246.50] [1378.32]
May 3
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA.
    • The title of this episode, "Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D'oh", is a play on Disney Channel's original series Wizards of Waverly Place.
    • The character Alaska Nebraska is a play on Disney's "Hanna Montana" character and TV show.
    • A Tigger picture and a Winnie-the-Pooh doll appear.
    [1277]
May 6
  • Stitch's SuperSonic Celebration officially opens in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. [1246.42]
May 10
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA.
    • A girl starts to say "Snow White and the Seven..." when a lawyer says "the story you're about to tell is the copyrighted property of the Walt Disney Corporation".
    • Part of the show is a parody of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, with seven dwarfs, song "Ho Hi" in place of "Heigh Ho", magic talking mirror, animals helping Snow White, Snow White lying under glass.
    [1278]
May 12
  • The Cannes film festival opens in France, with a preview of the Disney-Pixar 3D animation comedy film Up. [2322] (May 13 [1252.41])
May 17
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA.
    • A house carried by balloons floats across the sky, a reference to the 2009 Disney/Pixar film Up.
    • A character says "I am afraid of xylophones. It's the music you hear when skeletons are dancing.", a reference to Disney's film The Skeleton Dance.
    [1279]
May 22
  • Disney makes a limited release of the film The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story to theaters in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Palm Springs, California. [1378.94]
May 23
  • The My Little Princess store opens at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. [1378.75]
May 29
  • Disney releases the Pixar animated feature film Up to theaters in the USA and Canada. [1252.18]
May 31
  • The Virgin Megastore at Downtown Disney in Walt Disney World closes. [1245.10]
June 1
  • The Treehouse Villas opens at Disney's Sarasota Springs Resort and Spa in Florida, part of Disney's Vacation Club. [1246.52]
June 9
  • The ABC TV network airs the last According to Jim TV show. [1378.7]
June 15
  • Disney XD Original Series Disney Zeke and Luther premieres. [1396.3]
June 16
  • The ABC TV network airs the final episode of the TV series Cupid. [1378.165]
(month unknown)
  • Harry Archinal is named a Disney Legend. Archinal worked at Buena Vista Distribution for 34 years. [1378.39]
  • Bea Arthur is named a Disney Legend. Arthur was an actress in The Golden Girls TV show. [1378.43]
July 3
  • The Hall of Presidents officially re-opens in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, with new speeches by Barack Obama and George Washington. [1247.16]
July 17
  • Marty Sklar retires from the Walt Disney Company. [1364.152]
August 4
  • The Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort opens in Florida, part of Disney's Vacation Club. [1246.17] [1378.62,152]
  • Disney releases the film Race to Witch Mountain on DVD in the USA and Canada. [1253.46]
August 8
  • The ABC TV network airs the final episode of the TV series Dirty Sexy Money. [1378.186]
August 26
  • At the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, Disney Cruise Line celebrates the keel laying of the Disney Dream cruise ship (1250 staterooms, 128,000 gross tons), scheduled to sail in 2011. [1240] [1257.42]
August 31
  • The Walt Disney Company agrees to buy Marvel Entertainment for US$4 billion. [1103]
  • The Walt Disney Company announces enhancements to its Castaway Cay private island in the Bahamas, extending the Castaway Family Beach by more than 700 feet, with a new family lunch buffet location, new beverage bar, new beach rental location, new merchandise location, new 2400 square-foot water feature called Pelican Plunge, new 2400 square-foot water play area on land called Spring-a-Leak, new 1200 square-foot soft wet deck for youngsters, 20 new private beach cabanas, new Hide Out area for teens, new In Da Shade Game Pavilion, and three new massage cabanas at Serenity Bay Beach. [1240]
September 10
  • Tony Anselmo, the voice of Donald Duck, is named a Disney Legend. [1257.53] [1378.36]
  • (to September 13) The first Disney D23 Expo is held, at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. [1247.7] [1248.0] [1257.53] [1378.167]
September 11
  • The Walt Disney Family Foundation shows film Walt and El Grupo in Los Angeles and New York. The film is about Walt Disney's 1941 goodwill tour to South America. [1255.33]
  • Disney Cruise Line announces it will offer Alaskan cruises during a four-month season of seven-night sailings aboard the Disney Wonder in summer 2011, departing out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [1240]
September 12
  • At Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, announces Fantasyland at Walt Disney World will undergo an extensive transformation and expansion, tripling in size by 2013. [1293.33]
September 23
  • The ABC TV network premieres the Cougar Town TV series. [1378.156]
September 29
  • Hyperion Books releases the first fictional Richard Castle crime novel, Heat Wave, written by Nikki Heat. [1378.124]
October 3
  • A ticker-tape parade is held for Buzz Lightyear at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World to celebrate his return from 15 months in the International Space Station. [1293.21]
October 4
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA. The character Shary Bobbins appears, who previously appeared in a parody of Mary Poppins. [1280]
  • Disney Stores cease sales of Disney Dollars. [1361.22]
October 6
  • Disney releases the animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on DVD and Blu-Ray. Price for "Diamond Edition" is US$39.99; price for "Limited Edition Collector's Set" is US$249. [1255.12,36] [1370.87]
October 14
  • The Sum of All Thrills attraction opens at Epcot's Innoventions, the first ride for that building. [1293.15]
October 18
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA. A character dressed for Halloween looks like Captain Jack Sparrow from Disney's film The Pirates of the Caribbean. [1281]
October 27
  • Disney Home Entertainment releases Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure on DVD (US$29.99) and Blu-Ray (US$39.99) in the USA. [1255.12,35]
October 30
  • The Disney Cruise Line announces the upcoming cruise ship Disney Dream will include the world's first shipboard water coaster ride, the Aquaduck; inside cabins will include a Virtual Porthole displaying live ocean-view video from cameras placed on the exterior of the ship, and in youth areas a 103-inch video screen will feature Crush and Stitch characters in real-time conversation with kids. [1240]
November 3
  • Disney world premieres the film Disney's A Christmas Carol in London, England. [1378.134]
November 6
  • Disney generally releases the film Disney's A Christmas Carol in theaters in the USA. [1378.134]
November 10
  • Disney releases the film Up on DVD and Blu-ray in the US. Included is the short film Dug's Special Mission. [1244.86] [1256.57] [1257.26]
  • The Disney Cruise Line begins accepting bookings for the Disney Dream cruise line. [1240]
November 13
  • Space Mountain at Walt Disney World re-opens after seven months renovations, for a few hours per day for fine tuning. [1293.14]
November 15
  • (to March 14, 2010) The New Orleans Museum of Art in Louisiana hosts the Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales From the Walt Disney Studio exhibit. [1257.19]
November
  • The Carolwood Records label of Disney Music Group closes. [1378.120]
November 22
  • Grand re-opening of Space Mountain at Walt Disney World after seven months renovations. [1293.14]
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA. A bulletin board includes the note "Operation Gumbo Drop", a reference to the Disney film Operation Dumbo Drop. [1282]
November 26
  • In New York City, the 83rd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place. Included is the debut of the "Sailor Mickey Balloon", about 61 feet high, filled with 14,000 cubic feet of helium. The balloon promotes the Disney Cruise Line. [1240] [1386.14]
November 29
  • The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, California, premieres the film Christmas with Walt Disney, whcih includes sequences from Disney Christmas cartoons and TV shows. [1378.135]
  • The Fox Broadcasting Company airs The Simpsons TV show in the USA.
    • The title of the episode, "Rednecks and Broomsticks", is a play on the title of the 1971 Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
    • A rabbit and a young deer trying to get on the ice with the deer falling flat is a reference to a similar scene in the 1942 animated Walt Disney movie Bambi.
    • A group of six performing bears is called the "Country Bear Jamboree", a reference to the attraction at Disneyland.
    [1283]
December 11
  • Disney releases the animated feature film The Princess and the Frog to theaters in the US. [1307.11] [1308.19]
December 15
  • Disney releases The Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie on DVD in the US. [1307.28]
  • The D Street shop opens at Downtown Disney District at Disneyland. [1378.167]
  • Disney releases G-Force on DVD in the US. [1307.28]
December
  • Groundbreaking ceremony at Hong Kong Disneyland for expansion for three new lands: Mystic Point, Grizzly Gulch, and Toy Story Land. [1294.61]
December 18
  • The film Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln audio-animatronic re-open in the Main Street Opera House on Main Street USA in Disneyland. [1294.61]

End of 2009. Next: 2010.

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1919-1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933
1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943
1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953
1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963
1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973
1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983
1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
2004 2005 2006 2007-2008 2009 2010-2011 2012-end


A list of references to all source material is available.


Last updated: 2023 December 20.
Copyright © 1995-2024 Ken Polsson (email: ken@kpolsson.com).
URL: http://kpolsson.com/disnehis/
Link to Ken P's home page.

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