Ah yeah because Ebsen was originally slated to be the tin man but got aluminium dust in his system
I walked with you once upon a dream…. or yet another Disney film timeline
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4. Hansel And Gretel (1941)
4. Hansel And Gretel. Film Four in the canon. Released October 23, 1941. Directed by Ben Sharpsteen
A simpler film done as a way to make up for the box office troubles of the last two outings, Hansel and Gretel saw the use of basic yet beautiful watercolor backgrounds and a shorter running time (a little more than a hour) as ways to keep the production low. The classic story is familiar to all, Hansel and Gretel are two children lost in the depths of the forest who discover an enchanted cottage made of candy, only to be seduced and nearly eaten by the vile witch who lives there.
Some have interpreted the movie as something of an accidental parable for what was occurring in Europe at the time. The witch appears as a beautiful and pure blonde maiden and savior, only for be exposed as a horrible murderous hag. Hansel and Gretel, having a slight and inoffensive Semitic appearance are threaten to be thrown in her oven, but using their bravery and wits manage to defeat the villainess, sending her to the fate she had planned for them. The two then escape and return home to their loving father.
An animators strike occurred during production, which sadly saw many talented people get fired by Walt. Hansel And Gretel was a bona fide hit with audiences and critics, serving as a much needed shot in the arm for the struggling Disney Studio. Just a few weeks after its release, Pearl Harbor occurred, changing the fate of both the real world and animated ones for all time...
A simpler film done as a way to make up for the box office troubles of the last two outings, Hansel and Gretel saw the use of basic yet beautiful watercolor backgrounds and a shorter running time (a little more than a hour) as ways to keep the production low. The classic story is familiar to all, Hansel and Gretel are two children lost in the depths of the forest who discover an enchanted cottage made of candy, only to be seduced and nearly eaten by the vile witch who lives there.
Some have interpreted the movie as something of an accidental parable for what was occurring in Europe at the time. The witch appears as a beautiful and pure blonde maiden and savior, only for be exposed as a horrible murderous hag. Hansel and Gretel, having a slight and inoffensive Semitic appearance are threaten to be thrown in her oven, but using their bravery and wits manage to defeat the villainess, sending her to the fate she had planned for them. The two then escape and return home to their loving father.
An animators strike occurred during production, which sadly saw many talented people get fired by Walt. Hansel And Gretel was a bona fide hit with audiences and critics, serving as a much needed shot in the arm for the struggling Disney Studio. Just a few weeks after its release, Pearl Harbor occurred, changing the fate of both the real world and animated ones for all time...
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31. Peter Pan (1992)
31. Peter Pan. Film Thirty-one in the canon. Released November 11, 1992. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker.
Love it or hate it, Peter Pan was one of the biggest Disney films of not just the Renaissance, but in the studio’s entire history. Finally realizing Walt’s posthumous dream of adapting J.M. Barrie’s classic fairy tale, it was helped along by the star power of its lyricist and composter. Michael Jackson, fresh off the success of Dangerous, was able to take time out of his busy schedule and be the creative force behind the music, giving it an emphatic and modern poppy feel.
Jackson had a good relationship with Disney for years, and was famous for starring as the lead in their groundbreaking Captain EO attraction. With Barrie’s story being a personal favorite, to the extent he named his property Neverland Ranch, he of course heavily lobbied to be involved in production. The producers and directors where overjoyed to have the King of Pop writing the songs for a Disney film. Originally, Jackson wanted to voice Peter as well. This was dropped early on due to the directors wanting Peter to have a “believable, childlike, and unknown voice,” not the voice of a grown-man who was the biggest celebrity on the planet.
In Edwardian London, the Darling children tell stories of Peter Pan and Neverland, a place in which time stands still and one never grows up. Every night Wendy, Michael, and John imagine going on adventures with Peter and his Lost Boys, much to the anger of their father. He demands that Wendy drop her childish poppycock and start growing up, saying she must move out of the nursery.
That night, the children are pleased to discover that Peter Pan is real when he comes looking for his lost shadow. With Tinkerbell’s pixie dust and happy thoughts, they fly away to Neverland encountering pirates, mermaids, and Indians. Peter’s arch-foe, Captain James Hook (voiced by Dustin Hoffman), seeks revenge for Pan cutting off his hand. Hook first tries to find Pan’s hideout by kidnapping Tiger Lily, but she is rescued resulting in slapstick humiliation for him and Smee. They then successfully use Tinkerbell’s envy towards the newcomers to coax the information out of her. However, Tink saves Peter by drinking the “medicine” left for him by Hook, sacrificing her life.
Peter is heartbroken, but he must quickly save the Darlings and Lost Boys from being killed by Hook. He does so, leaving the captain and his crew being pursued by the crocodile beyond the watery horizon. Wendy’s belief in fairies manages to bring Tink back to life, the two making amends. Peter then takes the Darlings back to London on the flying pirate ship, and the family, including the parents, watch the boat sail away into the clouds.
Featuring eight original songs by Jackson, Peter Pan was a box office megahit, being the highest grossing film of 1992. Its popularity has ebbed and flowed throughout the years, with many parodies focusing of the later controversies of Jackson’s other music and his rocky private life. Nonetheless, it remains a favorite of many a 90s kid.
Love it or hate it, Peter Pan was one of the biggest Disney films of not just the Renaissance, but in the studio’s entire history. Finally realizing Walt’s posthumous dream of adapting J.M. Barrie’s classic fairy tale, it was helped along by the star power of its lyricist and composter. Michael Jackson, fresh off the success of Dangerous, was able to take time out of his busy schedule and be the creative force behind the music, giving it an emphatic and modern poppy feel.
Jackson had a good relationship with Disney for years, and was famous for starring as the lead in their groundbreaking Captain EO attraction. With Barrie’s story being a personal favorite, to the extent he named his property Neverland Ranch, he of course heavily lobbied to be involved in production. The producers and directors where overjoyed to have the King of Pop writing the songs for a Disney film. Originally, Jackson wanted to voice Peter as well. This was dropped early on due to the directors wanting Peter to have a “believable, childlike, and unknown voice,” not the voice of a grown-man who was the biggest celebrity on the planet.
In Edwardian London, the Darling children tell stories of Peter Pan and Neverland, a place in which time stands still and one never grows up. Every night Wendy, Michael, and John imagine going on adventures with Peter and his Lost Boys, much to the anger of their father. He demands that Wendy drop her childish poppycock and start growing up, saying she must move out of the nursery.
That night, the children are pleased to discover that Peter Pan is real when he comes looking for his lost shadow. With Tinkerbell’s pixie dust and happy thoughts, they fly away to Neverland encountering pirates, mermaids, and Indians. Peter’s arch-foe, Captain James Hook (voiced by Dustin Hoffman), seeks revenge for Pan cutting off his hand. Hook first tries to find Pan’s hideout by kidnapping Tiger Lily, but she is rescued resulting in slapstick humiliation for him and Smee. They then successfully use Tinkerbell’s envy towards the newcomers to coax the information out of her. However, Tink saves Peter by drinking the “medicine” left for him by Hook, sacrificing her life.
Peter is heartbroken, but he must quickly save the Darlings and Lost Boys from being killed by Hook. He does so, leaving the captain and his crew being pursued by the crocodile beyond the watery horizon. Wendy’s belief in fairies manages to bring Tink back to life, the two making amends. Peter then takes the Darlings back to London on the flying pirate ship, and the family, including the parents, watch the boat sail away into the clouds.
Featuring eight original songs by Jackson, Peter Pan was a box office megahit, being the highest grossing film of 1992. Its popularity has ebbed and flowed throughout the years, with many parodies focusing of the later controversies of Jackson’s other music and his rocky private life. Nonetheless, it remains a favorite of many a 90s kid.
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I haven’t given much thought, but it still exists. Though with many different worlds reflecting the changes to canon.
34. Journey To The Center Of The Earth (1996)
In honor of the release of Strange World…
34. Journey To The Center Of The Earth. Film Thirty-Four in the canon. Released June 19, 1996. Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise.
As their follow up to the success of Tangled, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise decided to adapt a classic of 19th century science fiction. It wasn't the first time that Jules Verne had been translated by Disney, and just like 20,000 Leagues it proved to be just as remarkable. Journey To The Center Of The Earth would be one of the studio's most technically ambitious and visually daring of all their films.
The year is 1863. Ecentric German scientist and explorer Professor Otto Lidenbrock theorizes that there is another legendary world beneath our own, a realm where the prehistoric thrives. His nephew Axel is highly skeptical of such ideas, but is willing to join him on an adventure inside the volcanos and caves of Iceland. Accompanying them is Hans Bjelke, a local who will serve as their guide in the remote and rugged Northern European landscape. Arriving at the volcano of Snæfellsjökull, the trio descend far into the subterranean world and soon find that Otto was correct!
Before them lies a wild, exotic world underneath our very feet, lit by a tiny sun that serves as the Earth's core. The alienlike creatures mostly prove to be hostile, with the exception of a small avian creature Axel names Pierre that serves as a tagalong. The relationship between the three men is strained and tested in this perilous ancient land, but ultimately strengthens. Many viewers especially praised how the heart of the movie became Otto and Hans realizing their place as a surrogate father and older brother for Axel, who is here is given a backstory of having an abusive and uncaring dad.
Eventually the three, plus Pierre, realize to reach the surface that they must take a risky ride upon a giant geyser, lest they remain here forever. It shoots them out of a volcano in Italy. The three are hailed as extraordinary explorers, having Pierre and various artifacts to prove their epic story.
Journey To The Center Of The Earth was strongly praised upon release for being a departure from many other Disney films. The look of the film, from Lidenbrock's house of curiosities, to the barren Icelandic tundra, to the lush underground forests populated by bizarre giant reptiles and mammals, is especially highly regarded. A few elements did met critique though: many said that Pierre doesn't add to the film and was shoehorned in to serve as a cute animal sidekick. Regardless, it proved to be one of the highest grossing films of the year.
34. Journey To The Center Of The Earth. Film Thirty-Four in the canon. Released June 19, 1996. Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise.
As their follow up to the success of Tangled, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise decided to adapt a classic of 19th century science fiction. It wasn't the first time that Jules Verne had been translated by Disney, and just like 20,000 Leagues it proved to be just as remarkable. Journey To The Center Of The Earth would be one of the studio's most technically ambitious and visually daring of all their films.
The year is 1863. Ecentric German scientist and explorer Professor Otto Lidenbrock theorizes that there is another legendary world beneath our own, a realm where the prehistoric thrives. His nephew Axel is highly skeptical of such ideas, but is willing to join him on an adventure inside the volcanos and caves of Iceland. Accompanying them is Hans Bjelke, a local who will serve as their guide in the remote and rugged Northern European landscape. Arriving at the volcano of Snæfellsjökull, the trio descend far into the subterranean world and soon find that Otto was correct!
Before them lies a wild, exotic world underneath our very feet, lit by a tiny sun that serves as the Earth's core. The alienlike creatures mostly prove to be hostile, with the exception of a small avian creature Axel names Pierre that serves as a tagalong. The relationship between the three men is strained and tested in this perilous ancient land, but ultimately strengthens. Many viewers especially praised how the heart of the movie became Otto and Hans realizing their place as a surrogate father and older brother for Axel, who is here is given a backstory of having an abusive and uncaring dad.
Eventually the three, plus Pierre, realize to reach the surface that they must take a risky ride upon a giant geyser, lest they remain here forever. It shoots them out of a volcano in Italy. The three are hailed as extraordinary explorers, having Pierre and various artifacts to prove their epic story.
Journey To The Center Of The Earth was strongly praised upon release for being a departure from many other Disney films. The look of the film, from Lidenbrock's house of curiosities, to the barren Icelandic tundra, to the lush underground forests populated by bizarre giant reptiles and mammals, is especially highly regarded. A few elements did met critique though: many said that Pierre doesn't add to the film and was shoehorned in to serve as a cute animal sidekick. Regardless, it proved to be one of the highest grossing films of the year.
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13. The Little Mermaid (1953)
In honor of the release of the remake of dubious quality...
13. The Little Mermaid (1953). Film Thirteen in the canon. Released February 5, 1953. Directed by Wilfred Jackson.
European fairy tales and literature had been an interest of Walt Disney since his childhood. With his first ever feature film, The Snow Queen, being based on a tale by Danish master writer Hans Christian Andersen, it was no surprise that more than fifteen years later he would return to that well. The Little Mermaid was a technical and artistic challenge, Disney's first film taking place largely underwater. Art design would be largely done by Kay Nielsen, who brought an old-fashioned nearly gothic look to the undersea environments, while the designs of the characters where finalized by Fred Moore. His mermaids have long been commented on for their surprisingly provocativeness.
Princess Ariel lives in a undersea kingdom with father, King Triton, her sisters, grandmother, and her best friends Sebastian the crab and Flounder the fish. Ariel is fascinated by the surface world and asks her grandmother what happens to humans after they die. She is told that they go to heaven, while mermaids, lacking souls, turn to sea foam. One day the princess rescues Prince Eric from drowning. Enthralled by the human man, she decides that she wants to live as a human despite the pleas of Sebastian and Flounder not to go.
Ariel trades her voice to Ursula the sea witch for a potion that will get her legs. She must kiss Eric in three days, if she fails she will die. Ariel enjoys her time with Eric, but is dismayed to discover that he will be marrying a princess from another kingdom shortly. Her charming efforts to win his heart with the aid of her friends fail. Ariel accepts her fate, only to find that rather than sea form she has turned into a sylph, a daughter of the air. She learns that she now has the chance to gain a soul and rise to heaven should she do good deeds for 300 years.
The Little Mermaid was praised for its art direction and maturity, but its overtly religious themes and melancholic ending ensured it to be one of the most controversial Disney films, even seven decades later.
13. The Little Mermaid (1953). Film Thirteen in the canon. Released February 5, 1953. Directed by Wilfred Jackson.
European fairy tales and literature had been an interest of Walt Disney since his childhood. With his first ever feature film, The Snow Queen, being based on a tale by Danish master writer Hans Christian Andersen, it was no surprise that more than fifteen years later he would return to that well. The Little Mermaid was a technical and artistic challenge, Disney's first film taking place largely underwater. Art design would be largely done by Kay Nielsen, who brought an old-fashioned nearly gothic look to the undersea environments, while the designs of the characters where finalized by Fred Moore. His mermaids have long been commented on for their surprisingly provocativeness.
Princess Ariel lives in a undersea kingdom with father, King Triton, her sisters, grandmother, and her best friends Sebastian the crab and Flounder the fish. Ariel is fascinated by the surface world and asks her grandmother what happens to humans after they die. She is told that they go to heaven, while mermaids, lacking souls, turn to sea foam. One day the princess rescues Prince Eric from drowning. Enthralled by the human man, she decides that she wants to live as a human despite the pleas of Sebastian and Flounder not to go.
Ariel trades her voice to Ursula the sea witch for a potion that will get her legs. She must kiss Eric in three days, if she fails she will die. Ariel enjoys her time with Eric, but is dismayed to discover that he will be marrying a princess from another kingdom shortly. Her charming efforts to win his heart with the aid of her friends fail. Ariel accepts her fate, only to find that rather than sea form she has turned into a sylph, a daughter of the air. She learns that she now has the chance to gain a soul and rise to heaven should she do good deeds for 300 years.
The Little Mermaid was praised for its art direction and maturity, but its overtly religious themes and melancholic ending ensured it to be one of the most controversial Disney films, even seven decades later.
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Sorcerer’s Apprentice exists as a stand alone short, but with Donald Duck as its star!
For Alice, I’m thinking of it being released in the 80s, maybe with Don Bluth as director?
As for a Jiminy Cricket type character, maybe the The Wizard from Disney’s 1940 Oz film.
23. The Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor (1977)
23. The Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor (1977). Film Twenty-three in the canon. Released June 22, 1977. Directed by Woolie Reitherman.
The Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor would be the last of Disney’s package features, being composed of three previous Sinbad featurettes released in 1966, 1968, and 1974. The format of these award-winning humorous shorts sees the gallant, yet delusional, Sinbad and his hapless crew as they sail the seven seas in search of treasure. The comedic stories are narrated by an unseen Scheherazade, reading from the Arabian Nights book. Fourth wall breaks abound with the characters aware that they are literally in a book. Ships crash into paragraphs, Sinbad attempts to turn pages, and characters directly argue with the narrator. The feature film has newly animated segments to tie the three stories together, alongside a brief ending.
The first of the stories “Sinbad and The Roc” sees our mariner protagonist attempt to steal the egg of an enormous roc, which leads to the crew being forced to babysit a large chick and avoid danger from an angry vulturine mother. The second, “Sinbad and The Pirates” has Sinbad challenge a rival team of pirates in a race to locate buried diamonds. However, a school of alluring sirens makes the task more perilous than it first appears.
In the last tale, “Sinbad and The Cyclops” Sinbad and crew discover the island of a stereotypically aristocratic one-eyed giant. After Sinbad insults the colossus’ taste in interior decorating, they find themselves prisoners set to be kebabbed. With the crew’s wits and a lot of dumb luck, they narrowly manage to escape with the Cyclops’ gold in tow. In the new ending segment, Scheherazade states that Sinbad became determined to continue sailing the seas until the end of time and that “as far as I know he is still out there somewhere…”
Despite being a rehash of older shorts, the film received praise and has continued to be considered a classic, its somewhat aged depictions of Arabs notwithstanding. It would also be the final film directed by Woolie Reitherman, who directed the three shorts and the few minutes of new content. The movie serves as the basis for the “Arabian Coast” section of the Port Disney and Tokyo Disney Sea theme parks, alongside the Little Mermaid inspired “Mermaid’s Lagoon” and 20,000 Leagues based “Mysterious Island”.
The Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor would be the last of Disney’s package features, being composed of three previous Sinbad featurettes released in 1966, 1968, and 1974. The format of these award-winning humorous shorts sees the gallant, yet delusional, Sinbad and his hapless crew as they sail the seven seas in search of treasure. The comedic stories are narrated by an unseen Scheherazade, reading from the Arabian Nights book. Fourth wall breaks abound with the characters aware that they are literally in a book. Ships crash into paragraphs, Sinbad attempts to turn pages, and characters directly argue with the narrator. The feature film has newly animated segments to tie the three stories together, alongside a brief ending.
The first of the stories “Sinbad and The Roc” sees our mariner protagonist attempt to steal the egg of an enormous roc, which leads to the crew being forced to babysit a large chick and avoid danger from an angry vulturine mother. The second, “Sinbad and The Pirates” has Sinbad challenge a rival team of pirates in a race to locate buried diamonds. However, a school of alluring sirens makes the task more perilous than it first appears.
In the last tale, “Sinbad and The Cyclops” Sinbad and crew discover the island of a stereotypically aristocratic one-eyed giant. After Sinbad insults the colossus’ taste in interior decorating, they find themselves prisoners set to be kebabbed. With the crew’s wits and a lot of dumb luck, they narrowly manage to escape with the Cyclops’ gold in tow. In the new ending segment, Scheherazade states that Sinbad became determined to continue sailing the seas until the end of time and that “as far as I know he is still out there somewhere…”
Despite being a rehash of older shorts, the film received praise and has continued to be considered a classic, its somewhat aged depictions of Arabs notwithstanding. It would also be the final film directed by Woolie Reitherman, who directed the three shorts and the few minutes of new content. The movie serves as the basis for the “Arabian Coast” section of the Port Disney and Tokyo Disney Sea theme parks, alongside the Little Mermaid inspired “Mermaid’s Lagoon” and 20,000 Leagues based “Mysterious Island”.
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List Of Shuffled Disney Timelines
Not an update, this post is just a little list of shuffled and alternate Disney timelines. Please feel free to point out any I've missed.
Changing the Reel by King Of The Uzbeks
I walked with you once upon a dream by X_X
The Shuffled Disneyverse by PGSBHurricane
Shuffling the Canon by JoeCarioca2491
The Disney Film Archives by The British President
Changing the Reel by King Of The Uzbeks
I walked with you once upon a dream by X_X
The Shuffled Disneyverse by PGSBHurricane
Shuffling the Canon by JoeCarioca2491
The Disney Film Archives by The British President
Appreciate the mention. Thank you and I’m looking forward to seeing what else you have in store.
You're welcome!
I'll probably be doing a reboot of this, while still incorporating many of the ideas.
8. Melody Time (1946)
8. Melody Time. Film Eight in the canon. Released August 15, 1946. Directed by James Algar, Norm Ferguson, Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Hamilton Luske, and Ben Sharpsteen.
An anthology of musical shorts, each with a different director. Buddy Clark serves as the master of ceremonies.
The program consists of:
Aquarela do Brasil: Set to Ary Barroso’s composition, the beauty of Brazil comes to life from a magic paintbrush as Donald Duck and José Carioca explore the streets and sights.
Once Upon a Wintertime: Jenny and Joe, a young couple go ice staking in a glorious romantic snowscape designed by Mary Blair. The song is sung by Frances Langford.
The Ballad of Nessie: The Andrew Sisters sing about Scotland’s most famous resident. Nessie is kicked out of her adobe when a golf course is constructed. She roams the countryside for a new place to stay, but can’t find one. So sad is she that she cries herself a new home, her tears forming Loch Ness!
Bumble Boogie: Freddie Martin and his orchestra provide a jazzy interpretation of Flight of the Bumblebee. A poor little bee tries to survive in a colorful surreal landscape of musical instruments coming to life.
Peter and the Wolf: Disney legend Sterling Holloway narrates Sergei Prokofiev’s musical fairy tale about a boy and his animal friends trying to catch a fearsome wolf.
Trees: The famous poem Trees by Joyce Kilmer is recited by Fred Waring with music by Oscar Rasbach.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: By far the longest and most popular segment, Bing Crosby tells Washington Irving’s classic story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. Audiences reacted well to the autumn setting, great Crosby songs, humorous animation, and terrifying climax. For many decades, it aired separately on television as a Halloween special.
Melody Time received a warm reception by critics and audiences and is considered among the strongest of the package era films. But it became forgotten about over the years, except by fans of 1940s popular music. Today, the only well-known segment is Sleepy Hollow due to its television airings and inspiring a dark ride in the Liberty Square land of the Magic Kingdom.
An anthology of musical shorts, each with a different director. Buddy Clark serves as the master of ceremonies.
The program consists of:
Aquarela do Brasil: Set to Ary Barroso’s composition, the beauty of Brazil comes to life from a magic paintbrush as Donald Duck and José Carioca explore the streets and sights.
Once Upon a Wintertime: Jenny and Joe, a young couple go ice staking in a glorious romantic snowscape designed by Mary Blair. The song is sung by Frances Langford.
The Ballad of Nessie: The Andrew Sisters sing about Scotland’s most famous resident. Nessie is kicked out of her adobe when a golf course is constructed. She roams the countryside for a new place to stay, but can’t find one. So sad is she that she cries herself a new home, her tears forming Loch Ness!
Bumble Boogie: Freddie Martin and his orchestra provide a jazzy interpretation of Flight of the Bumblebee. A poor little bee tries to survive in a colorful surreal landscape of musical instruments coming to life.
Peter and the Wolf: Disney legend Sterling Holloway narrates Sergei Prokofiev’s musical fairy tale about a boy and his animal friends trying to catch a fearsome wolf.
Trees: The famous poem Trees by Joyce Kilmer is recited by Fred Waring with music by Oscar Rasbach.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: By far the longest and most popular segment, Bing Crosby tells Washington Irving’s classic story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. Audiences reacted well to the autumn setting, great Crosby songs, humorous animation, and terrifying climax. For many decades, it aired separately on television as a Halloween special.
Melody Time received a warm reception by critics and audiences and is considered among the strongest of the package era films. But it became forgotten about over the years, except by fans of 1940s popular music. Today, the only well-known segment is Sleepy Hollow due to its television airings and inspiring a dark ride in the Liberty Square land of the Magic Kingdom.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (1970)
The most infamous film in the canon and the first to be released after Walt’s death. Based on Harlan Ellison’s beloved horror short story, this became the only film in the canon to be rated R for its graphic violence and dark themes.
The plot sees a sentient supercomputer with godlike powers, named AM, resent its creation, and decide to destroy humanity in a rage. It leaves just five people alive: Ted, Benny, Ellen, Gorrister, and Nimdok. AM enjoys torturing its prisoners, turning them immortal to be its playthings for all time. The movie is mostly composed of scenes of the five being cruelly tormented by their sadistic captor. Eventually, Ted understands that death is the only release and kills his companions out of mercy to finally free them from AM. The wrathful computer takes out all its fury on Ted, mutating him into a pathetic creature that only knows anguish. The story ends with what’s left of Ted reflecting that “I have no mouth and I must scream.”
Critics and audiences hated it. What unlucky children saw it ran screaming from the theater and were traumatized for life. It was pulled from cinemas after just a few days and nearly bankrupted the studio. The movie was never released on home video except for a limited run VHS tape by Touchstone Pictures. Disney leadership wants absolutely nothing to do with the film, although animators had Ted cameo in Once Upon a Studio where his face briefly appears on a flashing computer screen.
Despite the negative reception, the film is considered a cult classic in some circles. Even some of its modern detractors praise it for trying to move animation in a bold new direction, they just think Disney wasn’t the proper studio to do it due to their family-friendly image. Harlan Ellison himself loved it.
Happy April Fools! Hope you enjoyed this non-canonical entry.
The most infamous film in the canon and the first to be released after Walt’s death. Based on Harlan Ellison’s beloved horror short story, this became the only film in the canon to be rated R for its graphic violence and dark themes.
The plot sees a sentient supercomputer with godlike powers, named AM, resent its creation, and decide to destroy humanity in a rage. It leaves just five people alive: Ted, Benny, Ellen, Gorrister, and Nimdok. AM enjoys torturing its prisoners, turning them immortal to be its playthings for all time. The movie is mostly composed of scenes of the five being cruelly tormented by their sadistic captor. Eventually, Ted understands that death is the only release and kills his companions out of mercy to finally free them from AM. The wrathful computer takes out all its fury on Ted, mutating him into a pathetic creature that only knows anguish. The story ends with what’s left of Ted reflecting that “I have no mouth and I must scream.”
Critics and audiences hated it. What unlucky children saw it ran screaming from the theater and were traumatized for life. It was pulled from cinemas after just a few days and nearly bankrupted the studio. The movie was never released on home video except for a limited run VHS tape by Touchstone Pictures. Disney leadership wants absolutely nothing to do with the film, although animators had Ted cameo in Once Upon a Studio where his face briefly appears on a flashing computer screen.
Despite the negative reception, the film is considered a cult classic in some circles. Even some of its modern detractors praise it for trying to move animation in a bold new direction, they just think Disney wasn’t the proper studio to do it due to their family-friendly image. Harlan Ellison himself loved it.
Happy April Fools! Hope you enjoyed this non-canonical entry.
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