On This Day: The day Disney magic began

Long before Mickey Mouse, Cinderella or Mary Poppins, two brothers took a chance on a little cartoon studio. What happened next would change entertainment forever.

On October 16, 1923, Walt Disney signed a contract in his uncle’s Hollywood home that marked the beginning of the company he established with his brother Roy Disney.

It was hardly a glamorous start. Walt was just 21, had already experienced business failure and was trying to make a living from animation.

The contract was for a series of short films called Alice Comedies, featuring a real girl in an animated world.

Nobody could have imagined what those few pages of paperwork would eventually produce.

When Disney became part of our childhood

Mickey Mouse arrived in 1928, followed by generations of characters who would become familiar faces in homes around the world.

There was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, Cinderella in 1950, Sleeping Beauty in 1959 and Mary Poppins in 1964, starring Julie Andrews in her unforgettable film debut.

For Australian families, Disney movies were special outings. Many will remember seeing them at the local cinema, waiting for the next television screening or taking children and grandchildren to discover the same stories years later.

And it all began 103 years ago today.

The day the world welcomed a new Pope

On October 16, 1978, Polish cardinal Karol Wojtyła was elected Pope, taking the name John Paul II. At 58, he became the first non-Italian pope in more than 450 years.

His election followed the sudden death of Pope John Paul I, whose papacy had lasted just 33 days. John Paul II would lead the Catholic Church for more than 26 years, becoming one of the most recognisable religious figures of the twentieth century.

Born on this day

October 16 is a remarkable date for television birthdays.

Angela Lansbury, born in 1925, would have turned 101 today. Generations remember her as Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, although her career also included Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Beauty and the Beast. She died in 2022.

Suzanne Somers, born in 1946, would have turned 80 today. She became a household name playing Chrissy Snow in Three’s Company and later starred in Step by Step. She died in 2023, just one day before her 77th birthday.

And Gary Kemp, the Spandau Ballet guitarist and songwriter behind True and Gold, turns 67.

Do you remember?

What was the first Disney film you ever saw at the cinema? Was it Snow White, Cinderella, The Jungle Book or another favourite you’ve never forgotten?