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October 16th
One month before the movie's release.
The movie Home Alone is set to be released on November 16th. The production is already complete. It was produced by Hughes Entertainment, and the employees of Hughes are very confident about this movie, especially since it is directed by Chris Columbus. Because the movie is family-friendly, it has a much wider appeal than other categories.
After the movie's editing, dubbing, and the addition of funny soundtracks, one CGI scene involving bullet firing was completed with the help of a recent college graduate. Now that production is finished, the next part is the movie's distribution. At the beginning of filming, Hughes Entertainment had already contacted executives at Warner Bros. for distribution. After completing the movie, they planned to show it to executives for an exclusive deal and advertising.
However, Warner Bros. shut down production after the film exceeded its assigned budget.
20th Century Fox assumed responsibility following secret meetings with Hughes. Columbus and Culkin were hired shortly afterward. Filming took place between February and May 1997 at various locations across Illinois.
Home Alone is set to premiere in Chicago on November 10, 1997, and will be theatrically released in the United States on November 16.
For advertising, the trailer was released on many TV channels, aiming at families to encourage ticket sales. However, there isn't expected to be a huge marketing push after the release. The box office expectations are modest, ranging from $50-70 million, with hopes for additional revenue from DVD sales and international box office returns.
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Now let's turn to Justin's story since we've talked enough about the movie.
Justin is currently recording a song with Max as the producer. Justin is in the booth singing when Max says, "Justin, stop right there. We'll do that retake again, and I want you to hit that part in a very high note, okay?"
Justin, understanding what Max said, prepares to sing the part again in a higher note, and it sounds beautiful.
After recording for about an hour, Max tells Justin to go home because overworking his voice could damage it in the future.
Justin packs his things in his backpack. He often does his homework in the studio, which is close to his school. That's why he usually comes to the studio before going home.
No one is at home—his mom is working, and his grandma is out with friends at the park. That's why Scooter always picks him up from school and takes him to the studio. Scooter helps him study since Justin has forgotten many things from his previous life.
As Justin walks downstairs, he hears voices coming from the studio below.
James, on the phone, says, "What do you mean, you can't dub the cartoon? You're saying you have time management issues or another job?"
After listening for a while, James responds, "Okay, fine. Just let me know next time. Now I have to find another dubbing artist. Don't worry, I'll figure it out."
Justin, overhearing, asks, "What's wrong, James? You sound worried."
James replies, "Oh, Justin, it's not a big deal. The artist who was supposed to dub can't come in for work. How's school going?"
Justin responds, "School's fine. Are you dubbing a kids' cartoon?"
James nods, "Yes, it's a Japanese anime sent by a popular game company. They think this show could become popular in the U.S."
Excitedly, Justin asks, "Hey James, do you think I could do some dubbing in this cartoon? I could show off to my friends that I did a voice in it!"
James, troubled by the situation, realizes Justin might be able to help. He says, "We can try it out. If you impress me, I'll let you dub the main character, Ash Ketchum."
Justin, thrilled, says, "Cool! What's the name of the cartoon I'd be dubbing?"
James replies, "It's called Pokémon."
Justin, excited, responds, "Wait, Pokémon? You mean the game? Everyone at school loves Pokémon! That means I could be dubbing the main character!"
James and Justin go into the studio. James immediately calls the crew and asks his assistant to give Justin the lines to test his voice for Ash's character. Justin asks to watch some of the cartoon first to understand Ash's character better.
After watching some episodes, Justin steps into the booth and, with conviction in his voice, says, "I'm going to be the world's greatest Pokémon master!"
James is instantly impressed and decides to give Justin the job.
Meanwhile, Scooter arrives to pick Justin up. When Justin doesn't come downstairs, Scooter decides to go upstairs to get him. As he approaches the second-to-last floor, he hears Justin's voice coming from the studio, as the staff forgot to close the door (normally, studios are soundproof).
Scooter enters the studio, seeing Justin in the booth. He greets James, "Yo, James!"
James and Scooter became friends after working in the same building, and they bonded over drinks at a bar.
James smiles and extends his hand for a handshake, "What's up, man?"
Scooter jokingly says, "Are you trying to steal Justin from me and make him a voice artist?"
James laughs at the joke. "Haha, no, that's not the case. I just needed a child's voice for this project, and Justin asked to give it a try."
Scooter chuckles, "Haha, well, that's better be the case. So, what exactly is going on?"
James explains, "I want Justin to dub the character Ash Ketchum, the main character of this cartoon. Let's sign a contract for it."
Scooter replies, "I'll talk to Justin and his mom about signing the contract. There'd better be no tricky clauses. I'll also get a copy for the lawyer to review before we sign."
James nods, "Okay. Justin, you can come out of the booth."
Excited, Justin asks James, "Hey, can I really voice Ash Ketchum?"
James responds, "If you get your mom's permission, then yes, you can."
Justin knows that James has agreed to give him the job, but he still needs his mom's approval.
Scooter takes the contract to Justin's house, where they ring the bell and wait for Pattie to open the door. When Pattie sees Scooter with Justin, she's surprised, as Scooter usually just drops Justin off in front of the community.
Scooter quickly explains, "I'm busy right now, but I wanted to give you this contract. It's for Justin to voice a character in a cartoon called Pokémon. It's a family-friendly cartoon, and the studio is right downstairs from ours. Plus, I'll be there, so you don't have to worry. Just review the contract with your lawyer, and if everything's good, sign it so Justin can start dubbing. Have a great night!"
Scooter says goodbye and quickly leaves, knowing that Pattie tends to overprotect Justin.
Pattie is angry at the idea of Justin taking on more work—he's already attending school, performing in bars and restaurants, recording songs, and acting in movies. She thinks Justin is just trying to help her by working harder so she doesn't have to.
Justin also feels betrayed by Scooter for leaving him alone with his angry mom. He admires Scooter's quick thinking in escaping the situation.
Eventually, after Justin convinces his mom multiple times, explaining that dubbing is his passion, and with the help of his grandma, Pattie finally agrees. She sends the contract to her lawyer, and after confirming it's fair, she signs it. Pattie also decides to visit the studio to see how they treat Justin.
This is how Justin started working on one of the most iconic anime of his childhood, becoming part of something special.
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Author's Note:
The story is going to progress slowly, but without any filler chapters. I'll add interesting plot points that I think are good for the story.
This whole story is going to be more than 300 chapters, but I'll skip over much of Justin's childhood.
A side note: Justin has no memories of himself except his name, how he died, and his last wish before death. He has knowledge of music, songs, movies, famous people, and events but doesn't know details about things like Kobe Bryant's plane crash.
He doesn't have an AI because that would be too overpowered and would ruin the story.
I'll try to release more chapters each week. Please give power stones and comments!
Also edit some part in chapter 12 .
End