Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment

Roy spreads the word

Mouseketrips’ Scott Liljenquist was out in Garden Grove, CA. this past weekend to catch Roy Disney’s speech at the N.F.F.C. convention. Read all about Scott’s impressions of Roy’s talk with the Disneyana faithful.

Published

21 years ago

January 20, 2004

Scott Liljenquist

So, what’s up with Roy Disney being fired from Disney? Did he really get fired? How can a Disney get fired from Disney? Did he just give up? What’s so wrong with Michael Eisner?

If you’re unfortunate enough to serve as the unofficial source of Disney rumor and gossip verification among your friends and family, perhaps you too have been asked these questions over and over again during the past few weeks. While I have had my own theories about Roy Disney and Stanley Gold’s departure from the Disney board of directors, I wasn’t entirely sure what was really going on. Especially after seeing the original savedisney.com website, which a friend of mine described as “looking like it was done by a 5th grader.” However, after having a chance to hear Roy Disney speak in person at a NFFC (an organization for Disneyana enthusiasts) convention this past Saturday, I can now firmly say that I’m a believer in his course and in his cause.

I was fortunate enough to have been able to attend this presentation, and took copious notes so I could provide a detailed report to you, the loyal readers of JHM. Roy’s speech itself was very short as he chose to spend most of his time answering questions submitted by those in attendance, which I thought was a very nice touch. Throughout the address he joked repeatedly with the audience and had a very jovial, energetic, and upbeat demeanor. It’s very obvious that he’s from a family of showmen.

Disney began his speech by acknowledging the presence of his own son Roy, and stating the importance of his family’s support. He said that he called a family meeting shortly after his resignation where it was decided that the fight for the future of the Disney company “…. is just too important not to work together as a family.”

Roy then referenced the address of his savedisney.com website and detailed its latest improvements. In fact, he referred back to the website over and over again during his address. He stated that the new, improved savedisney.com site would be updated daily, and all news and information regarding his efforts would be promptly posted. He asked the audience for their support, and encouraged everyone to sign up at the website for future updates.

Roy then thanked the audience for attending, and said that he knew everyone in the room embraced “…the Disney idea, which you know as well as I do stands for quality, stands for families, stands for getting your money’s worth, and it stands for a lot of innovative and new and creative ideas that make things fun whenever you visit a park or go to a film. One of the reasons for my leaving, other than the fact that they fired me, is that I saw that quality slipping away from us.”

Asked about favorite memories of his father, Roy O. Disney, Roy said that he was most proud of him at the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971. Walt Disney died in 1966, and left behind all sorts of ill-defined plans for the huge parcels of land just purchased in Florida. Apparently Walt and Roy O. were having a bit of an argument at the time, with Walt wanting to build his city of the future, Epcot, and Roy O. wondering how that would make them any money. Roy O. maintained that a new Magic Kingdom and some resort hotels were needed first. “It happened that Walt died during that argument, so dad sort of won it by default. He [Roy O.] was about to retire, but put his heart and soul into opening Walt Disney World in Florida.”

Disney was next asked what his #1 concern for the future of the Walt Disney Company is. “That’s a hard question to answer without libel laws getting in the way. We need to do everything we do better than we do it, and I mean everything. And we can’t do it until we make up our minds that investing in the business to make things better is how we got where we got in the first place. We can’t undercut everything we do by skimping on maintenance, skimping on gates, skimping on films.” Roy continued, “And let me say this, there isn’t a person at the company, other than the few we know the names of who don’t believe that too – who would kill to make it better if they could. They don’t have the budgets and they don’t have the manpower, and the work is not appreciated. The people who are responsible for the quality and the upkeep aren’t there enough. [They] don’t understand the problems and don’t appreciate the hard work that goes into maintaining the parks as what they are and the films as what they are.”

Roy spent the next few minutes discussing the dismal cast member morale and what it would take to make improvements. “Everybody has, if given a chance to have it, pride in their work. There’s an enormous history in this company of people coming to work with us because it was a place where they could create a sense of well-being, fun, and unity. That needs to be reinforced again. Also, patting people on the back is not such a bad thing to do – I’ve certainly seen it in my own walking around the parks or walking around any part of the company at all. You know, just walk into a room, find out what they do, and be interested in complimenting them on their work. Part of anybody’s reward for what they do is what they bring home inside of them.”

Disney was asked about the fun side of his father – did he have to be serious all the time while Uncle Walt got to play around? “They all played around,” he said. “Dad was certainly the more serious of the two. Walt was like a big kid all his life, he loved to have fun.” Roy O. Disney was a man known for his fiscal care and sense, and for being the force that reigned in Walt’s over-active imagination and his subsequent dangerous spending habits. Roy continued, “You’re certainly going to read about me at some point – Roy just wants to go back to the past and all he wants to do is spend a lot of money. I certainly, having grown up with my father, know that you’re going to get what you pay for. But also that value created by investment is what makes our company grow.”

Then came the question I was hoping would be asked: We know you have lots of support, Roy, but there is, among your supporters, somewhat of a feeling of futility due to the position of power enjoyed by Michael Eisner and current management. Disney replied, “The main message right now that I can give everybody is that it may take a while. We’ve got to figure out how to keep the ball in the air and keep the heat on these people. They’re a little nervous; they’re saying rather strange things behind our backs. We’ll have some recommendations for those of you who are shareholders on how to deal with this upcoming annual meeting March 3rd in Philadelphia. Which is kind of a strange place for the Disney Company to meet, there’s a little escapism going on there. We will at some point, shortly, let you know at least how we’re going to vote – I guess you could probably guess.”

The next question, a follow-up, asked how those who are non-Disney stockholders can. “Register with us on the website and stay with us there,” Disney said. “We’ve just installed some software that will enable us to get back to everyone who registers on the website with information as it comes along.”

Then, just to make Jim Hill feel good after having devoted his entire web site to this issue for most of last week, Roy discussed the WDFA-F closure. Disney said, “I feel horrible about what happened in Florida. It was a series of things…that happened, all the result of unbelievably bad management. The main thing I feel about it is that all they’ve done is thrown out the baby and the bath water. These are the people who made Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and Brother Bear. They were hard at work on the next one which I continue to think would have been a really cute movie, and were abruptly told that it wasn’t going to go on and they should look for another line of work. There’s a few, some 30 of 250, who are under contract and will probably move to L.A.” He continued, “To me, it’s a failure of management to figure out what to do with creative people. At the heart of it [is] a failure to recognize that creativity is the basis of this company; what it was founded on. Every time we’ve ever been successful at anything it’s because we’ve been creative people who have found new ways to do things…new ways to entertain…and certainly ways to get all of you who have cares, everyone of us have cares, ways to get you out of that for a few hours in your life. I think that is our mission. We should be, and forgive me for saying ‘we’ even though I don’t work there anymore, in a creative business. We’re not as creative as we were once.”

Continuing on the topic of WDFA-F Disney said, “It was the people I used to work with that made the job fun. I know, going there now, everybody’s looking over their shoulders, being careful what they say – you might get fired for saying that, or for having a different opinion or [for] voicing it. One of the reasons I’m here right now is because the board of directors was told never to speak about company business outside the boardroom without Michael Eisner’s permission. It came to a point, which is now, where the only way you could say what you think was to get out of there. And I promise you there’s an awful lot of people who would say the same thing I’m saying if they thought they could, and I find that…um….awful. That’s why things aren’t as good as they used to be. Because if you can’t have fun, and you’re supposed to make other people have fun, how the hell do you do that?

The final question asked Disney – Do you still visit Disneyland park and what changes have you noticed? “Well, I have to pay to get in now, that’s one big change. I have found, both here and in Florida, that the maintenance isn’t what it used to be. I see more and more junk on the ground that didn’t get picked up when that was like a reflex action. We’ve seen some of the bathrooms not as clean as they used to be, and light bulbs out and paint falling off, so we’ve seen a lot of change that’s not all good. There’s some good stuff, too…Matt Ouimet has come to replace Cynthia Harris as manager of Disneyland. I like Matt a lot, I think he’s a really good guy. Given the opportunity for him – that’s the hard part – to do his job the way he sees to do it, things will get better. There’s a lot of wonderful people who are like horses trying to get out of the corral, and we’re just going to try and let them out.

With that, Roy concluded his remarks to a loud and sustained standing ovation.

So, I gotta tell you folks – this guy is the real deal. I was mightily impressed by what I saw and heard. There’s hope indeed for the Walt Disney Company yet if Roy and Stanley can keep on track, keep the fire held to the feet of the current management team, keep working their plan, and continue to enjoy the support of thousands of Disney fans. This man understands, perhaps better than anyone else, what the Disney name means and what it stands for.

Roy knows what a beating it has taken under the current regime, and has taken the steps he has in order to restore it to its former glory. Most of you probably already know that he resigned from the Disney board once before – when he lead the 1984 ouster of then company president (and Walt’s son-in-law) Ron Miller. It was Roy (and Stanley Gold) that were instrumental in installing Michael Eisner and Frank Wells at the top of the Disney company, a move that saved the company in the eyes of most people. He’s been there, done that.

That’s not to say, of course, that he doesn’t have a long, uphill battle. Michael Eisner is firmly entrenched, and has surrounded himself with sympathetic supporters. The company is seeing improved financial results, and the stock price has been steadily climbing. Roy’s stock holdings are not at the level they were in 1984, and the company is not in near the precarious position that it was back then. But if anyone can pull this off, based on what I saw and heard last Saturday, it is the man whose name is still on the building.

Television & Shows

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

Published

1 week 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: