The Too Young segment will probably feature two friends lost in time, one well in the past and the other in the future until they reunite in the then-present day. And Don Quixote is the actual name of the piece.
The Shuffled Disneyverse: An Alt Disney Timeline
- Thread starter PGSBHurricane
- Start date
This TL should be coming back soon enough, I'm about to start work on the next title.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1967)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1967)
In 1962, Story Artist Bill Peet suggested a more interesting story with higher stakes than in most Disney films up to this point. He inquired to Wolfgang Reitherman about The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo and acquired the rights to it in April. This would be the first film to be made wholly independent of Walt, and the end product would greatly reflect that. The film rights to Hunchback were acquired that April after being considered for ten years. Peet favored largely adhering to the dark, dramatic, edgy, and sinister tone of Hugo’s novel while making many of the characters less ambiguous in their moral standing like Frollo, Phoebus, and Clapin. Voice casting was underway by 1964, and animation commenced in June 1965. Unlike other films before it, animators were in charge of developing entire sequences due to the frequent character interactions. All in all, the Disney studio was hoping that Hunchback would be better received than Alice and Melody Time.
Abandoned outside the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris at the age of four, the deaf, one-eyed, hunchbacked named Quasimodo is (out of kindness) taken in by the Archdeacon of Josas, Claude Frollo, and introduces Quasimodo to the bell tower where he finds freedom and shelter from the real world. Frollo’s inner dark side slowly unveils itself when he sees a young gypsy lady named Esmeralda dancing in the Parisian streets. Because Frollo had never dealt with this before, his inner lust makes him go insane and tries to kidnap Esmeralda (while using Quadmodo for muscle for this job). The attempt is foiled by Frollo’s archrival Phoebus, Captain of the Archers. Frollo has Quasimodo take the fall, though, and thus the latter is arrested and sent to the stocks. It is there where he meets Esmeralda for the first time and, unlike every other woman in Paris, Esmeralda likes Quasimodo for who he is and does not let his deformities overshadow his heart. Her kindness causes him to view Esmeralda as an angel but puts him into conflict with an increasingly unstable Frollo who develops a simultaneous lust and loathing toward Esmeralda.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame was released theatrically on October 18, 1967, in the United States as Disney's 19th full-length feature film. It was a solid box office success, earning $11.5 million on its $3.7 million budget during its initial theatrical run. The film earned mixed reviews from both contemporary audiences and critics. The story itself was seen as middling, and its dark themes such as antizagnism, damnation, genocide, lust, and sin were polarizing. Yet the visuals were considered the strongest among the first three Disney films to use the Xerox method, and its message of tolerance gave it a large following in light of the civil rights movement and other movements of 1960s America. The scene where Frollo kills Quasimodo near the film's finale was named one of the most controversial scenes in animation history, and some of that controversy still lingers to this day. On the other hand, the contrasting character arcs of Frollo and Phoebus have gotten praised more highly over time. In March 1997, during a special 30th-anniversary release in Paris, France, it was named one of the greatest films of all time. In North America, it experienced great success on home video before its initial DVD release in 1999.
A/N: In essence, this is a mashup of the original book and OTL's version of Disney's Hunchback plus the inclusion of a scene considered for the finale of the 1996 version. Also, this film ITTL will have a greater impact on film than people will realize at the time since it will be one of the first animated films, if not the outright first one, to receive a PG rating upon its re-release in 1970s under the 1972 ratings system.
To expand on the hints from 1970-1977
1970 - Not based on a European fairy (Does not take place in Europe either)
1973 - Has a romance (it is a major part of the film)
1977a - Contains an official or unofficial Disney Princess (the said princess is not an animal)
1977b - Contains an anti-hero (the anti-hero is male)
1970 - Not based on a European fairy (Does not take place in Europe either)
1973 - Has a romance (it is a major part of the film)
1977a - Contains an official or unofficial Disney Princess (the said princess is not an animal)
1977b - Contains an anti-hero (the anti-hero is male)
As for hints for films #24 and #25 in the Walt Disney canon ITTL (respectively released in 1981 and 1985):
1981 - The first fairytale or folktale based film since 1951 (May or may not be European)
1985 - The story takes place in a city
1981 - The first fairytale or folktale based film since 1951 (May or may not be European)
1985 - The story takes place in a city
Last edited:
I admit to being a little nervous for this next one since OTL’s version of this film is one of the most controversial in the canon.
I believe Song of the South was mentioned earlier to have been released at the same time as OTL.
Song of the South is not included in the WDAC lineup so it will not be impacted ITTL.
It won't have any bearing on this particular TL but the life-action film that was announced in 1957 will likely be completed and released in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
Don't worry guys, I'm still here. I've not given up on this TL, just exploring other things is all.
Pocahontas (1970)
Pocahontas (1970):
Among Walt Disney’s last responsibilities as the head of his animation studio was, in December 1961, to suggest Harry Tytle and Tom McGowan find stories based in mythology in the same way Bolt was. The writers proposed a film about the legend of Pocahontas in August 1962. The project was shelved the following year due to story issues and the decision to focus on The Hunchback of Notre Dame instead. Flirtations occurred in 1964 when story artist Otto Englander was assigned to work on Pocahontas and film meetings started taking place regularly before the staff gave the green light to the final version in 1966. This was not before Ken Anderson determined the feasibility of Pocahontas to work as an animated feature. The studio later contacted voice actor Phil Harris to help improvise the script and he went on to voice Captain John Smith. Ken Anderson spent the next eighteen months (after December 1966) attempting to develop the character designs, and five of Disney's legendary Nine Old Men worked on the animation.
In the spring of 1607, over 100 men and boys reach continental North America (what they called Virginia) and named their settlement after the King of England: Jamestown. At first, all seems to be going smoothly and the settlers are determined in their quest for gold, but they soon develop hardship and consider abandoning the settlement altogether. Captain John Smith considers all of this while exploring the interior for gold but gets captured by Powhatan warriors under Chief Powhatan. He is set to be executed and prepares for the worst. It is only due to Chief Powhatan’s sixteen-year-old daughter Pocahontas throwing herself in front of her father that he avoids this. From here, Pocahontas and John Smith begin to develop a friendship that is frowned upon by both the Englishmen and Native Americans. Attempts to keep the peace between the two parties become increasingly futile as the governor of Virginia, John Ratcliffe, plans to commit genocide against the Natives. Now, Pocahontas and John Smith are now racing against time to stop the governor from carrying out his plans.
Pocahontas was released to theaters on December 24, 1970, as a double feature with Niok, the Orphan Elephant. It was re-released twice before initially being released onto VHS in 1988. It was the second consecutive and overall Disney animated film to receive a PG rating upon re-releases due to attempted genocide being a plot point. Pocahontas received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and audiences at the time due to the story, the strength of the two lead characters, and the animation to a lesser degree. Nowadays, the reception for the film is more divided. Many modern fans and critics praise the film for its themes such as racism, friendship, and environmentalism. At the same time, others view the theme of racism as especially too dark for a family-oriented movie or think Pocahontas handled the topic too clumsily, making the English settlers appear more favorable than in real life. Using a non-Native American for the title role did not help things. Regardless of its flaws in its historical accuracy, it is neither the most beloved nor despised film among Disney fans.
Author's Note: With the film being based on a real person and real-life events, I wasn't sure how to handle it considering OTL's version of the story is one of the least well-liked Disney films. Hopefully, this is somewhat more historically accurate or at least more respectful to the original Pocahontas. But it being Disney I can't be too sure it's perfect. I'm huge into colonial history and a couple of my TLs (including one I'm currently working on) so at the same time this was also fun to work on. Stay tuned for more.
1973 is going to be an interesting selection because it's one of the more ubiquitous stories produced in film in general and has been for several decades. Not sure if it will be a good thing here or a bad thing.
If I'm being honest the final product here for the 1973 film will probably be blander than OTL's version.
I already revealed that it's a romance and it's one of the more ubiquitous titles in Hollywood but the last clue is this:
Humans and talking animals exist side-by-side here.