As Dreamers Do Part Deux

[OldNavy1988]

Special thanks to @Duc4AlternateHistory

Abbott
Released on July 7, 2000

Distributors
Hyperion Pictures (North America)
Gaumont (All other territories)

Directed by
Danny Boyle

Written by
John Hodge

Based on the Biography
The Daniel Abbott Story; Or How to Get to Hollywood by Way of Southampton, London and Atlanta
by Brian Sibley

Main Cast
Johnny Depp as Young Daniel Abbott
James Roberts [1] as Teenage Daniel Abbott
Fiona Shaw as Olivia Abbott (Daniel's mother)
Colin Firth as Douglas Abbott (Daniel's father)
Naomi Butler [1] as Yvonne Bartlett (Daniel's schoolmate)
Geoffrey Rush as Doc Hartwell (Teacher at Daniel's secondary school)
Gary Sinise as Richard Williams
Matthew McConaughey as Ted Turner
Chazz Palmintieri as Cubby Broccoli
Kevin James as John Lasseter
Dennis Quaid as Lou Scheimer
Mike Myers as John Kricfalusi
Timothy Hutton as Bill Hanna
Greg Kinnear as Joe Barbera
JK Simmons as Walt Disney, Sr.
Alec Baldwin as Walt Disney, Jr.
Don Cheadle as Floyd Norman
Bob Balaban as Ward Kimball
Grey DeLisle as Rachel Stone
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lou Pearlman
Ricky Scalabrine [1] as Nick Carter

[1] Fictional actor​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Thomas and the Flying Scotsman
Released by Walt Disney Pictures on July 26, 2000

Based on the Railway Series books by
The Rev. W. Awdry

Written, Produced and Directed by
Britt Allcroft

Main Cast
Alec Baldwin as Mr. Conductor
Didi Conn as Stacy Jones
Haley Joel Osment as Dan
Mara Wilson as Becky
Tom Jackson as Billy Twofeathers
Ewan MacGregor as Thomas
Freddie Starr as George the Steamroller
Neil Crone as 87546 and Gordon
Robert Carlyle as the Flying Scotsman
Keith Scott as 98462
Doug Lennox as PT Boomer
Bob Hoskins as Sir Topham Hatt

Narrators
Ringo Starr (International Version)
George Carlin (North American Version)

Storyline
In 1968, British Rail has been phasing out its steam engines. But the Isle of Sodor is the last remaining part of Britain where the steam engine has yet to face its inevitable obsolescence. 98462 and 87546, the villainous steam engines, will stop at nothing to derail Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends in the name of obstructing much needed progress. Through his bravery, Thomas reminds everyone that "...even the littlest engines can do big things!"

ABOVE: The Flying Scotsman, voiced by Robert Carlyle

Reception
"They actually got Gaz from The Full Monty to be a talking train? I'll gladly pay £5 to see that."
- Fan letter to the Radio Times

"Through all the years I followed his work, I never thought George Carlin could be so wholesome."
- The San Francisco Chronicle

"At least the filmmakers made bloody sure not to let the humans dominate the picture. This is Thomas's story after all."
- BBC News​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Big Momma's House
Released by RKO Radio Pictures

The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
Released by Universal Pictures

What Lies Beneath
Released by Carolco

Pokemon: The Movie 2000
Released by TriStar Pictures
English Dub produced by Nelvana

Loser
Released by Columbia Pictures

Chicken Run
Released by Paramount Pictures
Produced by Aardman Animations

The Replacements
Released by Touchstone Pictures​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Mickey and Friends Parking Structure

In the summer of 2000, the largest parking structure in North America opened at the Disneyland Resort. The original parking lot that sat in front of Disneyland Park was razed to make way for Disney's Epic Kingdom, which will open in the spring of 2001.

Levels (Same as OTL)
1) Chip N' Dale
2) Daisy
3) Mickey
4) Goofy
5) Donald
6) Minnie

Plans for future parking garages on Disney's Anaheim property are in the works, but in the meantime, there are still a pretty big surface parking area adjacent to the former Emerald of Anaheim, now rebranded as Disney's Paradise Pier hotel.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Scary Movie
Released by Dimension Films

The Invisible Man 2
Released by Universal Pictures

Coyote Ugly
Released by Touchstone Pictures

Space Cowboys
Released by Warner Bros. (North America) and Village Roadshow (International)

Autumn in New York
Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Bless the Child
Released by Carolco

Cecil B. Demented
Released by Revolution Studios

The Cell
Released by New Line Cinema

The Original Kings of Comedy
Released by United Artists

Sunset Strip
Released by RKO Radio Pictures

The Art of War
Released by TriStar Pictures

Bring it On
Released by Columbia Pictures

The Crew
Released by Paramount Pictures

The Kid
Released by Walt Disney Pictures​

 

[OldNavy1988]

2000-01 Saturday Morning Schedule

New Shows in BOLD

ABC (Nick on ABC)
Preview show hosted by Kenan and Kel
8:00 Scooby Doo, Where are You? (Hanna-Barbera) [Reruns]
8:30 Rugrats (Klasky-Csupo)
9:00 The Wild Thornberrys (Klasky-Csupo)
9:30 Hey Arnold! (Hanna-Barbera; Snee-Oosh)
10:00 Ed, Edd n Eddy (AKA Cartoon)
10:30 Buzz Lightyear of Space Command (Hanna-Barbera; Pixar)
11:00 As Told By Ginger (Klasky-Csupo)
11:30 Mike, Lu and Og (Hanna-Barbera)
12:00 Robot Jones (Hanna-Barbera)
12:30 I Am Weasel (Hanna-Barbera)

CBS
8:00 Pokemon (Nelvana)
9:00 The Magic School Bus (Nelvana)
9:30 Batman Beyond (Screen Gems)
10:00 Pokemon: The Johto Chronicles (Nelvana)
10:30 Angela Anaconda (Nelvana)
11:00 Pelswick (Nelvana)
11:30 Stuart Little (Screen Gems)
12:00 NASCAR Racers (Screen Gems)
12:30 Beast Machines: Transformers (Nelvana)

NBC
8:00 Kenzo (MWS; RKO)
8:30 C-Bear and Jamal (Film Roman)
9:00 Flint the Time Detective (Lionsgate)
9:30 Max Steel (MWS; Mattel)
10:00 Sheep in the Big City (MWS; RKO)
10:30 What About Mimi? (MWS; RKO)
11:00 Godzilla: The Series (MWS; RKO)
11:30 Kong: The Series (MWS; RKO)
12:00 Local programming

SBC
8:00 Power Rangers: Time Force (New Line Cinema) [Live action]
8:30 Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue (New Line Cinema) [Live action]
9:00 Los Luchadores (New Line Cinema) [Live action]
9:30 Jackie Chan Adventures (DiC; Golden Harvest/New Line Cinema)
10:00 RoboCop: Alpha Commando (DiC; New Line Cinema)
10:30 Men in Black: The Series (Carolco)
11:00 Oggy and the Cockroaches (Gaumont; New Line Cinema) [Reruns]
11:30 Samurai Pizza Cats (New Line Cinema) [Reruns]
12:00 Static Shock (Carolco)
12:30 Local programming

Fox
(Most Fox programming produced by Grantray-Lawrence or Walt Disney Television Animation)
8:00 Pepper Ann
8:30 The Weekenders
9:00 Teacher's Pet
9:30 Lloyd in Space
10:00 Casper and Molly McGee
10:30 The Backstreet Project
11:00 X-Men Evolution
11:30 Digimon: Digital Monsters
12:00 Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego (Acquired from DiC)
12:30 House of Mouse

UPN
8:00 Maisy (Universal)
8:30 Arthur (Paramount)
9:00 Sabrina: The Animated Series (Universal)
9:30 Sam and Max: Freelance Police (Universal)
10:00 Cardcaptors (English dub produced by Universal)
10:30 Roswell Conspiracies (Universal)
11:00 Archie's Weird Mysteries (Universal)
11:30 The Zeta Project (Paramount)
12:00 Shaun the Sheep (Paramount; Rankin Bass & Aardman)
12:30 Sonic Underground (Paramount)

Let me know which shows you look forward to this year.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Casper and Molly McGee
Launched on September 9, 2000 on Fox

Production Companies
Walt Disney Television Animation (Burbank)
Bad Robot

Distributor
Walt Disney Television and 20th Television (Co-branded)

Developed by
Daniel Abbott
JJ Abrams

Casper the Friendly Ghost created by
Seymour Reit
Joe Oriolo
Val Valentine

Voices
Devon Sawa as Casper McFadden
Brenda Song as Molly McGee
Seth MacFarlane as Pete McGee
Ming-Na Wen as Sharon McGee
Eric Bauza as Darryl McGee
Tara Charendoff as Libby Stein-Torres
Kath Soucie as Andrea Davenport
Prisha Ram as Sheela
Eden Riegel as Kat
Cree Summer as Tammy Meyers
James Avery as Principal O'Connor
Joe Nipote as Stretch
Brad Garrett as Fatso
Dan Castellaneta as Stinky
Susan Blakeslee as Carrigan's Ghost
Bob Joles as Hot Stuff the Little Devil​

 

[OldNavy1988]

The Infancy of High Definition Television in North America

HDTV, just like OTL, had its humble beginnings in the United States in 1998. However, the US wasn't the first country to adopt HDTV, as it already had been the standard in Japan since the 1980's.

ITTL, Fox affiliate KSPO in Spokane, Washington became the first local station to implement an HD signal at a time when most homes still had standard def TV sets.

The first HD sports telecast on an experimental basis was a regular season NBA showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks from Madison Square Garden. The game was shown nationwide on April 2, 1998 on TNT. On January 30, 2000, the first championship game to be presented in high definition was Super Bowl XXIV between the Los Angeles Rams and Houston Oilers on ABC.

The first awards show presented in HD was the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, which were held on September 9, 1999, hence the "9.9.99" logo.

Microsoft is currently developing technology in collaboration with Comcast to bring UPN into the Hi-Def era with HD programming starting sometime in 2002.

Kim Possible, The Proud Family and the third season of Casper and Molly McGee will each be Disney's first animated series produced for HDTV in 2002.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Entertainment News for September 2000

Rose Pearl Taylor has died at age 80. Ms. Taylor, born in Australia, was the mother of Baltimore's own filmmaker Rachel Stone-Abbott.
- The Baltimore Sun

Andre Boudreaux, 49, died from a massive heart attack at his home in Anaheim, California. He is survived by his widow Ivy, nephew Gus St. Pierre, nieces Daphne St. Pierre, Del St. Pierre, Blanche St. Pierre, Renee St. Pierre, Gabby St. Pierre and Avril St. Pierre. The 49 year old, who formerly worked at Jeep-DeLorean's Metairie plant, had been battling diabetes.
- The New Orleans Times-Picayune

John McCain (Ref-AZ), Harvey Weinstein (R-CA) and Al Gore (D-TN) will face off in the first-ever, three-way Presidential debate.
- PBS NewsHour

There's a mid-card guy in the NWA you'll wanna keep an eye on. His name is John Cena.
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated

The Sports Page

This season, CBS will implement Fantasound technology throughout each telecast, culminating in Super Bowl XXV at Raymond James Stadium in January. Fantasound will be implemented in the latest parabolic microphones carried by our production crew and on wireless microphones worn by the coaches.
- Greg Gumbel on The NFL Today

Dale Earnhardt: "Retire? Hell no!"
- SportsCenter

 

[OldNavy1988]

Hybrid Theory
Studio Album by Linkin Park

Released on October 24, 2000

Label
20th Century-Fox Records

Distributor
Buena Vista Music Group

Track Listing
Same as OTL​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Remember how fan recordings of HBO airings of Urusei Yatsura sold like hotcakes on college campuses?
If you bought one of those tapes at a yard sale or a swap meet, chances are you may have stumbled upon this epic intro:

 

[OldNavy1988]

With the polls having closed on the west coast, the 2000 Presidential Election has a winner...

Spoiler

Harvey Weinstein, the Republican from California and overseer of the film division of Phil Anschutz's corporate empire. Serving as his vice president will be outgoing Texas governor and former Houston Oilers owner George W. Bush.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Entertainment News for November 2000

Weinstein Wins the White House

America is frozen in shock as Harvey Weinstein pulls off a shocking upset over Al Gore and John McCain to win the White House.
- The Washington Post

Did foul play help elevate Weinstein's victory? Australia claims Bond villain wannabe Vladimir Putin helped Rolf Harris become Prime Minister in 1998.
- Reuters

During his victory speech, President Elect Weinstein vowed to "...take out Bin Laden" in response to last month's attack on the USS Cole.
- CNN

Other News

Disney confirms that production has begun on the live action Carmen Sandiego movie. Director Rachel Stone-Abbott said that because of Angelina Jolie's prior commitment to a Tomb Raider film, the role of Carmen will instead be filled by Salma Hayek. Another last minute casting change involved the role of Sara Nade, one of Carmen's minions. Canadian singer Avril Lavinge was rumored to play the part, but decided to focus on recording her major label debut. Instead, Sara will be played by Rachael Leigh Cook.
- The Hollywood Reporter

Kurt Cobain hints at a possible Nirvana reunion for 2002.
- MTV News

The Screen Actors Guild welcomes the entire WCW roster into its membership.
- CNN

TNT pulls the plug on Glamazon after GLAAD complained the show was "botched from the beginning."
- TV Guide

Two and half months into principal photography, Universal releases a teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which comes out in exactly twelve months.
- Variety

 

[OldNavy1988]

The Emperor's New Groove
Released by Walt Disney Pictures on December 10, 2000

Cast and Crew
Same as OTL

Notes
ITTL, The Emperor's New Groove did better than IOTL at the box office, mainly with ticket sales coming from adults needing a short break from the constant post-election chatter.​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Released on Christmas Eve 2000

Produced by
DreamWorks SKG

Distributed by
Universal Pictures

Songs by
Tim Rice
Andrew Lloyd Webber

Voice Talents
Matthew Broderick as Joseph
Paige O'Hara as Asenath
Anthony Hopkins as Judah
Richard Herd as Jacob
Maureen McGovern as Rachel
Pete Postlethwaite as the Pharaoh
Harvey Keitel as Asher
Tobin Bell as Levi
Morgan Freeman as Potiphar
Russell Crowe as Reuben
Kenneth Branagh as Simeon
Currie Graham as Naphtali
Sean Astin as Isaachar
Jim Cummings as the Butler and Baker
​

 

[OldNavy1988]

Entertainment News for January 2001

Turner Classic Movies rings in the new year with 24 hour encore repeats of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- CNN

RKO Radio Pictures finally releases the first trailer for its long awaited western production of Godzilla.
- The Today Show

Warner Freeform confirms they will air a revival of the Dukes of Hazzard this coming fall.
- Variety

Construction of Disney's Epic Kingdom winds down as anticipation mounts for its grand opening in February.
- The Orange County Register

Vince McMahon is expected to push back against the WWA roster's attempt to follow the WCW roster's lead and join the Screen Actors Guild.
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated

 

[OldNavy1988]

Entertainment News for Mid to Late January 2001

The Weinstein Inauguration

Harvey Weinstein officially sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States. By his side was his wife and newly named First Lady Eve Chilton.
- The Washington Post

Not even Nickelback was willing to accept an invite to perform at the Weinstein Inauguration.
- MTV News

Ted Nugent, Kid Rock and Hank Williams, Jr. headline the festivities at Weinstein's inauguration.
- The Tennesseean

AEG TV was the only outlet to cover the Weinstein inauguration in its entirety as all other major networks returned to normal programming after 4 pm Eastern time.
- Variety

In his first full day in office, President Harvey Weinstein signed an executive order allowing the FBI, CIA and all other law enforcement and intelligence agencies to work together in matters of national security.
- MSNBC

President Weinstein refuses to sell his stake in the reincarnated Miramax Films, part of the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). Democrats in both chambers claim Weinstein's refusal to sell comes in violation of the Emoluments Clause.
- The Hollywood Reporter

 

[OldNavy1988]

Entertainment News for Late January 2001

New Line's "Sugar and Spice" may seem like another dumb teen comedy, but you could be passing up an opportunity to see early teaser trailers for The Lord of the Rings and Terminator 3.
- Entertainment Tonight

Thanks to the runaway success of the live action Grinch, the Dr. Seuss estate is fast tracking a live action adaptation of The Cat in the Hat for a November 2003 release.
- Variety

New Line confirms that principal photography on the second and third Matrix has begun.
- The Hollywood Reporter

Trailers to be presented during Super Bowl 25 on CBS:
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Disney)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Universal)
- Terminator 3 (New Line)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (New Line)
- Godzilla (RKO)

 

[OldNavy1988]

Disney's Epic Kingdom
Grand Opening held on February 8, 2001

As the multi-park model in Orlando proved successful, Disney went to work in the early 1990's on turning the original Disneyland into a resort. One major challenge though, was the limitations of the Anaheim property. In 1988, Walt Disney, Jr. acquired the Wrather Corporation, who owned the original Disneyland Hotel site. Other Wrather assets, such as the Lone Ranger and Lassie television series were sold to syndicator Worldvision Enterprises to facilitate Disney's 1989 purchase of the majority stake in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. Worldvision itself has since become the syndication arm for The Jim Henson Company. The Queen Mary and the Spruce Goose, which Wrather also owned, were later sold to private investment firms.

After EuroDisney opened in Spain, it was decided that the original Disneyland parking lot would serve as the site of the second Anaheim gate.


The Wonderful World of Disney Special Edition: Disney's Epic Kingdom Sneak Preview
Aired on January 8, 2001 on Fox

A special edition of the anthology series which ran on Fox exactly a month before the park opened gave the TV audience a preview of things to come. Richard Kind and Barry Bostwick escape from a flat-footed security guard tasked with escorting the two men to a meeting with Junior himself.

GRAND OPENING
Held on February 8, 2001

Dedication speech given by Walt Disney, Jr. with an introduction by Roy E. Disney.

Other speeches given by Daniel Abbott (the new head of Walt Disney Classic Animation), Frank Wells (chairman of 20th Century-Fox), David Hill (head of the Fox network) and Britt Allcroft (executive producer of the Thomas the Tank Engine TV series).

Opening Day Attractions

Buena Vista Street
Pretty much similar to what replaced Sunshine Plaza at California Adventure IOTL. The icon for this section of the park is the statue of Walt, Sr. as he looked when he arrived in Los Angeles in the early 1920's. Serving as this park's equivalent of Main Street, Buena Vista street also houses the Elias & Co clothing shop, a scaled down version of the Carthay Circle Theatre where Snow White premiered and a recreation of the Terminal Station Bar from Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Springfield
This section of the park needs little explanation.

Excelsior Square
This New York City-inspired land serves as home to the Marvel, TMNT and Dick Tracy IP's. Many of this land's attractions are cloned from the Disney-Fox Studios, albeit in condensed versions due to the smaller space in Anaheim.

Tinseltown
This takes the place of the Hollywood Pictures Backlot and Hollywoodland section of OTL California Adventure. Mickey can be seen in his Steamboat Willie design, but you can also take part in a meet and greet with Oswald. Here, you'll find the Disney Animation Building and the Hyperion Theatre. Instead of Superstar Limo, you'll be treated to an early version of Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway.

As you can see, Epic Kingdom is small, with much of the original Disneyland surface parking still in existence. But in the coming years, you'll see new attractions pop up in the first phase of expansion.

If we use this Master Plan map below as reference, the Grand Californian Hotel takes up a smaller footprint. Number 2 ITTL is where Disney's Epic Kingdom sits, but that chunk of surface parking still sitting on Katella Avenue will be utilized to expand EK as I said earlier. Disneyland Center ITTL is really Downtown Disney with an eight screen AMC Theatre, Flynn's Arcade, The Disney Store and Fox Sports Grill as anchor tenants.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Entertainment News for Mid-February 2001

Dale Earnhardt, Sr. walks away from a scary crash at the Daytona 500. Credits the HANS device (mandated by NASCAR last year) for saving his life. [1]
- SportsCenter

Epic Kingdom opens to Epic Acclaim
- The Orange County Register

Is Australia's Gold Coast the next Orlando?
Universal, Six Kings, Bally and Turner are each zeroing in on the Gold Coast of Queensland as the next gold mine for their respective theme park chains. In the meantime, the Sunway Group is talking with Disney about a possible sale of the struggling Wonderland park in Sydney.
- The Herald Sun

Select Grammy Winners
Best Song: Beautiful Day by U2
Best New Artist: Linkin Park
Best Pop Vocal Album: Black and Blue by the Backstreet Boys
Best Rap Album: The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem
Album of the Year: Two Against Nature by Steely Dan

[1] Just like IOTL, the 2001 Daytona 500 was Fox's first NASCAR telecast.