Timelime: Alternate/Extended Disney Renaissance

1991: Beauty and the Beast opens to massive critical praise and a huge box office. Making $150 million domestically and a $480 million worldwide through a strong marketing campaign and great word of mouth, it becomes the highest grossing animated film at that time and one of the top grossers of that year. The good times for Disney don't stop there, as the film, suprising even the company themselves, is nominated for 4 Oscars:

- Best Original Song: Beauty and the Beast

- Best Soundtrack

- Best Sound Design

and, most surprising, Best Picture. The film wins all but Best Sound Design, to the studios delight. This honor, never bestowed on an animated film before, leads to the studio greenlighting more 'serious' projects. Some greenlite ideas were:

-Pocahotas: a charming tale of a youg girl attempting to teach the newcomers on her land the ways of the land and, in the process, making a friend in the leader of the settlers. The concept for this film was to be a breather film, a fun little romp between one or two darker films for the studio.

- Hunchback of Notre Dame: a new concept for the studio, this was meant to be a dark, spiritually minded film. With no fun sidekicks in the original story treatment, it was designed to be a unique look at human morality and the darkness that can consume all people. Early concept art was very dark, with strong, dark colours and striking, sharply realistic designs.

- Fantasia 2: early concepts for a second Fantasia were shipped around this time, with ideas like the Twelve Dancing Princesses, the Emperor and the Nightingale and a segment of dancing fish being considered.

- Treasure Island in space: Ron Musker and John Clements, while working on thier fun comedy Aladdin (set to be the next release), presented thier 'dream project'. An adaptation of Treasure Planet with an intergalatic setting, this was considered a risky but interesting idea for the studio.

- Where The Wild Things Are: reworked from the original pitch in the late 80's, the plan was a deeply visual film interpreting the original story with little to no dialogue and a uniquely painterly style that the studio had not attempted before.

Other, less focused on pitches were Aida, Swan Lake and the Odessey.


# Ok, so there is my first part! This should be interesting, as the films could change so rapidly from what happened OTL. But I'm actually looking for some ideas for the events coming up. I want to go in the directin of darker, more intense filmss to bring at least Disney out of the animation ghetto and also, at some point, reconcile Don Bluth with Disney. Any ideas? Maybe Aladdin doesn't do well, or maybe Lion King doesn't? Or maybe the opposite, and one of them gets another Oscar for Best Picture? Maybe Warner Brothers doesnt distribute Don Bluth's Films and they get distributed by Disney, similar to Pixar. Also, what about Pixar? Please give me advise, this is my first timeine and I need support/advise!

This does look to be a good start. I do recommend you pick up "Disney War", which is an excellent work on Eisner's tenure at Disney, as well as the documentary "Waking Sleeping Beauty", about the Renaissance.

1992: With a critical and financial mega-success in Beauty and the Beast, Disney decided to try a different style of marketing for their next feature film. This consisted of the first preview showcasing only the "Friend Like Me" scene, the movie's title and credits. Other previews played up the rebellion aspect of the film, pushing the marketing to make the film out to be more dramatic than it was and clashing with it's strength, the comedy.

The previews failed to capture the interest of the public, with it opening quite weak. However, with a great word of mouth, it managed to reach $107 million domestically and $296 million worldwide. The film, however, really didn't do as well critically, with mixed reviews and many negative comparisons to their last film.

In response to this, Disney halted production on Pocahontas and stepped up the marketing for their next film, King of the Jungle. The name of the film changed to 'The Lion King' and the first poster was very dramatic, with there being just a silhouette of a lion roaring.

Also, a decision was made for 'A Goofy Movie', the second film for their smaller second studio (the first being the 'Ducktales' movie), to be released on Christmas 1993, as there was no animated Disney film coming out that year and the film had a somewhat built in fan base, with it being an unofficial film to the show 'Goof Troop' and the fact that Goofy was the star. There was a focus on the beloved character coming to the big screen in the marketing and it looked like a surefire hit.


Finaly, it was announced late in the year that Disney would be funding the first film from special effect company 'Pixar', which was said to be the first computer animated film. At the same time, it was announced that Don Bluth's studio was going bankrupt, after being dropped by Goldcrest Films due to the bad performance of Rock-A-Doodle (which barely made $16 million). With the projects 'Thumbelina' and 'A Troll In Central Park' in development, Bluth began to search for funding.



# Ooh, what going to happen next? What should happen with 'A Goofy Movie'? Failure, Medium or Mega Success? And The Lion King? Any tips/thoughts? I also gave Rock-A-Doodle a couple more million than OTL as Aladdin was recieved worse than OTL, so the film had slighty less competition. Also, I am currently trying to find both Disney War and Waking Sleeping Beauty, but am strapped for cash when I see one of them and then can't find them when I do have money, so it's kinda lose/lose. Though I am going to request them for christmas, so that might be good.

So no Pocahontas? That's good. What will they follow up The Lion King up with then? I'd guess the "Swan Lake" project, that supposedly involved dragons. Also, if you want a good small alteration to the classic, there's one scene that would have both filled some plot holes and preempted a common "theory" about Scar OTL.

All projects can come back, so don't judge it too early. I have plans for Pocahontas.

List of the planned films Disney had planned for at this time:

1994: The Lion King

1995: Hunchback of Notre Dame

1996: Treasure Island In Space *title pending*

1997: Where The Wild Things Are

1998: Fantasia 2

Later/ Not Yet Decided: Aida, Swan Lake, The Odessey, The Labours of Hercules, Possible Mickey Mouse feature


List of other animated films planned:

1994/5: Thumbelina *if funding is found*

1995: Untitled Pixar Film *possible 'Tin Toy' film*

1995/6/7: Troll in Central Park *if funding is found*

1996: Untitle Warner Bros. film *possible a Looney Toons film*

Later/ Not Yet Decided: Betty Boop film, Animaniacs film, Warner Bros. untitled fairy tale film

1993: A Goofy Movie, the second outing for Disney’s second, smaller studio, Walt Disney Animation Australia (the first being the Ducktales film), was released in 1993. There are high hopes for this film, with the marketing becoming very aggressive in the months leading up to the Christmas midnight release, with sneak previews, trailers and posters becoming impossibe to miss. A lot was riding on this film, with possible films based on the ‘Big 3’ ( Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy) like a possible Mickey Mouse feature and other similar features.

‘A Goofy Movie’ opened massively, with strong legs it reached $139 million domestically and $387 million worldwide, making more than the much more expensive ‘Aladdin’ did the year before while having kinder but still mixed reviews. One quote on this development was:

“With the success of ‘A Goofy Movie’, we are looking currently looking for similar projects that we could persue. We are aware that this film made more than our previous effort, but we have come to the conclusion that this was not due to the quality of the projects but the style of marketing. We will try an learn from our mistakes…”

With the success of ‘A Goofy Movie’, a Mickey Mouse feature was announced. There was talk about possible storylines and the look of the film, but nothing was confirmed. Suprisingly, no Donald Duxk film was announced, but a series of Donald shorts were. When questioned on this development at a press meeting, Jeffery Katsenburg had this to say:

“…and on the subject of Donald Duck, we are not currently persuing a film for him. Instead, there are a series of shorts in development that will be played infront of some films inn the next few years. The reason for this is that Donld has been kind of low key in the last couple of years and we wish to give the public a higher awareness to the character before we begin project with him at the centre…”

Also, at this time, the first preview for ‘The Lion King’ was released infront of ‘A Goofy Movie’. The clip, that was called ‘riveting’ by multiple magazines, featured simply the ‘Circle of Life’ scene, as it was called, in it’s entirety. Although partially unfinished, the animation was praised as the most sofisticated animation ever seen for a hand-drawn animated film.

At the same time, a Hunchback of Notre Dame poster was leaked out. With a silhouetted figure and a firey background, it was called ‘arresting’ by many different magazines. It was immediately pulled by Disney. The actual poster was released a week later, with many agreeing it was less interesting.

Midway through the year, the first piece of concept art for the experimental ‘Pixar’ film was released, along with a title. Called ‘Toy Story’, the concept art was considered very beautiful, but there was doubt that the film would be able to replicate the style in the relatively crude looking computer animation. Director John Lasseter had this to say on the project:

“We are aware of the limitations of this style of animation and understand the difficulties we will face to create the film in the style we have chosen. But we also wish to push the limits and are making breakthroughs every day…”

In mid-June, Don Bluth announced that he was in talks with both Fox and Warner Bros. to fund his studio and hopefully, distribute his films in America. Both companies, however, had some requirements. Both wanted to rework ‘Thumbelina’ and, more distressing to Bluth, both wanted to drop ‘A Troll in Central Park’. The differentiating factor was the films after Thumbelina was released. Fox wanted a My Fair Lady or Anastasia Film, while Warner Bros. wanted a Rumpelstiltskin film. The talks were still going by the end of the year.

Finally, it was announced that Warner Bros. would be funding and distributing the Richard Williams’ film, ‘Thief and the Cobbler”. According to one source, there was talk of sending the film off to be finished quickly, but that was considered ‘silly’ to tamper with a film so close to completion. The first poster was released and it was announced for summer 1995. All looked good.

Maybe the Thief and the clobber will be released, but with a worse recived aladdin(why, the movie was pretty good ) maybe will fare worse?

So Toy Story will goes as OTL? Toy Story have aged amazing, taking away human characthers and would be a shame if is different.

Maybe The Lion King will be bait for other oscar for disney? or Toy Story would be nominated before?

Nivek said:

Maybe The Lion King will be bait for other oscar for disney? or Toy Story would be nominated before?

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Here's an interesting thought. If Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, or Toy Story win Best Picture or Best Director Oscars, is there serious Oscar consideration for this?

Nivek said:

Maybe the Thief and the clobber will be released, but with a worse recived aladdin(why, the movie was pretty good ) maybe will fare worse?

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Quick Clarification: Aladdin's reviews were mostly negative when comparing it to Beauty and the Beast and also because of the poor and conflicting marketing. They were happy with the film itself but felt it did not live up to what was promised and what the studio was obviously capable of.

Mike Stearns said:

Here's an interesting thought. If Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, or Toy Story win Best Picture or Best Director Oscars, is there serious Oscar consideration for this?

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Could you please tell me what that picture is meant to be, because it's not coming up.

Also, The Lion King and Toy Story will have a very tied together history.

With the success of "A Goofy Movie", does this mean we could see other movies based off Disney Afternoon shows, such as films based off of Darkwing Duck or better yet, Gargoyles?

I'm working on the next chapter right now! Anything you think will happen?

1994: Early in January, it was announced that Pixar would be releasing Toy Story in late November while The Lion King would come out mid July. Many questioned this development, as most of Disney’s high profile films had been released later in the year. Because of this, many suspected that Lion King was a ‘lesser’ film, and the studio did not have faith in the film. An anonymous source was even quoted as saying:

“…yeah, the studio is kinda scared. The film is different from anything else released by the studio. It’s an original story, with very mature themes. So, yeah, they’re not confident…”

In response to the negative press, Disney began an aggressive marketing campaign, with 5 trailers coming out, dozens of posters and a national promotional tour of the cast and crew to drum up public support. This eventually paid off, as all the sudden publicity completely captivated the movie going public and made sure the film opened amazingly strong, and finished with a domestic total of $249 million and a worldwide total of $587 million. The reviews were glowing, with the animation and music being praised for their scope and beauty. Another element that was praised was the use of CGI, which was, in one critic’s words:

“… the computer effects are amazing. Not overly in your face, they improve on the already stellar animation by giving angles not thought to be possible…”

Opening before ‘The Lion King’, the trailer for ‘Toy Story’ was a fast paced and showed off witty dialogue… and geometric looking animation. The crude look was criticised as ‘primitive’ and ‘unfinished. Many voiced a optimism that the film’s animation was not yet finished, and what was shown was only pre-rendering or partially rendered. This optimism wasn’t proven or disproven by any sources and the questions were avoided in all press meetings.

The questions were finally answered in November, and the answer wasn’t good. The film was praised for the script, voice acting and ambition, but was also criticised for the seemingly unfinished animation. Many noted that some scenes looked quite good, while some were only barely acceptable. All these problems were not enough to stop the public from flocking to this film. It made $173 million domestically and $369 million worldwide. John Lasseter, in a moment that became infamous, had this to say:

“We were rushed. Given another six months, we could have finished the animation. But it wasn’t what they wanted. So we had to rush to finish what we could.”

With all of the buzz around ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Toy Story’, Disney came up with a very smart move. Each film had a different trailer to Hunchback of Notre Dame. ‘The Lion King’ had a making of style short film, that lasted about 15 minutes and ended with the partially complete scene called, at that time, ‘Hellfire Damnation’. In front of ‘Toy Story’ they did a similar style, but focused on the scene, this one complete, called ‘Ruin of a Man’. Both showed the differentiating of this film from all other efforts, with very few big name actors and a truly unique style when compared to other Disney films. The directors, who also directed ‘Beauty and the Beast’, were quoted at this time as saying:

“…This will be colossal. Hunchback is an epic in all aspects. We tried to not stray into clichés. There are no fun little sidekicks, no overtly light moments and we don’t have a single ‘comedy song’. We don’t want to ruin the film with comedy, so any that makes it into the film will be in the tone of the film…”

In late February, ‘Treasure Island and space’ was given a title and it’s first public piece of concept art. The art, which had a very interesting mix of Victorian and Space age elements, was considered quite beautiful. The name chosen for the film was ‘Treasure Planet’, which was one of three that were proposed. They were:

1- Treasure Planet

2- An Intergalactic Adventure

3- Interstellar Treasure Hunt



At the beginning of April it was announced that Don Bluth, after almost a year of discussion and bargaining with both Fox and Warner Bros., had chosen to go with Warner Bros. for funding for his studio. Details leaked a little over a month later, with the finalities being

1- Thumbelina must be finished by the end of 1995 to be released in summer 1996.

2- Thumbelina must be changed to meet specific requirements that will be set a different time.

3- A Troll in Central Park must be reworked until it meet the requirements set by the end of 1996, if not then the project will be scrapped.

4- A film based on ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ must be completed by 1996/7.

5- There must be a film released every 2 years, though every year is preferred.

Warner Bros. also began to market ‘Thief and the Cobbler’. They began to promote it through clips and sneak peeks on as many different venues as possible. Knowing that the film is a hard sell, they keep the marketing aggressive to keep the public interested.

Finally, it was announced that ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Toy Story’ both were nominated for Oscars. ‘The Lion King’ was nominated:

- Best Directing

- Best Film

- Best Original Song (Circle of Life)

- Best Score

While ‘Toy Story’ was nominated for:

- Best Direction

- Best Original Song (You Got A Friend in Me)

There was fierce competition in the minds of the public, with Best Direction and Best Original Song becoming a toss-up between the two. Most agreed that ‘The Lion King’ deserved the award, while a small but vocal group stayed true to ‘Toy Story. Ultimately, ‘The Lion King’ won out, winning all but Best Score. With a second Best Film win under their belt, Disney was on top of the world. The people at Pixar were disappointed; but still left the Oscars with a ‘Special Achievement Award’, similar to ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ in 1937.

At the end of the year, Disney released a film schedule for the next few years. There were a few surprises in the list.

Kynan said:

Could you please tell me what that picture is meant to be, because it's not coming up.

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The Iron Giant

Cancel Pocohantas. Unless they make it the first mainstream American animated tragedy since Watership Down, it will be seen as the Nineties answer to Song of the South. And if they did make it a tragedy, it will utterly bomb at the box office. It's not like Disney didn't do it before. Anyone remember Bambi?

They had better have included an acknowledgement to Dame Astentudo(sp?) in the credits or on posters and packaging for the use of her characters in The Lion King in order to shame people who accused Disney of stealing from Tezuka's Jungle Emperor Leo/Kimba the White Lion when that was itself merely an older plagiarism of her works.

Make Hunchback of Notre Dame at least a PG-13 movie without any singing, dancing, or animated gargoyles. At the very least, Quasimido should make a genuine Heroic Sacrifice at the end. Or better yet, make an animated Les Miserables using the existing French musical as its basis, complete with a full rendition of "Beggar at the Feast."

Have Warner Brothers get ahold of Shrek, (Yes, it was a series of storybooks {that only bore a passing resemblance to the movies; the only characters from the books that made their way to the film in recognizable form were Donkey and Shrek himself} before the movies). That's a property that absolutely plays to Warner Brothers' strengths.

Have someone other than Disney do the English Dubbing and Western Hemisphere distribution of Studio Ghibli's output. I would suggest either Funimation or Ocean.

I still love The Lion King (and even its sequel) and the Toy Story movies were brilliant at the time and aged fantastically so glad that the changes didn't kill or ruin either of them although I wonder how their sequels will do. With a few exceptions direct to DVD Disney sequels suck so hopefully that will be rectified.

TLK II was good but had an awful budget so while a good movie its hard not to see it as a purely profit driven.
It could be fantastic with slightly better plot and the originals animation and sound talent.

TLK 3 (1 &1/2) was aimed completely at kids and had good music and animation but plot wise was awful being more about Timon and Pumba than the real main characters and making no sense in some places wrecking canon. It needs to either not happen or be completely redone as either a geuine sequel, prequel or focussed on the Pridelands and Simba during the time period glossed over during the first movie.

The Aladdin sequels are somewhat ok but again are nothing compared to the original. The main way you could go about making these work is changing the attitude. Make them genuine sequels instead of cash cows.

Pocohantas 2 was actually tied with the original... that's not a compliment but still felt like mentioning it if you're not aborting it.

Kalvan said:

Have Warner Brothers get ahold of Shrek, (Yes, it was a series of storybooks {that only bore a passing resemblance to the movies; the only characters from the books that made their way to the film in recognizable form were Donkey and Shrek himself} before the movies). That's a property that absolutely plays to Warner Brothers' strengths.

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Then you somehow have to keep Quest for Camelot from being a total misfire, which might be really hard. You also need to keep Warner Bros from completely screwing up the marketing for The Iron Giant, which fortunately should be fairly easy.

Another thought that just occurred to me is that if you have movies like Beauty and Beast and The Lion King winning Oscars, and more serious versions of OTL misfires like The Hunchback of Notre Dame being produced, then films like Titan AE might be darker and more adult in tone.

deathscompanion1 said:

The Aladdin sequels are somewhat ok but again are nothing compared to the original. The main way you could go about making these work is changing the attitude. Make them genuine sequels instead of cash cows.

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Problem is, they used Robin Williams' voice in various toy tie-ins in a violation of his contract, which pissed him off to no end. He refused to be in any of the sequels, and didn't even do any new voice work for things like Kingdom Hearts. Without Williams as Genie, any Aladdin sequel will feel like a hollow cash-in.