A Universal Leap: A Collaborative Pop-Culture Timeline

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Shronkey2021

Banned
In this timeline, we will make a collaborative timeline with unproduced Universal Studios projects. Let's start!



1991: Steven Spielberg buys the rights to the 1990 children's book Shrek!. He envisioned his adaptation as a traditionally animated film from Amblin Entertainment and would feature Bill Murray and Steve Martin as Shrek and Donkey. He pitches his idea to Universal Pictures and it is greenlit.
 

OldNavy1988

Spring 1992:
Production begins on Shrek.

Rather than go head to head with Disney's upcoming Lion King, Universal schedules Shrek to open in theatres for the 1994 holiday season.
 

Shronkey2021

Banned
Fall 1992: James Woods signs up for Lord Farquaad.

"I felt like me and Farquaad had sort of a, life connection, as you would say (laughs) we had a very similar way at viewing at life and how it affected us."
- James Woods, during an interview on Entertainment Weekly, 2003.
 
Aladdin and Toy Story ITTL
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    • TheBeanieBaron

    November 13, 1992: Disney's Aladdin is released in theaters. Featuring Robin Williams as the Genie, the film is a massive success and would win some Oscars.

    Winter 1993: Tom Hanks and Billy Crystal are announced as the voices of Woody and Buzz Lightyear in Pixar’s upcoming movie Toy Story, which is scheduled for a release in Fall of 1995.
     
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    • Shronkey2021

    Banned
    1991: After the success of the music video "Opposites Attract" starring Paula Abdul and an animated character named "MC Skat Kat", and an album featuring the character called "The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob", Virgin Records gets in talk with Universal Pictures for a live action/animated film featuring MC Skat Kat. Even though the album was poorly received and failed to chart, realizing what potential the character could have, Universal accepted. Paula Abdul successfully greenlights a live action/animated MC Skat Kat show for Fox Kids, with Universal in affiliation.
     
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    Shronkey2021

    Banned
    1991: The casting is as follows:
    Vanilla Ice as MC Skat Kat
    Faizon Love as Fatz
    Samuel Jackson as Taboo
    Halle Berry as Silk
    Jade Pinkett Smith as Katleen
    Billy West as Micetro
    Frank Welker as Leo
     
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    Shronkey2021

    Banned
    Winter 1992: Production begins on The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob. Universal plans to open the film in theaters for the spring/summer 1995 season. The plot is as follows:
    When MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob find that a rival rap group, The Dawg Pound, is besmirching their reputation, The Stray Mob, with the help of a struggling singer (Paula Abdul), fight back in a happenin' hip-hop comedy adventure for the whole family!
     
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    We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story ITTL
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    • TheBeanieBaron

    November 24, 1993: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story is released by Universal in theaters. Despite being released during the height of dinosaur mania, it got mixed reviews and performed poorly at the box office. Universal hopes that Amblimation's next feature, Shrek, is better received.
     
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    • Shronkey2021

    Banned
    Summer 1994: To promote the film, a new MC Skat Kat album called "Gettin' down to the Kitty Gritty" is made. Critics call it "A shameless plug made to entice young kids to see a potential box office bomb".
     

    Shronkey2021

    Banned
    Fall 1994 - Winter 1995: Filming for the live action scenes are shot in New York, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. A final release date of September 10, 1995 is decided by Universal.
     
    Megafighter3

    Megafighter3

    Shrek in 1994 would be very interesting for a lot of reasons, not least of which is how much, if any, involvement with the project. It'd probably be a lot less of a "fuck you" to Disney and instead be more just a parody of Disney fairy tales. Plus, it's soundtrack would be quite different. As far as its success, it's got a good spot in theaters. It's only competition would be Dumb and Dumber and I can see it winning out between the two. I imagine the budget would also be a bit smaller given that it's not a CG film, so it'll break even a bit easier.

    There's a butterfly for you all, All Star becomes less popular and therefore less memetic due to not being attached to Shrek. Instead, people will remember it as "that song from Mystery Men" than anything.
     
    The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob/MC Skat Kat TAS
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    • Shronkey2021

    Banned
    September 10, 1995: The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob is released in theaters. It gets mixed reviews, but is a box office bomb. The series goes on Fox Kids a week after the movie and only lasts for 13 episodes.
     
  • Index

    • Shronkey2021

    Banned
    June 1993: After the theatrical release of Jurassic Park, a series is confirmed by Amblin and MCA called Escape from Jurassic Park. The first season is planned to have 23 episodes, and Spielberg has approved it. The series revolves around John Hammond trying to revive Jurassic Park, while a rival dinosaur park ends up releasing dinosaurs in Brazil.
     
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