Okay. So Walt Disney Studios seems to have a hit on its hands with “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” But have you ever wondered what the Mouse Factory might have in the works for 2006? Or even 2007?
Well, thank goodness for www.dailychanges.com. You know? That website that keeps track of the various domain names that major corporations like the Walt Disney Company register? By checking out the names that Mickey has registered over the past few weeks, you can get a real sense of the projects that Disney is thinking about putting into production sometime.
Take — for example — these domain names:
BABYSITTINGMOVIE.COM
FURTHERADVENTURESINBABYSITTING.COM
Which suggests that Walt Disney Studios is giving some semi-serious thought to producing a sequel to that 1987 Touchstone Pictures releases, “Adventures in Babysitting.” Likewise, all you Flynn fans out there will be pleased to hear that …
TRON2MOVIE.COM
… continues to chug along Disney’s development track. The way I hear it, production of this “Tron” sequel could get underway as early as next year. With a possible theatrical release sometime in the summer of 2007.
Speaking of sequels, are you ready to join Tony & Tia for another trip back to …
WITCHMOUNTIANMOVIE.COM
I know. I know. That film’s name is mispelled in this particular domain name. But given that this is a fairly common mispelling of the word “mountain,” the Walt Disney Company still wanted to take this domain name off the market. Out of concern that some misguided “Witch Mountain” fan might then use this opportunity to set up a fan site that would draw traffic away from the official Disney film site.
Then there are the non-sequels that Walt Disney Studios currently has in the works. Names that sound somewhat familiar, but aren’t actually the projects that you think that they are.
Take — for example:
TINYDANCER-MOVIE.COM
Which (you’d think) would be a film that was based on that old Elton John song. Well, as it turns out, “Tiny Dancer” is actually supposed to be a movie about the life of Roberto Cisneros. Cisneros (for those of you who don’t know) was a Mexican-American ballet prodigy from Oakland, CA. Who faced great challenges when he was initially discovered back in 1997. Disney is hoping that — with the proper production — this film could be the next “Billy Elliot” (I.E. Another motion picture that could be reinvented as a musical for the stage).
Speaking of Disney films that are headed for the stage, even though Ariel isn’t due to swim into NYC ’til 2007, Disney Theatrical Productions isn’t taking any chances. Which is why they just registered this pile of domain names:
LITTLEMERMAIDBROADWAY.COM
LITTLEMERMAIDONBROADWAY.COM
LITTLEMERMAIDONTOUR.COM
LITTLEMERMAIDTOUR.COM
MERMAIDBROADWAY.COM
MERMAIDONBROADWAY.COM
THELITTLEMERMAIDBROADWAY.COM
THELITTLEMERMAIDONBROADWAY.COM
And then there are the domain names that are just … confounding. Like the:
WHOSONFIRSTMOVIE.COM
Which makes me wonder: Is Disney actually prepping a motion picture that will pay tribute to Abbott & Costello? Or will this just be yet another movie about America’s favorite pastime? (FYI: For those of you have fond memories of Bud & Lou’s old “Who’s on First” bit, baseball-almanac.com has a full transcript of that classic vaudeville routine on file at that website.)
And call me crazy, but I think that these domain names that the Walt Disney Company registered during the first week of December …
ROADTRIPTODETROIT.COM
COLLEGEROADTRIPMOVIE.COM
FIELDTRIPTHEMOVIE.COM
… probably have something to do with a film that chronicles a college road and/or field trip that takes the picture’s participants to … Oh … I don’t know … I’m guessing off the top of my head here … possibly Detroit?
And then there are the domain names that make you wonder what exactly Disney has up its sleeve. Like:
VOICEOFDISNEY.COM
VOICEOFMICKEYMOUSE.COM
Does this mean that Wayne Allwine will soon be pulling a Carl Kasell? Making Mickey available to record the out-going message on your answering machine?
And how about this name?:
DISNEYLABS.COM
Doesn’t that leave you with visions of Doctor Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker hard at work at some sort of secret project for the Walt Disney Company?
And speaking of the Muppets, given that Disney’s already gone to all the trouble of registering a domain name for:
LEMUPPETSHOW.COM
Isn’t it time that someone within the Walt Disney organization finally fessed up and admitted that this project is actually in the works for TF1? That’s right. A brand-new Muppet TV series. Only this program wouldn’t actually be aimed at an American audience. But — rather — “Le Muppet Show” would be produced in France and then tailored to European sensibilities.
I mean, the pilot for this proposed program was shot back in September. So you’d think that someone who worked on the TV side of the Mouse Factory would have talked about this project by now.
Anyway … Then there are those domain names that (you hope) Disney is taking off the market because they’re kind of disgusting. Like:
ADVENTURESOFBARFBAG.COM
ADVENTURESOFBARFBAGATDISNEY.COM
ADVENTURESOFBARFBAGATWDW.COM
BARFBAGADVENTURES.COM
BARFBAGLIVES.COM
UNENDINGBARFBAGADVENTURES.COM
I don’t know about you. But — given my druthers — I think I’d take a pass on watching a TV show and/or motion picture with a title like “The Adventures of Barf Bag.”
But what about you folks? Are you ready for the “Unending Barf Bag Adventures”?
Your thoughts?