Disclaimer 1: I do not own "Cats Don't Dance," or its characters. They are property of Warner Bros. Studios.
Disclaimer 2: I do not own Mickey Mouse or the movie "Fantasia." They are property of Walt Disney Studios.
"Journey to Fantasia"
By TwilightSparkle3562
Chapter 1
"A New Wave of Evil"
"Well, now, let's see," said a white cat holding a list. "Go to premiere: check." The orange cat next to her tried to take back his list, but she pulled it away before he could reach it.
"Land a big part, check," she continued. She then took notice of one item that made her nearly blush.
"Get the Girl?" she wondered and then turned to the orange cat standing next to her. "Check."
For a moment, she blushed and looked innocent as the orange cat standing next to her realized that he got the girl of his dreams. They held out their hands and moved in to kiss one another, but then Flannigan, the assistant director for Mammoth Studios, got in between them and they ended up kissing him by mistake.
"Sweethearts," he cried happily as the two cats tried to not throw up. "Darlings!"
"Get a picture boys," said L.B. Mammoth, the head of Mammoth studios. "These kids are going to be making history."
Yes, it seemed that their performance at the premiere of Lil Ark Angel catapulted Danny Cat and his fellow animal friends to stardom. Ever since that memorable night, Danny and his new girlfriend, Sawyer Cat, had become the biggest stars in Hollywood. Some even compared them to the next Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, if you might say. For the two lovebird cats, life was now completely different for them. Everywhere they went, they had fans watching their every move. Although it was considered an invasion of privacy in the views of some people, Danny and Sawyer didn't mind the company of their fans. The only time that they didn't allow any fans was in their private moments and that was fine with them.
But unfortunately, their catapult to stardom came at a very changing time in world history. You see, there was a new evil that was beginning to form in Europe. The country of Germany was now being ruled by a dictator named Adolf Hitler, and he wanted to one day rule the world and the first thing he did was target various countries and make them part of his diabolical empire. But, the wrath of this new Germany was about to take a drastic effect on Hollywood in a very big way.
You see, Danny and Sawyer had just finished making their first big movie which was an all animal version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It had taken over a year to complete, but Danny and Sawyer were looking forward to premiering the film at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, where they made their mark. However, after the premiere, the movie was not a success at the box office, despite being loved by the critics. Both of them were very hurt about the failure of the film that they worked so hard to make and L.B. Mammoth, who was like a father to them ever since they made their mark, took notice of their sadness and depression. One day, in the fall of 1940, LB called Danny and Sawyer into his office in an effort to help them get over the hump of sadness.
"You wanted to see us, Mr. Mammoth?" asked Danny. "Are there any projects you want us to work on?"
"Not quite, Danny," he replied. "I called the both of you in here because Flannigan and I have been concerned about you two ever since Romeo and Juliet flopped at the box office."
"We worked really hard to make it extravagant," sighed Sawyer. "Do you know how much money went into this project? The total budget was over 2 million dollars. That's more than what my parents spent to put my brother in school at Oxford."
"Well, you two," replied L.B walking from his desk to a window overlooking the studio lot. "In this town, if you fail to impress your audience, you try and try again to impress those that will listen to you. Those countries that didn't see your film were mostly focused on that monster, Hitler and his world domination tactics."
L.B. then turned back towards Danny and Sawyer at sat back down at his desk. He then pulled out a pair of envelopes and handed them to Danny and Sawyer.
"But, I do have a way for you to get over the loss of your first film together," he said. "These are invitations to the premiere of my friend, Walt Disney's newest film, Fantasia, at the Broadway Theater in New York City for the 13th of November. I think the best way of getting confidence back into the both of you is spending time with your fans. In this business, the best therapy for an actor or actress is to be with the fans that love them. You will also have the opportunity to meet Walt's protégé, Mickey Mouse."
"The Mickey Mouse?" asked Danny with gold stars in his eyes. "The same Mickey Mouse Sawyer and I grew up with?"
"The very same Danny," said L.B. "He is very much looking forward to meeting with the both of you very much. Your train to New York will leave early next week, so get excited and represent Mammoth Studios proudly."
"We will, Mr. Mammoth," replied Danny happily. "Thank you so very much."
So, Danny and Sawyer shook hands with L.B. and left the office as happily as they did when they had their performance. As the two cats left, L.B. looked out over the studio lot again and could not help but feel a little bit uncomfortable to himself. For what Danny and Sawyer didn't know was that the studios of Hollywood were beginning to feel the strains of unionization as a result of the war. L.B. was secretly hoping that Danny and Sawyer would be able to help him and his friend, Walt Disney get over the strains of this new wave of unionization before it was too late.
Danny and Sawyer would know the truth eventually, but for now, they would revel in the fact that they were invited to New York City to be with Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney.