Laughin' Place: Redefining Disney
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Glad to hear Star Wars got such a positive reception, and I'm interested in seeing what you do with Return of the Jedi. On another note, the idea of the money gained from Star Wars being put into video games is kind of interesting, especially since there are a lot of ways they could use that money in the next decade.
Most of that money will most likely go towards EuroDisney, but there will be some left over for gaming I'm sure.
EuroDisney's biggest problems from OTL (French opposition and overconfidence on the part of Michael Eisner) are non-existent here. For one thing, Italy is much more receptive of American culture than France (well, really anywhere is more receptive of American culture than France), so it's unlikely that the company and park would face the extreme losses that OTL's Euro Disney did.
Oh, that'd be terrific mate. But just wait until you see the prices for the food...
Striking Back
Pizza Time Theater, San Jose, CA
July 17, 1977
Nolan Bushnell sat in a booth at the very first of his new, family-friendly arcade/restaurant. It was cheap, with animated entertainment kids would enjoy, plenty of pizza... and most importantly, a massive indoor arcade. The cartoon characters might draw in customers, but the games inside kept them there all day. Its lineup consisted only of Atari games, of course, though over the course of the day he'd heard more than one little boy or girl ask their parents where Breakdown was.
"I'd say it's an outstanding success," said Ted Dabney, Bushnell's partner in crime at Atari. "You've got kids packed in here like sardines in a can, all playing our games. Even some of the parents are."
Bushnell looked around. What Dabney was saying was definitely true. The place was an easy moneymaker, and sure to get Sid Sheinberg and Universal back on his good side. "I suppose. Too bad that its basically an homage to Disney and they're just about stabbing us in the back as thanks..."
Dabney shifted in his seat, and took a bite of the pizza before him. It was a bit... bland, but he put those thoughts aside and returned to the conversation. "Hey man, don't worry. We're gonna kick Disney's ass with the 2600. From what I've heard, they're sticking to the arcades exclusively. We'll have the home console market on lock!"
"While they run rampant in the arcades..."
"Look, all we need are one or two hits and we'll be golden."
"You really think so?" asked Bushnell.
"I know so," replied Dabney. "But let's just keep the 2600 as our main focus."
Nolan Bushnell nodded, and took a bite of his pizza slice. "I think... I think I wanna buy this place back from Universal. There's no way I'll ever get Atari back, but Pizza Time Theater... I could manage that."
"Yeah? Well, the first thing on your list when you own it is to make this damn pizza taste less like cardboard," laughed Dabney.
--Walt Disney, from a June 1977 phone call with Roy Disney
"What should I do, Steven? It's a pretty good deal... I mean, I'll be set for life with fifty million dollars... plus a 25% cut on all Star Wars merchandise...
I dunno, George. I'd say wait 'em out. You'll have more weight to throw around once your next movies come out than you do now. Might even be able to get a hundred million for the company."
--George Lucas to Steven Spielberg, from a July 1977 phone call
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Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard, MA
July 31, 1977
Steven Spielberg had been keen on following Jaws' tagline and never go in the water again. But opportunity (and money) had come knocking on his door, and here he was again, struggling with Bruce the mechanical shark and his pals.
Thankfully, Jaws 2 had been free of the huge, progress-halting issues that had plagued its older brother's filming. The sharks didn't cooperate all the time, but they did just enough to not waste all of Spielberg's time. He was hopeful that the movie would hit Universal's window of June 1978.
"Alright, take it from the top, you two!" the director commanded.
Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss sighed, and moved back to their initial spots. It was a downright miracle that Spielberg had come up with a story that included both of them. It was lucky he had, too--Disney and Star Wars had really gotten Universal worrying, and a lot of pressure was on this project and its doing well.
There's only so much one man can do... he thought silently. Really wish I had someone like Walt Disney to help me with this... George sure is a lucky son of a gun.
July 17, 1977
Nolan Bushnell sat in a booth at the very first of his new, family-friendly arcade/restaurant. It was cheap, with animated entertainment kids would enjoy, plenty of pizza... and most importantly, a massive indoor arcade. The cartoon characters might draw in customers, but the games inside kept them there all day. Its lineup consisted only of Atari games, of course, though over the course of the day he'd heard more than one little boy or girl ask their parents where Breakdown was.
"I'd say it's an outstanding success," said Ted Dabney, Bushnell's partner in crime at Atari. "You've got kids packed in here like sardines in a can, all playing our games. Even some of the parents are."
Bushnell looked around. What Dabney was saying was definitely true. The place was an easy moneymaker, and sure to get Sid Sheinberg and Universal back on his good side. "I suppose. Too bad that its basically an homage to Disney and they're just about stabbing us in the back as thanks..."
Dabney shifted in his seat, and took a bite of the pizza before him. It was a bit... bland, but he put those thoughts aside and returned to the conversation. "Hey man, don't worry. We're gonna kick Disney's ass with the 2600. From what I've heard, they're sticking to the arcades exclusively. We'll have the home console market on lock!"
"While they run rampant in the arcades..."
"Look, all we need are one or two hits and we'll be golden."
"You really think so?" asked Bushnell.
"I know so," replied Dabney. "But let's just keep the 2600 as our main focus."
Nolan Bushnell nodded, and took a bite of his pizza slice. "I think... I think I wanna buy this place back from Universal. There's no way I'll ever get Atari back, but Pizza Time Theater... I could manage that."
"Yeah? Well, the first thing on your list when you own it is to make this damn pizza taste less like cardboard," laughed Dabney.
--------------------------------
"Roy, I don't care how much he wants--if his next movies are as good as Star Wars, then we NEED to get LucasArts!"
--Walt Disney, from a June 1977 phone call with Roy Disney
"What should I do, Steven? It's a pretty good deal... I mean, I'll be set for life with fifty million dollars... plus a 25% cut on all Star Wars merchandise...
I dunno, George. I'd say wait 'em out. You'll have more weight to throw around once your next movies come out than you do now. Might even be able to get a hundred million for the company."
--George Lucas to Steven Spielberg, from a July 1977 phone call
--------------------------------
July 31, 1977
Steven Spielberg had been keen on following Jaws' tagline and never go in the water again. But opportunity (and money) had come knocking on his door, and here he was again, struggling with Bruce the mechanical shark and his pals.
Thankfully, Jaws 2 had been free of the huge, progress-halting issues that had plagued its older brother's filming. The sharks didn't cooperate all the time, but they did just enough to not waste all of Spielberg's time. He was hopeful that the movie would hit Universal's window of June 1978.
"Alright, take it from the top, you two!" the director commanded.
Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss sighed, and moved back to their initial spots. It was a downright miracle that Spielberg had come up with a story that included both of them. It was lucky he had, too--Disney and Star Wars had really gotten Universal worrying, and a lot of pressure was on this project and its doing well.
There's only so much one man can do... he thought silently. Really wish I had someone like Walt Disney to help me with this... George sure is a lucky son of a gun.
I am wondering if Walt when going to Italy and seeing how Topolino is going there will buy the production rights back and the comic along with the artistic class around as well... his best chances would be between 1982 and 1984, when book editor Mondadori (which held property of the comic and the rights at the time) was in financial distress. This could be besides a move which could have some interesting butterflies in Italian society and politics...
It happened in 1988 OTL, maybe it should happen a bit earlier. Walt kickstarted the mass production of comics in the 40s.
Why is just a cartoon but if that can derail berlusconni is a welcomed butterfly.
Still they should just buy it when is on distress early, early WITCH could help to avoid being called a Winx clone.
It could because Disney's money can save Mondadori and eventual relaunch it or even bringing the same editor within Disney influence. Not necessary would prevent the rise of Berlusconi but would be a card in less to play for him. On the other side it would prevent him to face the long judiciary debate and related issues by acquiring the company and a problem in less for him.
No worse than at any other Disney park/resort. Disney parks seem to do Italian much better than say, Chinese.* Italian food at a Disney park in Italy would be idiomatically to kill for in more ways than one.
*a word of advice: skip Nine Dragons at the EPCOT China Pavilion unless it's mandatory on a free dining plan.
Just saying... but Disney charges some ridiculous amount of money for a single, barely decent cheeseburger at Disneyland today. So it's not always quality food.
nbcman
Donor
I was going to point out the hideous asian themed rice bowl that I had last year at the food court at All Star Music - but they've removed it from their menu in 2019. It was terrible - and it is pretty hard to make a rice bowl that bad.
It’s not like the food is the biggest draw to a Disney park in the first place. Do you really go to Disneyland/world to eat the food or do you go there to enjoy the rides?
Across the Seas
What is Disney Doing in Europe?
Rumors have been circulating about the Walt Disney Company's increasing presence in Europe, in a significant uptick from just one year ago. While some theories range from scouting for a location to shoot their next big movie to courting an up-and-coming European film studio, the most likely candidate is that the company is searching for the location of its next internatonal theme park.
Coming off the waves of Disney World's Magic Kingdom and EPCOT Center and Tokyo's Disneytropolis, it only makes sense that the house of mouse would want to squeeze in one more park before the decade's through. While it's unknown exactly where Disney is planning to build it, the most sensible spot would be on the Mediterranean. Its climate is very similar to that of southern California and Florida, giving Walt's famed Imagineers a much easier time in designing the place. The most logical cities for it to be at include Barcelona, Monaco, Rome, Athens, and Istanbul.
No matter what happens, though, all of Europe is in for a wild ride at Disneyland.
--Excerpt from an article in the Washington Post, dated July 19, 1977
Aprilia, Latina, Italy
August 6, 1977
Walt Disney pulled his hat down a bit tighter and adjusted his sunglasses. He and Lilly were on vacation in Europe for a few weeks, but while his wife enjoyed the beaches, he was off doing work. The folks back at the studio had narrowed down the selection of potential EuroDisney locations to three: Rome, Sicily, and Barcelona. After visiting the latter two, Walt knew that Rome would be the best place. Well, a place very close to Rome.
Aprilia seemed to fit every box on his checklist. It wasn't very developed, mostly farmland that could be purchased on the cheap, and sat on lands that were very unlikely to hold Ancient Roman artifacts inside, which would surely be problematic for construction of a theme park. Most importantly, it was only about thirty miles out from Rome's city center, giving it a tourist magnet.
Walt kept on going down the street. "Salve signore!" greeted one older woman.
"Ciao!" replied Walt, smiling and tipping his cap. That was just about the only word of Italian he knew, if you left out the names of various foods. But he doubted that "linguine" or "pizza" would get him far in conversation. Two languages is more than enough for me, he thought.
Another thing that impressed him so was just what the Italians had done with Mickey... well, what they'd done with Topolino. He was a whole different character, unlike anything Walt had ever seen done with his mascots outside the United States. Whereas the Mickey as he knew him was an all-around good guy and an undisputable an "everyman," here the comics pushed him in the direction of a master detective in the vein of Sherlock Holmes. The comics were just as popular in Italy as in the US, if not even more, so at least he knew for certain that there'd be a sizeable international audience for next years's Mickey movie.
Walt took a break from walking and stopped at the top of a hill. From here, he had a breathtaking view of the whole Pontine Valley, the sun setting in the distance and bathing the landscape in glowing oranges and yellows. In his mind's eye, he could see EuroDisney down there, aglow with joy and alight with creativity. Walt knew for sure that this was most certainly going to be the site of his newest theme park.
Rumors have been circulating about the Walt Disney Company's increasing presence in Europe, in a significant uptick from just one year ago. While some theories range from scouting for a location to shoot their next big movie to courting an up-and-coming European film studio, the most likely candidate is that the company is searching for the location of its next internatonal theme park.
Coming off the waves of Disney World's Magic Kingdom and EPCOT Center and Tokyo's Disneytropolis, it only makes sense that the house of mouse would want to squeeze in one more park before the decade's through. While it's unknown exactly where Disney is planning to build it, the most sensible spot would be on the Mediterranean. Its climate is very similar to that of southern California and Florida, giving Walt's famed Imagineers a much easier time in designing the place. The most logical cities for it to be at include Barcelona, Monaco, Rome, Athens, and Istanbul.
No matter what happens, though, all of Europe is in for a wild ride at Disneyland.
--Excerpt from an article in the Washington Post, dated July 19, 1977
--------------------------------
Aprilia, Latina, Italy
August 6, 1977
Walt Disney pulled his hat down a bit tighter and adjusted his sunglasses. He and Lilly were on vacation in Europe for a few weeks, but while his wife enjoyed the beaches, he was off doing work. The folks back at the studio had narrowed down the selection of potential EuroDisney locations to three: Rome, Sicily, and Barcelona. After visiting the latter two, Walt knew that Rome would be the best place. Well, a place very close to Rome.
Aprilia seemed to fit every box on his checklist. It wasn't very developed, mostly farmland that could be purchased on the cheap, and sat on lands that were very unlikely to hold Ancient Roman artifacts inside, which would surely be problematic for construction of a theme park. Most importantly, it was only about thirty miles out from Rome's city center, giving it a tourist magnet.
Walt kept on going down the street. "Salve signore!" greeted one older woman.
"Ciao!" replied Walt, smiling and tipping his cap. That was just about the only word of Italian he knew, if you left out the names of various foods. But he doubted that "linguine" or "pizza" would get him far in conversation. Two languages is more than enough for me, he thought.
Another thing that impressed him so was just what the Italians had done with Mickey... well, what they'd done with Topolino. He was a whole different character, unlike anything Walt had ever seen done with his mascots outside the United States. Whereas the Mickey as he knew him was an all-around good guy and an undisputable an "everyman," here the comics pushed him in the direction of a master detective in the vein of Sherlock Holmes. The comics were just as popular in Italy as in the US, if not even more, so at least he knew for certain that there'd be a sizeable international audience for next years's Mickey movie.
Walt took a break from walking and stopped at the top of a hill. From here, he had a breathtaking view of the whole Pontine Valley, the sun setting in the distance and bathing the landscape in glowing oranges and yellows. In his mind's eye, he could see EuroDisney down there, aglow with joy and alight with creativity. Walt knew for sure that this was most certainly going to be the site of his newest theme park.
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