Disney Classics Cinematic Universe

[PrinceMarvel]

I'm not sure where to post this, or if there is even a correct spot in a forum about superheroes. But I did try to post it on Comingsoon.net but they didn't seem to have their own forums, so I'm posting it here.

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While Marvel may have pioneered the cinematic universe which actually began with Universal's original monster films, what I don't hear a lot of is that a lot of Disney's classical movies are also connected.

It started with "The Absent-Minded Professor" which introduced two elements which would appear in other Disney films. One was Medfield College which later appeared in "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes." While the city of Medfield was later seen in "The Shaggy D.A.". The second was the character Alonzo Hawk who would later come back as an antagonist in Herbie Rides Again.

The rest are really supposition, and really depends on how one chooses to look at them.

The Absent-Minded Professor (1988). While supposedly a remake of the earlier film, but instead of starring a Professor Brainard, it starred another absent-minded professor in that of Henry Crawford who finds Professor Brainard's notes.

Gus. In Herbie Goes Bananas there is a scene were a party goer is seen wearing an Atoms jersey. The Atoms are the professional football team features in Gus.

The Ugly Dachshund. In the Shaggy D.A., the first time the main charatcer, Wilby, transforms back into the shaggy dog, he does so in a a yard that features a doghouse with the name Brutus on it. Brutus was the name of The Ugly Dachshund. It could be a connection, but it could also just merely be a shout out as Dean Jones played in both movies.

The Million Dollar Duck. Near the end of the movie there is a Volkswagen beetle with the license plate OFP-857. Again, it could be a connection, but it could also just merely be a shout out as Dean Jones played in both movies.

The Princess Diaries. This one is more or less a bit of a stretch. Both Herbie Rides Again and The Princess Diaries features their main protagonists living in a renovated firehouse in San Francisco. Are they the same?

Apparently at Disney World there is a ride called Journey Into Imagination. This attraction has several visual elements suggesting that it is connected to Medfield College, Some Crossover-ist don't really include media outside of Movies/TV Shows, I am one of the few that do, especially when it helps to connect other shows that I feel should be included. In this case it's Honey, I Shrunk the Kids as the ride also features an element for the show.

So as it stands Disney's Classic Cinematic Universe for sure includes the following movies
The Absent-Minded Professor
The Son of Flubber

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
Now You See Me, Now You Don't
The Strongest Man in the World

The Shaggy Dog
The Shaggy DA
Return of the Shaggy Dog

The Love Bug
Herbie Rides Again
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
Herbie Goes Bananas
Herbie, the Love Bug (TV Series)
The Love Bug (1997 TV Movie)
Herbie: Fully Loaded

With the possiblities of...

The Absent Minded-Professor (1988)
The Absent Minded-Professor: Trading Places

Gus

The Ugly Dachshund

The Million Dollar Duck

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show
Honey, I Blew Up the Kid
Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves

The Princess Diaries
The Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement

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Of Course, if you want to venture outside of the Disney shows, I could mention that KITT from Knight Rider did have a cameo appearance on Herbie: Fully Loaded. Which would then include several other shows from NBC and CBS.

 

[NealKenneth]

Marvel started the cinematic universe. I didn't read every example in your post because there was a lot to get through and I haven't seen half these films, but it's pretty clear that 90% of what you're talking about is basically references and easter eggs.

Films have been doing references and easter eggs for ages, but that's a lot different from the antagonist of one film being the protagonist of another (like in Civil War.)

Universal did something that qualifies as a cinematic universe like 80 years ago, and Godzilla also did like 60 years ago....but I guess nobody did it well enough to matter until Marvel, because that's finally when everyone other studio started scrambling to create their own. So even with those examples, I consider Marvel to have started the cinematic universe.

 

[Immortalfire]

We have a Misc Films board. Moving this to there.

 

[Jochimus]

Universal did something that qualifies as a cinematic universe like 80 years ago, and Godzilla also did like 60 years ago....but I guess nobody did it well enough to matter until Marvel

I would say that what Marvel started was the cinematic universe proper - meaning, doing it from the ground up instead of waiting a whole five or six movies in to start crossing franchises. Universal waited until the early to mid-'40s with "The Wolf Man" - essentially after most of the other major horror franchises they were putting out had already run their course - to start retconning Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster into Larry Talbot's world. As for Toho's kaiju, they didn't seem to get serious about making any attempt to connect their movies until "King Kong vs. Godzilla", which was a whole eight years after "Gojira".