Shuffling the Canon REDUX: A Shuffled Disney & Pixar TL Redone

[MrCarioca]

Taken from "Discovering Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon", produced 2000

Leonard Maltin: If you'd ask me to give an example of bad, horrific, downright abysmal timing, it would have to be the release of "Raya and the Last Dragon". The film was simply way, way too ahead of its time, it released in 1963 when the Civil Rights movement was at its peak. To release a movie about Southeast Asia during such a period would not fare too well for the Disney Studios, and that's excatly what happened.

Frank Thomas: We had a lot of ideas when Walt first announced another mythology movie after "The Black Cauldron". We were talking about Greek mythology like Hercules, delving deeper into fairytales, Authurian Legends, maybe even a follow-up to "The Black Cauldron". Eventually Wolfgang Reitherman, who was set to direct the film, settled on Asian mythology.

Narrator: Like Peter Pan before it, the film was animated with the Xerox style.

Leonard Maltin: Walt wasn't a fan nor really fully approved of the Xerox style, the only reason he allowed it in his films were to cut back costs after "Fantasia". I think this was one of the key reasons why Walt hated the final product so much.

Frank Thomas: The final story we ended up with was... lackluster to say the least. Walt himself came in to review the script one day and was displeased, he stormed out and wasn't really too involved with production ever since.

Narrator: "Raya and the Last Dragon" released in December 1963, it was a disaster and put the studio in a jeopardy.

Leonard Maltin: "Raya" sent the entire studio into a dark age you might say. Many people bashed Disney for its misrepresentation of Asian culture, even today its probably the most controversial and divisive Disney film. Walt never really got back into animation after this and put all his energy into developing both Disneyland and EPCOT. In a way, "Raya and the Last Dragon" was the last straw that started the Disney Dark Age.

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"Raya and the Last Dragon, what was Disney thinking?" -Bosley Crowther of New York Times

"Disney's Raya is dull as dishwater and has little to no humour, he went from Fantasia to THIS?" -Gene Arneel of Variety

"Walt Disney to retire from animation after disasterous performance of "Raya"" -The New York Times, January 1st 1964

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The box office failure of “Fantasia” and the critical thrashing of “Peter Pan” had placed quite the burden on the Disney Studio, there were already talks of shutting down the animation division after “Peter Pan” to focus more on the theme parks and TV shows. It didn't help that Walt had a lot of trouble choosing potential material for the studio's next feature after "Peter Pan". One idea was to revive the 1930s "Reynard the Fox" project, yet Reynard was still an unsympathetic "protagonist" who would use any needs necessary to achieve his less then noble goals. Another idea was to adapt the tales of "Chanticleer the Rooster", yet the project was halted as writers felt Chanticleer lacked a clear personality, in Walt’s own words, “you don’t feel like petting a chicken”.

Taking cues from how both "Chanticleer" and "Reynard" were popular fables and folklore, it was soon decided that Walt would once again do a mythology/folklore feature after 1953's "The Black Cauldron". Production started at earnest by December 1958 just as "Fantasia" wrapped up, the film was initially coined as a potential follow-up to "The Black Cauldron". Ultimately, it was director Wolfgang Reitherman who suggested basing the film off Asian folklore and scrap the "follow-up" idea, he claimed that Walt needed to "step out of his comfort zone" and "explore new ideas", much to Walt's amusement. By 1961, a proper first draft had formed and the film was announced to release in 1963, titled "Raya and the Last Dragon".

The film starts off long ago in the far-off land of Kumandra, where the king of Kumandra dies without a heir, leaving the land in jeopardy. Years soon pass and a young girl named Raya finds a wise dragon named Sisu. Believing that Raya has the potential to become the heir to Kumandra, Sisu takes Raya under its wing and trains the girl to become a strong and fearless warrior. A few years pass and the evil king Druun takes over Kumandra, Raya and Sisu are put to the test and have to overthrow Druun before he can do further harm.

“Raya and the Last Dragon” released in late 1963, the film was a disaster and received negative reactions. Storywise, the film was criticised for its lack of charm compared to previous Disney works and a lack of high stakes, at worst “dull as dishwater”. The film’s voice acting and particularly ugly animation didn’t do much to stand out either, some claimed that the visuals looked more scratchy than “Peter Pan”. But perhaps the biggest issue and criticisms the film received was its portrayal of Southeast Asian culture. The film released in the thick of the Civil Rights Movement, and activists tore the film apart for misrepresenting Southeast Asian culture, some took a step further and bashed the film for being “the most racist Disney film”. "Raya and the Last Dragon" remained in the Disney Vault until the mid-1990s when the hate for the film started to cool down, it would grow a following through Southeast Asian audiences and would become a cult classic.

Dismayed by the film's horrible performance and his own distatse to the film in general, Walt announced at the 1964 Studio New Year's Party that he would formally step down from animtion to focus on live-action films, theme parks and television shows. Just when things couldn't seem to get worse, Walt himself would pass away from lung cancer on December 15th 1966. This ushered the studio into a Dark Age, animated projects ranged from quality and financial reception, and the studio entered a period of uncertainty.

Release Date: December 12th 1963

Cast:
Kathryn Beaumont (Raya)
Martha Wentworth (Sisu)
Sebastian Cabot (Druun)

Notes: So I imagine this is how "Raya and the Last Dragon" in the 1960s would've gone. Storywise, I based it off OTL's Raya with some influences from Sword in the Stone. On an additional note, I didn't include the Notable Songs section yet because I couldn't figure out how any of OTL's songs could work here, but I'll try to update this soon once I fgure that one out. This film is where the Dark Age begins so things are about to get rather ugly for Disney here, stay tuned for what happens to Disney next.

 

[MrCarioca]

Tangled (1967)​

Taken from "Tangled: The Making of a Musical Masterpiece", produced 1997

Narrator: The story of Rapunzel first caught Walt's attention in the late 1930s, but Walt didn't consider adapting the fairy tale until 1960.

Leonard Maltin: When I think of "Tangled", I think of its music and its songs. These songs served as high points and key story elements throughout the film, and that's why they're so memorable.

Wolfgang Reitherman: I went for the personalities of all the characters in "Tangled", you know strong characterisation and strong voices to fit the characters.

Phil Harris: When the studio first approached me to voice Flynn Rider, I turned it down as there was no way I could've done a voice for such a character. But then they called me over again and told me that really wanted me to do it. I decided to do the voice the way I'd naturally do it, and the boys at the studio they loved it.

Mary Costa: "Tangled" was what really kickstarted by career, you might say. I had already been in some films before "Tangled", and then I heard that Disney was holding auditions for their next film. I decided to try out and I got the job! Heaven knows where I'd be if I hadn't been the voice of Rapunzel!

Ollie Johnston: Milt Kahl, one of the Nine Old Men, was the one who animated Dame Gothel. Gothel was an all-around evil stepmother, sort of like Agatha in Snow White but played for laughs here. I think the reason Gothel works so well with Milt's animation is Verna Felton's excellent voice acting and how Gothel and Rapunzel play off each other so well.

Narrator: Walt Disney would not live to see the final product, he passed away of lung cancer in 1966 and the Nine Old Men were left on their own. Despite this, "Tangled" was an immediate blockbuster hit.

John Culhane: If "Tangled" had failed like "Raya and the Last Dragon", the animation department might have gone down the tubes as well.

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The critical thrashing of "Raya and the Last Dragon" was the last straw for both Walt and the Disney Studio. The film singehandedly sent the studio into an uncertain dark age, films ranged from trash to treasure, and the studio struggled financially. To add salt to the already bleeding wound, Walt Disney would pass away on December 15th 1966 from lung cancer. Without the leadership of Walt, the studio would struggle to create their next feature. Fortunately, the final result "Tangled" would be a good start to the otherwise mediocre dark age.

Walt first expressed interest in adapting the fairy tale "Rapunzel" after production on "The Little Mermaid" wrapped up. It wouldn't be until several decades later when "Rapunzel" first entered production however, as Walt couldn't figure out a proper treatment for the story throughout the 1940s, not to mention the passive character of Rapunzel herself. However by 1960, Walt was ready to give "Rapunzel" another go. Walt assigned Bill Peet to draft up a storyline, Peet went for a darker and edgier treatment, which was reflected in many early story sketches and songs. The failure of "Raya and the Last Dragon" put an end to the original draft, and one of Walt's last acts in the animation division was ordering a complete re-write of "Rapunzel".

By 1964, the film was to be made completely independent of Walt. The film's title changed from "Rapunzel" to "Rapunzel Unbraided", and finally "Tangled". The story was changed to a more upbeat and comedic take on the fairy tale, much to the distaste of Bill Peet. As for voice casting, Phil Harris was brought in to voice the flamboyant and laid back Flynn Rider, actress Mary Costa voiced Rapunzel and Verna Felton voiced the villainous Dame Gothel. Sadly like Walt, Felton never got to see the final product, as she too had passed away in 1966, one day before Walt in fact.

The aging Dame Gothel longs for youth and longevity, she seeks the Golden Rose which would allow her to live young forever, but soon finds out that the Rose had been used by the king of Corona to help the queen give birth to their daughter Rapunzel. Gothel kidnaps the infant Rapunzel at night and holds her captive in her tower for 18 years. Meanwhile, Flynn Rider steals Rapunzel's crown from the palace and in an attempt to hide from the guards, stows away in Rapunzel's tower. Flynn Rider and Rapunzel bond together and he agrees to take Rapunzel outside for the first time in exchange that Flynn returns the crown. During Rapunzel's stay in town, Rapunzel discovers that she is the lost princess, while Gothel discovers that Rapunzel has escaped. Seeking the help of noble guards from Corona, Flynn's own partners the Stabbingtons, and Flynn's horse Maximus, a climatic yet comedic fight ensues which ultimately ends in Flynn cutting Rapunzel's hair, leaving Gothel literally tangled in hair and presumingly aging rapidly.

"Tangled" released in 1967 to mostly positive reviews. The light-hearted tone, charming and interesting story, and jazz style songs were praised, especially compared to "Raya and the Last Dragon". The Xerox style was also praised here, this film (and a certain 1980s film) is often considered to be the best overall use of the Xerox method. Phil Harris would receive the most praise however, his role as Flynn Rider would become one of the most iconic animated voices of all time. Today, "Tangled" is seen as the best film in the Disney Dark Age.

Release Date: October 18th 1967

Cast:
Mary Costa (Rapunzel)
Phil Harris (Flynn Rider)
Verna Felton (Dame Gothel, Queen)
Louis Prima, Hal Smith, Bill Skiles, Pete Hnederson and Leo De Lyon (The Stabbingtons)
J Pat O'Malley (Captain of the Guards)
George Sanders (King)

Notable Songs:
Once Upon a Dream (sung by Rapunzel about her hopes of leaving the tower)
I Wanna Be Like You (sung by the Stabbingtons in the Snuggly Duckling)
The March Song (sung by the guards of Corona when Rapunzel spots them on their daily march) (1)

(1) Known IOTL as Colonel Hathi's March

Notes: Like the Disney Studio ITTL, I initially coined for a darker take on "Tangled", but figured with Raya flopping horrendously here, Disney wouldn't go for the more darker take. Plotwise, it's more or less the same as OTL's Tangled but without Gothel's death scene, plus some elements of OTL's Sleeping Beauty and Jungle Book.

 

[MrCarioca]

"Disney's Home On the Range has good charm but ultimately fall's flat compared to Tangled" - Charles Camplin of Los Angeles Times, January 27th 1971

"Home On the Range is a delightful musical adventure, but the animation is subpar compared to Disney's usual output" -Howard Thompson, January 15th 1971

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Unlike previous Disney works which were based on fairy tales like Snow White and Rapunzel, popular literary works like Peter Pan and parts of Alice in Wonderland for "the Nightmare Before Christmas", and myths and folklore like "The Black Cauldron", an American ballad was the basis for Disney's next feature. In 1961 shortly after "Peter Pan" premiered, Walt approached Harry Tytle, Bill Peet and Tom McGowan to either find or come up with original animal stories for a deluxe episode of "Walt Disney's World of Color". By 1962, Peet and McGowan suggested writing a story revolving a family of cats, Walt shot down the idea as he felt the main characters were far too unlikeable. Another idea was to finally adapt the "Chanticleer" and "Reynard the Fox" tales, production would start by 1967 at earnest but was moved down the production line as once again, Reynard's unlikeability was the main issue which the storymen had to solve.

Eventually, Tom McGowan settled on a story set in the Old West. The rights to the ballad "Home On the Range" was acquired in late 1962, it was also set to become the title and de facto theme song. Before the final script was completed in 1967, there were two drafts that were made, one written by Bill Peet shortly before he left the studio after disputes on "Tangled", and another draft written by McGowan. The first drafts explored the adventures of a young cowboy named Billy, McGowan's draft revolved around cows try to retrieve their farmland. Ultimately it was McGowan's draft which was chosen, yet he had to refine the script before it finally become the one used in the final product.

By 1966, Ken Anderson suggested to change the deluxe episode into a full-length feature. Animation went underway in 1967 and all animated work was completed by 1969. For voice casting, the characters revolved around the personalities of the actual voice actors as with "Tangled". Phil Harris was brought back to voice Rico the bison, and Roddy Maude-Roxby was cast as the main villain, Edgar. The Sherman Brothers returned to compose music for the film, "The Bare Necessities", originally written for "Tangled" but dropped, became the film's most iconic song and even outdoing the title song itself. All work was completed in October 1970, two months before the film's release window.

The film revolves around a young cow named Bullets, born and bred in the farmlands alongside his close friend Billy. When farm owner Pearl Gesner expresses her desire for the cows instea of her loyal assistant Edgar, Edgar takes it upon himself to get rid of the cows by sending them away to the barren Old West. Bullets and Billy end up in a bison herd led by the laid-back bison Rico. Rico teaches the two about the circle of life and how to adapt a laid back lifestyle. With the help of Rico, Bullets and Billy return to the farm only to be kidnapped by Edgar who intends to butcher and cook the two once and for all. Rico and the farm animals (including Lucky Jack the Rabbit and Roquefort the Mouse) must save Bullets and Billy before its too late.

"Home On the Range" premiered on Christmas Eve 1970 and released nationwide in January of the following year. The film did... ok, it received mixed receptions and financially, it performed in the middle of the road, not a success but also not a failure. Most audiences and critics praised the memorable songs and charm, but the overall story as well as its animation was criticised for being subpar compared to "Tangled". Nowadays, "Home On the Range" is a classic in its own right.

Release Date: December 24th 1970

Cast:
Bruce Reitherman (Bullets)
Gary Dubin (Billy)
Phil Harris (Rico)
Sterling Holloway (Roquefort)
Junius Matthews (Lucky Jack)
Eva Gabor (Pearl Gesner)
Roddy Maude-Roxby (Edgar)

Notable Songs (1):
Home On the Range (Sung during the opening credits)
The Bare Necessities (Sung by Rico to teach Bullets and Billy about the laid-back lifestyle)

(1) A modified version of "Scales and Appreggios" is also used here sung by Bullets and Billy, I'm not sure what it'll be called here however, hence why I didn't include it in the Notable Songs section.

Notes: TTL's "Home On the Range" is a combination of the first two drafts of OTL's Home on the Range as well as OTL's Aristocats, I wanted to include Edgar and Roquefort the Mouse here due to the placement of Aristocats ITTL.

 

[MrCarioca]

"Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is delightful, cheerful and a joy to experience all the way." -Vincent Candy of New York Times, December 15th 1971

"One Hundred and One Dalmatians wold work better if it was fully animated, the live-action humans don't work well with the animated animals." -Pauline Kael of The New Yorker, December 18th 1971

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In 1961, Walt was in negotiations to purchase P.L Travers' Mary Poppins books for a live-action/animation hybrid feature. Because previous attempts to do so were shot down horrendously by Travers herself, Walt was uncertain that he would succeed. Even though Travers would allow Walt to produce a Mary Poppins feature, a back-up plan was created in case Travers say no once more. The children's novel "The One Hundred and One Dalmatians" by Dodie Smith was published in 1956, the novel was brought to Walt's attention in 1957. Walt subsequently purchased the rights to the novel but couldn't figure out a proper re-work for the film in time. Walt shelved the film for a later date and decided that "Peter Pan" would take the 1961 release window instead. Meanwhile "The One Hundred and One Dalmatians" will be brought up sparingly as a potential back-up plan in case Mary Poppins never comes to reality.

Despite the film being shelved for almost a decade, the first story meetings actually took place during the late 1950s. Storyboards and the first few songs were composed before Walt ultimately halted production. Walt wasn't as enthusiastic as he was with "Mary Poppins", to quote Richard Sherman "Disney had fell asleep in his chair during one of our meetings, he might have been tired that day." By April 1966, Walt put "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" back into production as live-action/animation hybird. Walt's involvement in "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" was minimal, he only supervised the live-action scenes and had no involvement with animation at all. 8 months later, Walt died and production had to carry on without him.

After Walt's untimely death, production once again stalled and halted. By 1968, the contract with the Sherman Brothers was running out and development had to continue lest the film was to be scrapped entirely. Through 1969 to 1971, the Sherman Brothers re-worked most songs and included scrapped song from "Mary Poppins" which had released in 1964 well before "One Hundred and One Dalmatians". Live-action filming took place during mid-1970 in Dorset England, as well as other locations such as London. All animal characters (1) which included the titular dalmatians themselves were animated, all animated work was complete in June 1971, and remaining work in general wrapped up by August, two months before the film's premiere.

The story was as follows: Songwriter Roger Radcliffe desperately needs a big hit. Radcliffe and his dalmatianPongo walk at the park one day for inspiration and run into Anita and her dalmatian Missis. They fall in love and soon Pongo and Missis are expecting a litter of 15 puppies. All this only attracts Anita's high school classmate Cruella De Vil, who demands that she purchases the puppies to make a unique fur coat. Cruella wouldn't take no for an answer and she soon employs burglars Jasper and Horace to kidnap the puppies. When the humans couldn't track down the puppies, Pongo and Missis alert canine gossip patrol Twilight Bark and its leader sheep dog Colonel as well as feline assistant Sergeant Tibbs to save the puppies. Tibbs and Colonel track down De Vil and find 86 more dalmatin puppies. What happens next is a series of battles and chases which leads to a car chase between Cruella and the dalmatians who stow away on a truck.

"One Hundred and One Dalmatians" premiered in October of 1971. Receptionwise, the film received postive to mixed reviews. The film's story and songs received praise, msot notably about its balance of family-friendliness and melodramatic chase scenes. Most criticisms were directed to the mix of live-action and animation, fans today generally give praise to the animated segments and believe that the film would've been better if the film was strictly animated with no live-action scenes. Cruella De Vil would gain immense popularity and would become one of the most iconic Disney villains, making frequent appearances in Disney Parks and performances. Despite not being a part of the Animated Canon, "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is a classic in its own right.

Release Date: October 7th 1971

Live-Action Cast:
Roddy McDowall (Roger Radcliffe)
Lisa Davis (Anita Radcliffe)
Angela Lansbury (Nanny)
Betty Lou Gerson (Cruella De Vil)

Animated Cast:
Rod Taylor (Pongo)
Debbie Reynolds (Missis)
J Pat O'Malley (Jasper) (1)
Mel Blanc (Horace, Colonel) (1)
David Frankham (Sergeant Tibbs)

Notable Songs:
Cruella De Vil (sung by Roger to mock Cruella, also composed by Roger in-universe)
The Beatiful Briny (sung by Pongo and Missis at the end of the film)

(1) Jasper and Horace are animated unlike the other humans

Notes: Before I re-arranged everything on the list of films, One Hundred and One Dalmatians was originally slated to be a 1990s film. Here it's a live-action/animation hybrid, with the animals plus Jasper and Horace being animated while everything else is live-action. I decided to include Missis from the original novel here and keep Cruella De Vil as a villain song due to how iconic it is.

 

[MrCarioca]

"At best, Zootopia is only midly entertaining. There's nothing much that stands out or gives a good chuckle." -Jay Cocks of Times

"Zootopia is a hallmark of Disney. It's rich full animation and enduring characters are such a delight." -Charles Champlin of Los Angeles Times

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What ended up becoming Zootopia was the result of a proper adaptation of the "Reynard the Fox" tales, the film had been in and out of production throughout the last few decades due to one major problem: Reynard the fox, despite being the main protagonist of the fables, was beyond unlikeable. The storymen had no idea how to rework a villainous character into a likeable hero. Walt expressed such concerns during the early stages of production. There were many story suggestions including drafts where Reynard was to become an anti-hero and be forced to use his wits, and yet Reynard still came off as a villain than anything. This early attempt at adapting the Reynard tales ended before it even began and Walt instead chose to adapt "Robin Hood". For the time being, Reynard stayed in the shelf.

Walt revived the project again in 1961 when "Peter Pan" was nearing completion, prior to this he contemplated on including animated Reynard segment in the live-action film "Treasure Island". Once again, Reynard's unsympathetic personality became the main hurdle. In the 60s version, the film would've spiraled into a courtroom comedy, different animals played courtroom roles which included rhinoceros guards and a lion king. This version lacked a clear story, this coupled with Reynard's hard to rework personality ultimately scrapped the project for the second time.

Another project concurrently in the works was "Chanticleer". Prior to the 1960s, "Chanticleer" had actually been greenlit in the mid 1940s, World War 2 halted plans and the film wasnn't revived until the 1960s when it and "Raya and the Last Dragon" were put into production. During the early stages of this 1960s attempt, one draft was to have Chanticleer play the role of a mayor whose crows is believed to cause sunrise. Ultimately it was “Raya and the Last Dragon” which Walt and the storymen had more faith in, and sadly it turned out horribly. Walt retired from the animation business after that fiasco, leaving the fates of both "Chanticleer" and "Reynard" uncertain.

By 1968, studio executive Card Walker proposed adapting a "classic" tale for the stuido's next film after "Home On the Range" to Ken Anderson during a fishing trip. During discussions with Marc Davis, Davis suggested to combine the tales of "Chanticleer" and "Reynard" and make one animated film. To solve the long-lasting issue of Reynard's personality, it was decided that the tales would be flipped to the perspective of Chanticleer while Reynard would become the villanious foil to Chanticleer. The film would officially go into production by the time "Tangled" wrapped up. For voice cast, Phil Harris was brought back once again to voice Senor Poco Loco. Harris had been both a main stay and fan favourite voice actor, so bringing him back was a no brainer. The songs and score were composed by George Bruns and Roger Miller, Miller also played the role of Chanticleer himself. The film, now named "Zootopia", was set to release in 1973 as the studio's 21st animated feature.

"Zootopia" starts with Chanticleer crowing and waking up the quiant little French town, fittingly named "Zootopia". Chanticleer's popularity allowed him to be appointed as mayor of Zootopia by the lion King Noble, yet his "Work! Work! Work!" campaign wasn't popular. This allowed the sly fox and also wanted criminal Reynard to undermine Chanticleer by instead campaigning for "Fun! Fun! Fun!" under the disguise Honest Joaquin (1). Chanticleer keeps his position as mayor regardless so Reynard brings in the famed swordfighter Senor Poco Loco for a duel, in reality this gave Reynard the oppoturnity to raid the henhouse. Once the townsfolk discovers Reynard's distruction, King Noble orders the arrest of Reynard who twists up a tale about his father's wealth hidden in a volcano. Needless to say, the townspeople are tricked and the volcano explodes when they get there, injuring many (2). Having decided that the fox is now the most wanted criminal, Chanticleer challenges Reynard to a swordfight and wins. The film ends with Chanticleer placing Reynard in maximum security jail.

"Zootopia"'s reception was mixed during its initial 1973 release. It's Xerox animation was praised for being a step-up to the notorious style used in "Home On the Range", the voice acting was also a highlight of the film and was were most of its initial praise came from. On the other hand, people were quick to notice recycled animation from "Little Mermaid", "Tangled" and "Home On the Range". It didn't help that Phil Harris, who voiced Flynn Rider and Rico in the latter two respectively had returned to voice Poco Loco, whose animation was already recycled fom "Tangled", so audiences were just prone to notice. Through the decades, Zootopia would gain a cult-like following and became a fan favourite of many. Alongside the next film chronologically in the WDAC, it is the most fondly remembered 1970s film.

Release Date: November 8th 1973

Cast:
Roger Miller (Chanticleer)
Pat Buttram (Reynard the Fox)
Peter Ustinov (King Noble)
Phil Harris (Senor Poco Loco)

Notable Songs(3):
Whistle Stop (sung by Chanticleer in the opening titles)
Chanticleer (4) (sung by the townsfolk at the start of the film to introduce Chanticleer)

(1) Since no attempts were made to adapt Pinocchio before at least the Renaissance, I’m re-using the name Honest John as Reynard’s disguise, albeit twisted just a bit.
(2) The volcano would’ve killed many townsfolk in one of the original drafts, but was toned down to fit the light-hearted tone
(3) A variation of ”The Phoney King of England” from OTL’s Robin Hood is also sung here to mock Reynard
(4) A song written by George Bruns for OTL’s attempt to adapt Chanticleer

Notes: So “Zootopia” is basically if Disney managed to produce their 1960s take on both “Chanticleer” and “Reynard” by combining the two together. Here, the story is a combination of the 1940s Reynard storyline, the 1960s attempt to merge the two together, and also a bit of “Robin Hood” thrown in. Meanwhile I’ve been contemplating on starting my “WDAS collapses in the 80s” TL earlier, and the 1977a film should be relatively simple as I’ve figured that out way beforehand. Stay tuned for both.

 

[MrCarioca]

"One of Disney's finest gems next to their Pooh feature." -Leonard Maltin

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Next to "Peter Pan", "Snow White" and the unsuccessful attempts at adapting "Alice in Wonderland", one of Walt's most desired material to produce was the Cosmopolitan Magazine story "Bongo the Circus Bear" by Sinclair Lewis. Walt had intended to produce a Bongo feature as early as 1941, then suggested to be a sequel to "Dumbo". However, the original story had such a downer ending that it had to be re-worked to a more uplifting end. Walt and the storymen couldn't figure out a suitable treatment, and soon the US military occupied the studio in response to Pearl Harbour, halting both "Bongo" and "Dumbo". "Dumbo" would be completed and released in 1950, meanwhile "Bongo" stayed on the cutting room floor.

"Bongo" was brought up again as a potential featurette to be paired with "Mickey and the Beanstalk" in the mid 1940s. Once again, there wasn't a suitable story treatment by the time "Mickey and the Beanstalk" wrapped up production and released as its own fetaurette. The 1940s attempts had been unsuccessful, and Walt moved on the other projects while "Bongo" was scrapped indefinitely. It wouldn't be until 1963 when the project would re-start, this time the film would be directed by Wolfgang Reitherman. Midway through production, the same issues were brought up once more and it seemed like the film would once again return to the shelf. It was deicded that the film would be re-worked into a featurette to better fit its tone and pacing, re-working Bongo into a film was simply too headache inducing and the pacing didn't work at all.

Since most of the Nine Old Men were working on "Tangled", only Eric Larson and John Lounsbery were tasked to animate the characters. While the original 1940s storyboards had Bongo appear more animal-like and realistic, the animators instead opted for cartoonish designs, closer to what the package era attempt designed Bongo as. The first featurette "Happy-Go-Lucky Bongo" released in 1966 to critical acclaim, many praised the featurette's light hearted tone and family friendliness. By 1967, a second featuette was in production focusing on Bongo's adversary Lumpjaw. One of the main issues and criticisms from the 1966 featurettes was a lack of stakes, so this was the main issue the animators fixed.

By 1974, three "Bongo" featurettes had been released to theaters, all of which were critical successes in their own right. It was decided that thanks to the success of the three "Bongo" featurettes, a package film would be made to combine all three featurettes together alongside new animated bridging segments. Originally having either Jiminy Cricket or Rusty Robin to host bridging segments, the storymen felt that having an unseen narrator tie all the segments together felt more natural and charming. The film, now named "Fun and Fancy Free" as originally intended in the Package Era attempt, would be released in Christmas 1976.

The first segment was "Happy-Go-Lucky Bongo". Bongo the Circus Bear gets thrown off a circus train after the elephant matriach gets jealous of his success. Lost in the wild, Bongo finds comfort in nature but soon has to face the reality and hardships of the wild, having considerations of returning to the circus. Ultimately Bongo decides to stay in the forest after he meets his love interest Susie (1). The second segment "Bongo and the Jealous Lumpjaw" introduces Bongo's adversary Lumpjaw, jealous of Bongo and yearns to win Susie's heart. After a brief fight, Bongo sends Lumpjaw tumbling over a waterfall, where he c barely climbs out and vows revenge on Bongo for humiliating him. The third segment was "Bongo and Chimpy", Bongo's circus sidekick Chimpy escapes the circus and reunites with Bongo in the forest. Bongo and Susie teach Chimpy all about forest life before Lumpjaw returns to take revenge on Bongo. Ultimately Chimpy saves the dya by once again, throwing Lumpjaw off a waterfall and humiliating him. The final segment and the only newly animated one "Bongo says Farewell" was made as the film's closing, featuring Bongo, Susie and Chimpy walking off into the sunset and enjoying forest life.

Like with the previously released Bongo featurettes, the film became an immediate hit. While deviating from the original story, many claimed that "Fun and Fancy Free" still manages to capture the essence of the source material and craft one of Disney's most enjoyable and jovial films to date. Today, "Fun and Fancy Free" and "Zootopia" are widely considered the best films of the 1970s.

Release Date: December 20th 1976

Cast:
Sterling Holloway (Narrator)
Arnold Stang (Bongo)
Barbara Luddy (Susie)
John Fiedler (Chimpy)
Sebastian Cabot (Lumpjaw)

(1) The original suggested name for Lulubelle in OTL

Notes: So "Fun and Fancy Free" here is essentially an analouge to OTL's Pooh, reasons being the story having been expanded and also "Say It with A Slap" being in TTL's Jungle Book instead. The first two segments are based of OTL's Bongo segment from "Fun and Fancy Free", the third segment is based off a proposed sidekick for Bongo IOTL. Bongo will be the substitute for Pooh for the time being, until Pooh himself shows up at least.

 

[MrCarioca]

"Whose idea was it to adapt Pocahontas into a cheery Disney film?" - Vincent Canby of the New York Times

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In 1962, Walt expressed interest in adapting another tale based off mythology or folklore after "Raya and the Last Dragon". In January 1963, it was revealed that pre-production work had begun on a "Pocahontas" film and story artist Otto Englander had started writting a suitable treatment for said film. Adapting the tale of Pocahontas and John Smith was an extremely risky move. Not only would the Xerox animation and varying story treatments cause the final product to look grittier as Disney's usual output, but the original tale of Pocahontas was an extremely controversial story depicting themes of racism against Native Americans and colonialism. The problems mentioned plus the massive failure of "Raya and the Last Dragon" was enough for Walt to shelve the project for a later date.

During the early 1970s, "Pocahontas" re-entered development as a potential testing ground for new upstarting animators like Don Bluth. The new treatment was a lot less grittier than Englander's original treatment, yet was still a dark film for Disney. For one, Pocahontas was aged up to 18 rather than her original pre-teen age. This new draft was a lot more ambitious, delving into topics such as colonialism and heavy political tones. This version of "Pocahontas" focused more on Ratcliffe and his ambitions to rid Native Americans from the New World while Chief Powhatan wants to rid the colonists of his land, with Pocahontas herself being relugated to a side character. This version was torn apart by storymen and executive Card Walker, there was still a lot to be worked on for "Pocahontas".

By the mid-1970s, several drafts for "Pocahontas" had been written. An animal sidekick in the form of a raccoon named Meeko was added as Pocahontas' potential sidekick, and the new plot focused more on the romance between Pocahontas and John Smith. For voice acting, Jimmy MacDonald came out from retirement to help out, he mainly did the voices of the animal characters as well as other sound effects. Sammy Fain wrote songs and music for "Pocahontas", most ntoably "Tomorrow is Another Day". For the first time since "Atlantis: The Lost Empire", none of the songs were sung by the actual characters, rather they were sung by an unseen choir or singer By late 1976, the film was completed and set for a release next year, it would be one of the most divisive animated films to date.

Set in the 17th Century, a group of English colonists led by Governor Ratcliffe reach America to dig for gold and colonise the new settlement. Meanwhile in the Werowocomoco tribe, Chief Powhatan's daughter Pocahontas is set to wed to Kocoum, who Pocahontas refuses to marry. The two parties soon intertwine with each other when Captain John Smith goes hunting for gold and instead encounters Pocahontas. John Smith is soon captured by Powhatan and set to be executed, it is only due to Pocahontas throwing herself in front of Smith when Powhatan backs down. From there, the romantic relationship between Pocahontas and John Smith develops despite refusal and disapprovement from both the Englishmen and Native Americans. Things get worse when Kocoum is killed by Ratcliffe who intends to commit genocide on the Native Americans and take all the land for himself. Now Pocahontas and John Smith must protect their tribe, convince the Englishmen to turn against Ratcliffe and stop Ratcliffe's plans before it is too late.

"Pocahontas" premiered on March 11st 1977, three months before its nationwide release. Due to attempted genocide being a plot point, the film would become the first Disney film to receive a PG rating. The film, while a financial success that dwarfened its initial $7.5 million budget, was a critical disaster that was even worse than that of "Raya and the Last Dragon". The film's message about racism and colonialism was panned by critics and casual moviegoers, many claimed that they were executed horribly. Colonial historians also tore the film apart, criticising the film's depiction of Egnlish colonists and Ratcliffe's role in the film compared to what actually happened. Nowadays, "Pocahontas" is one of, if not the most divisive film in the WDAC. Some claim "Pocahontas" to be an underrated masterpiece and a progressive film which delves into heavy topics, others absolutely hate it and claim "Pocahontas" to be the most racist and offensive Disney film.

Release Date: March 11th 1977 (premiere), June 22nd 1977 (nationwide release)

Cast:
Sandy Duncan (Pocahontas)
Kurt Russell (Captain John Smith)
Bob Newhart (Kocoum)
Jim Jordan (Chief Powhatan)
Jack Albertson (Governor Ratcliffe)

Notable Songs:
Tomorrow is Another Day (sung during a montage of Pocahontas and John Smith's relationship)

Notes: TTL's treatment of Pocahontas is more akin to OTL's version with a lot more dark elements and tones, which was the reason why TTL's Pocahontas has a PG rating. Here, Pocahontas will be the outright most hated Disney film for some time, dethroning Raya. Maybe it'll have some competition when we get to 1985, we'll see.

 

[MrCarioca]

So previously I stated that I wouldn't explicitly write about how the other animation studios are doing each decade, shifting the focus solely onto Disney and later Pixar. However I looked at the current line-up of Disney films post-1988 and I feel like I should go into a brief summary of how everyone else is doing so far:

Warner Bros/Leon Schlesinger Studios: The Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies series experienced a lavish golden age which spanned through decades. The studio would spawn its first proper star Porky Pig in the 1935 short "I Haven't Got a Hat", its popularity would increase with Daffy Duck's first appearance in 1937's "Porky's Duck Hunt", and the series truly struck gold with 1940's "A Wild Hare", debuting Bugs Bunny. Seeing Disney's success with "The Little Mermaid", there were talks of Schlesinger and Termite Terrace producing their own animated feature film, either an original script or adapting other media like how Disney was doing. Ultimately the rights to Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" was chosen, directed by all four directorial units as a joint effort. World War 2 and the departures of Bob Clampett and Tex Avery delayed these plans until the 1950s. "Alice in Wonderland" would release in July 1952 to critical acclaim, achieving praise through its slapstick humour and voice acting, credited to who else but Mel Blanc.

Fleischer Studios/Famous Studios: Despite "Gulliver's Travels" releasing in 1939 to a box office success and the success of "Superman", the Fleishcers were struggling under the surface. Paramount had placed the Fleischers under a strict budget for their next film "Mr Bug Goes to Town", you could say it's a penalty for going over-budget for "Gulliver's Travels". The Fleischer Brothers themselves were also undergoing quarrels and a deteriorating relationship. When the time came to renew both men's contracts, Dave Fleischer quit his job and would later go work for Screen Gems. Meanwhile World War 2 arrived at America and "Mr Bug" was forced into delay. As a last ditch attempt to save the soon-to-be bankrupt studio, Paramount would buy out Fleischer Studios, renaming it to "Famous Studios". Max was allowed to stay to direct wartime propaganda shorts. "Mr Bug" was lifted from development limbo after the war and was renamed "Hoppity Goes to Town", releasing in late 1946 to financial and critical success, Hoppity himself became the mascot of Famous Studios.

Walter Lantz: Even though it was Lantz and Universal who now owned Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Lantz was one of the only rival animators to be friends with Walt Disney. After Oswald worn out his welcome in the late 1930s, Disney and Lantz entered negotiations to transfer rights of Oswald back to Disney. Eventually Walt re-gained rights to Oswald after WW2. Meanwhile, Lantz had created a new, more popular character: Woody Woodpecker. Woody made his debut in the 1940 short "Knock Knock", voiced by Mel Blanc. Seeing the success of Disney, Lantz decided to throw his hat into the ring and produce his own feature film. Lantz chose the Arabian folktale "Aladdin and his Magic Lamp" for the basis of his first feature, featuring the assistant comedy duo Abbott and Costello as the two genies respectively. Production wouldn't kick off until after the war in late 1945, and the film itself wasn't released until the fall of 1949. "Aladdin and his Lamp" proved to be a success and prompted Lantz to produce two more films throughout the 1950s and early 60s: "Peter Rabbit" in 1955, using an unused redesign for Oswald Lantz conceptualised during the late 1930s, and perhaps more notably "The Adventures of Pinocchio" in 1960, the latter being Lantz's most acclaimed film.

MGM: MGM was perhaps the biggest studio at Hollywood by 1937, and yet their animation division was only so and so. It wuldn't be until Joseph Barbara and William Hanna teamed up to produce what would become the studio's biggest success: An intially one-off short featuring a cat and mouse duo, titled "Puss Gets the Boot". The short was so successful that Texas businesswoman Bessa Short sent a letter to MGM and asked for more cat and mouse shorts. The duo, now named Tom and Jerry, would be comissioned into a series and would become the premier cartoon series next to Droopy. As if that wasn't enough, Tex Avery left Schlesinger in 1941 and jumped ship to MGM. Avery was responsible for many, many creative and comedic shorts, his most notable output being "Red Hot Riding Hood", "Screwball Squirrel" and many Droopy shorts. Ironically, MGM never toyed with producing any aniamted features, the shorts were enough to suffice.

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Release Dates of films produced by the other studios:
Hoppity Goes to Town (Famous Studios): December 5th 1946
Aladdin and his Lamp (Walter Lantz/Universal): November 25th 1949
Alice in Wonderland (Warner Bros): July 28th 1952
Peter Rabbit (Walter Lantz/Universal): June 22nd 1955
The Adventures of Pinocchio (Walter Lantz/Universal): February 7th 1960

And on a side note, Terrytoons and Screen Gems still exist and are unchanged from OTL.

 

[MrCarioca]

The Reluctant Dragon (1977)
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"A fun and energetic fantasy" - New York Times, December 1st 1977

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​

What eventually became "The Reluctant Dragon" started life in the 1940s, when the Walt Disney Studio was undergoing an economic turmoil due to both "Robin Hood" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" becoming box office bombs and the 1941 Animator's Strike. To quickly re-coup the losses of both films, it was decided that a quick cash-grab film showcasing the ins and outs of the Walt Disney Studio would be produced, culminating in an animated featurette. While choosing the subject for said featurette, Walt came across Kenneth Grahame's "The Reluctant Dragon". While having considered to be the source material for this new "feature film", Walt dismissed both this and "The Wind in the Willows", another Grahame novel. Walt claimed that both works were too corny for his tastes. "The Wind in the Willows" eventually became a part of "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad", while an adaptation of "The Emperor's New Clothes" starring Mickey Mouse and company was produced as part of the "feature film", appropriately titled "The Emperor's New Groove".

In 1957, Walt had plans to re-visit "The Reluctant Dragon", this time it would be produced as a feature length animation/live-action hybrid similar to how "Encanto: The Adventures of the Little Prince" and "Strange World" were. Walt hired screenwriter Seton I. Miller to write the script, which Miller based off an unpublished dragon script that he had written earlier (1). Walt had Kevin Corcoran from "Old Yeller" in mind when he first considered the cast for the film, but by 1958, the script was too short and uneventful for Walt to consider changing "The Reluctant Dragon" into a special episode of the Disneyland anthology program. Corcoran was re-casted as John Darling in 1961's "Peter Pan". Eventually "The Reluctant Dragon" ended back on the shelf until 1968, well after Walt's death. Even in 1968, the project went nowhere and continued to stay in development hell.

It wasn't until 1975 when "The Reluctant Dragon" was formally put back into production. Producer Jerome Courtland re-discovered both the 1941 and 1957 drafts of "The Reluctant Dragon", he soon hired Malcolm Marmorstein to draft up a script. The final script was changed and re-written so much that it might as well have been an original film that was loosely based off Grahame's original novel. For one, the stakes were raised higher and the dragon was given a name: Elliott (2). Taking cues from the 1957 version, Elliott the dragon would be animated, which would help him stick out compared to the rest of the cast, which were all real life actors. There was one more thing notable about "The Reluctant Dragon": None of the Nine Old Men participated in animation work for this film, Elliott was animated by a whole new generation of animators. Don Hahn most notably gained experience from working on this film before later working on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit".

The film starts with a flashback of ancient times, where dragons and humans fought against each other brutally (This scene was noted to be somewhat analogous to "Raya and the Last Dragon"). Eventually the dragons retreated and centuries pass by, each generation anticipating another great war between the two species. A young boy named Bob (3) reads a book about ancient dragons and knights when his father rushes to warn the townsfolk about a monster, Bob re-assures that it was only a dragon, to which his father panicks and runs away in fear. Bob ventures into the dragon's lair himself and finds a shy and timid dragon named Elliott. Discovering Elliott's love for books and literature, Bob befriends Elliott. Meanwhile the dragon slayer Sir Giles arrives to take out the dragon, but Bob re-assures Giles that Elliott is friendly and wouldn't fight. To fool the townsfolk, Sir Giles and Elliott play pretend and stage a fight where Sir Giles "slays" Elliott to death. Their ploy is discovered and Elliott is banished from the town. However when the ferocious dragons return to destroy the town, Bob and Sir Giles have to find Elliott and save everyone before the dragons set them all on fire.

"The Reluctant Dragon" was met with praise and a generally positive reception. While most of the live-action scenes were considered as filler and dull, the animated Elliott and the performances of Sir Giles and Bob really carried the film. "The Reluctant Dragon" was well received enough for a live-action remake to be produced and released in 2016. Today, "The Reluctant Dragon" is seen as Disney's better live-action/animation hybrids.

Release Date: November 3rd 1977

Live Action Cast:
Sean Marshall (Bob)
Gene Wilder (Sir Giles)
Cal Bartlett (Bob's Father)

Animated Cast:
Paul Winchell (Elliott)

(1) What OTL's "Pete's Dragon" was based off
(2) The same name given to the titular dragon from "Pete's Dragon"
(3) Taken from Robert Benchley as he had starred in OTL's Reluctant Dragon

Notes: This took quite some time for me to think of a suitable plot for, considering how OTL's Reluctant Dragon was a feaurette and how I needed to convert it to a live-action/animation hybrid. I am looking forward the the 80s though so except more updates soon. And I'm also trying out this new template and hopefully it looks better.

 

[MrCarioca]

Chicken Little (1981)
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The 1980s were an... interesting decade for Disney to say the least. The 1980s was the decade Walt Disney Television Animation came into the picture with Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers (which would get its own feature length film in the future), many new talent came in to replace the old guard, and the studio experienced a huge crisis that almost ended in disaster. This would all start with "Chicken Little". Contrary to what most people believe, this wasn't the first time Disney had adapted the Henny Penny fable. A World War 2 propaganda short of the same name had released in 1943, there its message was to warn the public about foreign misinformation. In 1967, Ken Anderson expressed interest in revisiting "Chicken Little". The problem was that the original henny Penny fable was so straight-forward that it could only be made as a short film (like the 1943 version) or a featurette. Due to the above problems, "Chicken Little" was put on hold.

Another idea was to adapt the 1967 novel "The Fox and the Hound" by Daniel Mannix. Disney had aquired the rights to the book in 1967 but shelved it due to two reasons: The book was far too depressing to ever be adapted into a Disney film, plus another film of the same name had already been released in 1946 despite having a completely different premise. Needless to say, this idea didn't go far and the studio moved on to other projects. In the 1970s, "Chicken Little" was revived and brought back into production. Taking inspiration and elements from the proposed "Fox and the Hound" feature, the film was given a southern setting and the timeframe was re-tooled to directly reflect the atmosphere of the late 70s to early 80s.

The transition between the old guard and the new generation during the production of "Chicken Little" caused a lot of problems. While the Nine Old Men were more encouraging towards the new animators, Wolfgang Reitherman and Ron Miller were unsupportive of many new ideas, which often dragged them into arguements with the new guard. Eventually the pot boiled over and notable animator Don Bluth quit his job at Disney on September 13th 1979, claiming that Reitherman was too stern and out of touch. Bluth would go on to start his own studio and directly rival Disney throughout the rest of the 1980s. The disruptions of production and the departure of Don Bluth meant that the film couldn't reach its intended Christmas 1980 release date, instead it was delayed to 1981. The end product would greatly reflect its somewhat troubled production.

The film starts with the titular Chicken Little studying history and the Cold War. Fearing for nuclear annihilation, the anxious Chicken Little warns everybody about the imminent doom of his town, claiming that "the sky was falling" as a metaphor for war. Ever so annoyed about Chicken Little's growing anxiety, Chicken Little's father sends him to summer camp along with his friends Piggy Wiggy (1) and Ducky Lucky (2). There, Chicken Little learns to repair his relationship with his father and also get rid of his worsening anxiety. All seems to be going well until Chicken Little discovers a plot by their camp counselor Foxy Loxy to kidnap the kids. With his newfound skills, Chicken Little and his friends have to save camp before it's too late.

"Chicken Little" did well enough in the box office, earning $63 million with its $12 million budget. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, some bashed the film for being too mean spirited, especially towards the protagonists. Audiences were more forgiving and praised the film's life lessons and voice performances, and strangely Foxy Loxy became a fan favourite villain, even if his villain persona only appeared by the third act. With the release and reception of "Chicken Little", it seemed like smooth sailing for Disney here on out, but nobody could've anticipated the disaster that was to come.

Release Date: July 10th 1981

Cast:
John Fiedler (Chicken Little) (3)
Dick Bakalyan (Chicken Little's Father)
Paul Winchell (Piggy Wiggy)
Clarence Nash (Ducky Lucky)
Jim Dale (Foxy Loxy)

(1) Essentially OTL's Runt out of Litter
(2) The name is taken from the 1943 short
(3) Chicken Little mostly sounds like Piglet IOTL

Notes: "Chicken Little" here uses the original outline from OTL's version but with some early 80s elements. ITTL "Chicken Little" is far more well remembered and well liked, so the film fares a lot better than OTL. Next up is 1985 and things well get messy for WDAS, stay tuned for that.