Restarted With A Mouse: A Pop Culture Timeline

[redben12]

Isn't hbo owned by Warner, which is owned by Turner, which runs wcw? Or did Eric buy it out successfully and it airs on fx now?

Eric and Fusion Media do own WCW.

Distributed by Sony Pictures on May 3, 2002

After decades of constant rumors and speculation, Marvel would finally make it's long awaited jump to the big screen with the release of Spider-Man. The film, which chronicles Spider-Man's origin story and early days fighting crime, would break records by becoming the first movie to reach make 100 million dollars in it's first weekend. The success of the feature would lead to start of what we now know as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

NEWS REPORTS FOR SUMMER 2002

Don Bluth retires, Ryan O'Reilly to become the new Head of Disney Animation
- Animation Magazine

Sacramento are the Kings of the NBA
- The Sacramento Bee

Paramount Sydney (formally Australia's Wonderland) to open in 2003
- The Sun

 

[redben12]

So Pete Docter gets to be the CCO of Pixar earlier? Sweet! I'm hoping this change brings a happier future to the studio...

We'll see what happens

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures on November 27, 2002

Brother Bear was originally conceptualized all the way back to around the release of Lion King, where it was planned to be a King Lear-esqe story about a blind bear and his 3 daughters traveling through the Forrest. After several years and major rewrites, the film would transform into the version we know today, which former Disney producer Thomas Schumacher described as "The Idea of the Century". The general public would sadly not have the same opinion, as the film would receive mixed reviews and preform below the company's expectations.

NEWS REPORTS FOR FALL 2002

Tom Cruise officially announced to star in Sony's Iron Man, currently set for 2004
- Entertainment Weekly

Michael Vick: This Year's MVP?
- Sports Illustrated

XYZ[1], Coming in 2003
- TV Guide

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Basically Disney Channel's version of Adult Swim

 

[redben12]

Why would LeBron commit suicide?!

He didn't, he's going to play for Ohio State instead of declaring for the draft ITTL. Maybe you were trying a joke that someone willingly deciding play for an Ohio sports team is equivalent to a career suicide. If that was indeed your intention, it wasn't funny but I got the joke.

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures on August 15, 2003

You could make a strong argument that Treasure Planet was possibly the riskiest movie Disney had ever made. It's use of combining traditionally animated characters atop computer generated elements were something that had never been done before on such a scale and would make it the most expensive animated feature of all time. Junior however could see that if the film were to become profitable, it would not only spawn a potential franchise, but possibly change future of the entire animation industry as they knew it. The company would seemly do everything in it's power to give it the best possible chance to succeed. From swapping it's release date with Brother Bear's so it would have to compete with the Harry Potter sequel, to having tons of promotional material pairing it with the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, in what they called as the "Swashbuckling Summer"[1].

Junior's gamble would pay off, as the film would end up grossing over 350 million dollars and be praised for it's immersive story and world building.

NEWS REPORTS FOR SUMMER 2003

What does the future hold for Hand-drawn/CG hybrids as Treasure Planet soars
- Animation Magazine

Cinderella run gets a fairytale ending, Mighty Ducks are Stanley Cup Champions
- The Los Angeles Times

NBA Draft Top 5
1. Carmelo Anthony - Cavilers
2. Darko Miličić - Pistons
3. Chris Bosh - Nuggets
4. Chris Kaman - Raptors
5. Dwayne Wade - Heat
-ESPN

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. This idea came from @HeX in the thread "Cobain Continues Redone".

 

[redben12]

Great updates! I have a few ideas for XYZ if you wanna hear them.

Post them in the PM, I'd like to hear them

Oh no, I didn't see the Ohio state part while I was reading and when I saw the word commit I assumed the worst. I thought you legit killed off LeBron in this thread before he became a star.

It's alright


EXCLUSIVE: CHERYL DISNEY TO FORM NEW ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY
- IndieWire

IndieWire has gotten information about the launch of a new studio operated by Cheryl Disney. While not much information can be determined from this time, it is widely believed that it will not be a division of the current Disney company and will develop and distribute it's own productions. It should also be noted that Cheryl has filed trademarks for several potential studio names, with "Crazy Titan Entertainment" and "Circle Seven Productions" being some of the most notable ones. IW could get in touch with Disney as of the making of this article.

NEWS REPORTS FOR FALL 2003

Universal announces first "dual-animation"[1] hybrid feature Shadows[2]
- Entertainment Tonight

Pixar might get a rebrand by the release of The Incredibles
- ABC7 News
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Dual-animation is what people call the 2D/CGI hybrids ITTL
2. This was a movie that was in production at Dreamworks IOTL's 2014

 

[redben12]

A Few Good Ghosts (dir. Barry Cook)

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures on April 2, 2004

Cast: Dolly Parton, Charles During, Travis Tritt, Ashley Judd

Storyline: The Harpers and the McGees are two families who have had a deep seeded rivalry as old as time. Despite this feud, Elgin Harper and Rose McGee end up getting into a relationship, with Elgin making her several dolls to show his affection. Rose's father doesn't approve of this and attempts to cast a spell on him to make her. The spell ends up bringing the dolls to life and after one of the dolls refuses to help the couple and leaves, the rest try to go after them so they can unite the families.

A Few Good Ghosts was the first ever film to be fully produced by Disney Digital Division (or 3D for short), with it being the company's first fully computer animated feature. Nowadays, it is often considered one of the more underrated films in the Disney cannon.

NEWS REPORTS FOR SPRING 2004

Cheryl Disney on controversial hire "I am a firm believer in second chances and believe he has learned from his mistakes"
- Variety

Iron Man and Batgirl among movie trailers shown at Super Bowl XXXVIII
- TV Guide

NFL Draft 2004
1. Robert Gallery - Chargers
2. Eli Manning - Huskies (trade with Raiders)
3. Larry Fitzgerald - Cardinals
4. Ben Roethlisberger - Giants
5. Sean Taylor - Redwolves
- ESPN


(Just letting you all know, there's going to be a guest post about XYZ's launch, which takes place around mid 2003 - early 2004 in this timeline.)

 

[redben12]

Is A Few Good Ghosts TTL's Ghost & Molly McGee?

Can it get a series? And I should have the post out within the next day or so.

A Few Good Ghosts (or My Peoples) was an actual movie that was in development around the early 2000's that got scrapped because Chicken Little was deemed more marketable. As far as I can tell, there's no real link between it and TGAMG.

Since this got scrapped in favor of Chicken Little IOTL, I assume Chicken Little doesn't exist here?

No, It doesn't exist, or at least not in 2005.

Iron Man (dir. Aaron Sorkin)

Distributed by Sony Pictures on June 30, 2004

Cast: Tom Cruise, Amy Adams, Terrance Howard, Denzel Washington

Hot of the heels of Spider-Man, Sony would return two years later with another adaptation of a Marvel superhero. Like Spidey, Iron Man would go through several difficulties and studios prior to it's release, as far back 1990 with Universal originally offering to purchase the film rights. It would be another smash hit for Sony and Marvel, being one of the biggest blockbusters of 2004.

NEWS REPORTS FOR SUMMER 2004

Crazy Titan Entertainment[1] announces Cars for 2005
- Entertainment Weekly

Nintendo shows of the new 'Nitro'[2] handheld at E3, to be released this November
- IGN
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Cheryl Disney's new company
2. The original codename for the DS IOTL

 

[redben12]

Do you mean that if you delete the mistake post that the other mistake post and the normal post will be deleted too or do you mean that if you delete the mistake post that your whole timeline will end up getting deleted? - JCC the Alt Historian

If I delete one of the mistake posts, the original gets deleted too. Luckily, I think I can just edit the posts.

[1]
Distributed by Touchstone Pictures on November 5, 2004

In 2002, disaster would strike for what was then known as Pixar. The company's founder John Lasseter would be accused of sexual misconduct by several former employees and co-workers. In a matter of a few months, Pete Docter went from the first person other than Lasseter to direct a Pixar film to being the guy replacing him as CCO of the company. Finding Nemo would come out in 2003 and while it would recoup it's production costs, it was very clear the success of the movie was greatly hampered by the scandal.

The Incredibles would be a film of many first for the studio. Their first to be animated in 2D[2], their first with mostly human characters, their first under their rebrand as Henson Animation[3], but it would most importantly be the first film where Pete Docter oversaw the majority of the production instead of Lasseter. Incredibles was undoubtedly their biggest challenge yet as it could either be hit and help them get back into becoming one of the best animation studios in the world, or become a bomb and effect almost all future plans for animated features at The Jim Henson Company. Thankfully for all those involved, It would become one of the best films of 2004 and become a massive success at box office.

NEWS REPORTS FOR FALL 2004

Shocking Replacement: Ryan Leaf unretires to become Chargers QB once again after Vick injury
- ESPN

Trevor Strong hospitalized after suffering overdose on set
- Entertainment Weekly

2004 Election Results

- MSNBC
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Poster was done by dlee1293847 on DeviantArt
2. Incredibles was originally supposed to be a 2D animated feature but John L. suggested to make it a CGI movie instead
3. Pixar and Hanna-Barbera would be consolidated under the Henson Animation umbrella in mid-2004

 

[redben12]

I know that the Democratic candidate is probably Al Gore, but who are the Republican and Reform Party candidates in this version of the 2004 United States presidential election?

That is a great question..... anyways, let's talk about the next generation of gaming.

Sega Phantom

Released on August 19, 2005 in North America

Launch Titles: Altered Beast, Battlebots: Smash n' Burn, Feature Presentation, FIFA 06, Madden 06, MX vs. ATV Unleashed, Nebula & Quasar, Shining Force Neo, Sonic Gems Collection, Super Monkey Ball Deluxe, Timesplitters: Future Perfect, Yakuza

The summer of 2005 would mark the beginning of the seventh-generation of video game consoles, with Sega being the first to throw their hat into the ring with the Phantom. Sega was heading into the generation on fairly shaky ground. While the Saturn and Dreamcast were both very profitable, they were also in last place for their respective generations. Sega had begun to fall out of favor with the general public against the likes of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. The company next console would have to be statement to prove that they could still compete with ever changing market. Beginning development in 2002, the Phantom would set out to becoming the most powerful console they had ever made up to that point. It would be released in 2005 to much acclaim from the public, with many praising the impressive visuals and fun library of games for the machine.

NEWS REPORTS FOR SUMMER 2005

Also: Air Styles wants to leave WCW, Former ECW Champion debuts for WWE Developmental, Why Guerrero was written off TV
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated

President Gore: We are going to have weekly Katrinas if we don't taking stronger action against Climate Change
- The Washington Post

Orlando start-up company thinks the Laser-Disc can be revived
- Ain't It Cool News

 

[redben12]

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Nia Volesky, for the miniseries Slayed Titan: The Secret, Freaky Horrors of an Entertainment Company.

"After I graduated from school, I had lots of trouble trying to find a steady job in animation. Would hop around from several different internships and freelance gigs just to get my foot in the door, but none of them ever result me getting any chance of long term employment. I was barely making enough to avoid going homeless when I first saw a now hiring ad for CTE around 2004. I was thinking that I had finally found a place to start my dream of becoming a famous animator when I got hired.

A decent amount of the people I worked with were in similar positions as me when I started. A bunch of struggling and desperate artists finally getting the opportunity they always wanted since they were kids. Most of them however hated working there, it was very clear that almost all of the new hires either wanted to be somewhere else or hated the way the studio treated them.

Despite all of this, I tried my best to make the most out of it and made some friends with some of the new hires. There was this guy who was also recently hired by the studio that didn't last very long, but would end become someone who I would grow a close attachment to.[1]"

NEWS REPORTS FOR FALL 2005

With his latest injury, is the Michael Vick experiment over in San Diego?
- ESPN

Sony & Disney are among the companies interested in collaborating with Laser Visionaries
- Orlando Business Journal

Shawn Michaels wins WWE Championship at Survivor Series
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. You'll find out who this someone is soon

 

[redben12]

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures on April 14, 2006

Originally concepted back in the 1970's, Musicana set out to being different from the other Fantasia films. While the franchise had usually used a selection of classical music, Ryan O'Reilly suggested the idea of using music more akin to what was popular in the early to mid 2000's with each segment using a different genre of music. Musicana would be well received by critics and go on to make over 130 million dollars at the box office. It was also one of Disney first ever movies to get a Laser-Disc release by the start-up company Laser Visionaries, alongside Snow White and Dragon's Lair.

NEWS REPORTS FOR SPRING 2006

Welcome to the New Rave? A look into the rise of Dance-Punk
- Billboard

Interesting name spotted on set of Paramount adaptation
- TMZ

Brees agrees to 60 million dollar deal to stay in Atlanta
- ESPN

 

[redben12]

Distributed by Crazy Titan Entertainment on June 9, 2006

The story of Cars is arguably trumped by the story of the film's production. It started out as concept by Pixar animator Jorgen Klubien called "The Yellow Car", an ugly duckling story about an electric car in world populated by fossil fuel vehicles. It was originally supposed to be Pixar 3rd movie after A Bug's Life, production would stall out so that the crew could focus more on films like Toy Story 2. After taking a road trip with his family in 2000, writer and director John Lasseter would retool Jorgen's script into a new movie about a racecar getting lost in a ghost town eventually befriending the local residents. All seemed to be going well with the film being ready to start production 2002 as Pixar's 7th feature. However that same year, John would be involved in several misconduct allegations that result in Touchstone firing Lasseter and the film's production being halted once again. It seemed like his firing would last anyone would hear from John L., that was until Cheryl Disney would end up announcing that he be the head of CTE's animation department with Cars being the new company's first production. The bold move shocked pretty much everyone but Cheryl was determined to make sure the film would be a hit. An all out marketing campaign would be launched ranging from toy versions of the characters made by Mattel to sponsoring the entire Pocono race weekend. The campaign would be a massive success, as the film went on to earn over 500 million on a 100 million dollar budget.

NEWS REPORTS FOR SUMMER 2006

Cheryl Disney: "The Chargers will be the team to beat in 2006"
- ESPN

Ducks win 2nd Stanley Cup
- Sports Illustrated

 

[redben12]

Rainbow Rebels - Carnival of Light

Self-Distributed on October 23, 2006 [1]

(*means the songs would be released as singles)
1. Visit the Carnival of Light*
2. Floodgates
3. Feels Like A Wish*
4. Vivid Victory
5. Arcadia
6. Multicolored Maze
7. Not the One to Rescue
8. Paradise of Sin*
9. Tender Heart, Torn Apart
10. Burnout
11. Lost Aura
12. Find You to Fix Me
[2]

Carnival of Light is the debut studio album by the dance-punk band Rainbow Rebels. It is a concept album following the perspective of the character known as Kid visiting the mysterious Carnival of Light the day before his 18th birthday, ending up in a relationship with a girl named Marie. The two decide to explore the carnival before getting lost in a maze that result in them staying inside after their families have left. While Marie wants to leave and go back to the outside, Kid is desperate to stay in the carnival as he is having the best time of his life. This leads to them drifting apart as Kid slowly starts to become more and more sad with her gone, the album ends with him leaving the carnival to try and find her.

Lead singer Travis Russell originally started out as an animator, eventually getting a job at Crazy Titan where he would meet his girlfriend Nia. Towards the end of the production of Cars, Travis would pitch a new movie to the studio about a teenage boy scared of the responsibilities of adulthood trying to find a way to avoid growing up. The pitch was sadly rejected and Travis would quit CTE soon after. Trying to find ways to bring the story, Travis would end up teaming with some of his musical friends and decided to turn it into a concept album.

The album would be released on MySpace in 2006 with it quickly generating a lot of buzz. The album would spawn tons of hits and remands as one of the greatest dance-punk albums of the 2000's.

NEWS REPORTS FOR FALL 2006

Are we heading for a Gold Wave in '08? Recent polls say yes
- CNN

The Team To Be Beaten: Chargers get first overall pick after latest loss to the Chiefs
- San Diego Union Tribune

Jeff Hardy found dead of drug overdose; WWE Superstar was only 29
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Redistributed by Sony Music Entertainment and Domino Recording Company in 2007
2. Later releases of Carnival of Light include 3 bonus tracks. Eye Candy, Freakshow and We Run. According to Travis in an interview, the songs were originally planned for the main album but were cut due to the songs dragging down the pacing.

 

[redben12]

In the Shadows (dir. Conrad Vernon)

Distributed by Universal Pictures on February 9, 2007

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Brendan Fraser, Kate Winslet, Tim Curry

In 2003, Universal seemed almost ready to completely ditch the hand drawn department of it's animation division. Financial disappointments like El Dorado had lead to them focusing more CGI and the failure of Sinbad looked to be the end of the road for them. That year however would see the release of another pirate movie, that basically gave the department a new lease on life.

Treasure Planet would become smash hit at the box office and showed people the potential of what later became known as dual-animation hybrids. Curious about the long term future of the idea, Universal decided to give one last chance for 2D animation. The result would be about a lightbulb factory worker discovering a shadow world and stopping a evil rebellion.

The film would go on to be a big hit and lead to UAS keeping it's 2D animation department alive.

NEWS REPORTS FOR SPRING 2007

Trade Details
Packers receive: WR Randy Moss, 6th round pick
Raiders receive: QB Aaron Rodgers, 4th & 6th round picks
- NFL.com [1]

TriStar, New Line Cinema and more looking to power up with Nintendo film rights
- Ain't It Cool News
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. This trade almost happened in real life

 

[redben12]

American Dog (dir. Chris Sanders)

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures on June 29, 2007

Cast: John Travolta, Thomas Haden Church, Mario Catone, Miley Cyrus

Storyline: Henry is a beloved canine actor who finds himself stranded in the middle nowhere on route to a show he's preforming in. Henry quest to get to show leads to him teaming up with a one-eyed cat and a radioactive rabbit, as he realizes how different the real world is to life on the set. While all this happening, a beauty pageant winner tries to keep Henry from making show in order to take his place.

American Dog was a movie that Disney had a lot of hope in, going as far as deciding to release it against Henson Animation's Ratatouille. This would end up not ending well, with Ratatouille easily defeating the film at the box office. American Dog is often forgotten and under-appreciated by many Disney fans nowadays, however has developed somewhat of a cult fanbase in the years since it's initial release.

NEWS REPORTS FOR SUMMER 2007

Chargers sign first overall pick Jamarcus Russell to 70 million dollar deal in wake the Michael Vick dog fighting scandal
- CBS Sportsline

Sega unveils Pluto handheld for a spring 08 release
- Electronic Gaming Monthly

Sighting issues with the economy, Donald Trump announces presidential bid for the reform party
- CNN

 

[redben12]

Disney's The Four Horsemen (dir. Nick Baxter & Ryan O'Reilly)

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures on April 11, 2008

Cast: Wayne Allwine, Bill Farmer, Tony Anselmo, Frank Welker

Storyline: While exploring an abandoned magic shop, Mickey ends up re-awaking a group of dark enemies known as the Four Horsemen (Mors, Somli, Ares and Vidia). They wreak havoc over Toontown and begin colliding several different planets with their world in an attempt to end the universe. It's now up Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Oswald to stop the Four Horsemen before it's too late.


"The whole idea of having characters from all of the movies in the Disney cannon at the time was something that we considered doing as far back as Roger Rabbit. Script issues and general technical difficulties prevent us at the studio from making it happen sooner. With this being the 50th film in the Disney cannon, we knew we'd have to make something big to truly encapsulate the amount of effort and love we put into every film made so far and every film we'll make in the future" - Ryan O'Reilly in a 2008 interview.

The Four Horsemen remains as a childhood favorite for many Disney fans and would become a major hit financially.


NEWS REPORTS FOR SPRING 2008

19-0, Colts go undefeated on route to Super Bowl victory
- ESPN

Writers Strike ends
- The New York Times

 

[redben12]

May 4, 2008

My very rough edit of Crazy Titan's logo and what their building basically looks like
Nia Volesky: Hey, could I talk to you for a second?

[REDACTED]: Okay sure, go ahead.

NV: I tried putting this off for a while because I didn't want you misunderstanding my point or intentions, but I worry this will become a major problem in the near future if I don't bring it up now. I don't like some of the content you have been including with some of your scripts.

R: What don't you like about them?

NV: Well, I don't know how to approach this but here's an example of what I mean...

________________________________________________________Exert from a script for an episode of Wacko World[1]________________________________________________________


EXT DAY: The trainer, Wacko and the gang are discussing plans on how to get the animals back to the circus grounds.

TRAINER

Ok team, here's the deal. There's a dozen wild animals running amok across the city and we have to get them back as quickly and as safely as possible.

WACKO

And as cheaply as possible too! I already spend a fortune just to cover the damages they've already done in just about 6 minutes. Do any of you have good ideas?

Shortly after Wacko is done talking, a loud wet fart noise is heard. Most of the gang are confused and are looking around to find the source of the sound, except Dolly who looks petrified.

TRAINER

Let's see, uhh you there!

The trainer points at Dolly.

DOLLY (Inner Monologue)

Oh f*ck, oh f*ck, oh f*ck*ng sh*t!

TRAINER

What do you propose?

DOLLY

Uh.. we could.. drive cars to.. make them go back to here?

Wacko looks at rest of the group, still trying to figure out where the sound from earlier came from.

WACKO

Well, At least it's an idea.

Wacko puts his hand behind Dolly.

Alright, go get some cars and send those rowdy ones back to their pits!

After the gang leave the circus, Wacko looks down on his hand and an extreme close up of a dirty hand with white gloves is shown on screen.

I really got to get better janitors around here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
​

R: What's wrong with it?

NV: I don't like this condition that you gave to one of my characters. It's gross, unfunny and it doesn't need to be here.

R: There are real with this "gross" and "unfunny" disease out there, but they still deserve to be here.

NV: I understand but people watch shows like this who don't want to think about it while they are watching it. Like you can have a political message with an album, but nobody wants to listen to an album bluntly and repeatedly tell you that the world bad and that they should feel bad.

R: Well excuse me for trying to give your characters something unique about them.

NV: She's already LGBT and autistic, she doesn't need this condition and certainly doesn't need to be constantly mocked and spurned for it all the time.

R: Like you're doing anything with her. I haven't see you write episodes were she is an important character.

NV: I could say the same thing to you. What have you done with Smiley in your scripts?

R: He dated that scammer carny and now dates the ride operator.

NV: That's not giving him anything that's you attaching two other character to him. And while we're talking about it, why did you write a running gag about the ride operator getting p*ssed on by a singer?

R: That's not a gag, it's a serious plot point.

NV: That doesn't answer the question.

R: Did I mention Smiley was into wrestling?

NV: No, you didn't. Probably because you were too busy putting toilet humor with out my consent.

R: YOUR CONSENT DOESN'T MEAN SH*T! I know what I'm doing and it will be for the benefit of your show. Just go along with it and I'll guarantee that it will not lead to any issues.

NV: Ok fine, let's see how this goes.

NEWS REPORTS FOR SUMMER 2008

Wrestling Actors Guild (WAG) goes on strike after autopsy report revealed WWE superstar was suffering from severe CTE [2]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Could this be the year we get a Third Party President? [3]
- Time

New Line Cinema confirms Mario movie to be released next year
- The Hollywood Reporter
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. A show that we'll talk about more later in the timeline, with some obvious changes of course
2. The Benoit Tragedy never happens, he instead dies of a heart attack. Nancy and Daniel are still alive
3. Anyone here know of someone who would be a good VP candidate for the Reform Party? Because my current ticket is looking like Guy Who Hated War Hero/War Hero

 

[redben12]

how did New Line get the Mario movie rights? Also, who owns what at this point?

NLC won the Nintendo film rights in the Fall of 2007. I'll probably give a brief rundown of what all the major studios + CTE own in the 2000-09 recap

I’m curious why the person that was talking with Nia Volesky has their name retracted. Are they a fictional character?

I want to keep a bit of mystery for them ITTL, all I'm going to say is that they don't exist in our world.



"This is a CBS News special report and we have breaking news. CBS now estimates that with victories in Washington and Oregon, CBS projects that...

Spoiler

Senator John McCain of Arizona will be the 44th President of the United States. He defeats New York Senator Hillary Clinton and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. This is the first Presidential victory for the Reform Party since it was founded in 1995 and the first time the elected President wasn't a Democrat or Republican since Zack Taylor in 1848.

NEWS REPORTS FOR FALL 2008

NBER officially declares that the nation is in a Recession
- The Wall Street Journal

WCW to be the first of the major wrestling companies to return after WAG agreement
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Spider-Man 2 opens at #1
- Box Office Mojo

 

[redben12]

Author's Note: Major thanks to @Otakuninja2006 for helping me a lot with the line up.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The following is an excerpt from the YouTube video "The History of Inkblot"

Logo would look something like this

"In the Fall of 2002, approximately 1 year after the success of Adult Swim, Disney announced that they would soon be launching a competitor to Cartoon Network’s new block. Going under the codename of XYZ, very little info would be shared about the project upon its initial announcement. The most that was revealed would be that it would begin airing in 2003 and that it would quote ‘eventually feature programming that would be more interesting and bolder than what a network like ABC would put out’, a quote that I’m pretty sure not even Disney knew what it meant.

Before XYZ debuted, the late night slots on Disney Channel would usually just consist of reruns of the shows that were already airing on the station. While Adult Swim would be airing new episodes of Sealab 2021 and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Disney Channel would just air reruns of whatever Even Stevens or Kim Possible episodes had debuted earlier in the day.

New info would come out about the project at San Diego Comic Con in 2003. The block would be officially called Inkblot and its initial lineup would mainly consist of three different types of shows. The first would be reruns of canceled programs from the channel's past, with some of the most notable being Gargoyles, the original Ducktales series and 101 Dalmatians: The Series. The second would be a bunch of anime dubs that were mostly source from Fox and their old Anime-hem block, one that had a nostalgic fanbase from those who were first exposed to Japanese animation because of it, and criticisms from those who were already well adverse in Japanese culture, as it was obvious that whoever was running Fox had no real interest most anime[1]. The most popular dubs were Lum The Invader, Tiger Mask and Inuyasha.

Inkblot would also feature two new original shows. The Eltingville Club [2], a show about 4 geeks going through various scenarios that parody fandom culture and Clone High, a show about clones of famous historical figures like Abe Lincoln and Christopher Columbus[3] going through the struggles of high school.

The Eltingville Club (2003-2005) and Clone High (2003-2007)

Inkblot began airing on Disney Channel in the 2003-04 TV season with positive reception to its programming and was overall considered a solid success. Other original shows that would premiere in the following years include Korgoth [4], Code Monkeys and an adaptation of the Gold Key comic book series Magnus, Robot Fighter.

Korgoth (2007-2009), Code Monkeys (2007-2008) and Magnus, Robot Fighter (2006-*)

Inkblot would also take great advantage over the growing prominence of the internet with the debut of The Digital Dive in 2005. The series would discuss some of the biggest internet trends at the time and showcase the works of various online content creators. Notably, some of the content that would air on Digital Dive, like Eddsworld would end up eventually being adapted into full shows later on.

Homestar Runner, a web series commonly showcased on The Digital Dive (2005-*) and Eddsworld (2008-*)

Inkblot had definitely done most of its job as being a competitor to Adult Swim, except for the competitive part. For a decently long amount of time, Inkblot seemed to be perpetually in second place to AS and in some cases losing to Nick@Nite in viewership. The company knew that it had the potential to be the best out of the three, but would need to change some things to truly realize its potential.


The ‘09-10 Season would be set to start an overhaul for the block. Most of the classic Disney Channel and Disney Afternoon shows would be phased out, the branding would go for a Frutiger Metro-esque style and it would introduce a new color changing mascot named Rory.


The ‘09-10 season would also be the debut of three new shows that would define not just the rebrand, but the block as a whole."

NEWS REPORTS FOR SPRING 2009

Cardinals win Super Bowl XLIII
- ESPN

President McCain details plans to rebuild the economy
- C-SPAN

Blockbuster to downsize store locations, will focus on streaming and mail rental services
- The Wall Street Journal
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1. Does it count as self-deprecating humor if you disguise your lack knowledge of anime not based on pre-existing IP as being the fault of alternate history TV executives? idk
2. This was a show that was pitched to [as] in 2002
3. Ghandi isn't in ITTL's version of the show, or at least not as a main character
4. Another show that was supposed to air on [as] in 2007 that got scrapped for being too expensive

 

[redben12]

Distributed by Touchstone Pictures on May 29, 2009

The idea for Up came not long after director Pete Docter became the head of Pixar, when he made a drawing of a grumpy old man holding some balloons. Before settling on Paradise Falls, early versions had Carl's destination ranged from Heaven to a floating city inhabited by aliens. The movie would make history after it was chosen as the opening film for the 2009 Cannes film festival, becoming first ever animated film to do so. Up remains as one of the most universally acclaimed animated films of the 21st century, with many praising it's emotional depth and characterization.

NEWS REPORTS FOR SUMMER 2009

Cars 2, Newt and The Bear and the Bow among the biggest Crazy Titan projects announced at Comic Con
- Animation Magazine

New Line Cinema shows off plans for future Nintendo Movies at E3 following the release of Super Mario
- Electronic Gaming Monthly

Chargers WR Sean McVay and Titans DT Albert Haynesworth announced as the Madden 10 cover stars
- Sportscenter

 

[redben12]

Inkblot would go for a massive overall for the 2009-2010 season. Along with the previously mentioned Frutiger Metro style rebranding, the block would also introduce 3 new shows that would instantly become some of their most popular programs

Premiered on September 23, 2009

The Umbrella Academy follows a dysfunctional family of superheroes born under mysterious circumstances, trained to fight evil by a world-renown scientist named Reginald Hargraves. After years of being apart, the team must reunite when one of their own becomes a supervillain and tries to destroy the world.

Creator Gerard Way originally started out as a writer and artist for several Cartoon Network shows in the early to mid 2000's, initially pitching TUA to Adult Swim in 2004. When [as] rejected the project for being to expensive to produce, it would eventually find new life in print with Gold Key Comics publishing the first issues in late 2007. The sales and critical praise of the comic would lead to Disney offering to make a new tv series based on it for Inkblot.

Premiered on September 20, 2009

Bluetiful Hearts follows an up-and-coming rock band who seem to cause trouble and chaos virtually anywhere they go due to their below average understanding of normalcy and everyday common sense. The group try everything they can to become the greatest band ever, no matter what, or more likely who the cost is.

"The thing about 'Bluetiful' was that it was a lot easier and more enjoyable to work on then 'Wacko' was for it's first season. However, CTE just always seemed to care more about Wacko than us. We just kinda were seen as the bonus like 'Ok since you bought into to Wacko within the first 20 minutes, we'll send you BH too'. It wasn't until the later season that [REDACTED] and some of the other staff tried to have more input into the show." - Anonymous Crazy Titan Employee, 2018

Premiered on November 29, 2009

Created by Nia Volesky, Wacko Park revolves around the employees of a bizarre theme park owned and operated by a sentient top hat named Wally Wacko. Other colorful characters include a jester named Lizzie, a green rabbit named Max and a living ragdoll named Angelica, alongside many others. It seem like everyday at Wacko Park will start out completely normal, only to end with something absolutely bonkers happing to the gang.

"The production of 'Wacko Park' or Wacko World as it was known at the time was a goddamn mess. [REDACTED] for some odd reason decided to give one of the character a medical issue where they would have bowel problems and have several people mock them for it. Of course the vast majority of us working on it hated this idea because it isn't something the audience would want to see, but [REDACTED] was adamant on it being included. They would always say things like 'you don't understand cause you're too normal, you just just don't like it cause it isn't sunshine and rainbows, just go along with it and there will be absolutely no problems'. Early to mid '08, we have the first test screening and everyone there also hates it. And Disney, uh... Junior is pissed because he had zero knowledge that any of that was in the show and he's now threating to not air it if we don't change it. So what was supposed to be meetings to talk about possible Wacko World season 2 episodes turn in to a desperate calls to try fix Wacko Park season 1. Almost everything else was either put on hold or was at tectonic plate speed because everyone was moved to quickly hot fix Wacko so that it wouldn't completely miss the big rebrand. I heard some people surprised that the show was as good or as successful as it was, I'm more surprised that actually came out." - Anonymous Crazy Titan Employee, 2018

Inkblot 2.0 was considered by many to be a massive success. To this day, all three shows commonly associated with the rebrand still have extremely passionate fanbases and are known as some of the best shows in the block's history.

NEWS REPORTS FOR FALL 2009

Trevor Strong expresses desire to make a comeback after all his legal issues are settled in new interview
- TMZ

Chargers clinch playoff spot for the first time since 2002… In spite of themselves
- The San Diego Union-Tribune

Roy E. Disney dead at 79, several studios pay tribute
- The Los Angeles Times