As Dreamers Do: American Magic Redux

[OldNavy1988]

Shezow

Launched on September 12, 1995 on The Hub

Created by
Obie Scott Wade

Based on his comic book published by
Dark Horse Comics

Animation produced by
Murakami-Wolf-Swenson

Distributed by
Hollywood Pictures Television

Executive Producers
Obie Scott Wade
Mike Richardson

Theme song performed by
Green Jelly

Notable staff members
Larry Wachowski
Andy Wachowski
Lynne Naylor
Teale Wang
Chris Savino
Rob Renzetti

Voices
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Eli Hammond/Shezow
Grey DeLisle (debut) as Kelly Hammond
Bumper Robinson as Max Kepler
Maurice LaMarche as Baxter Hammond
Christine Ebersole as Trisha Hammond
Susanne Blakeslee as Tara
Rob Paulsen as ColdFinger
Jim Cummings as Tattoozala
Mike Judge as Major Attitude
Jennifer Hale as Null
Jess Harnell as Void

Notes
- The design of Shezow's costume is similar to what Kyla May designed for the OTL 2013 series. However, there are two differences; Pantyhose is used instead of the leopard print leggings. Also, the leopard print is absent from the sleeves in favor of a plain, lighter pink to contrast with the magenta skirt, body armor and cape.
- The writing has about 85% fewer puns than the OTL series.
- Eli's first name comes from the middle name of Guy Eli Hamdon, the main character of the OTL series.
- IOTL, Baxter Hammond's name was Boxter Hamdon.
- IOTL, Trisha Hammond's name was Droosha Hamdon.
- IOTL, Max Kepler's first name was Maz.
- Seth MacFarlane's script which called for Shezow to fight Timothy McKricfalusi (John K mixed with Timothy McVeigh) was rejected by The Hub for being in extremely poor taste.
- ColdFinger is a tad older than his OTL counterpart.
- ITTL, Null and Void are twin cyborgs.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Shnookums and Meat

Launched on September 21, 1995 on Fox, right after The Simpsons.

Created by
Bill Kopp

Animation produced by
Grantray-Lawrence Hollywood

Distributed by
20th Television

Animation supervised by
Jeff DeGrandis

Voice Talents
Jason Marsden as Shnookums
Frank Welker as Meat
Jeff Bennett as Pith Possum and Tex Tinstar
April Winchell as Doris Deer
Steve Mackall as Husband
Tress MacNielle as Wife
Patric Zimmerman as Obediah the Wonder Raccoon
Brad Garrett as Commissioner Stress and Wrongo
Charlie Adler as Chafe
Jess Harnell as Floyd the Insane Rattlesnake

Notes
Not too much changes from the OTL series, except with the addition of Jake (Jess Harnell) and Judy Kriminalski (Tress MacNielle doing a vaguely-Cajun accent) as villains in the Pith Possum segment.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

We've Got it Goin' On

The debut single by the Backstreet Boys.

IOTL, the song is track #1 on the group's US debut album (1997 IOTL).

Released on September 26, 1995.

Label
20th Century-Fox Records

Distributor
Buena Vista Music Group

Recorded at
Cheiron Studios
Stockholm, Sweden

Producers
Denniz PoP
Max Martin

Music Video

 

[OldNavy1988]

The Hub's Shezow leads prime-time weeknight cable ratings.
- Entertainment Weekly

Brand Spanking New Doug places Cartoon Network ahead of Nickelodeon in children's cable ratings for the very first time.
- The New York Times

Turner Broadcasting enters talks to acquire Funtime/Tierco.
- CNN

Cedar Fair said in a statement that its board of directors have voted to place the theme park chain for sale.
- The Cleveland Plain-Dealer

Olivia Abbott, mother of animation legend Daniel Abbott, dies in prison at the age of 78. Olivia was convicted the mid 1980's of inappropriate contact with young boys spanning decades. Among the victims was her own son Daniel when he was just a boy.
- BBC News

 

[OldNavy1988]

Just to back track a little bit...

On August 29, 1995, Buena Vista Home Entertainment reissued the original Star Wars trilogy on VHS and Laserdisc with all three titles remastered in Fantasound (the THX process of TTL). No need to worry because ITTL, this will NOT be the last time the theatrical versions will be available. Right now, this is a mere repackaging that serves a couple of purposes; to introduce the classic trilogy to a new generation and to drum up excitement for the Shadows of the Empire multimedia project, the revival of the Power of the Force toyline and give fans something to hold them over till the prequel trilogy arrives.

 

[OldNavy1988]

MADtv

Launched on UPN on October 14, 1995

Produced by
Quincy Jones/David Salzman Entertainment

Distributed by
Paramount Television

Based on MAD Magazine published by
Paramount Comics
(Formerly Entertaining Quality)

First Season Cast
Bryan Callen
Debra Wilson
Orlando Jones
Phil LaMarr
Artie Lange
David Herman
Nicole Sullivan
Mary Scheer

The first episode of MADtv began with a cold opening that consisted of Judge Lance Ito (Ken Jeong) sentencing John (David Herman) and Bridgette Kricfalusi (Mary Scheer) to choose between doors 1, 2 and 3 for their punishment. Other than that, the first season is pretty much the same as OTL.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror VI
Original airdate
October 26, 1995 on Fox

Most of Treehouse of Horror VI is the same as OTL with a few exceptions:
- The intro is extended with more tombstone gags to go with Krusty's Headless Horseman.
- This year's Amusing Tombstones: Carolco Pictures, The Calgary Broncos, Oldsmobile, The Kricfalusi Trial, Grunge Rock.
- "Dangerously Deranged Daniel Abbott" (credit gag) directs the segment in which Homer turns 3D (above).​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Special thanks to @eldandythedoubter and others for the ideas.

Panasonic Hydra
Launched on October 24, 1995

Known IOTL as the 3DO.

In-House Game Developer and Publisher
Panasonic Interactive Entertainment (PIE)

Launch Titles
Molly the Mermaid (PIE)
D (PIE)
Crash N' Burn (Crystal Dynamics)
Alone in the Dark (Infogrames; Krysalis)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo: The New Challengers (Capcom)
Megaman X: The Maverick Uprising (Capcom)
Rocket Knight Adventures: The Sparkster Trilogy (Konami)
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (Konami)
Tekken: King of the Iron Fist (Namco)

Sega Aurora
Launched on November 7, 1995

Known IOTL as the Sega Saturn.

In House Game Developers and Publishers
Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Paramount Games
Sonic Team

Launch Titles
Sonic World Tour
Bug!
Daytona USA
Panzer Dragoon
Virtua Fighter
Clockwork Night
Tales from the Crypt: The Cryptkeeper's Gambit
Mario Andretti Racing '96

Coming next year:
Atari Panther
Nintendo 64​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Toy Story

Released by Touchstone Pictures on November 22, 1995.

Produced by
Pixar Animation Studios (Formerly Amblin Computer Graphics)

Directed by
John Lasseter

Story and Screenplay Credits
Same as OTL

Voice Talents
Same as OTL

Music by
Randy Newman

Notes
- Most of the story is the same as OTL. The original American Magic had Woody as a villain, which didn't sit well with some users.
- Pixar is still headed by Ed Catmull with Commodore chairman Steve Wozniak acting as a strategic advisor.
- If Disney is to enter the CGI film market, it'll likely pair with Pacific Data Images. Or they could enter a joint venture with Microsoft, with Dell or Hewlett-Packard building the hardware.
- In an interview prior to the film's opening, John Lasseter said he still feels the lingering effects of being punched by Daniel Abbott at the Turner Mansion sixteen years earlier. Since then, there haven't been any incidents of misconduct on Lasseter's part.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Touchstone's Toy Story takes Thanksgiving box office lead over Turner's Goldeneye.
- The Hollywood Reporter

Greenwich, CT-based Blue Sky enters an alliance with Disney on a trial basis. A CGI short will be released sometime in 1998. On the strength of that short, Blue Sky could immediately begin production on a feature length theatrical film.
- The Boston Globe

Gus St. Pierre on his 18th birthday (11/30/95): "This year, I flew to New Orleans to leave some flowers on Colette's gravestone. Words cannot accurately describe how much I wish she was here to celebrate my birthday. My life simply hasn't been the same without her."
- The O'Reilly Factor on UPN

Mario Kassar and Roger Corman agree to part ways and place Carolco Pictures up for sale.
- Variety

 

[OldNavy1988]

Entertainment News for Early December 1995

George Lucas invokes the escape clause in his contract with Universal Pictures. Once a successor is found, Lucas will join Amblin Entertainment as a consultant on the Star Wars prequel trilogy, which Amblin is co-producing with 20th Century-Fox. Among the names being considered to take over as head of Universal are Joel Silver, Brad Grey of Brillstein-Grey Management, Amy Pascal of United Artists, Rob Reiner of Paramount and Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment.
- The Hollywood Reporter

Cubby Broccoli announces his retirement from the James Bond franchise citing declining health.
- Entertainment Tonight

MADtv overtakes SNL in Saturday night ratings.
- TV Guide

In politics
Shortly after announcing his re-election campaign, President Cuomo nominates Mills Lane to the Supreme Court.
- The Washington Post

Colin Powell, George W. Bush and Jack Kemp each announce they will compete with anti-establishment candidate Harvey Weinstein for the GOP presidential nomination.
- The New York Times

In sports
(Dedicated to @PNWKing and @mrcubfan415
The Mariners' Cinderella run to the World Series saw Seattle upset the Atlanta Braves in seven games. Now, King County voters have approved a special referendum for a retractable roof ballpark to replace the rapidly aging Kingdome.
- The Seattle Times

 

[OldNavy1988]

@HonestAbe1809
So the Dick Tracy ride can also be added to Worlds of Wonder? Or another chain?

Entertainment News for Mid-December 1995

Warner Bros. Records signs Orlando-based singing quintet NSYNC, with hopes of cashing in on the success 20th Century-Fox enjoyed this past September with the Backstreet Boys' debut single We've Got it Goin' On. Warners' decision, music insiders say, is only the beginning of a new era already being ushered in by Fox.
- Billboard

Disney has selected the Louisiana Superdome to host the world premiere of The Hunchback of Notre Dame this coming June.
- The New Orleans Times-Picayune

The resurrected Star Wars: Power of the Force toyline already proving to be the the hottest item this coming Christmas.
- The New York Times

Rumor Mill: Teasers for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, The Fantastic Four and Shadows of the Empire will precede Spider-Man 2 at theatres everywhere.

The Sports Page

FX, SBC agree to carry the Arena Football League for $67 million USD over the next five years. The league will celebrate its tenth season next spring and summer. From its inception, the AFL has been a subsidiary of Stamford, CT-based Titan Sports, parent company of the World Wrestling Alliance.
- The Hartford Courant

 

[OldNavy1988]

Spider-Man 2

Released by 20th Century-Fox on December 22, 1995.

Directed by
Fred Dekker

Screenplay by
Alvin Sargent
Daniel Waters

Cast
Leonardo DiCaprio as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Alec Baldwin as Tony Stark/Iron Man
Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin
Jean Claude Van Damme as Flint Marko/Sandman
Staci Keanan as Gwen Stacy
Wil Wheaton as Harry Osborn
Julie Andrews as Aunt May
J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson

Notes
- The sand effects whenever Spidey tries to punch Sandman were achieved using prosthetics.
- The death of Gwen Stacy is loosely based on a storyline in issues #121 and #122 in the original comics.
- Flint Marko's transformation into Sandman was achieved with a combination of blue screen, miniatures and prosthetics.
- The bagpipes at Gwen's funeral are played by actual members of the New York Port Authority's pipe band.
- Stan Lee makes a cameo as a mourner at Gwen's funeral.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Comcast officially introduces Brian Grazer as the new head of Universal Pictures.
- The Hollywood Reporter

Simpsons animation supervisor Daniel Abbott will undergo a kidney transplant later this month. The operation he says is necessitated by years of heavy alcohol consumption. Abbott, father of two, turns 38 in April.
- Inside Edition

Bally will begin phasing out its Worlds of Wonder preview center as the company years up for the grand opening of its indoor theme park on the famed Las Vegas strip. The preview center can still be seen inside the lobby of Bally's Las Vegas hotel. Bally said in a statement that the preview center will close for good on April 30.
- USA Today

Shnookums and Meat renewed for a second season by Fox.
- TV Guide

The parent company of the famous Caesar's Palace hotel in Las Vegas is interested in a leveraged buyout of struggling theme park chain Cedar Fair. Cedar had moved its headquarters to Cleveland in August of 1994, but is anticipating another down year as Bally is hearing up to open Worlds of Wonder in Nevada while Disney commemorates the 25th anniversary of its Orlando resort.
- The Cleveland Plain Dealer

 

[OldNavy1988]

Entertainment News for Mid-January 1996

CNN's parent company Turner Broadcasting names Barbara Broccoli, daughter of famed James Bond producer Cubby Broccoli, as the new CEO of United Artists. Following the release of GoldenEye, Cubby stepped down from his position citing declining health.
- CNN ShowBiz Today

George Lucas officially returns to the Star Wars franchise as the new vice president of Amblin Entertainment and consultant on the upcoming prequel trilogy.
- Entertainment Tonight

A spokesperson for Fox says Daniel Abbott will return to work in March following his kidney transplant. In the meantime, David X. Cohen is substituting for Daniel as animation supervisor for The Simpsons.
- Variety

Knott's Berry Farm is up for sale.
- The Orange County Register.

TimeWarner expresses an interest in acquiring Carolco.
- The Hollywood Reporter

After Harvey Weinstein abruptly decided to run for the Republican candidacy, the board of directors of Polygram, who co-own Gramercy Pictures with Universal Studios' parent company Comcast, voted unanimously to oust Weinstein for breach of contract.
- PBS NewsHour

Disney breaks ground on Fox Sports World [1], which will open at the Orlando resort in the spring of 1997.
- SportsCenter

[1] This is the same as ESPN Wide World of Sports, except with Fox branding. IOTL, this was where the NBA held its bubble in 2020.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Tom and Huck

Released by Touchstone Pictures on January 26, 1996.

Cast and Crew
Same as OTL

Notes
- Tom and Huck was pushed back a month from its OTL release date to prevent the film from getting crushed by Fox's Spider-Man 2, which itself was rescheduled from its original June 1995 release date.
- Just like IOTL, Tom and Huck opened to mixed reviews.
- The Boston Globe said "Jonathan Taylor Thomas is fine as Tom Sawyer, but he's no Greg Rhodes."​

 

[OldNavy1988]

At a news conference in Detroit, TimeWarner formally announces their acquisition of Carolco. Of course, with this development, theme park enthusiasts have questions about the future of the Carolco-themed rides which just opened last year at the Paramount Pinnacle. A spokesperson for TimeWarner says they will honor Carolco's ironclad license with Paramount, which runs through the end of 2005.
- The Hollywood Reporter

A judge Los Angeles ruled in favor of filmmaker Roland Emmerich, allowing him to regain the rights to his unproduced UFO screenplay Independence Day. The project was famously canceled by 20th Century-Fox last year. At the time, Fox chief Frank Wells said the decision was made out of respect for those affected by the tragedy that had taken place a week earlier in Oklahoma City.
- Variety

The Sports Page
The Calgary Broncos have never had a winning season since joining the NHL as part of the merger with the WHA. During the All-Star weekend in Boston, we learned that the Broncos are indeed talking to officials in Nashville, Phoenix and Portland about a potential relocation of the franchise.
- The Hockey News

 

[OldNavy1988]

Theme Park IP Chart as of 1996​

Chain	Parks	Primary IP's	Third Party Partners
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (HQ: Burbank, CA)	Disneyland Park (Anaheim, CA) Nara Disneyland (Japan) Riverfront Square (St. Louis, MO) Magic Kingdom (Orlando, FL) Tokyo Disney World (Japan) EPCOT Center (Orlando, FL) Disney-Fox Studios (Orlando, FL) EuroDisney (Valencia, Spain) Second Anaheim Gate (Coming in 2001)	Walt Disney Pictures 20th Century-Fox Marvel Comics Atari	Mirage Studios (Owns 25% of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise with Disney, who own 75%) Amblin Entertainment (40% of Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Roger Rabbit franchises)
Comcast Recreational (HQ: Universal City, CA)	Universal Studios Hollywood (Universal City, CA) Universal Studios Florida (Orlando, FL) Universal Studios London (UK) Second Orlando Gate (Coming in 1999)	Universal Pictures Archie Comics Gemini Comics	RKO Radio Pictures Toho Co. Ltd. Nintendo of America (Through Hasbro, Inc.)
Bally's, Inc. (HQ: Chicago, IL)	Bally's Magic Mountain (Valencia, CA) Bally's Kentucky Kingdom (Louisville, KY) Bally's Chicagoland (Gurnee, IL) Bally's Circus World (Near Orlando, FL) Bally's Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, MO) Bally's Cowboy Corral (Irving, TX) Bally's Worlds of Wonder (Las Vegas, NV)	Hollywood Pictures Bullwinkle Studios (50% w/ the Ward family) Bally Midway video games	Golden Harvest (Power Rangers, Madeline, Inspector Gadget, etc.) PAWS, Inc. (Garfield, US Acres) Dark Horse Comics (Shezow, The Mask) Feld Entertainment (Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus) Premavision (Gumby)
Six Kings (HQ: Arlington, TX)	Kings Island (Near Cincinnati, OH) Kings Dominion (Near Richmond, VA) Carowinds (Charlotte, NC) Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington, TX) Six Flags Over Mid-America (St. Louis, MO) Six Flags Over Georgia (Austell, GA) AstroWorld (Houston, TX)		Columbia-TriStar (DC Comics)
Paramount Parks (HQ: Hollywood, CA)	Paramount Pinnacle (Carson, CA)	Paramount Pictures SEGA Paramount Comics Rankin-Bass	Carolco Pictures (Xenomorph, Predator, Felix the Cat) New Line Cinema (Elm Street, Terminator, RoboCop, Highlander) BBC (Doctor Who) Aardman (Wallace and Gromit) Bagdasarian (Alvin and the Chipmunks)
Funtime-Tierco, Inc. (HQ: Oklahoma City, OK)	Geauga Lake (Aurora, OH) Darien Lake (Darien, NY) Frontier City, (Oklahoma City, OK) Riverside Park (Agawam, MA) Enchanted Village (Federal Way, WA) Great America (Santa Clara, CA) Great Adventure (Jackson, NJ)		Turner Broadcasting System (UA and MGM properties)
Turner Leisure (HQ: Atlanta, GA)	MGM Grand Adventure Park (Las Vegas, NV)	Turner Broadcasting System (UA and MGM properties)	King Features Syndicate (Popeye)
Cedar Fair (HQ: Cleveland, OH)	Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH) Valleyfair (Shakopee, MN) Dorney Park (Allentown, PA)
Knott Family (HQ: Buena Park, CA) [1]	Knott's Berry Farm (Buena Park, CA)		United Feature Syndicate (Peanuts)
Herschend Family Entertainment (HQ: Atlanta, GA)	Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, TN) Silver Dollar City (Branson, MO)
Namco USA (HQ: Denver, Colorado)	Elitch Gardens (Denver, CO) Great Escape (Queensbury, NY)	Namco video games	Warner Bros. (Looney Tunes)

[1] Up for sale.

Licenses that have expired since the '89 chart:
Rainbow Brite (owned by Hallmark; formerly licensed to Bally)
Jim Henson Co. (Touchstone, Muppets, Hanna-Barbera, Nickelodeon, ABC)
Berenstain Bears (owned by Random House; formerly licensed to Bally)
Dr. Seuss (owned by Random House; formerly licensed to Bally)
King Features Syndicate (Formerly licensed to Six Kings)

Expiring licenses:
Hasbro/Nintendo license with Universal expires in 2000.
Tribune Media's Dick Tracy license with Disney expires in 2001 unless Crimestoppers (finally?) gets built.
Warner Bros' Looney Tunes license with Namco expires in 1999.
Carolco's license with Paramount expires in 2005, but Warner Bros. will honor the license as part of TimeWarner's acquisition of Carolco.

Notes:
Despite Bally retaining the RB/B&B license since '89, the parent company of Circus Circus won an injunction in a Clark County courtroom preventing Bally from incorporating any RB/B&B paraphernalia or attractions into Worlds of Wonder in Las Vegas.

Let me know which IP's you want to see at the chains listed above.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Hackers

Released by Gramercy Pictures on February 9, 1996

Cast and Crew
Same as OTL

Notes
- Gramercy fired current GOP candidate Harvey Weinstein three weeks before the film's release for breach of contract.
- One day before the film came out, Gramercy hired former Carolco co-chair Roger Corman.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

DECEMBER 1995
The Secret of Bear Mountain

Released by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment
Notes:
- Known IOTL as Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain. (Worst title for a movie about teenage girls IMHO).
- The Gold Diggers part of the title was taken out at the request of studio chairman Richard Donner.
- The film begins with a rare variant of the WBFE logo (LINK).

JANUARY 1996
Bio Dome

Released by Turner

Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood

Released by Hollywood Pictures

From Dusk till Dawn

Released by Golden Harvest

Big Bully

Released by Warner Bros.

FEBRUARY 1996
Black Sheep

Released by Paramount Pictures

Happy Gilmore

Released by Universal Pictures

Bottle Rocket

Released by New Line Cinema

Trainspotting

Released by Gramercy Pictures
Notes: This was Gramercy's first release after Roger Corman officially took over as studio chief.

Now and Then

Released by Touchstone Pictures

Muppet Treasure Island

Released by Jim Henson Pictures
NOTES: This was the first Henson film with a new logo (LINK).
​