As Dreamers Do: American Magic Redux

[OldNavy1988]

Basil of Baker Street

Released by Walt Disney Pictures on July 2, 1986.

Directed by
Ron Clements
John Musker

Executive Producers
Wolfgang Reitherman
Roy E. Disney
Burny Mattinson

Story
Pete Young
Vance Gerry
Steve Hulett
John Musker
Ron Clements
Bruce Morris
Matthew O'Callaghan
Burny Mattinson
Dave Michener
Mel Shaw

Based on the book by
Eve Titus

Voices
Barrie Ingham as Basil
Vincent Price as Ratigan
Val Bettin as Dawson
Candy Candido as Fidget
Alan Young as Flaversham
Frank Welker as Toby
Daniel Abbott as Sherlock Holmes
Laurie Main as Dr. Watson
Melissa Manchester as Miss Kitty Mouse
Susanne Pollatschek as Olivia
Eve Brenner as Queen Mousetoria

Additional Voices
Daniel Abbott
Wayne Allwine
Tony Anselmo
Walker Edmiston
Val Bettin​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Captain EO

Opened on September 12, 1986 at these parks:
Disneyland Park; Anaheim, CA (Tomorrowland)
Riverfront Square; St. Louis, MO (Magic Eye Theatre)
EPCOT Center; Orlando, FL (Future World)
Tokyo Disney World; Tokyo, Japan (Horizon Spaceport)

Produced by
WED Imagineering
Industrial Light & Magic

Directed by
Francis Ford Coppola

Music by
James Horner

Cast
Michael Jackson as Captain EO
Anjelica Huston as The Supreme Leader
Dick Shawn as Commander Bog
Tony Cox as Hooter
Debbie Lee Carrington as Geek (Idy)
Cindy Sorensen as Geek (Ody)
Gary DePew as Major Domo
Percy Rodriguez as Narrator​

 

[OldNavy1988]

ABC
8:00 Wuzzles (Hanna-Barbera)
8:30 Care Bears (Nelvana; TriStar Television)
9:00 The Flintstone Kids (Hanna-Barbera)
10:00 Ghostbusters: The Animated Series (DiC; Paramount Television)
10:30 Pound Puppies (Hanna-Barbera)
11:00 The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show (Warner Bros; Repackaged theatrical shorts)
11:30 Heathcliff (DiC)
12:00 ABC Weekend Special

CBS
8:00 Berenstain Bears (Hanna-Barbera Australia & Southern Star; Touchstone Television)
8:30 Wildfire (Hanna-Barbera; Touchstone Television)
9:00 Muppet Babies (Hanna-Barbera; Jim Henson Television)
10:00 Galaxy High School (Screen Gems; Columbia Pictures Television)
10:30 Teen Wolf (Hanna-Barbera Australia & Southern Star; Touchstone Television)
11:00 Pee Wee's Playhouse (Pee-Wee Pictures)
11:30 Rambo: The Force of Freedom (Ruby-Spears; Carolco Television)
12:00 Hulk Hogan's Rock n' Wrestling (DiC)

NBC
8:00 Kissyfur (DiC)
8:30 Gummi Bears (Hanna-Barbera; Touchstone Television)
9:00 The Smurfs (Hanna-Barbera; Touchstone Television)
10:00 Fluppy Dogs (Hanna-Barbera; Touchstone Television)
10:30 Punky Brewster (Ruby-Spears; RKO Television)
11:00 Alvin and the Chipmunks (Ruby-Spears; Bagdasarian)
11:30 Foofur (Hanna-Barbera; Touchstone Television)
12:00 Lazer Tag Academy (Ruby-Spears)
12:30 Kidd Video (DiC; Saban)

SBC ("TV Toy Box")
8:00 She-Ra: Princess of Power (Ruby-Spears; Mattel)
8:30 The Transformers (Nelvana/Hasbro; TriStar Television)
9:00 Robotech (English Dub produced by New Line Television)
9:30 Potato Head Kids (Nelvana/Hasbo; Tri-Star Television)
10:00 My Little Pony (Nelvana/Hasbro; TriStar Television)
10:30 Jem and the Holograms (Nelvana/Hasbro; TriStar Television)
11:00 Inspector Gadget (DiC Audiovisuel)
11:30 MASK (DiC)
12:00 Thundercats (Rankin-Bass; Lorimar-Telepictures)

Fox
8:00-12:00 Local Programming

For at least the first year, Fox's affiliates aired syndicated animated series through a patchwork of pre-existing local Kid's Clubs.

 

[OldNavy1988]

The Fox Network

Launched on October 9, 1986.

O&O Affiliates at Launch
(Owned and operated by Disney Enterprises, Inc. under the new division Fox Television Stations)
WPIX 11 New York
KCOP 13 Los Angeles
WSNS-TV Channel 44 Chicago
WDCA Washington, DC
KPLR St. Louis
KBHK San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose
KRLD Dallas
KHTV Houston

Other Launch Affiliates
WVEU Cable 10/Channel 69 Atlanta
KTTY Cable 14/Channel 69 San Diego
KUSK Phoenix
KSTW 11 Seattle
KPDX Portland, OR
WSBK-TV Boston
WNUV Baltimore
WPTT Pittsburgh
WSTR Cincinnati
WVTV Milwaukee
WJZY Charlotte
WTMV Tampa/St. Petersburg
WBNX Cleveland
KDVR Denver
KZKC Kansas City
KRLR Las Vegas
WGPR Detroit
KOCB Oklahoma City
KLHM Salt Lake City (Initials for local businessman Larry H. Miller)
WCAY Nashville
WDZL Miami
WAYK Orlando
KSPO Spokane, WA (Thanks @PNWKing)

The first program to air on the Fox Network was Up Late with Arsenio Hall on the night of the launch.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

An American Tail

Released on November 21, 1986

Production Company
Famous Studios

Distributor
Universal Pictures

Produced and directed by
Walter Lantz

Screenplay and story by
Judy Freudberg
Tony Geiss

Story concept by
David Kirschner

Music by
James Horner

Notable Crew
Sean Dunlop [1]
Alonzo Del Rio [1]
Linda Fleming [1]
Tim Dillinger [1]
Neal Allison [1]
Eddie Fitzgerald
Tom Minton
Bruce Timm
Will Finn
Dave Molina
Heidi Guedel
Anne Marie Bardwell

[1] Fictional animators.

Voices
Phillip Glasser as Fievel Mouskewitz
Nehemiah Persoff as Papa Mouskewitz
Erica Yohn as Mama Mouskewitz
Amy Green as Tanya Mouskewitz
John Finnegan as Warren T. Cat
Will Ryan as Digit
Pat Musick as Tony Toponi
Dom DeLuise as Tiger
Christopher Plummer as Henri Le Pigeon
Cathianne Blore as Bridget
Neil Ross as Honest John
Madeline Kahn as Gussie Mausheimer
Hal Smith as Moe
Dan Kuenster as Jake

After the film's release, Universal held an emotional farewell ceremony for Walter Lantz, who retired from the organization after 58 years on and off. In Lantz's place comes Jeffrey Katzenberg, whom the studio hired away from Turner towards the end of the previous year. While An American Tail came out as the winner of this Thanksgiving's box office bout, some critics picked on the film over its "depressing" scenes.

The Aristocats

Released on November 21, 1986

Production Company
Hanna-Barbera

Distributor
Touchstone Pictures

Directed by
Ray Patterson
Don Lusk

Based on the book by
Bill Peet

Notable crew members
Ruth Blake [1]
Lynn Mills [1]
Irvin Love [1]
Jackie Larson [1]
Sophie Yamamoto [1]

[1] Fictional animators.

Musical score by
Joe Raposo

Songs by
The Sherman Brothers

Voices
Eva Gabor as Duchess
Gene Wilder as Thomas O'Malley
Judith Barsi as Marie
Gus St. Pierre (debut) as Toulouse
Wil Wheaton as Berlioz
Cloris Leachman as Madam Bonfamille
Graham Chapman as Edgar Balthazar
Pat Buttram as Napoleon
George Lindsey as Lafayette
Ann Jillian as Frou-Frou
Hal Smith as Roquefort
Daws Butler as Uncle Waldo
Eartha Kitt as Abigail Gabble
Hayley Mills as Amelia Gabble

Alley Cats
Scatman Crothers
Bob McGrath
Freddie Starr
Thurl Ravenscroft
Paul Winchell

The Aristocats was dedicated in memory of Scatman Crothers, who passed away during post-production. While the Aristocats put up a decent box office performance, it was only two-thirds of what Universal made with An American Tail. Even with that, some critics pointed to this film as a fun, more light-hearted alternative to the heartstring-tugging American Tail.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Media Assets as of November 1986

Gulf+Western
Paramount Pictures
SEGA
Dot Records
Stax Records
Simon and Schuster
Pre-1986 Embassy Pictures library
TriStar Pictures (33% w/ MCA and CBS)
Entertaining Quality Comics
USA Network (50%)
Headline News (50%; Sold off by Turner to facilitate part of the MTV transaction)
Paramount Home Video
Paramount Television

MCA
Universal Pictures
Famous Studios
Pre-1942 Fleischer Studios library
1943-52 Fleischer-Terry library
Pre-1953 Walter Lantz Productions library
MCA Records
Universal Studios Tour (Universal City, CA)
TriStar Pictures (33% w/ G+W and CBS)
Archie Comics
USA Network (50%)
Headline News (50%; Sold off by Turner to facilitate part of the MTV transaction)
MCA Home Video
Universal Television
Beatles film library (Help!, Yellow Submarine, Let it Be)
Decca Records

Warner Communications
Warner Bros. Pictures
Motown Records
Warner Books
Warner Home Video
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Animation (Formerly Avery-Clampett)
Warner Pacific Comics ***just acquired***
Warner Bros. Records
Atlantic Records
Elektra Records
Reprise Records

Turner Broadcasting System
United Artists
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Pre-1950 Warner Bros library
Pre-1981 DePatie-Freleng library
MTV: Music Television
Superstation WTBS
Turner Network Television (TNT)
Cable News Network (CNN)
Turner Home Entertainment
Little Lulu franchise
Tex Avery McWolf/Red franchise
Atlanta Braves (MLB)
Atlanta Flames (NHL)
Atlanta Hawks (NBA)

Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Walt Disney Pictures
20th Century-Fox Film Corporation
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Grantray-Lawrence
WED Imagineering
Atari, Inc.
Marvel Comics Group
Harvey Comics (Bought by Fox in 1971; Now the children's imprint of Marvel)
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Buena Vista Television Distribution
The Disney Channel
Video Hits One (VH1)
Pre-1985 Filmways library
Fox Television Network
Fox Television Stations (Fox O&O's)
1940's Captain America Republic serial
Fantasound (25% with Dolby, Sony and Amblin)

CBS, Inc.
CBS Television Network
CBS Electronics
CBS Radio
CBS Records
Columbia Pictures
TriStar Pictures (33% with G+W and MCA)
CBS/Columbia Pictures Home Video
Screen Gems
TSR, Inc. ***just acquired***
DC Comics
1941 Superman film (Originally released by Paramount; Produced by Fleischer Studios)
1944 Batman film (Originally released by Paramount; Produced by Fleischer-Terry)
1948 Superman Conquers Hate film (Originally released by Paramount; Produced by Fleischer-Terry)
George Reeves Superman TV Series
1960's Batman TV Series
1966 Batman film

The Jim Henson Company
Jim Henson Studios
Hanna-Barbera
Touchstone Pictures
Nickelodeon

Capital Cities/ABC
ABC Television Network
ABC Radio
ABC Video Enterprises
ABC Motion Pictures
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN)
A&E
Showtime
The Movie Channel

NBC/RKO (Media arm of The Coca-Cola Company)
NBC Television Network
RKO Radio Pictures
Pre-1959 RKO movie library
Desilu television library
NBC/RKO Video

Metromedia
Standard Broadcasting Company (50% w/ Westinghouse)
New Line Cinema
Vestron Video
Pre-1985 Hemdale library

Carolco
Carolco Pictures
Family Home Entertainment (FHE)
Celebrity Home Entertainment

Bally
Home Box Office (HBO)
Cinemax
Media Home Entertainment
Magic Mountain (Valencia, CA)
Worlds of Wonder (Kansas City, MO)
Kentucky Kingdom (Louisville, KY)
Soon to be rebranded former Sesame Place park (DFW Metroplex)
Bally/Midway Manufacturing
Bally's Hotels and Casinos
Chicago Bulls (NBA)
Chicago White Sox (MLB)

News Corporation
Miramax Films
Miramax Television
Miramax Home Entertainment
The New York Post
The San Antonio Express-News
The Chicago Sun-Times
News of the World (UK)
The Times (UK)
Collins Books
The Boston Herald

Taft
King's Island (Mason, OH)
King's Dominion (Doswell, VA)
Carowinds (Charlotte, NC)
Marineworld (Palos Verdes, CA)

Marriott
Great America (Santa Clara, CA)
Great America (Gurnee, IL)

Six Flags
Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington, TX)
Six Flags Astroworld (Houston, TX)
Six Flags Over Georgia (Austell, GA)
Six Flags St. Louis (Eureka, MO)

Namco USA
Elitch Gardens
Denver Nuggets (NBA) (50% w/ Coors Brewing)
Colorado Rockies (NHL)

Corman Enterprises
Grand Diamond Pictures
Grand Diamond Television
Grand Diamond Home Video
Pre-1978 New World library
Pre-1978 American International library

Berkshire Hathaway
Ruby-Spears
Orion Pictures (defunct)

EMI
Thorn EMI Video
Capitol Records

Amblin Entertainment
Industrial Light & Magic
Skywalker Sound
Pixar
Fantasound (25% w/ Disney, Dolby and Sony)

David Geffen
Geffen Film Company
Geffen Records

Independent
Great Adventure (New Jersey)
Geauga Lake (Aurora, OH)
Knott's Berry Farm (Buena Park, CA)
Atlantis: The Water Kingdom (Hollywood, FL)
Jive Records
Scotti Bros. Records
Eclipse Comics
Malibu Comics
Jay Ward Productions
Premavision
Bagdasarian Productions
Murakami-Wolf-Swenson
Film Roman
Mercury Records
RCA Records
Dark Horse Comics
Mirage Studios
Polydor Records
Def Jam Recordings
Arista Records
Random House
Harper and Row
Scholastic
Penguin Books
Viking Press
Hachette
Bertelsmann Music Group
Houghton-Mifflin
Macmillan Publishers
Henry Holt & Company
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Price Stern Sloan
Saban Productions
DiC Audiovisuel

If there's anything I'm missing, please let me know. Thank you.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Transformers: The Movie

Released on December 5, 1986.

Production Companies
Nelvana
Hasbro Productions

Distributor
TriStar Pictures

The voice cast is mostly the same as OTL. Optimus Prime lives, but he is battered and bruised heading into the next season of the TV series.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Xenomorph 2

Released by Grand Diamond on December 19, 1986.

Written and Directed by
James Cameron

Producers
Gale Anne Hurd
David Giler
Walter Hill
Gordon Carroll

Based upon characters created by
Dan O'Bannon
Ron Shusett

Music
James Horner

Production Company
Brandywine

Distributor
Grand Diamond Pictures

Notes:
The Colonial Marines (Jenette Goldstein and Mark Rolston, above) are given more screen time for character development.
The theatrical cut ITTL does include the scene where Carter (Paul Reiser) informs Ellen Ripley (Veronica Cartwright) of her daughter Amanda's whereabouts.
It is implied that Hicks (Michael Biehn) and Newt (Carrie Henn) will live for a potential third film.
That said, the question of whether Veronica Cartwright will return to the franchise has yet to be answered.
Catch an early teaser for Grand Diamond's Predator.
​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Disney and Universal are both jockeying for third-party licensees for new parks expected to open right here in Orlando at decade's end. Disney is hoping to beat Universal to the punch with the Disney-Fox Studios, a third gate at the Walt Disney World resort themed around Hollywood glamor and glitter. Universal meanwhile is looking to expand beyond the backlot tour at its Los Angeles headquarters.
- The Orlando Sentinel

Bally completes its purchase of the now-shuttered Circus World park, hoping to gain traction on a market commonly associated with Disney and soon Universal.
- The Orlando Sentinel

Marineland in Palos Verdes is now up for sale.
- The Los Angeles Times

Las Vegas tourism officials in talks with the major park chains for a possible park to bring in younger visitors.
- CNN

The former Steeplechase Park in Brooklyn is now up for sale.
- The New York Times

RUMOR: Six Flags and Taft parks are both on Bally's shopping list next.
- The Chicago Tribune

 

[OldNavy1988]

THIS JUST IN...

Six Flags agrees to merge with former Taft subsidiary KECO, averting a once-rumored takeover of either entity by Chicago-based Bally. The newly merged Six Flags/KECO will adopt a new name for its parent company later this year.
- The Dallas Morning News; January 28, 1987

 

[OldNavy1988]

Bernie Kosar and the Cleveland Browns upset the heavily favored New York Giants in Super Bowl XI.
- SportsCenter

Gulf+Western weighing the options of acquiring the now-shuttered Marineland from Six Kings, or to acquire Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park.
- The Orange County Register

Former KECO administrative employees will move from their old Cincinnati office into the new headquarters of Six Kings.
- The Dallas Morning News

Grand Diamond in talks with Disney, Universal and Bally for a theme park licensing deal for the Xenomorph franchise and possibly the upcoming summer film Predator.
- The Hollywood Reporter

At a shareholder's meeting, Walt Disney, Jr. teases the transfer of the Disney weekly anthology series from SBC to the newborn Fox network by 1988. At the moment, Fox's sole national program is Up Late with Arsenio Hall.
- Variety

ALF, Golden Girls and the Bullwinkle reboot are the big hits on Post-Cosby NBC.
- TV Guide

 

[OldNavy1988]

Recent public domain entries like Eastland Girls and Fat Albert are popping up on video store displays at retailers across North America and the so-called "budget labels" like Kids Klassics, Goodtimes, Video Treasures, New Age Video, UAV Entertainment and Burbank Video are cashing in by the bucketload!!!
- The Today Show

Grand Diamond signs a lucrative deal to license the Xenomorph franchise for Universal's upcoming Orlando theme park.
- The Hollywood Reporter

Famous Studios is gearing up for its first project of the post-Lantz era; a Mighty Mouse reboot for Saturday Mornings later this fall. Ralph Bakshi will oversee the project under John W. Hyde, the new head of Famous' TV animation unit. Bruce Timm, Tom Minton and Eddie Fitzgerald are among many Famous staffers on board with the project, along with Obie Scott Wade, who has only been at Famous for eighteen months. Recent CalArts graduates Rich Moore and Jim Reardon join the team. Also joining is Lynne Naylor, who recently worked on The Aristocats for Hanna-Barbera.
- Animation Magazine

Warner Bros. moves the Chuck Jones/Dr. Seuss project The Butter Battle Book up from Thanksgiving to Halloween 1989. A spokesperson for Warner Bros. said that studio vice president Terry Semel was warned that going directly head to head with Disney's The Little Mermaid, also slated for a Thanksgiving '89 release, would be "a potentially Kamikaze move," and that an earlier release would give Butter a "...better chance in a month usually slow for family films."
- Variety

Disney is planning a yearlong celebration for Snow White's fiftieth anniversary, with a theatrical reissue of the classic film serving as the centerpiece.
- The New York Times

 

[OldNavy1988]

Mid-way through the 1986-87 TV season, three shows made their respective debuts.

SBC had a sleeper hit with its in-house sitcom Small Wonder (originally produced by Metromedia Producers Corporation and later New Line Television). But now it the network needed an even bigger hit to maintain the ground it gained at the expense of an NBC that stumbled in recent years.

Married with Children

Launched on March 26, 1987 on SBC.

Produced and distributed by
Paramount Television

Created by
Michael G. Moye
Ron Leavitt

Theme song
"Love and Marriage"
By Frank Sinatra

Meanwhile, the newborn Fox network was beginning to carve its own niche with two new shows of its own.

The Tracey Ullman Show

Launched on April 5, 1987 on Fox.

Produced by
Gracie Films
Klasky-Csupo

Distributed by
20th Century-Fox Television
(Buena Vista Domestic Television)

Created by
James L. Brooks
Sam Simon
Tracey Ullman

Short cartoons (Produced by Klasky-Csupo)

Dr. N!Godatu
Created by MK Brown

21 Jump Street

Launched on April 5, 1987 on Fox.

Created by
Patrick Hasburgh
Stephen J. Cannell

Distributed by
20th Century-Fox Television
(Buena Vista Domestic Television)

Cast
Johnny Depp as Tom Hanson
Holly Robinson as Judy Hoffs
Peter DeLuise as Doug Penhall
Dustin Nguyen as HT Ioki
Frederic Forrest as Richard Jenko
Steven Williams as Adam Fuller

Making their debut on the third episode of The Tracey Ullman Show, aired on April 19, 1987, was a dysfunctional family dreamt up by Matt Groening, whose sole claim to fame had been the alternative newspaper strip Life in Hell...

 

[OldNavy1988]

GI Joe: The Movie

Released on April 20, 1987.
Yes, you heard correctly, it came out on 4/20.

Production Companies
Nelvana
Hasbro Productions

Distributor
TriStar Pictures

Voices
Charlie Adler as Low-Light
Shuko Akune as Jinx
Jack Angel as Wet Suit
Jackson Beck as Narrator
Michael Bell as Duke, Xamot, Blowtorch and Lift-Ticket
Gregg Berger as Motor-Viper
Earl Boen as Taurus
Arthur Burghardt as Destro and Iceberg
Corey Burton as Tomax
William Callaway as Beach Head
François Chau as Quick Kick
Peter Cullen as Zandar and Nemesis Enforcer
Brian Cummings as Doctor Mindbender
Jennifer Darling as Pythona
Laurie Faso as Tunnel Rat
Hank Garrett as Dial Tone
Dick Gautier as Serpentor
Ed Gilbert as General Hawk
Dan Gilvezan as Slip Stream
Zack Hoffman as Zartan
Kene Holliday as Roadblock
John Hostetter as Bazooka
Don Johnson as Lt. Falcon
Buster Jones as Doc
Chris Latta as Cobra Commander, Gung Ho and Ripper
Morgan Lofting as Baroness
Chuck McCann as Leatherneck
Michael McConnohie as Cross Country
Mary McDonald-Lewis as Lady Jaye
Burgess Meredith as Golobulus
Ron Ortiz as Law
Rob Paulsen as Snow Job
Patrick Pinney as Mainframe
Poncie Ponce as Red Dog
Lisa Raggio as Zarana/Heather
Bill Ratner as Flint
Neil Ross as Buzzer, Dusty, Monkeywrench and Shipwreck
Brad Sanders as Big Lob
Ted Schwartz as Thrasher
Sgt. Slaughter as Sgt. Slaughter
Kristoffer Tabori as Mercer
B.J. Ward as Scarlett
Vernee Watson-Johnson as Scientist
Lee Weaver as Alpine
Frank Welker as Torch, Wild Bill and Order
Stan Wojno Jr. as Lifeline​

 

[OldNavy1988]

20th Century-Fox and Amblin Entertainment celebrate the tenth anniversary of Star Wars. The centerpiece of the year-long celebration is the grand opening of Star Tours an attraction based on the film series at Disneyland in Anaheim.
- The Hollywood Reporter

My Little Pony carousel opens at the Entertainment Center (Upper Lot) at Universal Studios.
- Hasbro newsletter

RKO Radio Pictures agrees to extend the existing King Kong license to Universal to clear the way for an attraction based on the character at the upcoming Orlando park. Last year, with RKO's blessing, the King Kong Encounter was added to the backlot tour at Universal's Los Angeles headquarters to great success.
- The Hollywood Reporter

Saban and DiC confirm that production has begun on Madeline, based on the Ludwig Bemelmans books. The film adaptation is due for a Summer 1988 release.
- Variety

 

[OldNavy1988]

The Chipmunk Adventure

Released on May 22, 1987.

Production Companies
Bagdasarian Productions
Ruby-Spears

Distributor
The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Based upon characters created by
Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.

Written, Produced and Directed by
Ross Bagdasarian, Jr.
Janice Karman

Music by
Randy Edelman

Voices
Ross Bagdasarian Jr. as Alvin, Simon, and David Seville
Janice Karman as Theodore Seville and as the Chipettes: Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor Miller
Dody Goodman as Ms. Miller
Susan Tyrrell as Claudia Furschtein
Anthony De Longis as Klaus Furschtein
Frank Welker as the Furschteins' dog Sophie, the baby penguin, the native chief, and various additional voices
Ken Sansom as Inspector Jamal
Nancy Cartwright as the Arabian prince

The Chipmunk Adventure was the culmination of an eight year odyssey. In the 1970's, the Chipmunk franchise was dormant after the untimely death of creator Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. As the Seventies gave way to the Eighties, the time was right for a revival. Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and his wife Janice Karman brought the Chipmunks out of retirement with the 1980 novelty album Chipmunk Punk. That project was followed soon after by the 1981 TV special A Chipmunk Christmas. Then in 1983, the Chipmunks made their return to network television with Alvin and the Chipmunks, a staple of NBC's Saturday Morning lineup for the last four years.

Now, it was time for Alvin and his brothers to paint on a larger canvas; the big screen. It would be a ginormous gamble, with Bagdasarian and Karman both financing the film themselves with the revenue generated by the TV series, as well as the home video releases by Playhouse Video. That gamble would pay off BIG TIME. And I mean BIG!!!

Many of the crew members hired to work on this film had jumped ship when Orion Pictures went down in flames. Among them, Toby Bluth, Ron Dias, Dave Pruiksma and Dan Haskett. Others were fresh out of animation programs at CalArts and the Corman Institute and sought their first big break.

The Chipmunk Adventure opened at #1 ahead of Turner's Spaceballs at the box office. A good chunk of the ticket sales came from adults who grew up with previous incarnations of the property and were now sharing the Chipmunk experience with their children. On that first weekend that the film came to theatres, no one could've guessed that The Chipmunk Adventure would be the biggest hit of 1987 from a mid-major studio.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Spaceballs

Released on May 22, 1987

Production Companies
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Brooksfilms

Distributor
Turner Pictures Worldwide

Produced and Directed by
Mel Brooks

Written by
Mel Brooks
Ronny Graham
Tom Meehan

Editor
Conrad Buff IV

Music by
John Morris

Cast
Mel Brooks as President Skroob and Yogurt
Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet
George Wyner as Colonel Sandurz
John Candy as Barf
Bill Pullman as Lone Starr
Daphne Zuniga as Princess Zuniga
Joan Rivers as the voice of Dot Matrix
Dom DeLuise as Pizza the Hutt
Dick Van Patten as King Roland
Michael Winslow as the Radar Technician

"Spaceballs is about the space...It is the last genre that I can destroy. So I'm destroying it!"
- Mel Brooks; 1987 Interview

Structured as a spoof of the Star Wars film franchise, Spaceballs also parodies elements from Star Trek, Xenomorph, Battlestar Galactica, the Space Odyssey book and film franchise, Planet of the Apes and even The Wizard of Oz. For some reason, Spaceballs could only perform #2 at the box office behind The Chipmunk Adventure when it first came out. Not to mention, the reviews for the film were mixed. Some dismissed the humor as juvenile and tired. But in later years, Spaceballs would gain the respect it deserves as one of Mel Brooks' better films.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Star Wars: The First Ten Years

Simulcast on The Disney Channel, Fox and VH1 on May 25, 1987.

Narrated by
James Earl Jones

Featuring interviews with (in alphabetical order)
Kenny Baker
David Barclay
Ben Burtt
Anthony Daniels
Richard Edlund
Carrie Fisher
Michael Gough
Mark Hamill
Joe Johnston
Lawrence Kasdan
Howard Kazanjian
Irvin Kershner
George Lucas
Peter Mayhew
Ralph McQuarrie
Frank Oz
Ken Ralston
Kurt Russell
Steven Spielberg
George Takei
Phil Tippett
Sigourney Weaver
John Williams

The reason for this special being simulcast on three channels was to accommodate markets where The Disney Channel and VH1 were already available to cable subscribers, but still did not have their own Fox affiliate until later on. But mostly, this special is a ten-year retrospect on trials and tribulations behind the scenes of each installment of the classic trilogy. Included in this special was a sneak peek of the new Star Tours attraction at Disneyland.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Predator

Released by Grand Diamond on June 12, 1987

Directed by
John McTiernan

Written by
Jim and John Thomas

Music by
Alan Silvestri

Produced by
Joel Silver

Cast
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dutch
Carl Weathers as Dillon
Bill Duke as Mac
Richard Chaves as Ramirez
Jesse Ventura as Blain
Shane Black as Hawkins
Sonny Landham as Billy
Kevin Peter Hall as the Predator

Predator vocalizations by Peter Cullen

Despite negative reviews, Predator debuted at #1 at the box office. The unexpected success in ticket sales led Grand Diamond to begin talks of a crossover with the Xenomorph series and a possible sequel.

 

[OldNavy1988]

The Brave Little Toaster

Released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 19, 1987

Production Companies
Walt Disney Pictures
Grantray-Lawrence Glasgow
Kushner-Locke

Distributor
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Written and Directed by
Jerry Rees

Music by
David Newman

Based on the book The Brave Little Toaster: A Bedtime Story for Small Appliances by
Thomas M. Disch

Select Voices
Deanna Oliver as the Toaster
Timothy E. Day as Blanky
Thurl Ravenscroft as Kirby
Tim Stack as Lampy
Jon Lovitz as Radio
Wayne Kaatz as Master Rob McGroarty
Colette Savage as Chris
Phil Hartman as the Air Conditioner
Jim Cummings as Elmo St. Peters
Judy Toll as Mish-Mash
Jonathan Benair as Black and White TV

Production on The Brave Little Toaster took place at the Scottish branch of Grantray-Lawrence, which opened a few months prior to the release of The Black Cauldron. Meanwhile, Oliver and Company, which is slated for a Thanksgiving release, is being produced at Disney's main office in Burbank.

The Brave Little Toaster was the first film to host its UK premiere at Hampden Park since the rebuild.

The Brave Little Toaster received positive reviews upon its theatrical run, but at the box office, the film trailed Turner's Spaceballs, Grand Diamond's Predator and Goldwyn's Chipmunk Adventure for the remainder of the month of June.​