Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment

You’re going to do WHAT!? Starting down the Road to the WDW Marathon

There’s definitely “some walking involved” in writer Paul Schnebelen’s latest story for JimHillMedia.com. So let’s let Paul bring you up to speed about all the preparations that he’s made for the 2005 WDW Marathon.

Published

22 years ago

September 1, 2003

Paul Schnebelen

I think it started the first time I saw The Medallion. My fiancee and I were on vacation at Walt Disney World last January. And — as we walked back to our room — I saw an average looking couple both wearing what looked like a really cool pin lanyard. I’d just gotten into pin trading, so I had to go up to have a closer look. It turned out that they weren’t wearing lanyards, but ribbons with a large medallion in the shape of the head of a certain famous Mouse.

We started talking. And I learned that they got the medals they were wearing for finishing the Walt Disney World Marathon, which they had run earlier that day. They told me about how fun it had been, and how they planned on doing it again next year.

The thing that struck me was that these folks didn’t look like the kind of people I would have thought of as marathon runners. The couple was older and in average physical shape — not young and impossibly thin, like I was sure all marathoners had to be. Yet they’d run a marathon, and the proof was hanging around their necks.

My fiancee thanked them for putting up with my stares and my annoying questions, and I remember thinking to myself that it’d be really neat be to run a marathon. Yep, I’d definitely have to do that … someday. Hey, honey, a piece of chocolate cake sounds good. Let’s go to the food court!

Skip ahead a couple of months. I was taking a break at work catching up on the latest Disney dish on the Internet when I saw a link to a page on the Walt Disney World website. Registration was now open for the 2004 WDW Marathon, the website said. But I’d have to hurry , because there were only a limited number of slots.

I mentioned seeing the website to a friend of mine who had just finished running the Los Angeles Marathon. She said it sounded like a lot of fun, and that I should sign up. It was tempting, but I couldn’t see myself running a marathon… Or could I?

I talked about it later that day with my beloved fiancée. Telling her how much fun running a marathon sounded and how I would like to do it, but that I was sure that I could never run a marathon because… Well, for a whole laundry list of reasons. After listening to me come up with every excuse for not running a marathon except the moon being out of alignment with Mars, my fiancee said something to me that started me down a road I never really expected to be on. “Look, you’re interested in doing it,” she said. “You should either sign up for it or you should stop taking about it.” (Looking back, I think she was probably hoping that I’d chicken out and be quiet. Funny how these things work out, isn’t it?)

I had an epiphany. As usual, my fiancee was right. I could spend the rest of my life making excuses. Or I could put the excuses aside and give it a try. I might fail or I might even succeed, but either way I wouldn’t spend the rest of my life wondering. It was at that moment I decided I was done making excuses. I registered for the Walt Disney World Marathon a few hours later.

Why WDW?
At this point, I imagine some of you are asking yourselves: Why the Walt Disney World Marathon? What is it about this event that would compel a (supposedly) sane person who had never gone farther than five miles at a stretch without the aid of wheels to sign up to run 26.2 miles?

Well, first off, it’s held at Walt Disney World. Specifically, on a course that takes you all over the property, including all four theme parks. Some of you out there have probably traveled around WDW on your vacation and wondered to yourself what it’d be like to go around the Disney property on your own and have a good look around. Well, participants in the Walt Disney World Marathon get to do just that.

How could a certified Disney geek pass up on the opportunity to literally walk around the World?

The Walt Disney World Marathon has a reputation that makes it less intimidating than other such events. The WDW Marathon has a reputation as a “fun” event. Most people don’t run in the WDW Marathon to set a world record or with the goal of beating the running shorts off as many of their fellow competitors as possible. But because they get to run in a fun and exciting place with very supportive and enthusiastic people (and more than a few Disney characters) cheering them on all the way. The course is relatively flat, except for a few roadway bridges, and is held in nice weather (in January, during central Florida’s not-so-humid season).

The main thing you have to worry about if you want to complete the marathon is, well, you. Finally, everyone who finishes the WDW Marathon gets the previously mentioned Mickey medallion – not just the top finishers or even just the top finishers in each category, which is the case at some events. Add all that up and you have a lot of incentives for the first-time marathoner to give the WDW Marathon a try.

I’m Registered — Now What?
It wasn’t long after I registered that some slight doubts began to creep into my mind. Well, let’s be honest — they weren’t slight at all. HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?, I thought to myself. YOU’RE NOT A MARATHONER! YOU DON’T EVEN LIKE TO RUN!!!

Now, I had to admit the doubter in my mind had a point here. If the couple with the medallions didn’t fit my image of people who ran the marathon, I certainly didn’t. I’m 34, overweight (but losing it gradually), and although I do more than reach for the remote and a bag of Doritos as exercise, I wasn’t in anything close to peak physical condition. And I don’t much like to run — I prefer to walk, although I can and I do walk pretty fast when I exercise.

I decided that I was going to walk the marathon, since I enjoyed walking more than running anyway. But that still left a burning question – how in the heck was I going to walk 26.2 miles? The two things I knew I had in my favor were time to prepare and a strong desire to participate, but I was surely going to need more than that. I decided that if I was serious about this, I’d better learn about how to prepare for a marathon.

There are a lot of books on running the marathon and running in general at a typical chain bookstore. Most of the books on the marathon lean toward runners who have run for quite some time and are looking to improve their performance. These books weren’t going to do me much good — my idea of the best performance that I could achieve in the marathon was finishing and/or not dying in the process.

Fortunately, this is when I became acquainted with the books of John Bingham. For those of you that haven’t heard of him, John was an overweight couch potato who had long forgotten the joy of running until at 43, he decided to start running again. When he saw himself running one day, he decided he looked round, small, and slow, and didn’t so much run as waddle. In other words, like a penguin. But he kept going, and eventually, after a few misadventures and a lot of running mixed with equal parts determination and courage, John “The Penguin” Bingham ran and completed several marathons and numerous road races.

John’s a great believer in the idea that anyone can learn to enjoy running as something that enhances your life. And anyone can become a long-distance athlete if they have the courage, tenacity, willpower, and the knowledge to succeed. I read John’s story in his book “The Courage to Start” and I saw myself in his running shoes. After reading his story, I knew that my dream wasn’t an impossible one. Armed with this book and another book he wrote with Jenny Hadfield called “Marathoning for Mortals,” a training guide for the average person who wants to become a long-distance athlete, I felt that I had the knowledge I would need to prepare for the WDW Marathon.

Let’s Go Shopping!
Now that I felt I had what I needed to prepare mentally for the Marathon, now I had to get a few things to become physically prepared. If (like me) your experience with walking and running has been minimal, you’d think that you wouldn’t need much in the way of clothing and gear to take up running and walking. Just throw on an old T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants and you’re all set, right? Well, not exactly.

First off, unless you want to get hurt, you’re not going to walk or run a marathon in that ratty old pair of sneakers you have in the closet. You need to find a running shoe that will help you run more efficiently and will prevent injuries. That means looking at a lot of shoes, hopefully with the help of someone that knows about running and running shoes, until you find the pair you need. And — trust me — when you find them, they aren’t gonna be cheap.

In my case, they cost about $90. Easily the most I ever paid for a pair of sneakers. After I had the shoes, I noticed that the shorts I walked in were getting way too baggy. I decided I needed shorts that had a good fit and that were made of material that was cooler and easier to move in. I found 2 great pairs of running shorts – for $15-20 each.

Once you start going any distance at a good pace, you start noticing that it doesn’t take long for you become drenched in sweat. The reason for that is cotton, which most t-shirts are made out of, absorbs moisture. Shirts and shorts drenched in sweat get really uncomfortable after 4 miles. So there’s no way you’ll be comfortable walking or running in them for 26.

Fortunately, there are shirts and socks made of material that material that breathes better than cotton and doesn’t suck up sweat like a sponge. Unfortunately — say it with me now, folks — they don’t come cheap. Add $25 for a shirt and $4-$8 for each pair of socks.

Now you ‘re dressed like a runner, which is good until you realize that most running clothes don’t have much storage space. There’s a pocket in most running shorts that’s just about big enough to carry a little spare change or one key. And that isn’t going to work after you step out the door, never mind for a long walk or run.

The solution for this problem is a runner’s pack — back to the sporting goods store, everybody, and have $15 -$20 in your pocket! Then there are other things that, as you continue and you get more serious about running or walking you think would be nice to have. Like heart monitors, pedometers, speed distance monitors… Okay, so maybe running and walking isn’t all that inexpensive a sport after all. At least I’m not spending as much as the average person who takes up golf!

How To Injure Yourself In One Easy Lesson
Having the knowledge, a plan, and the gear to become a marathoner was all very well and good. But all the stuff in the world wasn’t going to get me any closer to the starting line of the WDW Marathon if I didn’t get my feet involved at some point.

Fortunately, I wasn’t going into this cold. As part of my efforts to lose weight, I’d been walking for almost a year and a half, and by the time I registered for the WDW Marathon, I was walking 4 1/2 miles a day, 5 days a week on a treadmill. I figured that was be a good start. But marathons aren’t held on treadmills. I needed to get out on the pavement as soon as possible and start to do walk and jog. So I knew I could walk fast enough and be in good enough shape to cross the finish line.

On a beautiful Saturday morning, I decided to go for a long walk /run (more than an hour) at the beach. Even though all I had done until then was walk on a treadmill, and I’d never gone for more than an hour. In deciding to do this, I ignored two very important facts:

1. Walking and running on roads is much more punishing to your body than running on a treadmill.

2. Wherever you’re walking and running, it’s never a good idea to force your body to do a lot more than it’s used to doing.

I walked and ran for more than an hour and felt great – for about fifteen minutes. Then I noticed my knees getting sore. Really sore. No problem, I thought; an ice pack and some ibuprofen, and tomorrow I’ll be good as new.

Except that the next day, I wasn’t good as new. My knees were even more sore. Still not a problem, I thought. I’ll rest for a couple of days like the book says to, and then I’ll be good as new.

Six days later, I was walking around slower and more cautiously than the senior citizens I work with at the office. And my knees were as sore as they had been at the start. I finally went to see the doctor, and he said that I’d hurt the cartilage between my knees and lower legs.

Thanks to my ignorance and my over-eagerness, I was unable to exercise for three weeks, and I was taking pain medication that made me positively loopy for several hours a day. It frustrated me to watch the days until the Marathon ticking away knowing that I’d lost precious time that I could have spent preparing. (I never thought I’d see the day that I’d be upset that I couldn’t exercise!)

The Road to WDW Detours Through LA
John Lennon sang that “life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” So it was with me. I’d been keeping up my walking schedule and regularly reviewing my training books when I got a bit of bad news from my fiancee. Thanks to some issues with her family that had called her away to Oregon and some financial problems that had suddenly come up, there was no way she would be able to come with me to Florida in January.

I couldn’t see going to WDW and not having the person I love more than anyone in the world and my source of inspiration for trying this whole crazy thing there to share it with me. So — after some soul searching — I cancelled my registration for the 2004 Walt Disney World Marathon.

But I wasn’t about to give up my dream of doing a marathon, or of eventually running around the World. I decided that I’d just have to find a race that was closer, so my fiancee could be there when I crossed the finish line.

After (hopefully) completing this first marathon, I could start preparing for the 2005 WDW Marathon — which I would now be automatically registered for by canceling my 2004 race registration far enough in advance. But what race would I run?

Fortunately, my marathon-running friend at work came through for me. “Hey, Paul,” she said one day, “I’m part of a group in town that has a training program for the Los Angeles Marathon, and they’ll be starting up soon. Why don’t you join me?” Next thing I knew, I was signed up with a group called the Ventura Roadrunners, and I was registered to participate in the LA Marathon.

Granted, this change of plans was going to mean that it’d take me a little while longer to get my Mickey medallion. But overall, it made sense. I’d have a group of people to train with and to support me and I’d be in a race that was close to home. And the change of venues for my first marathon would be an advantage in another respect.

You see, the Walt Disney World marathon requires you to complete the course at no slower a pace 16 minutes per mile, so you finish in 7 hours or less. If it doesn’t look like you’re going to make it, you’re taken off the course. And if you don’t finish, no Mickey medallion.

I was getting more and more nervous about this possibility, since at my walking pace at that time, I had little girls on tricycles passing me. The LA Marathon doesn’t have a time cutoff — you finish when you finish — so it’s probably a better race for a rookie marathoner like me anyway. (A minor gripe here: Why does a race where people mainly run for the fun of it like the WDW Marathon have a strict time cutoff anyway? Are they afraid there’ll still be someone running through Epcot at midnight on race day? But I digress.)

Every Day Is a Winding Road
So, that brings me to here and now. I’m in my third week of training with the Ventura Roadrunners (maybe I should call myself a RoadWALKER). I’ve got 25 more weeks of training until I get to the starting line of the Los Angeles Marathon, and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that I make it there and make it to the finish line as well.

No matter what happens at Los Angeles, I’m going to keep training and keep trying, and in January 2005, I’m going to be at the starting line of the Walt Disney World Marathon, and I’m determined that the end of that day, I’ll have a Mickey medallion and a big smile on my face because I’ll have done something that I once thought I’d never be able to do.

Over the next 15 months, I’ll be telling you about my experiences, and in January 2005, I’ll tell you about what it’s like to participate in the Walt Disney World Marathon.

Join me on my journey, won’t you? I have to warn you, though. There will be some walking involved.

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: