Disney's First Cinematic Universe Franchise Debuted In 1959

The phrase "cinematic universe" didn't really enter the popular lexicon until 2009, right when Disney purchased the Marvel Comics character library and kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The idea was that Disney would put out a series of singular films that starred notable superhero characters, but that all the films took place in the same world. The characters would, hence, eventually all meet, and collectively wreak violence on the supervillain du jour. This was considered unbearably novel at the time, and the concept proved to be terrifically popular. The MCU remained the preeminent blockbuster film series for the better part of a decade.

Many studios tried to emulate that success, although without as much luck. The DC Extended Universe had its hits, but wasn't nearly as well-liked as the MCU. "The Conjuring" had more luck with a series of interconnected haunting tales. The most notorious failure was the Dark Universe, which was to be an interconnected reboot of the classic Universal Monster Movies. That series shuttered after only one movie. Currently, Disney is still the reigning champ of the cinematic universe, churning out "Star Wars" shows and Marvel movies at a steady pace. 

Of course, Disney needn't have worked so hard. The company, it seems, already had an extended cinematic universe way back in 1959. The Medfield College movies — an MCU of its own? — were a popular series of family-friendly sci-fi comedies that Disney produced steadily from 1959 until, technically, 2006. Medfield College was the site of two films starring Fred McMurray as Professor Ned Brainard, and three films starring a teenage Kurt Russell as Dexter Riley. By extension, Medfield College also incorporated the films in the "Shaggy Dog" series, as well as various remakes and late-stage sequels of the above movies. 

The Medfield College series technically began with the release of Charles Barton's 1959 fantasy "The Shaggy Dog." In that film, Tommy Kirk played a kid who accidentally changes into a large white shaggy sheepdog thanks to a run-in with a mystical ring that once belonged to the Borgias. Fred McMurray plays Kirk's father, Wilson. Although Medfield College is not mentioned in "The Shaggy Dog," it is established in its 1976 sequel, "The Shaggy D.A.," that the events of both films take place in Medfield, the location of the College. As such, both films now count as MedCU movies. In "The Shaggy D.A.," Dean Jones plays the Tommy Kirk character as an adult, and he returns home to Medfield only to find that the local district attorney his corrupt. He runs for D.A. in protest, but runs into the same enchanted ring, turning him back into a dog for a second time. 

The first proper MedCU movies were the Professor Brainard films "The Absent-Minded Professor" (1961) and "Son of Flubber" (1963), both directed by Robert Stevenson. In both films, McMurray plays the dippy titular Professor as he discovers a mysterious new form of magical rubber that actually creates kinetic energy. When dropped, it bounces higher and higher. Naturally, hijinks ensue. The first involves a flying car. The second, an enhanced football team. 

Those were followed by the three Dexter Riley films, "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" (1969), "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" (1973), and "The Strongest Man in the World" (1975). In all three, Kurt Russell played Dexter Riley as a science whiz in attendance at Medfield, a college (we now learn) that is always strapped for cash. In all three, Dexter discovers some wild sci-fi superpower that saves the school. 

"Computer," Riley is given a computer's intelligence. In "Now You See Him," Riley can turn invisible. In "Strongest," he becomes supernaturally strong. Luckily, Dexter is mild-mannered, so he always uses his powers for good. 

The above seven movies were variously sequellized and remade over the years, so the Medfield College cinematic universe is far larger than one might initially consider. A made-for-TV sequel called "Return of the Shaggy Dog" was released in 1987, and "Shaggy Dog" remakes came out in both 1994 (on TV) and 2006 (in theaters). A remake of "The Absent-Minded Professor" hit the airwaves in 1988, and a sequel to that film, "The Absent-Minded Professor: Trading Places," came out in 1989. There was a remake of "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" with Kirk Cameron released in 1995, and there was an "Absent" theatrical remake in 1997 called simply "Flubber," which featured a lot of CGI and starred Robin Williams.

That's 14 films so far. 

But then, consider that actor Keenan Wynn plays the villain in "The Absent-Minded Professor," a bitter a-hole named Alonzo Hawk. Wynn also played the same character in the 1974 film "Herbie Rides Again," itself part of the extensive "Love Bug" film series. That means all six films (!) and the live-action TV series (!!) in the "Love Bug" series also count as MedCU extensions. 

That's 20 MedCU movies. 

There are other arguably adjacent MedCU movies, but they aren't necessarily connected directly. The Tommy Kirk/Annette Funicello/chimpanzee movies "The Misadventures of Merlin Jones" (1964) and "The Monkey's Uncle" (1965) take place at Midvale College, which may be a rival school in the same universe. Ditto Merrivale College, the school featured in the dumb film "The World's Greatest Athlete" (1973). Their inclusion may be debated.