As Dreamers Do: American Magic Redux

This timeline is looking good so far, on Wikipedia, there is information on some cancelled/unfinished Disney theme parks/movies. Would it be possible if you could integrate some of those projects into this timeline?
 
This timeline is looking good so far, on Wikipedia, there is information on some cancelled/unfinished Disney theme parks/movies. Would it be possible if you could integrate some of those projects into this timeline?

Might put in a few of them in this thread.

Up next will be Fleischer's first feature.
 
Sports as of 1939
The professional sports leagues of North America as of 1939

Major League Baseball
American League

Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Athletics
St. Louis Browns
Washington Senators

National League
Boston Braves
Brooklyn Dodgers
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
New York Giants
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

National Football League
Eastern Division

Brooklyn Dodgers
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Washington Redskins

Western Division
Chicago Bears
Chicago Cardinals
Cleveland Rams
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers

National Hockey League
Boston Bruins
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens
New York Americans
New York Rangers
Toronto Maple Leafs
 
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera actually did work at MGM. But what if they stayed and the animation unit wasn't shut down and all the Hanna-Barbera cartoons were made at MGM. And Jack Nicholson was supposed to start work as an animator at MGM.

If William and Joephe stay at MGM does any like the idea of MGM being bought out by Taff Broadcasting during the 70'. I feel that would be Ironic but I am not sure if it is plausible.
 
Gulliver's Travels (1939 Film)
Gulliver's Travels
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Released on December 22, 1939 by Paramount Pictures
Produced by Fleischer Studios
Based on the story by Jonathan Swift

Directed by Dave Fleischer
Musical score by Victor Young
Songs by Sammy Timberg, Winston Sharples, Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger and Al Neiburg

Voices
Sam Parker as Lemuel Gulliver
Pinto Colvig as Gabby
Jack Mercer as King Little, Twinkletoes, Sneak, Snoop and Snitch
Tedd Pierce as King Bombo

Princess Glory
Jessica Dragonette - Singing Voice
Livonia Warren - Speaking Voice

Prince David
Lanny Ross - Singing Voice
Cal Howard - Speaking Voice

Despite the $350,000 penalty being butterflied, tensions still arose between Paramount and Fleischer Studios in other areas, namely the timeframe to phase the Popeye short subject series into Technicolor. Another point of tension is the Fleischers' decision to option Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo's story treatment about a friendly ghost (below).

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Pinocchio (1940 Film)
Pinocchio
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Released by Walt Disney on February 23, 1940

Released Thru
United Artists

Based on the story by
Carlo Collodi

Supervising Directors
Ben Sharpsteen
Hamilton Luske

Sequence Directors
T. Hee
Norm Ferguson
Jack Kinney
Bill Roberts
Wilfred Jackson

Story
Ted Sears
Otto Englander
Webb Smith
Dorothy Ann Blank
Joseph Sabo
Erdman Penner
Aurelius Battaglia

Music and Songs
Leigh Harline
Paul Smith
Ned Washington

Voices
Dickie Jones as Pinocchio
Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket
Christian Rub as Gepetto
Evelyn Venable as the Blue Fairy
Walter Catlett as J. Worthingon Foulfellow
Charles Judels as Stromboli and the Coachman
Frankie Darro as Lampwick

Winner of two Oscars
Best Song for When You Wish Upon a Star
Best Musical Score​
 
Disney's New Digs
As production on Pinocchio was winding down, Walt Disney began the process of moving his staff out of the now-cramped facilities on Hyperion Avenue...
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To a more modern studio lot in Burbank, which was completed shortly after Pinocchio premiered.
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Entertainment News for Summer 1940
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Five years ago, RKO Radio Pictures was spurned by Walt Disney's extension of his current deal with United Artists. Now with the Van Beuren cartoon studio liquidating its assets, RKO is launching a campaign to outbid 20th Century-Fox for the distribution deal for Terrytoons.
- The NBC Blue Network

Columbia Pictures hopes to lure Norm McCabe, Tex Avery or Bob Clampett away from the Leon Schlesinger studio to improve the shaky fortunes of its Screen Gems division. If they are unsuccessful in luring Avery, Jones or McCabe, look for Columbia to try to hire Otto Messmer away from Fleischer Studios. Besides Columbia, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is also interested in Avery's services.
- Mutual radio network

As a plan B in case RKO lures Terrytoons away, 20th Century-Fox chairman Darryl Zanuck has two options. He can try to lure Walt Disney away from United Artists, or Zanuck can raise Fox's line of credit in order for the studio to open its own cartoon department.
- CBS Radio​
 
1940 Cartoon Debuts
A Wild Hare
(Warner Bros./Schlesinger)
a-wild-hare-1.jpg

Often considered the debut of Bugs Bunny even though prototype rabbit characters had been popping up in WB's cartoons as early as 1938.

Puss Gets the Boot
(Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
puss-gets-the-boot-c2a9-mgm.jpg

The debut of Jasper (later Tom?) and Jerry. Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera directed this one while Rudy Ising served as the producer.

Knock Knock
(Universal Pictures/Walter Lantz)
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The debut of Woody Woodpecker, though it was originally released as an Andy Panda short.​
 
Fantasia (1940 Film)
Fantasia
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Released by Walt Disney through United Artists on November 13, 1940

Featuring
The Philadelphia Orchestra
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Conducted by
Leopold Stokowski
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Narrative Introductions [1]
Deems Taylor
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SEGMENTS
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Bach)

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The Nutcracker Suite (Tchiakovsky)
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The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Dukas)
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The Rite of Spring (Stravinsky)
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The Pastoral Symphony (Beethoven)
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The Dance of the Hours (Ponchielli)
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A Night on Bald Mountain (Mussorgsky)
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Ave Maria (Schubert)
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[1] ITTL, Deems Taylor's skits are shorter, with his narration spoken over footage of the orchestra tuning their instruments for each segment. The shorter skits can be seen in the 1991 VHS or Laserdisc of the OTL film.​
 
The Reluctant Dragon
The Reluctant Dragon
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Walt (left) and Robert Benchley (right) come face to face.

Released by Walt Disney on June 20, 1941

Distributed by United Artists

Algonquin Round Table humorist Robert Benchley, grandfather of future Jaws author Peter Benchley, wanders off while on a tour of Disney's then state of the art headquarters in Burbank. Benchley's goal throughout the film is to pitch Kenneth Grahame's Reluctant Dragon story to Walt as a movie idea.

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From Benchley's POV, we see early evidence of Walt Disney's futurism through the display of maquettes of characters from Peter Pan and Lady and the Tramp. Both projects would ultimately be put on hold until after the Second World War.

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CARTOON VOICES
John McLeish as the Narrator
Claud Allister as Sir Giles
Bill Lee as the Boy
Barnett Parker as the Dragon
Clarence Nash as Donald Duck
Florence Gill as Clara Cluck

Barnett Parker passed away roughly a month and a half after the film's original release.

The release of The Reluctant Dragon coincided with the peak of the animators' strike (below), which would not be resolved until Walt set off for South America on a goodwill trip.
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Mr. Bug Goes to Town will be butterflied.

So instead, I'll give you a hint as to what Fleischer's second full length feature will be.

Hint: Cape
 
Mr. Bug Goes to Town will be butterflied.

So instead, I'll give you a hint as to what Fleischer's second full length feature will be.

Hint: Cape


Kal-El. Everyone believes in, everyone believes in Kal-El.
All across the universe~
Mighty, compassionate. Can you imagine it? Even t'wards those at their worst.
Cherished son of the Earthmen~
Last born son of a star~
Evil's feared detector, Stern but kind protector.
A blessing from afar~
Kal-El. Have you heard the tale of, have you heard the tale of Kal-El?
Souring like the wind-swept sand.
And on our darkest day, Which man will light the way?
Mighty Superman~
 
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Superman (1941 Film)
Superman
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Released by Paramount Pictures on September 26, 1941

Based on the characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Directed by
Dave Fleischer

Music by
Sammy Timberg

Story
Seymour Kneitel
Izzy Sparber
Jack Mercer
Bill Turner
Tedd Pierce
Carl Meyer
Dan Gordon

Supervising Animators
Myron Waldman
Nick Tafuri
Steve Muffati
George Germanetti
Seamus Culhane
Grim Natwick
Otto Messmer
Willard Bowsky
Reuben Grossman
Stan Quackenbush
David Tendlar
Arnold Gillespie
Otto Feuer
Orestes Calpini

Voices
Bud Collyer as Clark Kent/Superman
Joan Alexander as Lois Lane
Julian Noa as Perry White

Additional Voices
Jack Mercer (The Mad Scientist and Jimmy Olsen)
Jackson Beck

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ITTL, the Mad Scientist, the Mechanical Monsters and the Bulleteers are bridged together with more scenes of Lois and Clark (above) at the Daily Planet offices. The first act still begins with the synopsis of Supes' origins, which can be seen in the OTL Mad Scientist short.

This film marks the first occurrence of Supes' flying abilities. Previously, he was only able to "leap tall buildings in a single bound."

Thanks to a built-in fanbase that grew rapidly in just two and a half years, Superman jumped out to an early, comfortable lead at the box office. However, with Walt Disney bringing out Dumbo a week before Halloween, it'll be interesting to see if Supes can stay at #1 for a few more weeks.

Naturally, National Comics hopes Superman can be followed up with a film adaptation of Batman. However, Fleischer has not expressed much enthusiasm for the Caped Crusader, so look to Walter Lantz, Leon Schlesinger or another producer to sway both National and Bill Finger.

In the meantime, the box office success of Superman should bring in a surplus of cash for the Fleischers to finally bring Popeye to Technicolor full time.​
 
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