When you Wish Upon a Frog (Book II of the Jim Henson at Disney saga)

[Geekhis Khan]

It's been one hell of a ride... and can't wait to see the Jim Henson Farewell Bash.

Again, however, I do hope he accepts an Emeritus title - he deserves one.

It certainly has, but "all good things..." and all. Full disclosure next weekend the "Main Story" ends and the Epilogue Chapter begins.

As someone whoès ethnically Indian, I approve. I was even offered rewrites and feedback, though as I know squat about hindu culture and the Ravana I didn't have much to offer, save suggesting Salman Khan for a role.

And I appreciate the help. Mrs. Khan actually knows alot about Indian and Hindu culture (she's an 800-hour certified Yoga instructor that included some deep dives into the folklore and texts, including the Ramayana, that inform Yoga philosophy and practice) but it was good to check with an actual ethnic South Asian to make sure I wasn't wholly screwing up.

Obviously, we're seeing this from Sanjay's perspective... but here is something interesting - whilst Apu has been criticized by Indian-Americans or rather South Asian Americans OTL, he has quite a fandom in India itself (and he seems quite popular among first-generation immigrants), because he's among the few Indian characters on TV - and, for his time, wasn't a stereotype (he wasn't overtly submissive, defined by religion and was as flawed and quirky as everyone else).

Now, obviously, everyone experiences prejudice differently... and obviously, as a white guy, I cannot - and should not - speak for these groups - I am merely going by what I have heard from people of South Asian descent I have encountered.

Apu is an interesting example of a character that has seen the full range from beloved example of representation to hated ethnic stereotype. Plenty of Indian Americans were happy to see Apu in Springfield back in the '80s-2000s, and while he leans into some Funny Foreigner tropes, he was largely seen at the time a positive representation of a hard working, friendly, and a dedicated family man. It was later, particularly as he further Flanderized and South Asian Americans started to further integrate into professional fields and the Second Gen SAAs became more Americanized and lost the accent that he started to increasingly look like a bad, outdated stereotype. I think Harold and Kumar was the first time I saw Apu used negatively, and then the Internet took it up. Such is how society evolves.

In this case, Azaria's Hanuman has been hit by the same blowback, though as Sanjay notes it's often well meaning white folks making the complaints in this case.

Well, if it takes being a "Disney animal sidekick" to make the Asian vulture crisis a bit more noticed ITTL (seriously, it just went unreported OTL), I'm glad Sanjay and co ultimately won out...

That's a great point. I can see DAK and the Disney Conservation program jump on that.

Fun fact: in an earlier draft it was suggested one title be Rama Lama Ding Dong. Yes it was rejected immidiately.

Yeah it was never intended as a serious suggestion even in universe. That and Desperately Seeking Sita (which made the Threadmark) or Ramayana (do doo da doo do). I decided to cut that line as a little too irreverent even for me.

I can see Animal Kingdom, Disneyland/Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disneytown London go nuts over this film with special promotions and walkarounds.

Yep. DAK in particular, going off of Naty's point, can be a good place for Asian Vulture conservation. I wonder if seeing walkaround versions of Rama and Ravana might be pushing some cultural norms, though, but I'm not the person to ask here.

I wonder if this approach will be solidified in future Disney films after the success of Heart of Ice, City of Gold, and Invincible.

It's kind of been the Disney Formula since Snow White. Take a myth or legend or story and adapt it as a family friendly feature. The biggest thing here is that the source has some cultural and religious connections that can be hard to wave away. And to be clear, there are definitely going to be Hindus who condemn it as cultural appropriation and desecration. Unavoidable, really.

 

[tobg999]

Cant wait to spend all of next week crying

 

[Plateosaurus]

Its been three years IOTL, 20 IT. I've loved it. Can't see what happen what's next.

 

[CountDVB]

Holy freakin heck, what an amazing ride we all had!

Though something based off of the Ramayana... definitely pretty surprising .

 

[Deleted member 165942]

Damn I still remember accidentally pressing a tag in a timeline I was reading and finding this one by chance, I never thought I would have enjoyed this as much as I did.

 

[Geekhis Khan]

Mad About Kermit, Prince of Denmark (2001)
From Mad About Muppets with Mad Molly Moolah Netsite, May 1st, 2008

Hi, I’m Molly and I’m Mad for Muppets, and so are you, or why would you be here, duh right? 😊

And today I’m getting Shakespearean again, bizzles! It’s Kermit, Prince of Denmark! Directed by Leonard “Maybe I’m Spock and Maybe I’m Not” Nimoy[1], it’s the second time that the Muppets did Shakespeare after, well, 1993’s The Muppets Do Shakespeare.

(Image source Muppet Wiki on Tumbler)

So, this was, like, totally unplanned by Jim or the Jerrys. Instead, two would-be playwrights, Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez, were like looking for ideas, and they came up with Kermit as Hamlet (not Link, strangely enough given the obvious “ham” pun, but whatever their show).

It’s something that began as a college project created under the LOLA agreement on using Disney Copyrights and Trademarks, which I don’t really understand but I cite it in my footer because I post images and clips and the like. But Jim saw it, liked it, and it became Official Muppets. Yaaaayyy!!!!

And yeah, it’s basically Kermit as Hamlet. ‘Nuff said, really, but let’s talk anyway because why not? Kermie is both Hamlet and himself, Piggy is Ophelia and Gertrude (she like totally insisted on both parts, making it hilarious when she talks to herself), Jason Alexander is Claudius, Sam the Eagle is Polonius, Scooter is Horatio, Pepe is Laertes, Gonzo and Fozzie are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Tim Burton cameos as the Gravedigger, and (naturally) Uncle Deadly is The Ghost/Hamlet’s father. It was mostly the second and third generation Muppet Performers (no Frank and Jim!) but that’s OK because it was still fun and one of the first date movies that I went on even though my stupid date fell asleep (so naturally I dumped him, right?) so it’s kind of special for me.

And, I mean, Kermit as Hamlet is kind of self-explanatory if you know the Muppets and the play, but let’s dive into things, shall we?

(Image source muppet.fandom.com)

So, it more-or-less follows Hamlet, so if you’ve been required to read it in 10th Grade or whatever then I don’t need to tell you the story, but I will take some time to talk about the differences, of course, ‘cause that’s what’s different, after all, LOL.

And well, if follows Kermie in the present day as he wants to fly to Denver, but ends up flying to Denmark by mistake, where he gets mistaken for Prince Hamlet. And, so, like hilarity ensues as he’s caught up in the events of Hamlet, right?

Sort of like this (Image source Disney Video)

They had some great original songs by Marx and Lopez, such as “Off to Denver”, “There's More Than One Pig in the Sea” (but there’s only one Piggy, sorry, guys!), “Something About Him”, “Claudius Rejoices (King For Awhile)”, “Without You”, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Doing the Mambo”, “Talk (to Each Other)”, and “In Unexpected Places”. Kermie’s “Off to Denmark” is so much fun and like “Claudius Rejoices” was just awesome as a villain song and Jason Alexander totally ate it up and enjoyed every bite and he really does have a good voice. “In Unexpected Places” is a great finale. But I like “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Doing the Mambo” because I’m silly and it was silly so sue me, nya!

I mean, this is a Muppet production, so everything is open for comedy and the fourth wall is doomed (sorry, “DOOOMMMEEEDD!!!!”). And yea, it follows the story beats of Hamlet closely, but slips in lots of jokes and fourth wall breaks and modern references and the like.

So, really, rather than tell you how the play they probably made you read in 10th grade went, let’s talk the highlights where the Muppet Madness shines through shall we? Of course we shall!

So, Highlights:

• Kermie and Deadly the Ghost. (Ghost: “The glow-worm shows the dawn to be near, And begins to pale his ineffectual fire.” A Glow Worm Muppet slinks by. Kermie turning to fourth wall: “Oh, brother.”)
• Sam as Polonius giving Pepe as Laertes advice, only of course Pepe is being totally Pepe about it. (Sam: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be…” Pepe: “Umm, yeah, sure, dad. Not sure how to manage student loans in that case, but yeah, got it.” Oh, and my fav: Sam: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Pepe: “Then why is this conversation taking so long?”).
• Kermie and Ophelia. (Kermie freaking out: “Get thee to a nunnery! Fare-well! Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them!” Kermie breathing heavily. Piggie, angry: “You’re getting awfully close to a pork knuckle sandwich, Frog.”)
• Kermie and Scooter at the Grave where Tim hands over Yorick’s skull, only it’s the Sam and Friends Yorick Muppet[2] and Kermie needs to keep it from eating him. (“Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio…. Wilt thou knock it off, Yorick?!”)
• Oh, and making the actual “To be, or not to be” soliloquy played totally straight, with Kermie at his most pathos-filled. Because some things just can’t be done right any other way.

So, yea, great stuff, yea?

Anyway, production-wise things were kind of interesting. Marx and Lopez came up with the wacky idea, pursued it under LOLA, and did a workshop and got a grant, and in 2000 Disney’s Thomas Schumacher stumbled across it while in New York and showed a tape to Jim, who liked it and so they got them in touch with Jerry Nelson, who got Jerry Juhl and Kevin Clash to work with them to do some rewrites to be more Muppety, and Leonard signed on to direct. And, well, the rest is history, so that’s not that interesting now that I think about it, but it’s kind of cool because Tom was there in NYC for Rent, so there’s an interesting link between Rent and this film so that’s kind of cool. And Marx and Lopez immediately after got hired by Brian Henson, who ironically hadn’t wanted to do their movie[3], in order to do their naughty adult puppetry stuff that juuust maybe I’ll talk about some day with you when I’m feeling naughty, LOL.

It was super-cheap to make, done mostly on-set using contract performers and a handful of location shoots in Denmark, so when it only made about $42 million that was OK because it was still profitable and I hear really done to keep the IP fresh and prevent any copywrite issues for reasons that I don’t really get, but whatever we got more Muppets from it so yaaayyyy!!!

(Image source Gyfcat)

Oh, and its legacy has been good because schools like to play it because it gets kids interested in Shakespeare, so there is that.

Anyway, it’s like my favorite version of Hamlet (like duh right?) but what do you think?

---

[1] Since you asked (a loooong time ago) @Ogrebear!

[2] Jane Henson in a credited “cameo”.

[3] In our timeline Brian Henson, for reasons never explicitly stated, rejected the idea. Marx and Lopez went on to make Avenue Q instead. In 2004 Chris Curtin at Disney approached them about a film, but it fell through when Curtin left Disney.

 

[TheFaultsofAlts]

How many Muppet projects is that up to, now? At least the ones I desperately want to see, which is all of them.

Outside of that, the idea that Avenue Q was meant to be a Disney production at some point surprised me. And to see it actually come forth in this timeline is another reason why it's a fantastic timeline.

Oh, and that Sam and Friends Yorick cameo was an idea 45-50 years in the making, and I couldn't be happier to see it come to fruition.

 

[Daibhid C]

This sounds like another brilliant Muppet production that I'm sad doesn't exist.

And well, if follows Kermie in the present day as he wants to fly to Denver, but ends up flying to Denmark by mistake, where he gets mistaken for Prince Hamlet. And, so, like hilarity ensues as he’s caught up in the events of Hamlet, right?

So is the whole film a modernised version or does the plane take Kermit to 16th century Denmark? I prefer the latter idea, partly because it means Muppets in period costume, which is always fun, and partly because it's Random Weirdness, which is also always fun.

(I also like to think that Kermit notices everyone here looks a lot like his friends, but doesn't get any kind of explanation for it.)

Sam: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Pepe: “Then why is this conversation taking so long?”).

TTL me at his most annoying: "Okay, but that joke is totally implicit in the original, all Pepe's doing is spelling it out."

 

[Geekhis Khan]

Cant wait to spend all of next week crying

Its been three years IOTL, 20 IT. I've loved it. Can't see what happen what's next.

Holy freakin heck, what an amazing ride we all had!

Though something based off of the Ramayana... definitely pretty surprising .

Damn I still remember accidentally pressing a tag in a timeline I was reading and finding this one by chance, I never thought I would have enjoyed this as much as I did.

It's not over yet, folks! There's still plenty of goodness in the Epilogue Chapter to go. But thank you all for the kindness and following me on this wacky journey.

How many Muppet projects is that up to, now? At least the ones I desperately want to see, which is all of them.

6 or 7 at this point, I lose count.

Outside of that, the idea that Avenue Q was meant to be a Disney production at some point surprised me. And to see it actually come forth in this timeline is another reason why it's a fantastic timeline.

Ave. Q was Lopez and Marx's "second idea" when Kermit Prince of Denmark was rejected. OTL Disney wasn't touching that one with a 50' pole.

Oh, and that Sam and Friends Yorick cameo was an idea 45-50 years in the making, and I couldn't be happier to see it come to fruition.

Seemed obvious.

This sounds like another brilliant Muppet production that I'm sad doesn't exist.

It exists iOTL somewhere. Got workshopped and everything. Maybe some day...

So is the whole film a modernised version or does the plane take Kermit to 16th century Denmark? I prefer the latter idea, partly because it means Muppets in period costume, which is always fun, and partly because it's Random Weirdness, which is also always fun.

Random Weirdness is a Muppets Staple! It's all kind of blurred together, with Denmark being 16th Century-ish with lots of modern references and if you're worried what century it is you're missing the point.

(I also like to think that Kermit notices everyone here looks a lot like his friends, but doesn't get any kind of explanation for it.)

Pretty much.

TTL me at his most annoying: "Okay, but that joke is totally implicit in the original, all Pepe's doing is spelling it out."

Congrats, DC! You've unlocked Level Two of the Three-Level Joke! Molly only unlocked Level One.

If anyone wonders what Level Three is, feel free to speculate in the Speculation Thread.

 

[shearsforest]

Wait, Hensonverse is wrapping up?

 

[Plateosaurus]

Wait, Hensonverse is wrapping up?

No, just moving to a new chapter.

 

[Nathanoraptor]

Wait, Hensonverse is wrapping up?

The "Main Story" is wrapping up either this coming weekend or the weekend after (which one is it, @Geekhis Khan), but there's going to be an "Epilogue" Part chronicling the "Fiction Zone" years from 2000 to 2020 (when the TL was first posted).

 

[Geekhis Khan]

Chapter 25: When Jim Henson left Disney
Excerpt from In the Service of the Mouse: A Memoir, by Jack Lindquist

When Jim Henson announced his retirement, it hit us all like a freight train. I mean, after two decades it just felt like he’d always been a part of the Disney Team. It also felt like just yesterday that we had the Muppets at Disneyland celebration and “The Muppets at Disneyland” special on The Wonderful World of Disney.

(Image source Tough Pigs)

But despite having to extend his service to help smooth things over after the Dot-Com crash, Jim did ultimately retire in early 2001, and so we were determined to give him a proper send-off. Part of this was a Jim Henson Farewell Bash at all Disney Resorts, which naturally leaned heavily into the Muppets but also featured in some way or another all of the new Disney Friends that were born under his watch as CCO, from The Wild Things to Fin and Marla to the characters of Aida, who wouldn’t even screen until the end of the year. We spared no expense: Kermit’s face in the flowers at Disneyland, interviews and World of Magic appearances with Jim on Spaceship Earth via Projectorama, a return of the old “Froggy Went a Courtin’” walkaround performance at the resort stages, special concerts and events, you name it. We kept it going for three months and it never officially ended it, just phased it out.

And then there was Jim’s Going Away Party, which I planned with Jim’s daughter Cheryl, who by this point was also helping Bernie Brillstein with his memoir, and with David Lazer, who’d helped Jim with Card’s now-legendary retirement show.

It was for Jim, who’d never done half-measures, so we had to go BIG. We had to put Card’s and Ron’s parties to shame. Where Card had gotten a Muppet recreation of a Disney Board Meeting, the Muppet Performers put together a full Jim Henson Biopic, performed with Muppets, all done in the tell-all Hollywood Biopic style. Filled with over-the-top humor (much of it very adult!), it traced a humorous, highly fictionalized version of his life from his childhood in Mississippi to his coming-of-age in Washington DC to Sam & Friends, The Muppets, Disney, and all the ups and downs therein. We had multiple Muppet versions of Jim at different ages, along with Muppets of others like Bernie, Frank Oz, Card, Ron, Stan, Jane, you name it, performed by themselves where the Muppet Men were concerned. It was all a “Dinner Show” while we ate and drank.

(Image source SF Chronicle)

It was highly fictionalized and exaggerated, with comedic, totally made-up scenarios like Jim’s Dark Descent into Placebo Addiction and torrid affairs with Miss Piggy and Enby the Peacock. There was no way that you could take things seriously, and Jim was practically wetting himself with laughter.

It was also a great technical feat. The talent displayed by the Muppet Performers in having the Jim and Frank Muppets themselves control tiny little Bert & Ernie and Kermit & Piggy Muppets was a sight to behold!

We eventually, of course, did the much more accurate PG-rated Muppet-based Biopic Muppet Man using those same Muppets in 2005. There are still copies of recordings of the original version from the party in people’s personal collections, and no, we will never release it to the public! That one’s for us only, sorry!

But before we left the meal, we had one last introduction to make: our new Chairman of Walt Disney Entertainment. Or should I say Chair-woman?

The board of directors unanimously chose Jim’s own daughter, Lisa Henson, then the highly successful and celebrated Chairwoman of Fox Studios[1], to be his replacement. The board had chosen her without Jim’s input, and the first time that Jim found out, his pleasant surprise was a delight to see.

New Chairwoman of Walt Disney Entertainment, Lisa Marie Henson, and new Chief Creative Officer Joseph H. “Joe” Ranft (Image sources The Org and IMDB)

It was the perfect choice. Not only did she as a Henson keep the balance in Frank Wells’ “Symphony of Disney”, but her experience and talent spoke for itself. The board also selected Joe Ranft as Jim’s replacement as Chief Creative Officer, breaking up the two roles so Lisa could focus on the business side. She and he would ultimately lead us into what’s been officially called Disney’s Millennium Age, but many fans dubbed a New Silver Age.

Jim was delighted, of course. “I’m very proud of her,” Jim said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal News Network. “She’s done fantastically at Fox, and she’ll do great at Disney.”

When the show and the announcements and the toasts and the roasts were done, it was Party Time. All four sound stages, some of them still filled with sets, were taken over by a full company-wide Costume Ball. All retired briefly to don their costumes and the “Who’s Jim?” games began as he did his best to conceal himself in a series of ever more outrageous costumes.

(Image source Resist the Mundane)

It was sprawling, with costumes inspired by various Henson characters, real Muppets and Walkarounds alike, Skeksis and Gelflings, Figment and Professor Dreamfinder, and living, breathing fantastic beasts and creatures of all types. Freddie Mercury and David Bowie performed together as the Live Band in Stage One, DJ RaveKat spun dance music in Stage Two, a small Chamber Orchestra performed in Stage Three, and Stage Four was converted into a makeshift Club Cyclia.

We probably consumed enough drinks to flood Anaheim Stadium.

Things almost got “Walt’s Field Day” out of hand, and some working sets had to be repaired, but nobody got hurt and nobody went to jail, so all in all one of the most memorable times in Disney history.

And in the end, Jim quietly snuck away in the night, Sonny taking him back to his “Hotel California” as he called his Manor. Lisa would formally announce the End of the Party in his stead, and pass along his heartfelt thanks. He never was one to say “goodbye”.

- - -​

The Board of Directors for the Walt Disney Entertainment Company, May 2001:

Stanley Kinsey, CEO
Lisa M. Henson, Chairman
Thomas “Tom” Wilhite, President and COO
Roy E. Disney, Vice Chairman and President, Disney-MGM Studios
Bob Wright (General Electric)
Al Gottesman (President, Henson Arts Holdings)
Dianne Disney Miller (Partner, Retlaw Enterprises)
Peter Dailey (former US ambassador to Ireland and Roy Disney’s brother-in-law)
Alfred Attilio “Al” Checchi (representing Marriott International)
George W. Bush (representing the interests of the Good Shepherd Alliance)
William “Bill” Ackman (Gotham Partners; representing the interests of Liberty Holdings)



Advisory Board Members (non-voting, ad-hoc attendance):

Steven Spielberg (Partner, Amblin Entertainment)
Steve Jobs (CEO & President of Apple Computer, Inc.)
George Lucas (CEO of Lucasfilm, Ltd.)
J. Willard “Bill” Marriott, Jr. (CEO of Marriott International)
Ray Watson, Chairman Emeritus (former head of the Irvine Company)
Caroline Ahmanson (head and founder of Caroline Leonetti Ltd.)
Philip Hawley (Carter Hawley Hale)
Samuel Williamson (senior partner, Hufstedler, Miller, Carson, & Beardsley)
Stan Lee (Chairman of Marvel Entertainment)
Ronald “Ron” Miller (CEO Emeritus)
Frank Wells (Chairman and CEO Emeritus)
Jane A. Nebel Henson (Chairwoman, Henson Arts)
James M. “Jim” Henson (Chairman and CCO Emeritus)[2]



The Disney Executive Committee:

Stan Kinsey, CEO
Lisa M. Henson, Chairwoman
Thomas “Tom” Wilhite, President and COO
Joseph Henry “Joe” Ranft, CCO
Michael Lynton, Chairman, Disney-MGM Studios
Bernard “Bernie” Brillstein, Chairman of Disney-NBC Television
John Hench, President, Walt Disney Imagineering Workshop
Roy E. Disney, President, Walt Disney Studios

---

[1] Lisa will be backfilled at Fox by her protégé Mira Velimirovic, who in turn is backfilled at Filmation by Vanessa Morrison.

[2] Yes, @Nathanoraptor, he gets the Chairman Emeritus title because of course he does. And hat tip to @nick_crenshaw82 for the Creative Emeritus idea.

 

[Nathanoraptor]

What a send-off - and, hey, Disney's in good hands.

[2] Yes, @Nathanoraptor, he gets the Chairman Emeritus title because of course he does.

That is terrific to hear!

 

[King of Danes]

A lovely sendoff for Jim, and I’m sure Lisa will be more than able to continue his efforts and keep the house of mouse prosperous

It was the perfect choice. Not only did she as a Henson keep the balance in Frank Wells’ “Symphony of Disney”, but her experience and talent spoke for itself. The board also selected Joe Ranft as Jim’s replacement as Chief Creative Officer, breaking up the two roles so Lisa could focus on the business side. She and he would ultimately lead us into what’s been called Disney’s Silver Age.

If her time will be the silver age, what will the 1950-1959 period be known as ttl?

Disney Avenue: The 7 Eras of Disney Filmmaking

 

[Geekhis Khan]

If her time will be the silver age, what will the 1950-1959 period be known as ttl?

Disney Avenue: The 7 Eras of Disney Filmmaking

Shit, any suggestions? Second Silver Age?

Also, I'd always heard of what they call the Bronze Age as the Dark Age. Is there a definitive agreement on the Ages, or is there disagreement?

 

[MNM041]

Shit, any suggestions? Second Silver Age?

That's probably the most believable choice right now.

 

[King of Danes]

Shit, any suggestions? Second Silver Age?

Also, I'd always heard of what they call the Bronze Age as the Dark Age. Is there a definitive agreement on the Ages, or is there disagreement?

I think they’ve called it the bronze age here due to a rethinking of this period as having been unfairly maligned in contrast to the other periods.

Hmm, it’s hard to name Lisa’s period if we don’t know how it’ll be. Jim’s period is definitely ttl’s renaissance period, so maybe Lisa’s will be the post renaissance age as the 00s were otl, but it might also be an experimental age for Disney? They might also call it the Millenium/Millenial Age or the Centurion Age due to it roughly corresponding with the new millenium

 

[Geekhis Khan]

Hmm, it’s hard to name Lisa’s period if we don’t know how it’ll be. Jim’s period is definitely ttl’s renaissance period, so maybe Lisa’s will be the post renaissance age as the 00s were otl, but it might also be an experimental age for Disney? They might also call it the Millenium/Millenial Age or the Centurion Age due to it roughly corresponding with the new millenium

Well, I know how it'll be, of course, and Silver seemed accurate. Not Golden or Platinum, but definitely above Copper or Bronze. Post-Renaissance Age suggests that the good times are past and seems like a coded way of specifically not saying Second Dark Age.

But Millennium Age works as an official designation, with fans dubbing it a "New Silver Age". I'll go with that, thanks!

 

[King of Danes]

Well, I know how it'll be, of course, and Silver seemed accurate. Not Golden or Platinum, but definitely above Copper or Bronze. Post-Renaissance Age suggests that the good times are past and seems like a coded way of specifically not saying Second Dark Age.

But Millennium Age works as an official designation, with fans dubbing it a "New Silver Age". I'll go with that, thanks!

Cool cool Glad to help!

Alternatively, again without knowing what will happen, perhaps it could be called the Age of Exploration? It’s a historical nod to the renaissance and if it matches otl, it sees Disney trying out new styles and finding a way in the modern age before finding it’s groove as happened with otl’s 2010s?