Disney has always been a step ahead in storytelling, animation, and general entertainment for the whole family. Disney has created some of the most iconic pieces of art that are still alive in everyone's heart. Movies such as The Lion King, Pinocchio, Toy Story, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin are some of the examples.
Disney is also renowned for its innovative and creative ways to direct a story towards its audience. Everything they do makes for an entertaining and memorable experience. Disney has life lessons behind each and every story that can teach children about morals and a similar lesson for the parents as well. Disney has been with us for nearly 94 years, and it has had a major impact on our current media. They have made upwards of 56 movies in total and are continuing to do so in the near future.
Like any good studio, Disney has had some really successful movies in the past. Companies like Disney are always working toward new and fresh material to incorporate into their films, which is exciting on its own. However, like any other company, there are projects which get canceled. Of course, it is a shame not to get the chance to experience these on the big screen. To showcase some of the movies that are upcoming, and some of the movies that were unfortunately canceled, we have compiled a list of 15 movies that are already in the works and 15 more that we won’t get to experience. So sit back and enjoy the ride.
29 Being Made: Incredibles 2
Who can forget the experience of watching the Incredibles when it first came out. The Incredibles was first released in 2004 by Disney and the movie received critical acclaim for its unique storyline and awesome characters. The movie saw success on the release day after it generated 70 million dollars from 7,600 screens from nearly 3,900 theaters. The Incredibles was made by the creators of The Iron Giant, one of the most underrated movies in my opinion. Even though The Incredibles' success was not foreseen, it was the highest grossing Pixar movie at that time.
The Incredibles was released in 2004 and people loved it to such an extent that they were already looking forward to its sequel. It took Pixar nearly 14 years to realize that the movie deserved a sequel. The Incredibles 2 will follow the daily lives of the Parr family as Helen (Elastigirl) is campaigning for the return of the superheroes while Bob (Mr. Incredible) stays at home, taking care of the kids, Violet Dash and Jack-Jack. The family will be fighting the newfound villain known as “Screen Slaver.” The movie is set to be released in June 2018.
28 Canceled: Newt
In 2008, Disney announced a new project with Pixar. The movie was called Newt and it was about two blue-footed newts, a female and a male, who are the last of their kind on the planet. Naturally, scientists try to force them together in order to save their species. The movie seemed like a good idea at that time because both the male and female Newts would find each other unbearable, thus making for an interesting story.
It was a concept that seemed like it would be a lot of fun and could have easily translated into a feature-length film, but Disney decided not to pursue it because the idea seemed stale after some time. It got canceled in 2010. But it did get a reference in Toy Story 3 and Brave. A similar premise was released in the form of a movie called Rio in 2011 by Blue Sky Studios where Blu, a Spix’s Macaw, is the last male of its kind and has to be together with a female of the kind in order to save the species and just like Newt, they didn’t get along with each other.
27 Being Made: Ralph Breaks The Internet
Ralph Breaks the Internet is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Disney movie “Wreck-It Ralph.” Wreck it Ralph was first released in 2012 and it is about video game characters and their lives inside their game worlds. More specifically, it's about a kingdom where car races take place, and the cars are made of bits of candy — kind of like how it happens in Mario Kart, minus the candy.
The movie received critical acclaim upon its release, and its sequel is currently in the making
Ralph Breaks the Internet is the upcoming sequel to the original movie. Set to be released on 21st of November 2018 (hopefully). Previously, Suger Rush arcade cabinet was broken after aliens invaded the game world. In the upcomming movie, Ralph and his trusty sidekick Vanellope travel the internet world after a Wi-fi router is installed in the arcade. Since the internet is involved in the movie, we can expect some rich content in terms of comedy. We hope that it lives up to the expectations since the prequel left quite an impact on the audience. We will have to just wait and see.
26 Canceled: Tron: Ascension
Tron: Legacy was a polarizing film, which makes it no surprise that Disney wasn’t a fan of its sequel. There was a time back in 2013 where a sequel called Tron: Ascension was in its early stages. Director Joseph Kosinski, who helmed Tron: Legacy, was going to return for the sequel. He even talked about it in an interview and said that the movie would continue off from the last moments of Legacy. The sequel was never greenlit by Disney, though, and the whole project was scrapped.
The creators of the movie were interviewed in 2012 at WonderCon and a lot of questions were raised regarding the possibility of Tron: Ascension. The answers to the questions were quite vague and it seemed there and then that there won’t be a new Tron movie.
On February 28, 2017, Joseph Kosinski was attending a Q&A session where he was asked about the new Tron movie and he responded by saying that the movie was not scrapped but rather it is in a “Cryogenic Freeze.” Meaning that we might get a new Tron movie but who knows when that day will come.
For fans of Legacy, what’s even sadder is the fact that both Olivia Wilde and Garrett Hedlund agreed to return to the movie, with reports of Jared Leto possibly joining the cast as well.
25 Being Made: Indiana Jones Sequel
Indiana Jones has been the part of many people’s childhood and everyone who hasn’t seen the Indiana Jones franchise in any form is seriously missing out on the epicness of the movie. Steven Spielberg directed the films of the franchise, and the last movie to have come out was the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I think it's high time we receive a new movie.
Our wishes are surely going to be fulfilled soon. “Indiana Jones 5 ” will begin principal photography in the year 2019 and Harrison Ford is going to be returning to the screen. The release date for the movie is expected to be on July 10, 2020, which is a long time away. We waited for 10 years for the sequel, waiting a few more won’t do much harm anyway. An interesting fact is that Harrison Ford will be playing the character after 39 years. Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in 1981 and this one will be released in 2020. He is only of only a handful of actors in Hollywood to play a character after such a long time, chief among them being Sylvester Stallone as Balboa from Rocky (1976) to Creed (2015).
24 Canceled: Gigantic
Gigantic is the most recently canceled project by Disney. They revealed it at 2015 D23. The movie was supposed to be a revival of Jack and Beanstalk. The setting was supposed to be Spain during the Age of Exploration. There was some talent attached to this project as well. Songwriters, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who wrote songs for Frozen, were set to write the songs for Gigantic. Disney even hired Inside Out writer Meg LeFauve to direct and co-write the movie. So with such massive amounts of talents by your side, the movie was sure to be a hit, right? Apparently, Disney thought otherwise.
The president of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar said “Sometimes, no matter how much we love an idea or how much heart goes into it, we find that it just isn’t working. "With Gigantic, we’ve come to that point, and although it’s a difficult decision, we are ending active development for now.”
The real shame is that the project was well underway into development before Disney decided to scrap the project entirely. What a shame.
23 Being Made: Solo: A Star Wars Story
Oh boy! am I excited for this one! Being a Star Wars fan I have enjoyed nearly all of the movies from the franchise. Star Wars is undoubtedly one of the most successful franchises of Disney's. However, some of the recent films have not lived up to (some) fans expectations. We are expecting this new upcoming film to flip the script, and be a huge hite.
Han Solo is one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history.
A stand-alone film is nearly upon us, based entirely on the Han-Solo character. The movie revolves around Han Solo and his buddy Chewbacca, and their escapades from a dark and dangerous underworld filled villainy and corruption. This movie will shed some light on the background of Han Solo and how he met his trusty copilot Chewbacca. Not to mention their notorious compatriot, Lando Calrissian. There aren't many details about the movie, but we know a little bit about the cast. Han Solo is being portrayed by Alden Ehrenreich while Emilia Clarke is going to play Qi’Ra. The movie is expected to be released on May 25th, 2018 in the United States. So you better get your tickets before the movie is released.
22 Canceled: Uncle Stiltskin
At one point, Disney had plans for an animated film based on Rumpelstiltskin before he appeared in ‘Once Upon A Time’ (played by Robert Carlyle). This version was supposed to be a more traditional take, following of Brothers Grimm’s version, and picking up where it left off. The story of Uncle Stiltskin was sold to Disney in 2003 by a husband and wife named Bill and Cheri Steinkellner. Rumpelstiltskin would have made the appearance of an animated film if it wasn’t canceled by Disney.
The premise outlined was about Stiltskin going back to its roots, doing his old thing again, stealing a kid and locking them up somewhere in order to spin straw into gold. After that plan fails, he gets an orphan girl who was kept by wolves. But the twist here is that he has a dream of becoming a father, and throughout the movie develops that relationship. The movie was under production at the time of Tangled and The Princess and the Frog . The overall idea of the movie is pretty decent only if Disney went through with it.
21 Being Made: Ant-Man And The Wasp
Marvel has made some really entertaining superhero movies in the past, and Ant-Man is up there among the best. Starring Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, who is Ant-Man, the movie revolves around how Scott came about the Ant-Man suit.
Paul Rudd is a funny guy and he lights up the whole movie with his comedy.
Ant-Man and The Wasp is a sequel currently being made by Disney. The story follows the life of Scott Lang as he balances between being a father and a superhero. Dr. Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne assign a special mission to Scott and he finds himself fighting alongside The Wasp, revealing uncovered secrets from both of their pasts. The Wasp is being played by Evangeline Lilly making for some interesting chemistry between Paul and Lilly.
Paul Rudd is also the writer of the movie himself so we can expect it to be filled with epic comedy and some really great acting. The movie is set to be released on July 6th, 2018 in the United States. A little bit of trivia, This movie marks the twentieth movie from Marvel Studios.
20 Canceled: Louis The Bear
Unlike a lot of other movies on this list, this one just fell prey to a series of unfortunate events. Actor and musician Louis Prima, the Italian American who was beloved in The Jungle Book as the voice of King Louie (released in 1967), made such an impact that Disney considered giving him his own movie named “Louis the Bear.” Now, in this movie, Louis was going to voice a totally new character who —of course— a Bear. The Premise for the movie was that the bear escapes a zoo with the help of some mice (this idea was later adopted by The Rescuers). This movie was special because the inspiration behind it was the voice actor of the bear himself.
King Louie had his mice friend known as Miss Bianca, Bernard and an orphan girl Penny
Around the same time the movie was being developed, Walt Disney passed away, and the voice actor himself, Louis, came down with a severe illness. All of this lead to a half in the production of Louis The Bear. The movie would have been a hit with its audience since Louis The Bear had such a phenomenal performance in the Rescuers. Sadly, no one is going to be able to see this gem of a movie.
19 Being Made: Star Wars Episode IX
Star Wars Episode IX is the latest installment of the latest Star Wars trilogy. Episode IX is the third film and the last of the said trilogy. The production of the film was announced when Walt Disney acquired Lucasfilm in the year 2012. The past couple of Star Wars movies had something lacking in them, partly because of the creative differences between directors. For Episode IX, Colin Trevorrow was first announced to be the director and the writer but eventually, JJ Abrams was chosen to be the writer and director of the movie.
Details about the movie are still somewhat unknown. The movie was supposed to be released on May 24th, 2019 but when J.J Abrams was announced the new director and writer, the release date had to be moved to December 20th, 2019. A little bit of interesting trivia about the movie. This movie will be released 20 years after Episode 1- The Phantom Menace — which is baffling, right?
18 Canceled: Catfish Bend
Ben Lucien Burman created a book series which followed the lives of animal residents of a land called Catfish Bend in Mississippi. A perfect idea for Disney.
Disney even acquired the rights to the books which, at that time, numbered up to three. But as time went on, no progress ever occurred on the project. At one time, Ken Anderson (a writer and animator) was attached to the project. The movie was being worked on between the 60s and 70s but it was (ultimately) canceled by Disney. However, all was not lost from the production of Catfish Bend. Most of the character work was implemented in another Disney movie “The Rescuers.”
Luckily for the fans, though, writer Ben Lucien Burman created eight books in his series before dying, available in multiple languages. So if you were ever curious what it could have been, this is your best way to find out. Needless to say, if Disney was that interested in the franchise, it must have had something special that set it apart from the rest.
17 Being Made: Captain Marvel
Marvel is about to release a bombshell of a movie that is sure to please its audience. Captain Marvel is based on the Marvel Comic series that follows the story of a female superhero. Carol Danvers is the protagonist of the movie who is going to be portrayed by Brie Larson. The cast of the movie includes some really talented actors such as Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury, Jude Law as Mar-Vell, and Lee Pace as Ronan.The story revolves around Carol Danvers as she becomes the mightiest hero of the galaxy after a conflict breaks out between two alien worlds.
Most of the movie is shot in Los Angeles, California, so the cinematography is expected to be top notch. Since this is a superhero movie, the sound plays a major impact on the storytelling. Interestingly, the movie is going to be recorded in multiple formats such as Dolby Atmos, DTS, Dolby Surround 7.1, Sonics-DDP, Dolby Digital and 12-Track Digital Sound. The movie was originally supposed to be released on July 6th, 2018 but due to delays in production, the date has been extended till March 8th, 2019.
16 Canceled: Fraidy Cat
Concept-wise, this is a film that a lot of fans would have wanted to see. Fraidy Cat was supposed to about a cat who was generally scared of pretty much everything. Enclosed in a comedy thriller environment which paid homage to Alfred Hitchcock movies, Fraidy Cat had a unique premise with early concept art and animations showing promise.
According to the rumors, suits at Disney decided that the movie was not worthy of the big screen because of its link to Alfred Hitchcock movies. They thought it would be too much of a niche product for the audience to gravitate towards. Hence they scrapped the project.
A description of the movie said, “In Fraidy Cat, a chubby housecat with frayed nerves is torn off his comfy couch and dropped smack dab in the middle of a Hitchcockian thriller when he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit.”
It’s a shame really as Ron Clements and John Musker, people behind movies like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules were ready to helm the project. A movie about a cat in the style of Alfred Hitchcock story would have been a sight to behold but sadly, somethings are not meant to be.
15 Being Made: The Lion King
The Lion King is among the highest grossing film of Walt Disney just behind Frozen and Zootopia, and it is undoubtedly the most iconic animated movie ever made. The Lion King is the story of the journey of a young cub who has to take back his father’s kingdom from his evil brother Mufasa. The movie is filled with beautiful animations and a solid storyline with the best musical performance in an animated movie (in my opinion).
The Live Action movie is going to be released on the 25th anniversary of The Lion King
Due to the success of the original Lion King, Disney decided to release a CGI remake of the original. The movie will follow the same storyline as the original but with “improved” visuals. We are anxious for this one because there is some really vast talent behind the remake. For example, the music composition is being done by the legendary Hans Zimmer himself. The cast for the movie is equally interesting. Donald Grover will be the voice of Simba and Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner will voice Timon and Pumba. The production of the movie began in May, 2017 and it is expected to be released on July 19, 2019.
14 Canceled: Chanticleer
This is a movie that Disney wanted to make for over 20 years but circumstances never allowed for that. It was based on the French Play called ‘Chantecler’ written by Edmond Rostand. The story was about an egocentric rooster who had it in his head that the only reason the sun rises in the morning is that of his calling. All the animals thought of him as a leader since the sun would scare away all the baddies such as moles, bats, vultures etc. The rooster would later realize his vanity and find the courage to fight the bad guys.
First, Disney wanted to make a movie about it in the 1940s, but unfortunately, the villain of the story got its own movie idea. The villain is a fox called “Reynard” who was supposed to be the villain of the movie and it would be starring in Reynard The Fox meaning Chanticleer was pushed aside as Disney had too many projects at the time. Reynard The Fox never got made either.
Disney pursued Chanticleer again in the 1960s, but to no avail, as (again) circumstance got in the way. At the time, Disney was focusing a lot on theme parks and they didn’t want to spend precious resources on anything else.
13 Being Made: Avengers 4
First up, full disclosure, this is not the title of the actual movie but it is a placeholder everyone can understand. The Avengers: Infinity War recently set the box office on fire. The reason why everyone is geeking out about this one is that Thanos is a potent villain, and the Avengers are still dealing with the fallout of his monumental threat. Saving the world is no easy task.
The sequel to the Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4, is currently in the works at Marvel and Disney. It is safe to assume that this movie is going to continue the events that take place after Avengers: Infinity War. There aren't many details about the movie, but we can assume the Avengers themselves will have a lot of course correcting to do to save the world after the events of the last film. Superhero fans everywhere can't wait to find out how this two-part Marvel special will conclude.
12 Canceled: The Gremlins
The Royal Air Force during WWII used to blame mythical little creatures called “gremlins” for issues and malfunctions that the pilots had to face with their airplanes. A writer by the name of Roald Dahl, in 1943, used this scenario for a children’s book where these tiny creatures would start by destroying planes and ultimately redeeming themselves by having to learn how to fix the planes instead of wrecking them. The movie featured a character called Gus who was flying his Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft over the English Channel. His flight was cut short after a gremlin destroys his plane and forces him to land in the water. Gus explains to the gremlins about a common enemy and convinces them to join forces in fixing their planes. The gremlins agree and they fix the planes instead of destroying them.
Disney saw this and planned on using the book’s story for a feature-length film. They even had two screenplays ready. They even released a promotional book which would act as a tie into the movie, something which became a collector’s item later on. Sadly, the project never saw the light of day.
11 Being Made: Aladdin
If you haven’t seen Aladdin, then you have missed a crucial piece of art. Aladdin was released in 1992 by Walt Disney and it follows the tale of an ordinary thief who falls in love with the Sultan’s daughter. He also finds a magical lamp in the desert from which emerges a genie and grants Aladdin three wishes. The movie received a multitude of awards including two Academy Awards and the Best Motion Picture.
A live-action adaptation of the movie is currently under works and the movie is expected to be released on May 24th, 2019.
Usually, live-action adaptations of animated movies are not that good as opposed to their animated counterparts but we have high hopes for this one as it is directed by Guy Ritchie (director of Sherlock Holmes). The cast of the movie is set to be huge. The Genie is going to be portrayed by Will Smith, Jasmine is being played by Naomi Scott, Aladdin is going to be portrayed by Mena Massoud and Jafar is going to be played by Marwan Kenzari. How could it get any better then them?
10 Canceled: My Peoples
Now here is a movie that definitely deserved to see the light of day. Sadly, this 2003 Disney animated film never had the chance. It was going to be about three kids and a ghost who was trying to bring together a pair of lovers from opposing families. Set in 1940s Appalachia, My Peoples was about entities/ghosts and how they interact with the living world. One of them even represented Abraham Lincoln. There are three dolls, one was Abe Lincoln (made out from scraps and voiced by Hal Holbrook), another was Angel (a flour scoop is voiced by Dolly Parton), and then Ms. Spinster (a doll with a wooden foot as a head was voiced by Lily Tomlin).
Couple that amazing premise with Tim Burton’s talent for directing, and this movie would have been something special to witness. The movie was met with changes in administration and heavy changes in the script was the reason behind canceling the movie. We hope that Disney recognizes how good of an idea this movie is and gets around to finishing the whole thing and bringing it to the big screen.