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synergysilhouette · 6 months ago

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The Disney Renaissance: An Alternate Timeline (with additional films)

I had a lot of fun with my alternate timeline for the Revival Era post, so I thought I'd do the renaissance, along with a few scrapped films. I'm using a modern lens here when it comes to storytelling and portrayal of cultures, so it is a bit different. I'm also mixing my own ideas with scrapped ones from the films. Let's assume they began to use the "two movies a year" model during this period (and that they had the staff to support it).

The Little Mermaid--First off, the film uses a storybook opening and ending. Next, Disney embraces the abnormal, colorful palette used in original concept designs (as seen above), as well as keeping Ariel's knowledge of the human world; instead of Scuttle miseducating her, SHE teaches HIM about the human world. As a human, she has Eric teach her more about arts and sciences, though she does embrace dancing and horseriding. More time is spent giving a bit more personality to Ariel's sisters to show the world she's leaving behind, and Eric is modeled after Tom Cruise in a bid to grab more audience members. His singing voice is provided by Brad Kane, and the OG leaked ending is used (except we still get giant Ursula's boss battle at the end and the shell is still broken during the wedding because Jodi Benson is an underrated VA). The film makes about the same amount at the box office given that Disney was in a slump, but it's even more beloved by critics.

The Rescuers Down Under--Most of the film is the same as the original, except the success of "The Little Mermaid" inspires them not only to keep the musical aspect of the original, but make sure it gets just as much attention as TLM. Along with this, the idea to make Cody an Aboriginal Australian goes through, and the music takes influence from Aboriginal music, as well as being dynamic in order to continue with the action-film image that had gripped American audiences when they thought of Australian films at the time. The film makes about $150 million at the box office due to retooling it to feel more in-line with TLM's fantasy aspect while still appealing to action fans, and it makes Disney consider doing more theatrical sequels in the future...

Beauty and the Beast--The finalized version manages a better balance of aesthetic and historical, with the French influence being much more obvious in fashion and setting (though certain things like panniers weren't used in order to appeal to a modern audience's sensibilities) . Adam's name is mentioned explicitly here, as well as flashbacks to his human childhood in order to make his human appearance at the end of the film less jarring (sharing elements with the OG timeline's Broadway play and 2017 remake, such as the enchantress' magic making everyone forget the prince; let's just say that another king is ruling France around this time now--or the monarchy has already been abolish--and even when the curse is lifted, Adam doesn't press the issue). Linda Woolverton anticipates concerns of Stockholm syndrome, so she has the Beast send Belle home periodically so she can have "space" and she returns due to honoring her promise as well as her curiosity of the magical circumstances of the castle. The film is also a bit more mysterious, taking influence from Jim Henson's Labyrinth, as well as the beast being more enigmatic and contemplative rather than aggressive, though his time as a "monster" has led to him becoming more animalistic over time. Clarice is kept in this version, though Belle's loneliness is still highlighted as she's without her family in the castle, and even back home, Clarice "fits in" more than Belle does. Monsieur D'Arque is female, combining the character with Belle's scrapped aunt Marguerite, and she plays a larger role in this version. Gaston, while an arrogant jerk, is more mean than evil, and listens to Madame D'Arque's schemes in order to win Belle, as she once sees Belle visiting Maurice and believes that wherever she's been coming from houses immeasurable power. LeFou isn't kept in this version (the dynamic between D'Awque and Gaston is given more attention), Gaston is knocked unconscious rather than killed, as per the 1989 screenplay, and D'Arque is killed during the invasion of the castle. The critical and financial success to it is about the same as the OG film, and it also gave Disney breathing room to tinker around with different stories in the future.

(Also gotta give credit to MsHowlett on Deviantart for her fanart of Belle, combining both her concept art dress, which is more historical, with her final design.)

Aladdin--When drafting the film, there's a lack of clarity on whether the film should draw from Arab influences, given that most of 1001 Nights takes place in the Middle East, or Chinese influences, since Aladdin is stated to be set in China in the original story. Eventually they boil it down to being a mesh of Indian and Arab cultures (like in the OG timeline, but more culturally accurate), making Agrabah a kingdom between the Middle East and India. Because of this, the fashion doesn't really model the modern influences used in the OG timeline (though they do end up with final looks similar to their "Mirrorverse" appearances), and the phenotypes match the aforementioned cultures. Along with this, they actually go to Saudi Arabia to do research, as the film is 75% Arab, 25% Indian (though they have to wait to Gulf War issues to die down). It's mentioned that Aladdin's father left on a quest to reverse his family's poverty, and that Aladdin's mother died shortly before the film started. It's eventually brought up during production that Aladdin and Jasmine's relationship being built on a lie would divide audiences, so Aladdin reveals his poverty to Jasmine, who keeps the secret from her father since they'd never be allowed to marry. Jasmine and Aladdin are also aged up from 16 and 18 to being in their 20s to avoid critiques they got of Ariel being 16 and getting married. Jafar's backstory ("Why Me?") is explored more, particularly of how he worked hard to become a vizier and used to be looked down on others, and is seen as a evil version of Aladdin. Genie stays the same because he's awesome, and Brad Kane's work on "The Little Mermaid" inspired the team to call him to do Aladdin's singing voice. The film makes about the same in terms of box office, and is seen as one of the earlier examples of positive representation of Muslims in western media.

Swan Lake--Released in 1993, the film was designed as a love letter to classic Disney films, boasting Pre-Raphaelite art (mainly Dante Gabriel Rossetti's art) and operatic songs inspired by "Sleeping Beauty." There was discourse on whether or not to use the original score of the ballet, but eventually it was decided that they would use some of the score while creating some original musical pieces, as well as using ballet here and there for musical sequences. The film follows Prince Sky (taken from Tchaikovsky), who ventures to a magical land in order to find a hero to save his kingdom from the Owl King Rothbart. He encounters Odette, a wise but weary swan capable of turning into a human at night, and they team up to defeat Rothbart and his daughter Odile, falling in love along the way. The film made $400 million in box office, and critics compared it to "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast," with Alan Menken and Tim Rice's music earning praise. The film was nominated for "Best Original Film" at the Oscars, and the song "Moonlight Serenade" won best original song (and a commercial cover by Gwen Stefani and David Bowie). The film would later get controversy for Disney rumored to have made this film to spite "The Swan Princess," which came out the year later. Odette and Sky would later be brought into the Disney Princess and Prince line.

(Art comes from concept art for Barbie's Swan Lake; no concept art of a Disney version is known to exist. BTW, I'm not calling this art Pre-Raphaelite, but I did find it mesmerizing.)

The Lion King--For whatever reason, the team decides to move away from making the film about animals and instead make it a high-fantasy African musical with humans (though it's panafrican in style, it's said to be set in Tanzania). Pretty much all of the story elements are the same, but the enviornment is adapted for humans, with animal metaphors for one's spirit and guide. The film is largely successful (I'd say it makes less than the OG film, but still a hugely successful film since it highlights African culture in an inoffensive way) , but criticism abounds on the lack of a specific culture, particularly how several Tanzanian ethnic groups are conflated together into the story. There was also concern for the predominantly white cast (unless we change that; brainstorming a cast, but nothing's concrete). The film features more music (the OG film only had 5 songs; that's pretty low), and Simba and Nala are indicted into the Disney royal line.

(Art by s0alaina on Deviantart; not sure if it's based on Tanzanian cultures)

Amonute--Disney had the foresight and better judgment to NOT make a historical fiction piece with a sexualized lead. Instead, they allowed their Native American aides more imput on the story, eventually opting for an original story set in a fantasy world that had parallels to Indigenous colonization. The film centers on an Indigenous woman named Amonute (who the film is named after, taken from Pocahontas' birth name), who encounters new settlers with her siblings (basically Nakoma and Kocoum in this timeline). The settlers include the swashbuckling charmer Julian and his scholarly brother Lucien (inspired by Disney's version of John Smith and John Rolfe, as well as elements of Thomas, respectively; the colonists are overall French-inspired since they were seen as the less damaging of the major colonizing lands), both of whom fall for Amonute, and she returns their feelings. The film follows the same beats as "Pocahontas" in the OG timeline, and is reviewed much better due to being an original story free of sexualization, and it becomes as financially successful as Aladdin, but it isn't without criticism; there's concern of the romanticism of colonization, as well as the fact that the tribe Amonute is part of seems to mesh various NA cultures, as well as their clothing being more akin to Powwow regalia (due to colors, patterns, and accessories, but not as detailed of course) rather than anything historical. The ending is much more peaceful than IRL, and Amonute doesn't end up making a decision concerning her love triangle, so both Julian and Lucien join the Disney Prince line when Amonute joins the Disney princess line. In contrast to Billy Zane, Johnny Depp is brought on to voice Lucien, citing his singing ability as the deciding factor, though Billy Zane does play him in any work that Johnny Depp isn't available for.

Sinbad--Released in November 1995, the film's setting being influenced by Iraq was controversial given real-world circumstances concerning the country's relationship with the United States. However, Disney was inspired by the success of "Aladdin" and the (mostly) positive feedback "Aladdin" had received in terms of Asian cultures and Islamic representation, as well as motivated by the controversy of the film conflating India and Saudi Arabian cultures. Rather than traveling to Iraq due to the Gulf War, they instead have to consult literary sources and Iraqi experts within the US. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio considered the love triangle aspect, but given how Amonute's love triangle divided audiences and growing concern that it'd make Sinbad look like a jerk, the idea was dropped, with his best friend being uninterested in Aaliyah, Sinbad's love interest (who, like Jasmine, was named after a celebrity). Sinbad was modeled after Aladdin to be clever and crafty, but rewritten to be more reserved and quiet to contrast with previous outgoing Disney men, while Aaliyah was more rough and tough than previous Disney women (she was also designed with Salma Hayek as inspiration and Wendy Malick to play her, but it fell through). Let's imagine they got a mostly Arab cast (I doubt they'd go for actors of Iraqi heritage alone), and the film's focus is on Sinbad recruiting Aaliyah to help him rescue his best friend Zayn from being executed for a crime he didn't commit--but Aaliyah did. The musical was highly successful, making over $300 million at the box office and the song "Never Again," detailing Sinbad's rough childhood to his friendship with Zayn and falling in love with Aaliyah, being nominated for BOS at the Oscars. Despite concerns about how Aaliyah might be perceived as a former criminal, she still joins the Disney princess ranks.

(Note: This concept art is from Dreamworks; Disney never got to a point where they made concept art, as far as I know.)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame--Mostly the same as the OG timeline, though with notable changes. Claude Frollo, while still a villain, does show to have a twisted love for Quasimodo, the twisted part coming from his own skewed worldview as well as Quasimodo's perceived "ugliness" and guilt over killing his mother. Quasimodo is also given a bit of a deeper skintone and darker hair color to remind the audience that he is a person of color--not that light-skinned/haired people can't be POC, but this film depicts all Romani people with certain attributes. At best, Quasimodo is mixed, so his features should exhibit that. The gargoyles are less comedic, but they still represent a softer, lighter side of the film as they represent hope and kindness, trying to teach Quasimodo the good of the world, as well as the archdeacon being involved in his life (with the gargoyles never explained as literal magic creatures of representations of Quasimodo's psyche; I like it both ways). It's noted that part of Frollo's obsession with Esmeralda isn't just lust, but also his guilt again over the death of Quasimodo's mother. Esmeralda and Phoebus' lives are fleshed out a bit more (particularly Esmeralda's, highlighting French-Romani culture), as well as giving Phoebus moments to sing. Esmeralda is also tweaked slightly so certain things that she does aren't read as romantic towards Quasimodo, even though he takes them as such. The film makes the same impact financially and critically, along with Esmeralda sadly not joining the DP line due to difficulty marketing her darker film. There is NO SEQUEL, though Madellaine is shown at the end, with Esmeralda and Phoebus singing part of the reprise of "The Bells of Notre Dame" to an infant Zephyr after the events of the film.

Hercules--Given the wide range of feedback they've gotten on cultural representation before, Disney decides that rather than label this a film about Hercules, this is an original story set in an Ancient Greco-Roman-inspired culture that take from a variety of Greek myths, with Hercules, Perceus, Achilles, Orpheus, and Bellephron being influences for the protagonist Nikanor, a kindly demigod prince on a quest to discover the secret behind his magical abilities with his sardonic lover and clever nephew, all while avoiding obstacles set forth by his wicked stepmother (as you can see, they were inspired by "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys"). While a colorful and creative journey (noted as a possible influence for the "Hades" video games by Supergiant), it's also been noted for it's psychological exploration of madness and depression, earning comparison to various mature video games. The music was equally praised for helping to uplift the film at important moments without ruining the vibe. The film made $400 million at the box office, and it's success led to a sequel TV series as well as Nikanor and his love interest Chania joining the Disney royal line given a lack of negative feedback from Greece as in the original film.

Mulan--In this particular timeline, Disney didn't have an issue with Stephen Schwartz working with Dreamworks for "The Prince of Egypt," though the tone is still the same as the OG timeline (ie maintaining that Mulan joined the army for her father, not for personal gain--except to prove she could do something that could make others proud of her). There are more songs in the film, including a "Reflection" reprise sang by Shang and Mulan (or whatever the equivalent would be now that Stephen's writing the music) after Mulan's identity is revealed, as well as a song detailing Shan Yu's motivations and "Mulan's Decision" with lyrics. Mulan has an older sister and a younger brother, both of whom she views as superior to her due to her sister having married and being much more graceful (the progenitor to Isabela Madrigal, in a sense--but it's not an act) and her brother automatically being more valuable thanks to being male. Shang's also mentioned as having a younger brother, and we get a bit more detail into his personal life, mirroring Mulan's desire to protect her father and make him proud. Most of the film is the same, otherwise. The film makes about the same as the original, with the particular praise for Mulan being a lot less underrated thanks to more music.

Tarzan--While an unspoken musical was considered at the time, the characters instead sing in this version, with director Kevin Lima coming around to it under the condition that Tarzan himself didn't sing while other characters did. During production, Tarzan was retooled in a rather unique way. Taking influence from the critically acclaimed show "Batman: The Animated Series," Tarzan, while still kind and empathetic, was made to be more brooding and mysterious and less humorous in order to help make his character (more) intriguing as well as beguiling the audience. The dreadlock hairstyle is also removed, and Jane, Archimedes and Clayton are American (to diffuse the misconception that only British people can be sophisticated intellectuals) while Jane teaches Tarzan to not just speak English, but French as well, similar to his cousin in the book. The film is just as financially successful, with plans for Jane and Tarzan joining the Disney royal lineup, however this is walked back on when Disney decide Jane is too similar to Belle and concern that a white cast in an African setting would come back to bite them.

Aida--Released at the end of 1999, Disney released their take on "Aida," an opera about an Ethiopian princess who is captured by Egyptians and falls in love with the Captain of the Guard. Disney adapts most of the story in order to create an epic and emotional tale like "Amonute," but without the tragic ending of the original opera. In this version, war is prevented between Egypt and Ethiopia, and Radamès and Aida survive. Certain issues plagued production, from Elton John's resistance to do another animated film and Disney catching wind of Dreamworks' "Prince of Egypt" (which ended up releasing the year before), but it became a worldwide hit at making $400 million at the box office, and praise was brought to the fact that Disney learned from the casting of "Aladdin" and cast actors of Middle Eastern descent for Egyptian characters. Needless to say, Amneris and Radamès join the royal Disney line.

(Note: not sure if Elton John and Tim Rice collaborated here like they did for the stage musical in the OG timeline, or if Alan Menken and/or Stephen Schwartz got involved instead)

Lemme know what you think! I know the renaissance is the Roman Empire for a lot of Disney fans, but I wanted to give it a shot. Maybe I'll tweak it later (currently wondering if a should include "Hocus Pocus," which, while never planned to be an animated film, would probably get more attention outside the Halloween season. If I do, it's replacing TRDU).

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takaraphoenix · 1 year ago

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Ok, because I'm bored at work with nothing to do and I'm still by myself, I'm gonna bug you with a random question. What are your Top 10 favorite headcanons. No specific fandom, just top 10 favorite.

This is too broad actually, E. xD Please limit me to a fandom next time this nearly broke my brain, first to find any at all (twas as though I had Never Had A Single Headcanon In My Life) and then to move on from a fandom, like, once I remembered a headcanon, my brain wanted to latch onto that fandom and I would have gladly given you my top 10 Disney headcanons or sth... this was near impossible lol

You will realize that most of my heacanons are next gen related.

In no particular order because holy shit that'd kill me.

Let's start with an easy one. Shadowhunters. I headcanon Jace Herondale as ace. Even in the fanfiction where I don't make it an explicit plotline, I think of him as ace. I just think that he doesn't know. Doesn't know the term for it, hasn't thought about it really. I don't think I've ever had an ace headcanon I was as fiercely attached to as I am with Jace. Which is funny considering the character himself is a... actually, no, he's not really that sexual. We see others making jokes about his book club, we see him hook up with a random girl once. And then with Maia. And then he's in his relationship with Clary, where we actually see him pulling the brakes and wanting to slow things down. He's not as promiscuous as the talk of the other characters would like to make us belief, is what I'm saying. He has a normal sex life. Still, usually, ace headcanons are born from a "oh this character has never shown any interest in sex????" notion, so this is still an outlier.

PJO: If Bianca di Angelo had lived, her powers would have been most aligned with darkness. We know that Nico struggled with that, that shadow-travel in particular drained him extremely. It's a power he has, but one that never came as easy to him as summoning or controlling the dead. And I always liked the idea that the three kids of Hades/Pluto split his three realms - darkness, death and riches. Tapping into the other realms too, but having most domain over one each.

My headcanon that Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians is actually the god Jökul Frosti who had his memories taken and was "punished" to spend a lifetime as a human, but something went wrong when he died too early, that's why he has the full amnesia. It just, it never really clicked why the guardian of fun got the white hair and snow powers, or why the wind would carry Jack and allow him to fly (the god of the wind is the father of Jökul Frosti), or why the saying of "Jack Frost" would exist in our human world if Jack Frost is a spirit that nobody can see and born from a mortal who died only 300 years ago.

Disney: Princess Aurora and Prince Adam (aka the Beast) are cousins! I don't know, I just think that's neat. They look very similar, there's the French note to Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast.

DCMK: Kudou Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito naming their son Conan, as a reminder of how they first met and what Shinichi's time as Conan really meant to him. I think that'd be very poetic and I also think that kid would be the devil incarnate.

Deep dig TLK headcanon that will actually mean absolutely nothing to people who aren't deep into it but I headcanon that Kovu is the biological son of Malka and Kula, I think that Kula's dark fur is a good match for Kovu's while he'd have Malka's dark mane (and I headcanon Malka's eyes to be green, they're not really... seen. they look pitch-black, which might as well be green like Kovu's), plus I did always like Malka. I know most people ship Kula with Chumvi but honestly they have a near identical design so I always clocked them as siblings and headcanoned them as such. But yeah, Kovu as the lost son of Malka and Kula, which would add such a near tragic element to things, if Simba knew he was Malka's son.

If Cole and Phoebe's son on Charmed had lived, his name would have been Parker Benjamin. Parker was the name she later picked for her second born daughter, but I have no qualms moving that name up to the older brother, since I'm already changing the oldest daughter's name too because I am fiercely possessive of my OC daughter of Phoebe and Cole who has to be the firstborn daughter. The only kid of Phoebe whose name I'm keeping is the youngest. Plus, middle name Benjamin after Cole's father, since we do know that Cole cared deeply for his father. I always liked the idea of the sons being their own Charmed Ones; him, Wyatt and my Andy/Prue son Phillip Trudeau.

In the greater scheme of things, BtVS is full of magic shenanigans so why in the world should Angel be the only vampire who can have kids, right? I like the idea of Willow and alive!Tara using magic to create children of their own and that magic also being applicable to Spike and Buffy. I'm thinking fully-formed-baby creation magic here, not magical pregnancy. Because I... don't see Buffy pregnant, she's too much of a fighter, out there, not benched due to different circumstances. And they'd have twins, named William, since Spike's not using that name, and Joanne, as a combination of Joan and Anne, the two big aliases Buffy ever went by.

A headcanon I cherish a lot a lot is from Sailor Moon and it's that the Ayakashi sisters (Koan, Berthier, Calaveras and Petz) all also get a second chance and get reborn, just like the inner senshi did after the first season because fuck that the girls were good at the end they deserved better than to die for men's mistakes, and that they are, ultimately, the mothers of the Asteroid senshi (Pallas, Juno, Vesta and Ceres). I have a very big, very mapped out family tree for my Sailor Moon headcanons. This fandom has been with me for decades. But I want to only pick one headcanon per fandom, so.

DC Comics' Stephanie Brown becoming the Huntress, I just think that would be so neat, the purple color scheme fits her so, so, so well, plus I'd love for Helena Wayne to take up the mantle from her, looking up to her auntie Steph with adoration. I've latched onto that hard.

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