Disney has always been exceedingly proud of their feature films, and rightfully so. The studio is a regular titan of the industry, and both their live-action and animated films have enchanted and delighted fans and casual viewers alike for years and years. But not every Disney story makes it into their legendary lineup.
Surprisingly, Disney has had quite a few odd ducks in their row that never made it to the silver screen. Some of these unmade masterpieces were hit or miss, but others were just plain strange in concept and delivery. Even so, one can’t help but wonder what they would have been like.
The Life of Hans Christian Andersen
True Disney fans will know that Walt Disney Pictures have wanted a Hans Christian Andersen film well before Ariel or Elsa were introduced. A full-length feature film featuring the Danish writer was an unachieved goal for Walt Disney, though focusing on a real person does seem a bit strange, given Disney’s usual features.
Supposedly, the studio wanted Danny Kaye to play Andersen in a live-action role surrounded by animated versions of his stories. The project ultimately did not come to pass, but bits and pieces of its development still remain.
Fantasia Series
Fantasia was Walt Disney’s passion project that became the Studio’s first art-house film. It was revolutionary for the time but Disney wanted to go further with it, making it an experience that would grow and develop with each viewing. He didn’t just want one film, he wanted a series.
Fantasia would continue to grow with new musical segments, new animation techniques, old favorites, and various other adaptive qualities. Unfortunately, due to World War II, the idea never came to fruition. At least there’s Fantasia 2000.
Newt
The characters are cute and the concept art is positively spellbinding, so why didn’t Pixar’s Newt come to the big screen? Honestly, it might have something to do with the initial plot.
The basic plot of the unmade feature essentially involved two newts, one male, and one female, trying to find each other in order to save their species. Procreation plot aside, Pixar directors simply called it “another unlikely idea that wasn’t working” and moved on to other projects.
The Gremlins
Walt Disney and Roald Dahl are two of the most imaginative minds in children’s entertainment, so is it any wonder that the two collaborated. Dahl’s children’s book The Gremlins was illustrated by the Walt Disney Company, but also served as the seed for an unmade animated feature.
Before Gizmo and his brood ever hit the screen, Disney had a fleet of Gremlins already in mind. Based on the urban legend from WWII, they would have a curiosity involving machinery and airplanes. Unfortunately, they still remain in the pages of Dahl’s book.
King of the Elves
Based on the story by Philip K. Dick, King of the Elves would have seen an elderly Mississipi man suddenly become the king of a band of enchanted creatures.
Philip K. Dick is more known for his work in sci-fi than anything else, so it seems a strange choice for Disney to have considered. Though there was probably a way to have made this movie fit in with the rest of the brand, it never came to pass.
Kingdom of the Sun
Before fans received The Emporer’s New Groove, the original idea was far from the buddy-comedy Disney would eventually release. Known as Kingdom of the Sun, the narrative was an Incan retelling of The Prince and the Pauper but with more black magic and sorcery.
The original idea involved a peasant and his Emporer lookalike swapping places and discovering an evil plot involving a sorceress and a deal with a shadow demon. The film was 20% complete before the direction change, and there’s even a petition to get the remains released.
Gigantic
This take on Jack and the Beanstalk was unusual from the start, and that was before they replaced the famous giant with an enormous 11-year-old girl. Set during the age of exploration, the film would have seen Jack discover a world of gargantuan beings and defending them against evil Storm Giants.
After being in development for years, the plug on the project was ultimately pulled around 2020. In the end, just seemed like a mixed bag of story elements that ultimately didn’t mesh with what the studio wanted.
The Black Friday Reel
If there’s a dirty secret nearly every Pixar fan knows, it’s the Black Friday Reel from the original cut of Toy Story. At one point, the beloved Sheriff Woody was the film’s antagonist. Obscenely and insanely jealous of Buzz’s popularity, the Black Friday Reel chose Woody purposefully and maliciously throwing Buzz out of Andy’s bedroom window in front of his other toys.
Obviously, this was deemed too dark and intense for the otherwise cheerful film. So much for having a friend in this cowboy.
Mort
Disney and the Discworld are two realms that sound like they would absolutely clash together on paper, but that wasn’t always the case. At one point, Disney wanted to create a traditionally animated adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s Mort. Unfortunately, they couldn’t obtain the rights.
Like the book, the story would involve the grim reaper taking on an apprentice and the misadventures that come with it. About the strangest films on the list, fans can’t help but wish this one had prospered.
Alice In Wonderland (1939)
Contrary to popular belief, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs wasn’t the only fairytale Disney wanted to adapt first. Early on, they wanted to create a full-length animated feature inspired by Alice in Wonderland.
Walt wanted to make a movie as accurate to the book as possible. Although his intentions were good the results were not. The first drafts included horrifying artwork by David Hall and ended with Alice’s execution by the Queen of Hearts. This movie was postponed and eventually, Alice was adapted, but much differently.
