Monday, June 09, 2014

Double D Party: Duck and Depp Celebration



Today is a birthday celebration for a very unlikely pair, Donald Duck and Johnny Depp. The biggest similarity is their Disney connection. Let's start with Donald, who has always suffered in the shadow of his more famous counterpart, Mickey Mouse. 80 years ago today in 1934, Donald made his first film appearance in a Silly Symphony short called, "The Wise Little Hen." Today's post is a look at Donald through the years in relation to Disneyland.

When Walt signed the deal with ABC TV in 1954 to help fund his theme park, Donald was one of the stuffed toys he held for the publicity cameras.



The Ice Capades costumes used in their shows and also used during the early days of the park were not really known for being very accurate. However, the Donald Duck costume was actually pretty darn good.



Here's a shot of Donald with Mickey on Opening Day, July 17, 1955.



On my first visit in December 1970, I had the thrill of posing with Donald at the entrance.



Mickey has always been front and center for publicity shots, but typically Donald and a few of the others get included, as seen in this 30th Anniversary shot from 1985:



This contemporary view of Donald shows him on the Soundsational Parade:



From Ducks to Pirates, we now celebrate the 51st birthday of Johnny Depp, who will forever be known to Disney fans as Captain Jack Sparrow. To the delight (and chagrin) of Disneyland geeks, Depp was included on the classic "Pirates of the Caribbean" attraction in New Orleans Square:



Captain Jack Sparrow's broad antics and wild pirate attire make him easy to mimic. There's always a good chance that you'll stumble upon an impersonator at the Park whenever there is a new entry to the "POTC" franchise.



How many actors can say they have been immortalized as an animatronic AND a Lego statue?



One of my favorite Depp films is "Chocolat," released in 2000. He plays a different kind of pirate, but is no less charming as he manages to sweep Juliette Binoche off her feet.



Join me as I raise my goblet to both Donald and Depp on this momentous occasion!



See more Daveland Disneyland Character photos at my main website.

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