Since they first started turning out feature films back in the 1930s, Disney has been synonymous with making high-quality content. Many of their earliest films, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Bambi continue to be praised for the classics they are. And their newer films continue to win over critics and audiences alike.
While animated movies may still be what Disney is best known for, they’ve enjoyed their fair share of success in live-action as well. In fact, many of the most-anticipated movies of this year are live-action reimaginings of Disney classics. Of course, we also can't forget about the biggest film franchise of all time, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe is also a property of Walt Disney. The superhero series has three releases coming out in 2019, the first two of which have already hit theaters with the releases of Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame.
Inevitably, Disney has no shortage of movies that are currently in the works, and we'll take a closer look at some of the most anticipated titles that are expected out in the next few years. But with so many projects, there are also a number of features that ultimately never came to be. Whether it be because of creative or budgetary reasons, a number of promising projects ended up falling through the cracks throughout Disney's long history. But which ones seem like they would have had the most promise?
Here are 15 Disney Movies That Were Canceled Unfairly (And 15 That Are Currently In Development).
29 Canceled: Gigantic
One of Disney’s most recently canceled projects, Gigantic was originally announced at D23 in 2015. The film would have put a spin on the classic fairy tale of Jack in the Beanstalk, by finding the eponymous character befriending the female giant, Inma, who treats Jack as if he were her living toy.
But despite an intriguing setting of Spain during the Age of Exploration, the studio just couldn’t make the story work and decided to cancel the film. This was even more of a shame considering that Gigantic was already a decent amount into production. Not to mention that the film's music was being written by the songwriters of Frozen.
28 In Development: The Lion King
After bringing The Jungle Book to life with the 2016 live-action/ CGI film, Jon Favreau will once again be in the director’s chair for this year’s re-imagining of The Lion King. Being one of the most beloved Disney animated movies of all time, The Lion King is easily one of the most anticipated movies of the year.
The film boasts an impressive voice cast, with Donald Glover voicing the lead of Simba, while James Earl Jones returns to portray the character of Mufasa. Meanwhile, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen will voice the comedic duo of Timon and Pumbaa. The Lion King will hit theaters on July 19th.
27 Canceled: Tron: Ascension
After waiting nearly three decades for a sequel to the 1982 classic, many fans of the Tron series had hoped that they wouldn’t have to wait nearly as long for the third installment. But despite Tron: Legacy being a box office success, plans for Tron: Ascension seem all but scrapped at this point in time.
While there were plans to make this third installment before the second was even released, Tron: Ascension spent years in development hell, where it failed to ever get its feet off the ground. That being said, there have reportedly been talks of a reboot, which would find Jared Leto starring in the film.
26 In Development: Aladdin
The moment the first full-length trailer for Aladdin dropped online, reactions were already a lot better than the ones we got after the first two teasers. While Will Smith’s Genie may still take some getting used to, this live-action reimagining looks like it’s doing its best to capture all of the magic and vibrancy of the 1992 classic.
The film is directed by Guy Ritchie, whose last two films — The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword — underperformed at the box office. Of course, the tide could certainly turn in Ritchie’s favor when Aladdin flies into theaters on May 24th of this year.
25 Canceled: Dumbo II
While Dumbo fans were likely still excited over the prospect of the remake which released last month – they’ll likely never get a look at the canceled sequel.
Plans for a second Dumbo film were being pitched around in the early 2000s, which would have picked up with Dumbo, Timothy Q. Mouse, and the other young animals from the circus getting lost in the Big Apple.
Some have even speculated that Dumbo II was largely completed when John Lasseter canceled the project, as a trailer for the planned sequel was eventually released with the Dumbo 60th anniversary DVD.
24 Canceled: Where The Wild Things Are
Before Where the Wild Things Are was turned into the critically-acclaimed 2009 live-action/CGI movie, Disney had their own plans to turn this beloved children’s book into a feature film.
Back in the early ‘80s, John Lasseter conducted a series of test to see if the story could be brought to life with computer-generated imagery. But for whatever reason, the project never came to light. However, Lasseter would later go on to direct 1995’s Toy Story, while also serving as the head of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation for a number of years.
23 In Development: Mulan
Yet another live-action reimagining of a Disney classic, this upcoming release follows the story of Mulan – a Chinese woman who disguises herself as a man so she can join the Imperial Army to protect her father.
Filming for Mulan began in the summer of last year and wrapped principal photography in November. While the movie was originally scheduled for a 2018 release, it was inevitably pushed back. Mulan is now expected to hit theaters on March 27, 2020. The film is directed by Niki Caro, and it will find Liu Yifei taking on the title role.
22 Canceled: The AristoCats II
The original AristoCats follows the story of an alley cat who helps an upper-class family of cats escape from the evil butler who has taken them. It’s far from one of Disney’s most popular films, but The AristoCats was still a hit upon its release in 1970.
So in 2005, DisneyToon Studios was planning a sequel for the film, which would have updated the graphics from 2D to computer animation to tell the story of the cats taking on a jewel thief while on a luxury cruise.
Unfortunately, the project – along with a number of others – was given the ax when John Lasseter took over as chief creative officer.
21 In Development: Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
With it being touted as the final installment of the Skywalker storyline, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is on track to be one of the biggest film releases of all time.
After The Last Jedi received mixed reviews from some fans, The Force Awakens' J. J. Abrams was brought back on board by Disney to serve as the director on this latest series installment, which is set for release on December 29th of this year.
With so many other highly-anticipated Disney movies set to debut beforehand, plot details about The Rise of Skywalker remain slim-to-none at this point. But official information is bound to start coming in soon., especially now that the trailer is out in the wild.
20 Canceled: Newt
This canceled Pixar project was first announced in 2008, though it would end up getting canned just a couple of years later. Newt would have followed two blue-footed newts – a male and a female – who are the last of their kind. Naturally, they’re meant to get together to save their species, but the two newts aren’t exactly all that fond of one another.
Newt sadly never made it to the big screen, but the concept did get a nod in a number of other Pixar films, including Brave and Toy Story 3.
19 In Development: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
After Disney cut ties with James Gunn last year, production on the third Guardians film was eventually put on hold. Yet, we have no reason to believe that the movie had ever been outright canceled, only that it may take a year or two longer before it hits theaters.
With plans for a third film set in stone before Avengers 3 and 4 were released, we think it’s safe to say that the Guardians will emerge from Endgame at least partially intact, film ready. But that still means we have no idea what the plot of Vol. 3 will actually be. Even with Gunn back, it'll be quite some time before the Guardians are back in action, and Gunn's original script may very well need to be revised as a result.
18 Canceled: My Peoples
Set in 1940s Texas, My Peoples would have followed the story of two feuding families, whose two children – Rose and Elgin – end up falling in love with one another. Much of the film would have centered around Eglin’s folk art, which he creates using simple household objects.
My Peoples got fairly far into production, including a hired voice cast and musicians to compose music for the film. However, when David Stainton was brought in to replace the former Head of Animation, he was unimpressed with how the film was shaping up and ultimately decided to halt production.
17 In Development: Toy Story 4
Despite the third film seeming like the perfect ending to this Pixar series, Disney will be released a fourth installment of the Toy Story franchise on June 21st of this year. The film will pick up with Woody and Buzz Lightyear as they adjust to their new life with Bonnie after being given over to her by their previous owner, Andy.
Much of the original voice cast will return, including Tom Hanks and Tim Allen in the leading roles. Meanwhile, a number of new actors will join the iconic series, including Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as Ducky and Bunny, along with Keanu Reeves in a currently-unknown role.
16 Canceled: King Of The Elves
A number of popular movies have been based on stories by Philip K. Dick, including Blade Runner, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly. In other words, he doesn’t seem like the type of storyteller who would lend himself to a Disney animated film, which is why King of the Elves sounded like such an intriguing project.
The story follows a group and elves and a dwarf living in the Mississippi Delta, who decided to make a human their leader after he saves them from a troll. The film was originally slated for 2012 release with Chris Williams (Big Hero 6) as director. Yet, the project seems to have totally disappeared.
15 In Development: Frozen 2
With Frozen being the highest-grossing animated film of all time, making a sequel may have seemed like a no brainer for the studio. However, Disney apparently spent a number of years considering if they wanted to force another installment out of what many considered to be one of their best films.
This is likely why it took a number of years for Frozen 2 to be officially announced. And by the time the massively-anticipated sequel hits theaters on November 22nd of this year, it will be exactly six years since we first got to visit Arendelle on the big screen.
14 Canceled: Fraidy Cat
What’s continued to make Disney such a massive success over the years is that their ability to turn out kid’s movies that also appeal to adults. Such seemed to be the case with this canceled project, which would have followed a cat that’s afraid of everything in a movie that also paid homage to the works of Alfred Hitchcock.
While this sounds like the making of another hit – especially considering that Ron Clements and John Musker (Little Mermaid, Aladdin) were on board as directors – Fraidy Cat was eventually scrapped. The reasoning? Apparently, the powers that be thought it wouldn’t appeal to the masses. But we’d beg to differ.
13 In Development: Onward
With Toy Story 4 set to be the Pixar release of this year, the 2020 slot is set to be filled by Onward – a fantasy set in a suburban world populated by elves, trolls, and unicorns. The story will follow two elf brothers, voiced by the MCU’s own Chris Pratt and Tom Holland, as they embark on an adventure to contact their father, who passed away when they were young.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer have also been added to the voice cast, but with still nearly a year to go before the March 6, 2020 release, many details about Onward remain unknown.
12 Canceled: The Gremlins
Not to be confused with the 1984 horror-comedy, The Gremlins is a canceled Disney project that would have been based on the 1943 book by Roald Dahl. In fact, the book was specifically written with the anticipation that it would be adapted into a Disney movie. But due to a number of legal reasons and creative difference, the movie never saw the light of day.
During WWII, “gremlins” were what the British Air Ministry referred to when something went wrong with their planes. The movie would have followed these fantastical creatures as they learn not to wreck planes, but to fix and pilot them instead.
11 In Development: Indiana Jones 5
While Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull may have been the second highest-grossing movie of 2008, most would probably agree that it was by far the weakest film in the iconic action-adventure franchise. So Spielberg and Ford certainly have an uphill battle when it comes to making the yet-to-be-titled fifth installment of the series.
With a projected release date of July 9, 2021, not much is known about the movie to date, though Jonathan Kasdan is working on the script. Kasdan was most recently credited with writing 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, so he's clearly comfortable with playing in someone else's sandbox.
10 Canceled: Catfish Bend
Based on the book series by Ben Lucien Burman, Catfish Bend follows a group of animals living in the eponymous location, which is set in the Mississippi swamps.
The film adaptation was being worked on throughout the '60s and '70s, but it ultimately never saw the light of day – which is quite a shame considering that the concept art for the film was really something to behold. That being said, many of the concepts and characters were said to have made their way over into the 1977 film The Rescuers. So it wasn’t a total waste.