Of all the major film studios, Walt Disney Pictures may have the strongest and most well-known franchise. We are all familiar with family themes, bright images, and uplifting plots in Disney films. From the best-animated film of all time "Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs," to the latest project "Encanto", Walt Disney Animation Studios has created a range of popular films for many years.
However, Disney filmmakers have carefully and ingeniously selected an upcoming project among thousands of ideas offered. And what about rejected ideas? It's not entirely due to a lack of quality, but there are other factors that have pushed them behind the screen.
Here is a list of Disney projects that never made it to the big screen off the shelves. Some of these were experimental works, while others simply did not perform well at the box office, so they had to be deleted. Let us know which impresses you most in the comment section below!
In 1961, Marc Davis and Ken Anderson attempted to resurrect the project, even commissioning George Bruns and Mel Leven to create three songs, but resources were once again a problem. "Chanticleer" was pitched once again in 1981, but it was immediately turned down. Don Bluth went on to create his own animated version of the play, "Rock-a-Doodle", in 1991, which was a huge flop.
"A Few Good Ghosts" was a hybrid film about feuding Appalachian families who were aided by ghostly dolls. The dolls were created using computer graphics, but the humans were sketched by hand. For filmmaker Barry Cook, this was a deeply personal movie, inspired by his own family. Early test screenings were overwhelmingly complimentary. However, the whole WDA Florida team was eventually fired off, while WDA Burbank concentrated on the allegedly more marketable "Chicken Little."
Before the critically praised 2009 live-action/CGI film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, Disney had their own intentions to adapt the famous children's book into a feature film. John Lasseter did a series of tests in the early 1980s to determine if the narrative could be brought to life with computer-generated images but the project was never completed.
However, Disney filmmakers have carefully and ingeniously selected an upcoming project among thousands of ideas offered. And what about rejected ideas? It's not entirely due to a lack of quality, but there are other factors that have pushed them behind the screen.
Here is a list of Disney projects that never made it to the big screen off the shelves. Some of these were experimental works, while others simply did not perform well at the box office, so they had to be deleted. Let us know which impresses you most in the comment section below!
#1 Chanticleer
Who'd have guessed that a conceited rooster would have such bad luck? "Chanticleer" was initially in development at Disney in 1941, based on the Edmond Rostand play. But the project was placed on hold due to World War II financial constraints.In 1961, Marc Davis and Ken Anderson attempted to resurrect the project, even commissioning George Bruns and Mel Leven to create three songs, but resources were once again a problem. "Chanticleer" was pitched once again in 1981, but it was immediately turned down. Don Bluth went on to create his own animated version of the play, "Rock-a-Doodle", in 1991, which was a huge flop.
#2 Dumbo II
In the early 2000s, there were plans floating around for a sequel to "Dumbo", which would have taken up with Dumbo, Timothy Q. Mouse, and the other circus animals getting lost in New York. Some have theorized that John Lasseter scrapped "Dumbo II" since a trailer for the planned sequel was published with the Dumbo 60th anniversary DVD.#3 Swan Lake
When the guard at movie studios changes, a number of projects are shelved. Such was the case with Disney when Jeffrey Katzenberg left Disney in 1994 to co-found DreamWorks. Many of the projects he had previously promoted, like a version of "Swan Lake" involving dragons never came to fruition.#4 Newt
"Newt" is Pixar's first and only project that was canceled, was scheduled to be published in 2012. "Newt" would have trailed two blue-footed newts, one male and the other female, who are the last of their kind. The two newts are supposed to band together to rescue their species, but they aren't very fond of one another. Sadly, "Newt" was never developed into a feature film. But the cancellation then gave birth to "Inside Out".#5 Fraidy Cat
What has made Disney such a huge success over the years is their ability to develop kid's Movies that appeal to adults as well. This one began in 2004 and was canceled in 2005. It's description says, "In Fraidy Cat, a chubby housecat with frayed nerves is torn off his comfy couch and dropped smack dap in the middle of a Hitchcockian thriller when he is accused of a crime he didn't commit."#6 Morgan's Ghost
This one follows Mickey, Donal, and Goofy as they "manage the Jolly Roger Inn when a mysterious visitor arrives late at night – Yellow Beak, an ex-pirate parrot!" This movie was under development from 1939 to 1941. Though the film was never completed, it was turned into a comic book in 1942 titled "Donal Duck Finds Pirate Gold".#7 Mort
Here's an unusual pairing that may have been fantastic: Disney Animation with Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. "Mort", the first book about Discworld's Death, was set to be Musker and Clements' follow-up to "The Princess and the Frog". The project's collapse was officially reported as a result of costs.#8 Catfish Bend
A sign pointing to "Catfish Bend" may be seen near the conclusion of the Splash Mountain ride. That's the title of a book series by Ben Lucian Burman about creatures in the Mississippi wetlands that was almost made into a Disney film in the 1980s. There isn't much information about this project, but Walt Pegeroy's concept work for "Catfish Bend" is very gorgeous.#9 The Three Pigs
This was going to be a retelling of a famous fairy tale that used a blend of computer and conventional animation. The reason for the project's cancellation is yet unknown.#10 The Seven Dwarfs
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This was supposed to be a prequel film of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". "It would have explained how the seven dwarfs met and how the Queen killed Snow White’s father to take the throne," according to Flavorwire. It told Dopey's loss of speech after witnessing the death of his mother. In 2006, the project was shelved.#11 A Few Good Ghosts
https://youtu.be/UIuqZRvnBd4"A Few Good Ghosts" was a hybrid film about feuding Appalachian families who were aided by ghostly dolls. The dolls were created using computer graphics, but the humans were sketched by hand. For filmmaker Barry Cook, this was a deeply personal movie, inspired by his own family. Early test screenings were overwhelmingly complimentary. However, the whole WDA Florida team was eventually fired off, while WDA Burbank concentrated on the allegedly more marketable "Chicken Little."
#12 Tam Lin
This narrative, dubbed Scotland's first fairytale, is about a man named Tam Lin who is rescued from the Queen of the Fairies by his true love. Unfortunately, internal conflicts between Michael Eisner and Roy Disney forced the idea to be canceled.#13 The Shadow King
This one was supposed to be directed by Henry Selick, the director of the "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Coraline". "Shadow King", the studio's planned debut movie, was set for a fall 2013 release but was abruptly canceled a little over a year before it was to be released. The story would follow Hap, a nine-year-old orphan in a fantasy adventure with "living shadow girl who teaches him to make amazing hand shadows that come to life." When the project was scrapped, Disney had already spent $50 million on it.#14 Wild Life
"Wild Life" was a CGI animated picture (Disney's first without Pixar) about an elephant who becomes a pop sensation in New York nightlife during the Studio 54 period. This movie could have been something groundbreaking if released, but it was unfit for Disney because of its more off-beat sensibilities. At a test screening in 2000, Roy Disney allegedly became enraged and demanded that the entire project be stopped down because two gay actors descend down the sewers and utter a double entendre about "man holes."#15 King of the Elves
"King of the Elves" was another promising project from Disney's animation studio that appeared to have progressed pretty far before being yanked from under it. It was based on a short tale written by Phillip K. Dick. The team behind its creation subsequently went on to "Big Hero 6", and the movie got slowly forgotten about.#16 Gigantic
"Gigantic" has the potential to be Disney's most promising film ever. The primary notion of this project from the classic tale of "Jack and the Beanstalk". The end product would have been incredible. The project's logo and concept art had even been unveiled, indicating that it was in its final stages of production. Disney finally said that they intended to focus their efforts elsewhere because the project was not coming together.#17 Where the Wild Things Are
https://youtu.be/LvIDRoO8KnMBefore the critically praised 2009 live-action/CGI film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, Disney had their own intentions to adapt the famous children's book into a feature film. John Lasseter did a series of tests in the early 1980s to determine if the narrative could be brought to life with computer-generated images but the project was never completed.