Laughin' Place: Redefining Disney
- Thread starter HeX
- Start date
- Status
That Michael Eisner indeed. One of the most important butterflies of the whole TL.
Well, Disney expanding into the cruise line business isn't out of the question with a loose cannon as instrumental as Walt still in the mix.
And who wouldn't want a Universal Cruise Line? Woody Woodpecker could greet you, there'd be Jaws jokes abound...
Keep in mind that EuroDisney tanking was the financial millstone that caused many of Eisner’s projects to be abandoned. I can scarcely imagine what Universal could do without a major project like EuroDisney hemorrhaging money like that.
But also remember that it was Disney's box office slump in the late 90s and early 2000s that really almost killed it until Pixar saved them. It was also that slump that got Eisner ousted from the company and replaced with Bob "We'll-Slap-Frozen-On-Everything" Iger.
The question is, will Eisner make the same sort of micromanaging blunders with Atari Warner Bros. did OTL? Will he still rush Pac-Man, E.T., the 5200, and the 2600 Graduate out the door, thus still contributing to a smaller Great Video Game Crash? Or, once E.T. makes bank, will Eisner try to bring Namco back into the Atari fold, thus gaining Pac-Man, Kaizo Houri (Dig Dug), Mappy, and Knight from Castle of Druagaa and Return of Ishtar to go along with Mr. Do., Peter Packrat, and Bentley Bear? Will Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willie, Andy Panda, Droopy, and Mr. Wolf join Atari's stable too? Oh, and will the Atari Semiconductor Group be churning out chips unique to TTL?
(I could easily imagine a two-player Cops Vs. Robbers game using Mappy and Peter Packrat as the opposing characters.)
Inquiring minds want to know.
(I could easily imagine a two-player Cops Vs. Robbers game using Mappy and Peter Packrat as the opposing characters.)
Inquiring minds want to know.
Those inquiring minds will have to wait, because that's a whole lot of (say it with me now) SPOILERS!
I mean, Kassar's already at Atari ITTL, and it's only a matter of time before Bushnell calls it quits... do with that what you will.
I realize it will be far into the future from this point, and Walt would have long handed the reins over to the Millers and Roy Jr., but will the fight over Harry Potter take on a different character, with different outcomes? I say this with confidence breause HeX has suggested that neither the Commodore 64 nor Legend Entertainment's Spellcasting 101: Sorcerors Get all the Chicks will be butterflied away.
Oviously, the outcome itself should happen in Its own due time, buy answers to these two Boolean questions above would be very appreciated.
Oviously, the outcome itself should happen in Its own due time, buy answers to these two Boolean questions above would be very appreciated.
It will indeed, and it will become a focal point of the late 1990s/early 2000s, and because of this, HP will enjoy even more popularity than IOTL. (Mostly because people will want to see what all the fuss is about... and then stay for the whole thing.)
Stepping In
"Hello. My name is Michael Eisner, and I'm your new president. I have big things in mind for Universal, so I hope you'll all be on board. And I can't thank you enough for this opportunity."
--Michael Eisner, during a March 1978 board meeting at MCAUniversal
"This is a note to remind you that the Italian government has accepted your proposals and will indeed grant you the license to undergo construction in Aprilia."
--A memo from the Walt Disney Company dated March 15, 1978
"Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro Kidnapped!"
--Headlines from the Il Messaggero on March 16, 1978
"Italy's in chaos! Hope it doesn't screw up EuroDisney..."
--Roy Disney to Walt Disney
March 19, 1978
Michael Eisner looked around the room. "This is it?"
Sidney Sheinberg's old office had been picked clean and emptied, a process which had taken almost a month. Eisner had taken it upon himself to redesign the place, which had taken yet another month... but the final product made it worth it.
Hanging on the walls around the room were original movie posters to some of Universal's biggest hits of all time: King Kong, Dracula, and Jaws, just to name a few. The place was painted tan, no longer Sheinberg's garish wallpaper, and the addition of a larger window made the office look less like a prison cell and more like the place that deals were made and ideas came to life.
"This is it. I like the Universal paraphernalia," said Lou Wasserman, picking up a Woody Woodpecker figurine. "It's a nice touch."
Eisner nodded, and set down his briefcase on the desk.
"So, Mike, Sid left us in a good place. Jaws 2 on the horizon, Atari in our back pocket, Pizza Time Theater spreading like a virus across the country..." mused Wasserman.
"He did," agreed Eisner. "But it's not good enough. If we want to stop Disney, we have to meet them on every front. Pizza Time is a good enough attempt on the Disney Parks, Spielberg can beat anything Lucas throws out, and Atari... well, Atari needs some work, but I'm confident in its ability to stop Walt's Imagineers. But there's one gaping hole in our plan."
Lou Wasserman frowned. "What's that?"
Eisner took the Woody Woodpecker toy from his boss' hands and held it up. "Disney's making a Mickey Mouse movie, right?"
--An excerpt from an article discussing the latest announcements in entertainment, from the March 31, 1978 edition of the Baltimore Sun
March 19, 1978
Walt was out and about on his daily rounds of studio touring. He got cooped up in his office, and adored these moments with the warm breeze of spring Californian air. The man had already checked in on progress down at Animation, and was now heading up to WED's building.
He stepped to one side, allowing a 19th century horse-drawn carriage to pass by. One of the things Walt loved most about his studio was its sheer outrageousness. That carriage would soon be shipped out to the Boomtown Resort in Orlando, which would soon be celebrating its one-year anniversary of joining the company of the Contemporary and the Polynesian Village. More resorts would be opening soon in Disney World, expanding alongside the parks, including ones with theming based on early 20th century Florida and the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Walt soon reached the building that housed his Imagineers. He passed by the front desk, which was having the giant "WED" behind it removed in favor of "WDI." WED Enterprises was finally being rechristened Walt Disney Imagineering. A short elevator ride later and he was just where he wanted to be.
"Rolly!" Walt called. "How goes Smackdown?"
"Good," responded the Imagineer, currently tinkering with the guts of an almost-complete cabinet. "She works just fine. And we're ahead of schedule! The game's not due til when, next Tuesday?"
"Great, great. Hey, you know where Tony is?"
Rolly Crump stood up and scratched his ear, his arms covered in grease and oil up to his elbows. "I dunno. I think he was getting coffee, or something."
His boss nodded. "Keep up the good work, I just need to talk to him about something..."
A few minutes of wandering later, and Walt had found his man. "Hey, Tony. Need to talk with you about EuroDisney, for a sec."
"Sure, Walt," responded Baxter, setting down his styrofoam cup. "Shoot."
"So, I've been doing some thinking, and while I'm loving the spin on classic Tomorrowland the Imagineers have been putting on EuroDisney's version, I just don't know if it'll fit in at Italy. We've already changed Main Street into a Roman forum, and I think that this is another alteration for the better."
"What do you have in mind?"
"We're going to do Tomorrowland differently... as Discoveryland. We'll take your Discovery Bay ideas, and fuse them with some elements of Leonardo da Vinci."
"Hmmm... I don't know, I still really wanted that to be a land at Anaheim..."
"Come on," Walt pleaded.
"I'll bite... on one condition."
"What's that?"
"That my show idea, The Discovery Bay Chronicles with Jason Chandler is an anchor for the Disney Channel."
"I don't think you've got the jurisdiction to be bossing around your boss, Tony."
Baxter shrugged. "You're not an ass, Walt. I know you're not going to just take what I've made without my consent."
"Not the main anchor, then, hopefully? I love the idea and all, but Star Wars: The Animated Series will really be the selling point for the channel."
"Alright, yeah. That's probably for the best," conceded Tony.
--Michael Eisner, during a March 1978 board meeting at MCAUniversal
"This is a note to remind you that the Italian government has accepted your proposals and will indeed grant you the license to undergo construction in Aprilia."
--A memo from the Walt Disney Company dated March 15, 1978
"Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro Kidnapped!"
--Headlines from the Il Messaggero on March 16, 1978
"Italy's in chaos! Hope it doesn't screw up EuroDisney..."
--Roy Disney to Walt Disney
--------------------------------
Universal Studios Lot, Universal City, CA
March 19, 1978
Michael Eisner looked around the room. "This is it?"
Sidney Sheinberg's old office had been picked clean and emptied, a process which had taken almost a month. Eisner had taken it upon himself to redesign the place, which had taken yet another month... but the final product made it worth it.
Hanging on the walls around the room were original movie posters to some of Universal's biggest hits of all time: King Kong, Dracula, and Jaws, just to name a few. The place was painted tan, no longer Sheinberg's garish wallpaper, and the addition of a larger window made the office look less like a prison cell and more like the place that deals were made and ideas came to life.
"This is it. I like the Universal paraphernalia," said Lou Wasserman, picking up a Woody Woodpecker figurine. "It's a nice touch."
Eisner nodded, and set down his briefcase on the desk.
"So, Mike, Sid left us in a good place. Jaws 2 on the horizon, Atari in our back pocket, Pizza Time Theater spreading like a virus across the country..." mused Wasserman.
"He did," agreed Eisner. "But it's not good enough. If we want to stop Disney, we have to meet them on every front. Pizza Time is a good enough attempt on the Disney Parks, Spielberg can beat anything Lucas throws out, and Atari... well, Atari needs some work, but I'm confident in its ability to stop Walt's Imagineers. But there's one gaping hole in our plan."
Lou Wasserman frowned. "What's that?"
Eisner took the Woody Woodpecker toy from his boss' hands and held it up. "Disney's making a Mickey Mouse movie, right?"
--------------------------------
"The Walt Disney Company announced earlier today that it would be launching its first-ever pay TV network early next year, said to be named 'The Disney Channel.' But the company has been silent on programs coming to the channel, leaving many in the industry to wonder just what they could be."
--An excerpt from an article discussing the latest announcements in entertainment, from the March 31, 1978 edition of the Baltimore Sun
--------------------------------
Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, CA
March 19, 1978
Walt was out and about on his daily rounds of studio touring. He got cooped up in his office, and adored these moments with the warm breeze of spring Californian air. The man had already checked in on progress down at Animation, and was now heading up to WED's building.
He stepped to one side, allowing a 19th century horse-drawn carriage to pass by. One of the things Walt loved most about his studio was its sheer outrageousness. That carriage would soon be shipped out to the Boomtown Resort in Orlando, which would soon be celebrating its one-year anniversary of joining the company of the Contemporary and the Polynesian Village. More resorts would be opening soon in Disney World, expanding alongside the parks, including ones with theming based on early 20th century Florida and the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Walt soon reached the building that housed his Imagineers. He passed by the front desk, which was having the giant "WED" behind it removed in favor of "WDI." WED Enterprises was finally being rechristened Walt Disney Imagineering. A short elevator ride later and he was just where he wanted to be.
"Rolly!" Walt called. "How goes Smackdown?"
"Good," responded the Imagineer, currently tinkering with the guts of an almost-complete cabinet. "She works just fine. And we're ahead of schedule! The game's not due til when, next Tuesday?"
"Great, great. Hey, you know where Tony is?"
Rolly Crump stood up and scratched his ear, his arms covered in grease and oil up to his elbows. "I dunno. I think he was getting coffee, or something."
His boss nodded. "Keep up the good work, I just need to talk to him about something..."
A few minutes of wandering later, and Walt had found his man. "Hey, Tony. Need to talk with you about EuroDisney, for a sec."
"Sure, Walt," responded Baxter, setting down his styrofoam cup. "Shoot."
"So, I've been doing some thinking, and while I'm loving the spin on classic Tomorrowland the Imagineers have been putting on EuroDisney's version, I just don't know if it'll fit in at Italy. We've already changed Main Street into a Roman forum, and I think that this is another alteration for the better."
"What do you have in mind?"
"We're going to do Tomorrowland differently... as Discoveryland. We'll take your Discovery Bay ideas, and fuse them with some elements of Leonardo da Vinci."
"Hmmm... I don't know, I still really wanted that to be a land at Anaheim..."
"Come on," Walt pleaded.
"I'll bite... on one condition."
"What's that?"
"That my show idea, The Discovery Bay Chronicles with Jason Chandler is an anchor for the Disney Channel."
"I don't think you've got the jurisdiction to be bossing around your boss, Tony."
Baxter shrugged. "You're not an ass, Walt. I know you're not going to just take what I've made without my consent."
"Not the main anchor, then, hopefully? I love the idea and all, but Star Wars: The Animated Series will really be the selling point for the channel."
"Alright, yeah. That's probably for the best," conceded Tony.
Hi! I'd like to take a moment to thank you all for getting this far in reading my timeline, Laughin' Place: Redefining Disney.
As you all (probably) know, the Turtledove awards are back again, and the TL has been nominated for Best Pop Culture Timeline. If you all want to cast your votes in my direction, I'd love the support!
https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...best-pop-culture-timeline-voting-poll.462535/
Thanks again, and be sure to look out for more on the man, the myth, the legend, Walt Disney, and how he's changing the world in the future!
As you all (probably) know, the Turtledove awards are back again, and the TL has been nominated for Best Pop Culture Timeline. If you all want to cast your votes in my direction, I'd love the support!
https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...best-pop-culture-timeline-voting-poll.462535/
Thanks again, and be sure to look out for more on the man, the myth, the legend, Walt Disney, and how he's changing the world in the future!
Yep, that's their sequel to Breakdown. Walt thought that the name Super Breakdown was dumb, and chose Smackdown instead.
Just to be clear, The Disney Channel won't take until the early-2000's for its own original content, Universal might be making a Woody Woodpecker movie, and if all goes according to plan, Showbiz Pizza could stay the way it is. Methinks you deserve the Turtledoves nomination.
- Status