Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment
What was it like to be at Disneyland and/or Walt Disney World six years ago today?
In honor of the sixth anniversary of 9/11, Jim Hill Media reprises a piece from 2006. Where the site's readers remember what it was like to be vacationing at and/or working in Anaheim & Orlando as this tragedy unfolded.
When people usually talk about what happened on 9/11, the focus (for obvious reasons) is on New York City, Washington D.C. and that field just outside of Shanksville, PA.
But — that said — it’s also important to remember what happened immediately after those four planes crashed. That sudden surge of panic that swept across the country. All because people in the U.S. had no idea what was going to happen next.
In several of the books that have since been written about 9/11, it’s noted that the Walt Disney Company quickly closed its stateside theme parks that day. Reportedly out of concern that the Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts might also be on the terrorists’ target list.
The Mouse (for very obvious reasons) has never officially commented on what actually happened in Anaheim & Orlando on 9/11. But back in March of 2006, I asked JHM readers to share their stories about what it was like to be at the parks on that day. And quite a few folks came forward with some pretty amazing tales of that time.
WDWCASTMEMBER remembers the day starting out something like this:
I (was) getting trained on 2 major attractions (at the Magic Kingdom) when my manager told both me and my trainer what had just happened in NY. We quickly went to the nearest Cast Member Break Room and I managed to see the second plane hitting the tower “live.” The room was packed with all sorts of managers and I remember very vividly the (very surprised) reaction on their faces when the ABC reporter said:
“This just in: (The Walt Disney Company) has just announced that (it) will be closing (its) theme parks worldwide.”
And literally less than a minute after the reporter said that, their beepers started going off like crazy and they walked out of the break room.
About 5 – 10 minutes after that incident, they notified cast members of what we were going to do.
First we shut down all the attractions and restaurants and merchandise shops to get the guests out in the street. We were strictly forbidden from telling them what was the real reason why we decided to close the park. Which caused some confusion; and maybe even some irate guests at times. But it avoided (quite effectively) the cause for panic from our guests. They even gave us a simple spiel to tell them in case they had questions.
Michael, a Frontierland cast member who was in the park that morning, confirms this part of WDWCASTMEMBER’S story:
We were told not to tell the guests what had happened unless they asked us. I remember one guest asking me and — after I told them — they just stood there blank faced and didn’t move for a bit.
(By the way), the announcement that was made (in the theme parks that morning) … did NOT mention anything about what had happened or why the parks were closing. It simply stated that ” … Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Magic Kingdom is now closed. Please follow the direction of the nearest Cast Member.”
Continuing with WDWCASTMEMBER’s account of that morning:
Once the guests were forced to the streets of the park because all the rides were closed, all the cast members were instructed to hold hands and basically form a human wall and gently (without touching any one) walk towards the hub of the park and eventually towards Main Street. That way we could basically force the guests out of the park. Disney Security obviously followed each human wall and made sure no one got past it.
That “human wall procedure” was done at all 4 parks, by the way. And guests were given complimentary tickets at the turnstiles as they left the park.
Mind you, Kelly had a somewhat different take on what happened at the Magic Kingdom that morning. But — then again — she wasn’t a cast member. But just a typical tourist trying to enjoy a day at that theme park with her family.
On 9/11, I was eating breakfast at Tony’s with my family (and 6 months pregnant to boot). We were sitting in the front where all of the windows were, and I noticed many CMs in business attire with headsets walking throughout the park. It was the last full day of our (WDW) vacation. We had originally planned to fly (out) that day, but I (had) talked my husband into (staying) another day.
Our waiter was a young man from the midwest, and his accent was thick (At least to this New Yawker). All of the staff were talking and he came over to us and said what I thought was “The trade centers IN Washington were hit with planes.” We were confused, finished our meal and went to take our daughter on Dumbo and the Carousel. I tried to call my Dad back home, since he always has FOX news on. And when (my cell) kept saying “All circuits were busy,” I knew something was up.
My Aunt works at MGM as Security. So I knew that WDW was considered a prime terrorist target. So I said to my husband, Matt: “We need to get out of the Magic Kingdom. This could be hit next.”
We tried to get over to MGM to my aunt (I figured she would know the whole story). But on the bus ride over, just as we got to MGM, the bus driver told us about the Towers, Washington and the possiblity of PA. She explained (that we) were going back to the TTC and (that we should all) take the appropriate route to our hotels/cars and evacuate. I have never heard a WDW bus so quiet. I was close to tears.
Neal G. — who was over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom that morning — now shares his experience:
My wife and I were at WDW on September 11, 2001.
We were actually having breakfast at the Rainforest Cafe at the Animal Kingdom when the planes crashed, but had no idea anything happened. After breakfast we went into the park and after about 2 1/2 hours decided to leave (it’s about 11:30 a.m. now). Until I read your article today I never knew that an announcement had been made. We never heard it.
It didn’t seem like an unusual amount of people were leaving (Animal Kingdom). But at the next stop, Blizzard Beach we noticed hundreds of people leaving. I asked someone that got on the bus what was going on, and he informed us about what had happened in New York. We were in absolute shock. We went back to the Yacht Club where we were staying and just watched TV in disbelief.
At one point a gunship flew overhead so closely that my wife could clearly see someone manning one of the machine guns (It looked like the plane flew in from MGM Studios and then went right out over EPCOT).
The resorts tried to do everything they could that night. They kept the pools open until midnight and they had characters roaming all around the Boardwalk area. The cast members were doing the best they could to help and try to keep (a) calm atmosphere. People were walking around not really knowing what to do. I commented to my wife that [here] we were at one [of] the happiest places on earth, yet it was a strange, sad and terrible feeling.
The next day (Wednesday) we went to National Car Rental desk at the WDW Dolphin to try and rent a car since we had flown out of Logan (Yes, we are from the Boston area. And boy did we get looks from people when we told them, and comments like “Oh, you are from Boston”) and knew the likelihood of our Saturday flight getting out was remote. National was a mob scene, and they could not get us a car until Friday.
We then went to the Magic Kingdom, where security tables had been set up overnight. It was at these tables that they had set up to check bags before you entered any of the Parks where it finally really hit you. Especially since they were not there the day before.
The next 2 days were tough to get through, even being at the parks. It was such a subdued, almost surreal atmosphere.
Mind you, Ian G. (Who was over visiting Epcot with his brother that morning) had a somewhat different take on what happened on 9/11:
I was actually in EPCOT on 9/11. To be more specific, I was on Spaceship Earth – the ride devoted to the rapid change in communication and how we can instantly connect with each other. Well, it’s true, I guess!
As we exited the ride (It must have been around 11, but I forget) a mass of people were calmly all going in the direction of the exit. We didn’t think anything of it until we saw the tip board in Future World and saw that all the rides were closed. I figured for that to happen there either needed to be a power outage, a hurricane or a bomb. A cast member casually walked up to us and honestly told us that “2 planes had crashed into a building in New York and the Pentagon.”
And that was it. We just left the park. It was such a strange thing to think about. Surely (that cast member who talked with us) was exaggerating!
Exiting the park was calm and orderly. People still seemed to be in a good mood. No one was crying or panicking or anything like that. If anything, I think everyone was anxious to go back to their rooms and turn on the news.
On the monorail back to the Poly, people (including me) were talking, nearly joking actually, about (how) the president (must have been) killed. We figured (that was what it) must have been. Otherwise why the fuss? There was no way anyone could have imagined what was really occuring.
At one point on the ride back to our hotel, I actually blurted out that “I bet there’s like a huge hole in the building with smoke coming out…whoa!” And people literally chuckled because it was just so unfathomable that it could really be that way.
I gotta say that WDW handled it really well. It was so calm there that it was hard to assume the worst had happened. It wasn’t until we were back at the Poly & turned on the news that the sense of panic and fear really hit.
WDW was by far the best place to be that day, the cast members were great.
That’s a WDW vacation I’ll never forget.
Mind you, in spite of the three hour time difference, things were just as surreal out at the Disneyland Resort. Whether you experienced that day from outside of the theme parks …
(On the morning of 9/11, both Disneyland & Disney’s California Adventure were) already closed when I drove out to the Anaheim Convention Center for a computer conference ([Which was] also postponed). There were a couple of cast members at the gates to answer questions. But most people responded to being told that (the theme parks were closed for the day) with “Oh, sure.”
Or on the inside of a Disney hotel …
I was staying at the Grand Californian the night of Sept. 10, 2001, and I can tell you the message the hotel sent to our voicemail the next morning *did* say the parks would be closed “due to the events that occurred in New York and Washington, DC this morning.” I’d overslept (probably because Downtown Disney, which was just outside my window, was unusually quiet), and the voicemail had me frantic, wondering what had happened. I called the front desk and was told “They’re bombing New York and Washington DC!” The hotel offered discounted rates to departing guests stranded in Southern California, but those of us who could pack up headed for home. At the time it seemed that the Disney theme parks might be the next target, since they have such a high profile. As I was checking out, I had the daylights scared out of me by a costumed Rafiki character who came up behind me and patted my shoulder — probably not the cuddliest character to have roaming the halls during a tense morning!
Or backstage at the park …
(Back in the Fall of 2001), I … (had) … a Backstage role (at Disneyland). I was fortunate enough to live close enough to the Resort to ride my bicycle to work each day (there are showers and locker rooms in the building I worked in).
Believe it or not, I rode my bicycle through the gate right before the first plane hit (I had no idea what was happening at the time). I showered and dressed for what I thought would be a normal day. When I got to my office, I went through the break room and found EVERYONE in the building watching the TV. Again, not knowing what was going on, I asked why people were not working. Someone in the room told me what had happened. I too, sat and watched the TV.
Soon after that, we received word that the Parks would not be opened at all that day and that we all would need to start calling Cast Members who were not already at work to stay home.
Several members of my staff were taken to the scheduling area to begin calling several hundred Cast Members. In the middle of that, the decision was made that we needed to do something for the Guests who were staying in on-site hotels (preferably Characters). Some folks were called back (I.E. Performers, technicians, drivers, etc.) to come in after all.
All was going OK (People were getting their jobs done; no one was freaking out), until about 8:50 a.m. At that point, an emergency call went out over the Park radios to evacuate every building in both Parks.
You see, there was a report that came in that airplanes were headed for the Resort at 9:00 a.m. too. I vividly remember RUNNING through the building with my boss searching every room, opening every door, and yelling to get OUT of the building NOW (Park Security was tied up in other locations and many officers were not yet at work).
At 8:59, my boss and I ran out of the building, satisfied that we were the last to leave. We joined the others in the pre-designated evacuation area to wait. And wait. And wait …
I thought the clock was standing still …
9:05 …
9:10 …
9:15 …
Someone thought they heard a jet, but no one could see one …
9:30 …
Still waiting for the all-clear …
At about 9:45 we were finally let back into the building to keep making calls.
Shortly after that, all of the management folks were called into a meeting at Lincoln Theatre to be briefed on what was going on.
My boss and I along with another manager went to the meeting. At that meeting, we were giving information verifying that the Parks would remain closed for the day. Everyone was briefed about Characters and Guests at the hotels. We were given additional security information that I should really not go into.
The meeting was very emotional. It may have been the first time for many of those people to realize that this was serious. This was not a drill or a test.
After the meeting, we joined other Cast Members at the Inn Between (I.E. he Cast Cafeteria behind Main Street U.S.A.) for lunch. Other managers were actually doing the cooking and serving. Mickey paid for lunch.
I remember walking back to my office down Main Street U.S.A. It was the middle of the day. Main Street was completely empty. The BGM (I.E. Background music) had been turned off. It was by far the strangest sight I remember seeing.
One more thing I remember: When I got back to my office, I had no sooner sat down than we got another emergency call to come to the warehouse immediately. At the same time, the fire alarm started to go off. It seems that a forklift driver — trying to get a pallet of something that was needed — hit and sheared off a fire sprinkler. The warehouse was flooded. The fire department was able to get the water off, and we spent the next couple of hours cleaning up.
At the end of that, my boss sent us home to be with our families. I climbed on my bike and rode out the gate for the last time (Personal vehicles were no longer allowed Backstage after that).
As to what it was like to work at the Disney theme parks immediately after 9/11, I’ll let an old Jungle Cruise captain have the final word:
I was there at the MK on Sept 11, 2001. I was a CP working as a Jungle Cruise Skipper, and had gone into the park early with friends to “play” before our afternoon shifts. Imagine our disbelief and horror as we watched this all unfold with a handful of other CMs on the small TV in the Main Street breakroom. The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. A very painful day, but the folks in costume were able to pull it together and go assist the evac with those trademark Disney smiles.
The next morning I returned to work, we discovered a major problem. Our fun-loving, wise-cracking spiel usually included the downed airplane just before the hippos. The usual line goes: “It’s plane to see how I landed this job. I took a crash course!”
Obviously, any airplane crash jokes were now completely inappropriate. Some skippers tried to distract their crews (in this area of the attraction) with other jokes. Others — such as myself — had a brief moment of silence. Suffice to say, none of us will ever view that show scene the same way again.
In the days that followed, during and after all commercial airline had been grounded, an occassional jet would streak across the sky over the Magic Kingdom. Everything, everyone would stop and watch that airplane silhouette (as they held their) breath.
The hardest part of it all was staying so darn happy. Everyone – CMs and Guests- felt dead inside. Yet it was the CMs who had to work 8+ hour shifts “making the magic” to distract everyone from the heavy shadow of the 9/11 attacks. And then the cut-hours and layoffs that followed… You could not imagine a quieter, more depressed breakroom.
It’s not a happy memory, but you were looking for a first hand account. I honestly can’t recall a PA announcement (in the theme park on 9/11). I was not in costume yet. So I was probably gone by that point to be home with my fellow CPs who were all from NY and NJ.
Portions of today’s story were originally posted on JHM as part of two features that ran on March 8th & 10th of 2006. Again, I want to offer my thanks to all those readers who came forward to share their memories about what it was like to be on property back on 9/11.
Television & Shows
The Untold Story of Super Soap Weekend at Disney-MGM Studios: How Daytime TV Took Over the Parks
A long time ago in a galaxy that … Well, to be honest, wasn’t all that far away. This was down in Florida after all. But if you traveled to the WDW Resort, you could then experience “Star Wars Weekends.” Which ran seasonally at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Disney World from 1997 to 2015.
Mind you, what most folks don’t remember is the annual event that effectively plowed the road for “Star Wars Weekends.” Which was “Super Soap Weekend.” That seasonal offering — which allowed ABC soap fans to get up-close with their favorite performers from “All My Children,” “General Hospital,” “One Life to Live” and “Port Charles” — debuted at that same theme park the year previous (1996).
So how did this weekend-long celebration of daytime drama (which drew tens of thousands of people to Orlando every Fall for 15 years straight) come to be?
Michael Eisner’s Daytime TV Origins and a Theme Park Vision
Super Soap Weekend was the brainchild of then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner. His career in media began with short stints at NBC and CBS, but it truly took off in 1964 when he joined ABC as the assistant to Leonard Goldberg, who was the network’s national programming director at the time.
Eisner quickly advanced through the ranks. By 1971, he had become Vice President of Daytime Programming at ABC. That meant he was on the scene when One Life to Live joined the lineup in July 1968 and when All My Children made its debut in January 1970. Even after being promoted to Senior Vice President of Prime Time Programming in 1976, Eisner stayed close to the daytime division and often recruited standout soap talent for ABC’s primetime shows.
Fast forward nearly two decades to July 31, 1995. The Walt Disney Company announced that it would acquire ABC/Cap Cities in a $19 billion deal. Although the acquisition wasn’t finalized until February 1996, Eisner was already thinking ahead. He wanted to use the stars of All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital to draw people to Disney’s theme parks.
He had seen how individual soap stars were drawing huge mall crowds across America since the late 1970s. Now he wanted to bring dozens of them together for something much bigger.
Super Soap Weekend Takes Over Disney-MGM Studios
The very first Super Soap Weekend was announced in June 1996, just a few months after the ABC deal closed. The event was scheduled for October 19 and 20 at Disney-MGM Studios and was a massive success.
The weekend featured panel discussions, autograph sessions, and photo opportunities with the stars of ABC’s daytime dramas. Thousands of fans packed the park for the chance to meet their favorite actors. Due to the overwhelming response, the event became an annual tradition and was eventually moved to Veterans Day weekend each November to better accommodate attendees.
Longtime fans like Nancy Stadler, her mom Mary, and their close friend Angela Ragno returned year after year, making the event a personal tradition and building lifelong memories.
West Coast Events and the ABC Soap Opera Bistro
Disney even tried to recreate the event out west. Two Super Soap Weekends were held at Disneyland Resort, one in April 2002 and another in June 2003.
At Disney’s California Adventure, Eisner also introduced the ABC Soap Opera Bistro, a themed dining experience that opened in February 2001. Guests could dine inside recreated sets from shows like General Hospital and All My Children, including Kelly’s Diner and the Chandler Mansion. The Bistro closed in November 2002, but for fans, it offered a rare opportunity to step into the world of their favorite soaps.
SOAPnet, Port Charles, and the Expansion of Daytime TV at Disney
Eisner’s enthusiasm for soaps extended beyond the parks. In January 2000, he launched SOAPnet, a cable channel dedicated to prime time replays of ABC’s daytime dramas.
During his time at Disney, General Hospital also received a spin-off series titled Port Charles, which aired from June 1997 to October 2003. The show leaned into supernatural plotlines and was another example of Eisner’s commitment to evolving and expanding the soap genre.
The Final Curtain for Super Soap Weekend
In September 2005, Eisner stepped down after 21 years as head of The Walt Disney Company. Bob Iger, who had previously served as President of ABC and Chief Operating Officer of ABC/Cap Cities, took over as CEO. While Iger had deep ABC credentials, he didn’t share Eisner’s passion for daytime television.
In the fall of 2008, Disney hosted the final Super Soap Weekend at what was then still called Disney-MGM Studios. That same year, the park was rebranded as Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney began shifting away from television-focused experiences.
Within the next five years, the rest of Eisner’s soap legacy faded. One Life to Live was canceled in January 2012. SOAPnet was rebranded as Disney Junior in February 2013. Later that year, All My Children ended its 41-year run on ABC.
Only General Hospital remains on the network today, the last standing soap from the golden age of ABC Daytime.
A New Chapter for Daytime TV and Super Soap Fans
The soap genre may have faded from its former glory, but it’s not gone. On February 24, 2025, CBS premiered a brand-new daytime drama called Beyond the Gates, marking the first new soap launch in years.
Meanwhile, All My Children alum Kelly Ripa has been actively working on a revival. In September 2024, she mentioned a holiday-themed movie set in Pine Valley that would bring back many original cast members. The project was in development for Lifetime, though its current status is unclear.
And what about Super Soap? Fans like Nancy and Angela still hope Disney will bring it back. Even if it only featured the cast of General Hospital, it would be a welcome return for longtime viewers who miss that one weekend a year where the magic of Disney collided with the drama of daytime TV.
If you want to hear firsthand what it was like to be part of Super Soap Weekend, be sure to listen to our I Want That Too podcast interview with actor Colin Egglesfield. He shares behind-the-scenes memories from his days as Josh Madden on All My Children and what it meant to be part of one of the most unique fan events in Disney park history.
One of the highlights of the Super Bowl isn’t just the game itself—it’s the moment when the winning quarterback turns to the camera and exclaims, “I’m going to Disney World!” This now-iconic phrase has been a staple of post-game celebrations for decades. But where did this tradition begin? Surprisingly, it didn’t originate in a stadium but at a dinner table in 1987, in a conversation involving Michael Eisner, George Lucas, and aviation pioneers Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager.
The Unlikely Beginning of a Marketing Sensation
To understand the origins of this campaign, we have to go back to December 1986, when the Rutan Voyager became the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. Pilots Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager completed the nine-day journey on December 23, 1986, flying over 26,000 miles before landing at Edwards Air Force Base. Their historic achievement earned them national recognition, and just days later, President Ronald Reagan awarded them the Presidential Citizen Medal at the White House.
Meanwhile, Disney was gearing up for the grand opening of Star Tours at Disneyland, set for January 12, 1987. Following its usual playbook of associating major theme park attractions with real-world pioneers, Disney’s PR team invited astronauts Gordon Cooper and Deke Slayton to the launch event. But in a twist, they also invited Rutan and Yeager, who were still making headlines.
A Dinner Conversation That Changed Advertising Forever
After the Star Tours opening ceremony, a private dinner was held with Disney CEO Michael Eisner, George Lucas, and Eisner’s wife, Jane. During the meal, Eisner asked Rutan and Yeager, “You just made history. You traveled non-stop around the planet on a plane without ever refueling. How are you ever going to top that, career-wise? What are you two gonna do next?”
Without hesitation, Jeana Yeager replied, “Well, after being cramped inside that tiny plane for nine days, I’m just glad to be anywhere else. And even though you folks were nice enough to fly us here, invite us to your party… Well, as soon as we finish eating, I’m gonna go over to the Park and ride some rides. I’m going to Disneyland.”
Jane Eisner immediately recognized the power of Yeager’s statement. On the car ride home, she turned to Michael and said, “That’s a great slogan. I think you should use that to promote the theme parks.” Like many husbands, Michael initially dismissed the idea, but Jane persisted. Eventually, Eisner relented and pitched it to his team.
The Super Bowl Connection
With Super Bowl XXI just around the corner, Disney’s PR team saw an opportunity. The game was set for January 25, 1987, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena—just miles from Disney Studios. What if they convinced the winning quarterback to say, “I’m going to Disneyland” live on-air?
Disney quickly struck a deal with both quarterbacks—Phil Simms of the New York Giants and John Elway of the Denver Broncos—offering each $75,000 to deliver the line if their team won. Simms led the Giants to victory, making history as the first athlete to say, “I’m going to Disney World!” on national television.
A Marketing Triumph
That year’s Super Bowl had the second-highest viewership in television history, with 87 million people watching Simms say the famous line. The next day, Disney turned the clip into a national commercial, cementing the phrase as a marketing goldmine.
Since then, “I’m going to Disneyland” (or Disney World, depending on the commercial) has been a staple of championship celebrations, spanning the NFL, NBA, and even the Olympics. What started as a casual remark at dinner became one of the most successful advertising campaigns in history.
A Lasting Legacy
Jane Eisner’s keen instinct and Disney’s ability to act quickly on a great idea created a tradition that continues to captivate audiences. The “I’m going to Disneyland” campaign remains a testament to the power of spontaneous inspiration and smart marketing, proving that sometimes, the best ideas come from the most unexpected places.
To learn more about Disney’s ties to the world of sports, check out I Want That Too: A Disney History and Consumer Product Podcast.
Television & Shows
How the Creators of South Park Tricked A-List Celebrities to Roast Universal – “Your Studio & You”
Universal Studios has a rich and storied history, but few moments are as peculiar—and as hilariously cutting—as the creation of Your Studio & You. This 14-minute parody film, commissioned in 1995 to celebrate Universal’s new ownership under Seagram’s, brings together an all-star cast, biting humor, and the unmistakable comedic fingerprints of Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
Long before South Park debuted on Comedy Central in 1997, Stone and Parker were already carving out a reputation for their irreverent style, and Your Studio & You perfectly encapsulates their knack for turning even the most corporate project into something delightfully subversive.
Matt Stone & Trey Parker Before South Park
Stone & Parker were already known out in Hollywood as funny guys. Thanks largely to “The Spirit of Christmas,” which was this video greeting card that they’d crafted for a Fox executive – who then distributed this infamously funny thing (which had Our Lord Jesus Christ & Santa Claus literally duking it out for the holiday affections of Cartman, Kenny, Stan & Kyle) to friends & family.
This was the early 1990s. No internet. Each copy of “The Spirit of Christmas” was made on VHS tape and then mailed. Went viral the old-fashioned way. It’s rumored that George Clooney made over 300 copies of “The Spirit of Christmas” and passed these VHS taps along to friends and family.
Things didn’t move as fast as they do today. “The Spirit of Christmas” still became a sensation out West.
Zucker Brothers
Matt & Trey also had other supporters in the entertainment industry. Among them David Zucker, who was one of the members of ZAZ (i.e., Zucker Abrahams Zucker), the talented trio that made “Airplane!” in 1980, “Top Secret!” in 1984 and the three “Naked Gun” movies.
- The original “Naked Gun” in 1988
- “Naked Gun 2 & 1/2 : The Smell of Fear” in 1991
- and “Naked Gun 33 & a 1/3: The Final Insult” in 1994
All five of these parody films had been made for Paramount Pictures. But in the Late Winter / Early Spring of 1995, Universal had persuaded the Zucker Brothers to come over and set up shop in a bungalow on their lower lot. With the hope that – at some point further on down the line – David & his brother Jerry would start making funny films for Universal.
And it’s during this same window of time (We’re now talking April of 1995) that news breaks that Seagrams (Yep, the adult beverage company. Who – at the time – was making an absolute fortune on the sales of wine coolers) was about to buy a majority stake in MCAUniversal. We’re talking control of 80% of that company’s stock. Which would effectively make Seagrams the new owners of Universal Studios.
Edgar Bronfman
And Edgar Bronfman – the owner of Seagrams – knew that Universal had had a tough time with its previous owners – which had been the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. of Japan. Matsushita had bought MCA back in November of 1990 for $7.5 billion but had never really understood the entertainment industry.
This is why – after repeatedly butting heads with Lew Wasserman & Sidney Sheinberg (i.e., the heads of Universal Studios & the Universal theme park respectively) when it came to creative control of this company – Matsushita decided to wash it hands of the entire enterprise. Agreeing to sell their holdings in MCA to Seagrams for $5.7 billion (effectively taking a nearly $2 billion loss on this investment).
And Bronfman … He knew that some bad feeling had developed between Hollywood’s creative community and the Japanese owners of Universal. The thinking was that executives at Matsushita Electric had just not gotten what it took to make movies & TV shows.
And Edgar? Right from the get-go, he wanted to show that Seagrams was NOT going to be Matsushita Electric Redux. Bronfman was looking for a way to send a clear message to Hollywood’s creative community that Universal’s new owners got it. That they were willing to work with Hollywood to make the best possible movies & TV shows at Universal.
And how did Edgar decide to get this message across? By making a funny movie.
Zucker Commissions Trey Parker for “Your Studio & You”
Mind you, Bronfman himself didn’t make this film. The owner of Seagrams reached out to David Zucker. Who – after initially agreeing to produce this introduction-to-Universal film – then farmed out the production of the actual project to Trey Parker. Who – just two days before shooting was supposed to star on the Universal Lot – persuaded Matt Stone to come help him on this project.
Which brings us to “Your Studio and You.” Which is a parody of an educational film from the 1950s, right down to being shot in black & white and featuring a very generic soundtrack.
Now what’s amazing about watching “Your Studio and You” today is that this 14-minute-long film features some of the biggest names working in Hollywood back in the mid-1990s. We’re talking about people like recent Golden Globe winner Demi Moore, Sylvester Stallone, Michael J. Fox and Angela Lansbury. Not to mention two of the most powerful men in all of Hollywood, Steven Spielberg & Jeffrey Katzenberg.
And what’s especially interesting about watch “Your Studio and You” is that – as you watch these performers go through their paces in this motion pictures (which – most of the time – involves doing some innocuous task while holding a Seagram’s wine cooler) – you often get the feeling that this star is not in on the gag.
So how did Matt & Trey get away with this? Simple. There was never actually a script for “Your Studio and You.”
Filming “Your Studio & You” at Universal Studios Hollywood
Mind you, David Zucker would always insist that there was. Especially when he’d phone up celebrities on the Universal Lot and say “Hey, I’m sending over a couple of college kids later today. They’re working with me on a new parody film. It’s something that we’re doing for the new owners of Universal. I need just a half hour of your time. We’re shooting something special for the party we’ll be holding when the Seagrams people first arrive at the Studio. Absolutely. You’ll definitely get an invite to that party. So can I count on you to help these kids out? Beautiful. They’ll be over there later this morning.”
And then Matt & Trey would show up and say “… Dang, Miss Lansbury. We’re sorry. We must have left our copy of the ‘Your Studio and You’ script back in our office. Which is clear on the other side of the Lot. So – rather than waste your time – why don’t we do this instead? Follow us over to the Psycho House. Where we’re then going to get footage of you painting the front porch on Mother Bates’ house while you say ‘Gosh, with all of the wonderful improvements going on around here, everyone is going to want to work at Universal.’ Oh, and can we also get you to wear this button on the front of your blazer which reads ‘Universal is A-OK’ ? “
And over & over again, the biggest names who were working for Universal at that time took part in the production of “Your Studio & You” because A) David Zucker vouched for Matt Stone & Trey Parker and B) this was something that was being made for the new owners of Universal. And it’s just natural to want to get in good with the new boss.
Steven Spielberg, Jeffery Katzenberg, and Jaws
But no one at Universal anticipated that “Your Studio & You” would wind up being as sharp edged as the finished product turned out to be. I mean, it’s one thing to bite the hand that feeds you. But “Your Studio & You” ? It doesn’t just bite the hand. It takes the hand off at the wrist.
It’s a brutally funny film. With one of the meanest moments reserved for Steven Spielberg, who plays a driver on the Universal Studio Tour who’s trying to persuade a tram full of bored tourists (one of whom is played by Jeffery Katzenberg) that the “Shark Attack” scene down by Jaws Lagoon is actually exciting.
Spielberg actually says lines like “ … Whoa, whoa. What is going on here? Ladies and gentlemen, this never happens. Look out! It’s a shark! Whoa, that is one big scary shark.”
Mind you, as footage of this mechanical shark repeatedly coming up out of the water is shown, “Your Studio & You” ‘s off-screen narrator (who is voiced by Trey Parker says):
“But what about tomorrow? If we don’t keep in step with the times, things that were once neat and thrilling can become old and stupid.”
“Your Studio & You” Reception
This film was supposed to be shown only once at the welcoming party for Seagrams executive on the Universal Lot. And I’m told that – when Edgar Bronfman saw the finished product at that party – he reportedly turned to David Zucker and said “ … That’s a little more mean-spirited that I think it needed to be.”
And with that, “Your Studio & You” was supposed to go back into the Universal vault, never to be seen again. But when “South Park” debuted on Comedy Central in August of 1997 and then became a sensation for its biting humor, there was suddenly a lot of interest in what else Matt & Trey had done. Which is why copies of “The Spirit of Christmas” began to circulate. And – over time – copies of “Your Studio & You” began to bubble up.
Which – as Stone & Parker have repeatedly pointed out – was just not supposed to happen. Largely because none of the celebrities who appeared in “Your Studio & You” had never signed releases for Universal’s legal department. Because – again – this was for a movie that was only going to be shown once at a private function on the Universal Lot.
Matt mentioned (as part of a career retrospective at the Paley Center in LA back in 2000) that “ … they wouldn’t even let us keep a copy of the finished film.”
It’s a funny but brutal movie. And worth taking a look at today especially if you’re a theme park history buff because it shows Universal Studios Hollywood’s “Jurassic Park: The Ride” still under construction on the Lower Lot. That attraction would finally open to the public in June of 1996.
“Your Studio & You” became a lot easier to see after Seagrams sold off its share of Universal to Vivendi in 2000. Copies began propagating online after that. Though Universal Legal will periodically make an effort to get the latest copy of “Your Studio & You” taken off the Internet because – again – none of the performers who appear on camera ever signed the proper releases and/or were paid for their efforts.
That said, if you’re up for a mean-spirited laugh, “Your Studio & You” is well worth 14 minutes of your time. That said, once you watch this thing, be warned:
- You’re immediately going to be thirsty for a Seagram’s wine cooler
- And you’re going to have a sudden desire to go out & buy a porcelain deer.
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