Laughin' Place: Redefining Disney
- Thread starter HeX
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It is a silly, funny thought... but it's also exactly what Walt would've done. The whole thing that got me started on this TL was "What if Walt discovered video games?" and then it all sort of built itself around that core change. Fun fact, but IOTL Lucas actually did present Star Wars to Disney, but they didn't bite. Probably their worst decision they ever made IMHO.
you got it missed, 20th century is mostly indepdendant but without star trek money will flunder but ted turner of atlanta superstation might get it cheaply now thanks to no star wars for fox
Oh. I'm just joking a little, I'm not well versed in all of this business and its history.
Fox will still be sold to Marc Rich and Marvin Davis, albeit for much less money. This might be an exercise of handwavium, which I try to keep out as much as possible, but Fox dying or being sold off this early will just cause too much chaos.
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Alright... I've got/am making a plan for Fox's future at the moment, but it shouldn't come up until the 80s.
Big Things to Come
Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, CA
January 2, 1977
Jim Jimirro shifted nervously in his seat. He'd never done this before, met with Walt. But he'd been sent here by every higher up he'd talked too, all of who had said his idea was just crazy enough to work.
"Jim?" said Walt's secretary. "He'll see you now."
Straightening his tie, Jimirro nodded and walked down the hall to the door, sidestepping George Lucas, who'd just exited the office.
"Jim!" exclaimed Walt. It was a point of pride for him that he knew most of his employees by their first name. Not every single one of them, mind you, those days were long gone, but he had the names of every Imagineer, most of his animators, and all the executives filed away in his brain. "To what do I owe the pleasure for you coming in?"
"Uh, hey, Walt. I was sent here by... well, basically everyone I told this idea to."
"Oh?" asked Walt, clearly intrigued. "And what might that proposition be?"
"I had the idea of a primetime cable TV network, one that could show our shows and movies and cartoons. I think it'd do well, we've certainly got the creative talent for new stuff and the library for reruns."
Walt nodded, brows furrowed, sitting back in his chair. His characteristic "tap-tap-tap" of his fingers rang out in the otherwise empty room, making Jimirro's nerves well up once again.
"I mean," he began. "The company just got all our big lineups out of the way, and EuroDisney isn't set to open for another few years--"
Walt held up his hand, silencing his colleague. "It's a great idea, Jim. In fact, George and I had just been talking about expanding the Star Wars brand when the movie does well... Perhaps that could be the channel's... flagship content? I mean, we can't just show reruns of Donald Duck and Davy Crockett every day, can we?"
"No, I suppose not--"
"Exactly. We'll get working on that, Jim. Thanks for the pitch."
"No problem."
"Walt, Mister Davis to see you now," rang out Walt's buzzer, his secretary on the other end.
"Send him in, please," replied Walt, waving off Jimirro that he could leave.
January 3, 1977
Tony Baxter was deep into a drawing at his desk. An Imagineer's work was never done, it seemed, and the piece of art he was just finishing up was a ground-level look at his proposed Discovery Bay Disneyland expansion. With the EPCOT Center completed and out of the way, and no new pavilions planned for the near future, he could finally get back to work on it.
The Island at the Top of the World's Hyperion airship rose high above the clouds in the scene, as the Nautilus slid beneath the waves and a massive, steampunkified version of Space Port sat high and mighty in the distance. Just as he placed the finishing strokes on the piece, someone barged in through his door.
"Rolly! Goddammit, I almost screwed this whole drawing up!" yelled a startled Baxter.
"Sorry, Tony, but we've got direct orders from Walt, and you know what that means," replied Crump, breathing heavily and hair disheveled. Clearly, he'd run here a long way.
Baxter turned in his seat. "What are we working on now?"
"Well, Walt says that since Breakdown did so well, we should start thinking of a sequel. He even suggested a name: Smackdown. He clearly didn't like my own Super Breakdown title idea, said they were too similar."
"And we're starting this now?"
Crump sighed. "Yeah, I'm sorry, man, but Discovery Bay is going to have to wait."
"Fine," said Baxter. "Let's get moving then, shall we?"
January 2, 1977
Jim Jimirro shifted nervously in his seat. He'd never done this before, met with Walt. But he'd been sent here by every higher up he'd talked too, all of who had said his idea was just crazy enough to work.
"Jim?" said Walt's secretary. "He'll see you now."
Straightening his tie, Jimirro nodded and walked down the hall to the door, sidestepping George Lucas, who'd just exited the office.
"Jim!" exclaimed Walt. It was a point of pride for him that he knew most of his employees by their first name. Not every single one of them, mind you, those days were long gone, but he had the names of every Imagineer, most of his animators, and all the executives filed away in his brain. "To what do I owe the pleasure for you coming in?"
"Uh, hey, Walt. I was sent here by... well, basically everyone I told this idea to."
"Oh?" asked Walt, clearly intrigued. "And what might that proposition be?"
"I had the idea of a primetime cable TV network, one that could show our shows and movies and cartoons. I think it'd do well, we've certainly got the creative talent for new stuff and the library for reruns."
Walt nodded, brows furrowed, sitting back in his chair. His characteristic "tap-tap-tap" of his fingers rang out in the otherwise empty room, making Jimirro's nerves well up once again.
"I mean," he began. "The company just got all our big lineups out of the way, and EuroDisney isn't set to open for another few years--"
Walt held up his hand, silencing his colleague. "It's a great idea, Jim. In fact, George and I had just been talking about expanding the Star Wars brand when the movie does well... Perhaps that could be the channel's... flagship content? I mean, we can't just show reruns of Donald Duck and Davy Crockett every day, can we?"
"No, I suppose not--"
"Exactly. We'll get working on that, Jim. Thanks for the pitch."
"No problem."
"Walt, Mister Davis to see you now," rang out Walt's buzzer, his secretary on the other end.
"Send him in, please," replied Walt, waving off Jimirro that he could leave.
--------------------------------
Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, CA
January 3, 1977
Tony Baxter was deep into a drawing at his desk. An Imagineer's work was never done, it seemed, and the piece of art he was just finishing up was a ground-level look at his proposed Discovery Bay Disneyland expansion. With the EPCOT Center completed and out of the way, and no new pavilions planned for the near future, he could finally get back to work on it.
The Island at the Top of the World's Hyperion airship rose high above the clouds in the scene, as the Nautilus slid beneath the waves and a massive, steampunkified version of Space Port sat high and mighty in the distance. Just as he placed the finishing strokes on the piece, someone barged in through his door.
"Rolly! Goddammit, I almost screwed this whole drawing up!" yelled a startled Baxter.
"Sorry, Tony, but we've got direct orders from Walt, and you know what that means," replied Crump, breathing heavily and hair disheveled. Clearly, he'd run here a long way.
Baxter turned in his seat. "What are we working on now?"
"Well, Walt says that since Breakdown did so well, we should start thinking of a sequel. He even suggested a name: Smackdown. He clearly didn't like my own Super Breakdown title idea, said they were too similar."
"And we're starting this now?"
Crump sighed. "Yeah, I'm sorry, man, but Discovery Bay is going to have to wait."
"Fine," said Baxter. "Let's get moving then, shall we?"
IOTL, The Disney Channel didn't appear until 1983, but it was suggested by Jimirro in 1977. This is because the company was in too deep with Epcot, and had no resources to spare. With the EPCOT Center done in '76, they have all the resources they need for a much earlier first broadcast.
I've butterflied the holiday special. Star Wars and Christmas just don't go well together (the special itself shows that by just how little time it spends on "Life Day," AKA Christmas, and instead focuses on Chewbacca's kid).
Yeah, I have shows in mind. I'm just not saying them here right now. The Star Wars hint is one of many.
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