1. Mickey and Minnie Mouse share the exact same birthday — Nov. 18, 1928 — as they both appeared in Steamboat Willie together.
2. But, Steamboat Willie was NOT the first cartoon Mickey and Minnie appeared in. It was actually Plane Crazy.
3. Prior to 1988, Minnie Mouse only starred in one cartoon by herself: 1942's Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire, which was a WWII training video about rationing.
4. In 1988, Minnie did get her own starring role with her TV special Totally Minnie.
5. In 1983, the first program to air when the Disney Channel launched was a TV show called Good Morning Mickey, which was a series that was made up of classic Mickey Mouse cartoons.
6. The first Disney Channel Original Movie was 1997's Northern Lights, starring Diane Keaton.
7. While A Goofy Movie is considered a classic today, in 1995 the film was only moderately successful in theaters and didn't become a hit until it was released on video.
A GOOFY MOVIE really took off when it was released on VHS tape on September 6, 1995 and the audience for the film has grown and grown, generation after generation over the years. #D23GoofyMovie
By most accounts, it seemed like Disney thought the movie would be forgotten quickly.
8. In 1985, Pinocchio became the first classic Disney animated movie to get released onto home video and they charged a premium for it, pricing it at $79.95 (which would be around $198 in today's money).
9. Dumbo the Flying Elephant did not open with Disneyland.
10. It wasn't until 1986 that Disneyland began being open 365 days a year. Prior to that it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
11. Disneyland Paris's version of the Haunted Mansion — Phantom Manor — is the only one of these attractions to have its story tied directly to the land that it resides in.
12. The first Disney animated film to use computer animation was 1986's The Great Mouse Detective.
13. There was once a Jessica Rabbit–themed store at Walt Disney World's Pleasure Island (which is now the Landing and is part of Disney Springs) called Jessica's, which sold lingerie, clothing, and souvenirs based off of her.
14. Hocus Pocus was originally a short story that the film's producer David Kirschner submitted to Muppet Magazine in the early '80s, which is based on a bedtime story he told his kids.
15. Down and Out in Beverly Hills was Disney's first R-rated movie.
16. There could've been a Mary Poppins sequel in the '80s.
17. The song "A Whole New World" was actually a last-minute addition to Aladdin. It was added after the character of Aladdin's mom was removed from the film.
18. Andreas Deja — who was the supervising animator for Gaston in Beauty the Beast — took inspiration for the design of the character from Brom Bones, who was Ichabod Crane’s nemesis in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
19. And lastly, Saved by the Bell was originally a Disney Channel show called Good Morning, Miss Bliss that ran from 1988–89.
