WI: Disney had money to build own hotel = No Lone Ranger movie

[ejpsan]

After Walt Disney built Disneyland he wanted to build a hotel on the property but he had no money to do so. First he asked Art Linkletter but he refused to because he thought Disneyland was going to fail, then Jack Wrather who was a Texas oil man, Hollywood producer and hotel owner who was married to Bonita Granville built the Disneyland Hotel.After Jack Wrather died in 1984 and Bonita Granville died in 1988 the Walt Disney Co. tried to buy just the Disneyland Hotel but they had to buy all the other assets which included the RMS Queen Mary, the "Spruce Goose" the rights to "Lassie" and "The Lone Ranger". Jump ahead to today, Johnny Depp wants to play Tonto and if Disney wants Depp to keep playing Cpt. Jack Sparrow then Depp will play Tonto. So if Walt Disney was able to build his own hotel the Disney Co. would not have buy out the assets of the Wrather Co. and not acquire the rights to The Lone Ranger would the movie been made?

 

[Gyoza]

If Walt Disney had had more money when building Disneyland I'm not sure it would have gone into a Hotel. Maybe he would have bought a bigger plot of land. Or actually put some attractions in Tomorrowland for opening day. In the early days he seemed perfectly happy for outside companies to run food services and shops.

To make sure he built his own hotel I think you'd have to give him a truly huge amount of money. And somehow convince Roy Disney that Disneyland isn't a risky investment and the extra money shouldn't be put back into the movie studio.

As a side effect though we'd probably lose Tinkerbell as a well known character. If there had been more confidence in the project Walt would probably have been allowed to use one of his better know characters to advertise his park and tv show. So Tinkerbell would have just remained a bit part in an old movie.