Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment

History of Reedy Creek Improvement District: Part 2

Published

3 years ago

April 18, 2022

In 1966, just a few month prior to his death, Walt Disney was named “Showman for the World” by NATO (Not the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. But — rather — the National Association of Theater Owners).

Of course, while he was putting in an appearance at NATO’s annual convention to accept this award, Walt was asked “Why don’t you make a sequel to your studio’s biggest hit?” Which — at that time — was “Mary Poppins.” Which had been released to theaters back in August of 1964.

Walt Disney and New Worlds to Conquer

You’ve probably heard a few select quotes from Walt’s response to this question in the past. Which Disney employees have then cherry-picked to support whatever project they were working on at the time. What follows is Walt’s full response. Which may give you some idea what direction Walt Disney Productions was actually headed in just prior to Walt’s untimely passing in December of 1966:

Many people have asked, “Why don’t you make another Mary Poppins?” Well, by nature, I’m a born experimenter. To this day, I don’t believe in sequels. I can’t follow popular cycles. I have to move on to new things — there are many new worlds to conquer.

As a matter of fact, people have been asking us to make sequels ever since Mickey Mouse first became a star. We have bowed only on one occasion to the cry to repeat ourselves. Back in the ‘30’s, “The Three Little Pigs” was an enormous hit, and the cry went up “Give us more pigs.” I could not see how we could possibly top pigs with pigs. But we tried, and I doubt that any of you can name the other cartoons in which the pigs appeared.

We didn’t make the same mistake with “Snow White.” When it was a huge hit, the shout went up for more dwarfs. Top dwarfs with dwarfs? Why try?

Right now, we’re not thinking about making another “Mary Poppins.” We never will. Perhaps there will be other ventures with equal critical and financial success. But we know that we can not hit a home run with the bases loaded every time we go to the plate. We also know that the only way we can even get to First Base is by constantly going to bat and continuing to swing.

So we’re always looking for new ideas and new stories, hoping that somehow we’ll come up with a different kind of “Mary Poppins” … or even a different kind of Disneyland.

As 1967 begins, we have high hopes that some of our current projects may measure up to this exciting challenge. Perhaps it will be a motion picture like “The Happiest Millionaire.” Perhaps it will be our so-called “Disney World” in Florida. Or perhaps it will be our year-round recreation facility in the High Sierra of California, Mineral King.

“… our so-called ‘Disney World’ in Florida”

You gotta love Walt describing “Project Florida” as “ … our so-called ‘Disney World’ in Florida.” As in: Seriously? That’s the best name that you could come up with for this thing? Try again.”

But look at how Walt describes Mineral King: “ … our year-round recreation facility in the High Sierra of California.” Care to guess which one Walt was most excited about? “ … our so-called ‘Disney World’ in Florida” or “ … our year-round recreation facility in the High Sierra of California” ?

Remember the press conference which was held at the Cherry Tree Plaza Hotel in Orlando back in November of 1965. More importantly, Walt’s private meeting with 750 of Florida’s most powerful politicians and business leaders just prior to this press conference.

It was while Walt was speaking with the press & those politicians that the public got its first inkling of what the construction timetable for “Project Florida” might be. Here’s what Walt said at that time:

Based on preliminary estimates that WED had done, it would take “… at least a year and a half to design” the vacation kingdom portion of Disney World and then “ … at least another year-and-a-half to (actually) build” the thing.“

Again, that was revealed back in November of 1965. And since that time, Florida’s politicians and business leaders had been patiently waited on word as to what Walt’s “so-called ‘Disney World’ “ would entail.

But as 1966 drew to a close, word came out of California that Walt Disney Productions was finally ready to reveal what exactly they wanted to build out on those 27,443 acres that the Company acquired out in the swamps of Central Florida.

Here’s the crucial part of that announcement:

“Preliminary plans for Disney World — and a review of local legislation necessary to make the project a reality — will be revealed at a public hearing called by the Central Florida legislative delegation during the first week of February, 1967.”

Which isn’t to say that — while the Imagineers were back in Glendale, designing Disney World’s “Vacation Kingdom” — that there was no work going on on-site on those 27,443 acres.

Early Construction at Walt Disney World – Introducing General Joe Potter

There were huge pieces of heavy earth-moving equipment moving under the guidance of General Joe Potter AKA William Everett Potter. Walt had first met General Joe when he was working with Robert Moses on the 1964 – 1965 New York World’s Fair. This is when Walt Disney learned about Potter’s work history:

Mr. Potter has supervised the Army Corps of Engineers as they tackled a $100 million project to control the Missouri River
General Joe followed that challenging work assignment with a 5 year stint as the governor of the Panama Canal Zone.

When Walt learned about General Joe’s work experience when it came to guiding genuinely massive water control projects to completion, Disney quietly pulled Potter aside and said “Have I go a job for you.”

Walt Disney, General Joe Potter, & Roy O. Disney

So throughout 1966, General Joe and his team began wrestling with the swamps of Central Florida. With the end goal here getting this twice-the-size-of-the-Island-of-Manhattan wetland ready for construction.

Reedy Creek Drainage District and “Joe’s Ditches”

Now before Potter could begin working onsite, Disney — with the help of state & county officials in Florida — formed the Reedy Creek Drainage District (that name sounds familiar for some reason). The purpose of the Reedy Creek Drainage District was … Well, this was a legal entity that then made it possible for the Company to begin reclaiming and preparing all of the property that it had acquired on-the-sly in 1964 & 1965 for subsequent development.

Now Potter had a lot of plates to spin here as he began working on this project. First and foremost, there was the fact that headwaters of the Everglades actually start in the Orlando area and then flow on through to the Kissimmee chain of lakes. Of which Bay Lake at Walt Disney World is one of the key bodies of water within this ecosystem.

So General Joe had to make sure that — not matter what he was doing on property — water had to continue to flow on through from Bay Lake down on towards the Everglades. While — of course — trying to keep the water table at select sites around Disney World low so that they could then support construction of the Vacation Kingdom.

This meant that Walt Disney Production needed to criss-cross its 27,443 acres of land in Central Florida with miles & miles of new drainage canals. Which Walt — not entirely affectionately — began referring to as “Joe’s ditches.”

Potter oversaw the construction of the Walt Disney World Resort’s entire infrastructure. He supervised the building and operation of the underground utilities and sewer, power, and water treatment plants that were considered revolutionary at the time. Among his achievements, Potter was well-known for the development of drainage canals for the entire property, which were known affectionately as “Joe’s ditches” and kept the water table constant.

Another Disney World Joe – Admiral Joe Fowler

Admiral Joe Fowler was the WWII vet that Walt roped in back in the Summer of 1954 to help turn that orange grove in Anaheim, CA into the Happiest Place on Earth. Fowler had then stayed on with the Disney organization to help build projects-of-size.

So as not to confuse these two men:

General Joe Potter got the swampland that Walt bought ready for the actual construction of his vacation kingdom.
Whereas Admiral Joe Potter was the one who then went on to supervise the construction of the Magic Kingdom, the themed resort hotels, World Drive. You get the idea.

Admiral Joe Fowler (left), General Joe Potter (right)

Anyway, Admiral Joe Fowler recalled in an interview in the late 1980s:

The first canal Joe Potter laid out ran straight as an arrow from Bay Lake to the south part of the property. I was with Walt when he first saw it. Walt didn’t raise his voice. The only way you could tell he was angry was when he raised his right eyebrow. He raised it and said, ‘Look, Joe. I don’t want any more of those Corps of Engineers canals.’

From then on, at much greater expense, the canals that General Joe Potter had dug on property were deliberately laid out in a meandering pattern to resemble natural rivers.

More to the point, WDW’s water control system was laid out in such a way that — when Central Florida experienced a heavy rain storm (which used to happen virtually every afternoon at around 2 o’clock) — that a system of automatic gates would then open & close. Preventing key portions of the property (the ones that had been designated as construction sites for the theme park, the golf courses and the hotels) from flooding.

Vacation Kingdom or Valuable Real Estate for Sale?

But — again — remember, officials from Walt Disney Productions kept describing those 24,773 acres of land that they’d acquired back in 1964 & 1965 as “ … a major and important real estate acquisition.” A chunk of property that had significantly increased in value since Disney had acquired this parcel.

So all of the time & money that Walt Disney Productions was plowing into the creation of all of those canals criss-crossing Central Florida’s swamps didn’t actually mean that they were really going to go forward with the construction of …

Well, here’s the language that Disney PR flacks put out in 1966 as part of the Company’s annual report:

“ … a recreation and entertainment complex whose impact on the quality of urban life will be measured for generations to come.”

More to the point:

“ … a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everyone who participates.”

And the whole time that Disney Officials are meeting with folks who are high up in the legislative branches of the State of Florida as they plan out all of the roads, off-ramps & interchanges that will then provide access to the more-than-6,000,000 visitors who are expected to come flooding into the Central Florida area during Disney World’s first year of operation, they’re saying things like:

“Well, Walt hasn’t completely committed yet to building Disney World. I mean, he likes Project Florida and all. But he’s also excited about that ski area the Company looking to build up in the High Sierra. And the Department of the Interior and the State of California are really eager to work with him on Mineral King. They’re already talking about funding the construction of an all-weather road that will take Guests straight to that property.”

With the very unsubtle message here being … If you want us to actually build this vacation kingdom in the swamps of Central Florida, the State and Federal Government are going to have to cover the cost of construction of all these roads, off-ramps & interchanges that will then get Guests to Disney World.

Playing Hardball with Mickey Mouse – Disney and Florida Legislature

That whole year of 1966, Disney Company representatives worked closely with state and county officials, trying to identify key legal issues that would then serve as road blacks to Project Florida. With the idea here being:

In February of 1967, Walt Disney Productions would first present its plans for the Vacation Kingdom.
And then — in the months that follow — the Florida Legislature would then vote on a bill (or a package of bills) that would then clear a path for this $100 million project.

Whenever the folks in Orange & Osceola County (or — for that matter — officials up in Tallahassee) would start to complain about the terms & conditions that Walt Disney Productions execs were lying out, how the supposedly family-friendly Mouse was playing hardball here, Disney officials would then drop disturbing little tidbits of information. Like:

California Governor Ronald Reagan has already gone on record as saying he supports the Mineral King project and that he hopes construction of this “ … year-round recreation facility in the High Sierras” goes forward
Or that the National Forest Service has just given its okay to construct an all-weather road through a previously preserved section of Sequoias. Which will now provide necessary access to the Mineral King construction.

Long story short: This was a high stakes game of poker that the State of Florida found itself. And if it actually wanted to come out on top here, have Walt Disney Productions move beyond installing just drainage canals on site at the 24,773 acres that it acquired in Central Florida in 1964 & 1965 and then build … Well, not just a theme park & some hotels. But “… a recreation and entertainment complex whose impact on the quality of urban life will be measured for generations to come.”

They had to put up.

Death of Walt Disney – Selling Off Disney?

Then — to add further pressure to the whole situation — Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966. And — for a brief window of time — everyone holds their breath as there are rumors of Roy O. Disney selling off the entire company to RCA and both Project Florida & Mineral King being cancelled.

We’ll get to that part of the story — as well as the actual Reedy Creek Improvement District legislation — in the next installment of this series.

If you missed Part 1 of The History of Reedy Creek Improvement District, be sure to take a look at our coverage of Project Florida and the Epcot film.

If you’d like to learn more about Mineral King, Daniel P. Selmi has written a book about this never-built project, “Dawn at Mineral King Valley: The Sierra Club, the Disney Company, and the Rise of Environmental Law.” This 344-page hardcover is being published by the University of Chicago Press on July 7^th of this year. Amazon is currently offering it for $30, $38.50 for the Kindle version.

This article is based on research for The Disney Dish Podcast “Episode 370”, published on April 18, 2022. The Disney Dish Podcast is part of the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network.

This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products.

Television & Shows

The Untold Story of Super Soap Weekend at Disney-MGM Studios: How Daytime TV Took Over the Parks

Published

2 weeks ago

April 24, 2025

Jim Hill

Super Soap Weekends at Disney-MGM Studios

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.

History

The Super Bowl & Disney: The Untold Story Behind ‘I’m Going to Disneyland!’

Published

3 months ago

February 6, 2025

Jim Hill

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”

Published

4 months ago

January 12, 2025

Jim Hill

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.

Zucker Brothers featured in "Your Studio and You"

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: