Movies News Talk
Particularly its cherished Disney Princess films, the Walt Disney Company is well-known for producing amazing animated works. Disney has, however, shelved some exciting princess film concepts over the years. While some of these initiatives might never have been popular, others have great narrative potential. Each of the ten canceled Disney Princess films examined in this article has original ideas and interesting characters, yet they could have fit the official lineup.
Disney looked at two possible Snow White and Seven Dwarfs sequels. The first, a short film called Snow White Returns, imagined the dwarves getting ready for Snow White's yearly trip to their cottage. But Walt Disney decided finally to leave his original masterpiece unaltered. Another idea surfaced in early 2000s: a Snow White prequel emphasizing the seven dwarves and the Evil Queen. This project never came to pass either, thus the animated classic stands alone. Still, the two live-action Snow White films from the 2010s and Disney's forthcoming live-action remake clearly show the story's ongoing attraction.
Among the classic Grimms' fairy tales that motivated many Disney animated masterpieces, "Little Red Riding Hood" is rather important. Still, the story never got its own feature-length film. Disney did produce a Little Red Riding Hood cartoon short in the 1920s, far ahead of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' start of filming. Red also takes front stage in Disney's 2014 film adaptation of the Broadway musical Into the Woods. Disney considered producing a Little Red Riding Hood film during the 1960s, but the effort was finally shelved. This reflects Frozen's development history, which was being worked on for decades as a variation on "The Snow Queen." Disney was drawn to the enigmatic Snow Queen, which finally they modified in some capacity. Maybe some of the studio's artists view Little Red Riding Hood similarly.
Disney artists were developing a short film idea called Penelope and the Twelve Months in the 1940s. With the aid of a magical grandfather clock, this narrative tracked a small child named Penelope across time and came upon several supernatural entities. Although movie concept art exists, it never was produced. Although many Disney Princesses are teenagers at the oldest, Penelope's age would seem too young for one. Fascinatingly, Disney is working on an unrelated animated comedy musical called Penelope based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea." The two projects only have the name, thus it would be interesting to find whether the designers find inspiration for the new Penelope from the artwork of Penelope and the Twelve Months. The name itself reflects modern popular culture and connects with fairy tales.
Proposed direct-to--video series of short films, Disney Princess Enchanted Tales featured extra adventures of a classic Disney Princess. Released in 2007, Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams consisted in two shorts, one about Jasmine and another about Aurora. But MovieWeb claims that John Lasseter, who replaced Disney's chief creative officer and eliminated all direct-to--video ideas, canceled the next batch of shorts. Though some other under-the-radar Disney Princess adventures did see the light of day, mostly as direct-to--video sequels and tie-ins, these projects are generally regarded of less quality than the feature-length Movies. Disney Princess Enchanted Tales most certainly would have fit the same category, but some kids might still have liked them.
With a star-studded voice cast, 2022's Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was a hit for many reasons, including its grungy and heartfelt treatment of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Disney's own 1960s fairy tale plans, however, never came to pass. Like some other shelved projects, the source material provided few creative possibilities, which might produce a film shorter than ninety-minutes. Any contemporary rendition of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" would probably call for a development process akin to Frozen to produce a sizable narrative that would result in a quite different ending. Still, the story inspired Goldie and Bear, who have shown up on Disney Junior.
Though its sequel got less positive reviews, Mulan is generally regarded as one of the best Disney Princess films. Disney almost developed two Mulan sequels, but the second was shelved before Mulan II even debuted, most likely because of Mulan II's poor reception. Mulan II looked at difficult issues related to gender roles, but some of the dialogue and subplots seemed forced. With early story ideas including Mulan helping another young woman to save her father from Japan, Mulan III was also aiming at addressing major historical topics. Disney decided, though, to hold Mulan off until the mixed-reviewed live-action remake in 2020. Especially, Mulan's original voice actress Ming-Na Wen made a cameo in the remake, presenting the emperor the new Mulan.
Snow White's name is shared by one of the heroes of another less-known Grimm fairy tale: "Snow-White and Rose-Red." Two sisters living in the wilderness with their mother chronicle this narrative. Snow-White marries the main prince in the story; his brother conveniently becomes Rose-Red's husband; they come upon a cursed prince and a hostile dwarf. Disney intended a live-action spinoff about Rose-Red following Snow White in 1937, thus Snow White became her sister. Rose-Red is still a rather unknown character in part because she never got a Disney adaptation. Disney Movies help many people to define fairy tale characters. Once Upon a Time made oblique references to "Snow-White and Rose-Red" by depicting their versions of Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood as close friends, frequently seen on-screen with their distinctively contrasting colors. Given the ongoing fascination in the darker sides of Snow White in contemporary pop culture, artists may find Rose-Red appealing when planning next projects.
With proper execution, Swan Lake could have been a great addition to Disney Princess film lineup. Though macabre, the music and story have some beauty. They have been used in horror films such as Black Swan and Abigail and modified as Barbie of Swan Lake. Many people mistakenly view the animated Swan Princess as a Disney film, and they are not far off. Not coincidentally, the style evokes the animated Disney films from the 1980s and 1990s. Based on IMDB, former Disney director Richard Rich apparently presented a Swan Lake film to the company but was turned down before launching his own production company. Then he developed The Swan Princess, with a devoted following. Although not the height of animated storytelling, the movie's serviceability shows that Disney passed on a chance to produce an interesting adaptation.
Gigantic stayed under development until it was shelved in the late 2010s; it was meant to fit Disney's 3D-animated movie era. This take on Jack & the Beanstalk would have been set in Spain during the Age of Exploration, following a teenage Jack as he befriends an 11-year-old giantess named Inma. Inma would have been the princess whether this project had been formally or unofficially labeled as a Disney Princess film. Inma likely would have been a charming and endearing character, making a valuable addition to Disney's roster. Gigantic presented fascinating opportunities, but it was dropped about seven years ago. Jack forming an alliance with a giant—a young girl who really needs his help—represents a different approach to the narrative than recent pop culture representations where Jack fights war on giants.
Princess Academy was a canceled animated short film that aimed to bring together not only Disney's official princesses but all the female characters from Disney's entire repertoire. Concept art features Sally (Nightmare Before Christmas), Violet (The Incredibles), Alice (Alice in Wonderland) and her sister, and others alongside Cinderella and Aurora. The story involved these young women attending a boarding school, the so-called Princess Academy. The status of Disney's live-action heroines in this project remains unclear. Princess Academy would have been a powerful addition to Disney's collection by (at least partially) dismantling the barrier Disney creates between its "official" Disney Princesses and other female characters. Bringing together characters from Disney's early days to its 3D era, along with Pixar's cast, would have been a dynamic approach. Unfortunately, Princess Academy, along with several other exciting, forgotten Disney projects, seems to be on hold.