Is Disney Going to Make Anymore Tinkerbell Movies
Welcome to the land of "what could have been."
Probably the worst thing about becoming famous or working for a famous company is that you have a lot of expectations to live up to. Imagine spending months or even years on a project and then it's just cancelled. Despite Disney's philosophy of how wishing hard enough or trying your best can make dreams come true, those who work at Disney probably know these stories are made from the exact opposite mindset. I certainly don't envy the writers and animators who worked on what we have on this list.
Is there any hope for the movies in this list? I'm sad to say no for most of what we have here. However, there is hope in terms of recycled ideas. Maybe these projects will be picked up by new minds in the future who can give these cancelled films a phoenix-like rebirth.
I suppose the lesson to take from this list is that working at Disney takes thick skin and guts as a business. Maybe before pitching your idea to them about a new princess or talking animal story, take a look at what they've already denied in the past. It's not all just blah-feeling sequels. A good number of these seem original and promising!
20 Gigantic
Disney loves to take beloved fairy tales and turn them into something a little more modern that targets a family-friendly audiences. Honestly, some fairy tales are no longer recognized anymore like the Snow Queen becoming what we know now as Frozen. It would've been interesting to see what Jack and the Beanstalk would've had in store. Alas, the project was cancelled.
The idea behind the film was Jack becoming friends with an 11-year-old girl giant, Irma, during the Age of Exploration in Spain.
"Sometimes, no matter how much we love an idea or how much heart goes into it, we find that it just isn't working," said Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios president Ed Catmull."With Gigantic' we've come to that point, and although it's a difficult decision, we are ending active development for now."
Maybe we should focus on the fact that Catmull said "for now?" Will this shelved project re-emerge in the future or is that just wishful thinking? The artwork sneak-peaks of the film looked very cute. Irma seemed to have a lot of personality too. She was described at D23 Expo as "fiery, feisty and a lot to control." It was also said that the story's antagonists were going to be Storm Giants.
19 Tinkerbell 7
Real question though, did we really need a seventh Tinkerbell movie? Apparently this cancellation did hurt some Tinkerbell-loving hearts though. While I thought this movie series was for kids, there are enough adult viewers to be bitter about the cancellation on the internet, so maybe I'm missing out?
I was immediately turned off by the series when I saw clips revealing that the famous mean-spirited and jealous personality of Tinkerbell was thrown out for her to play a kinder protagonist for kids. I thought what made Tinkerbell so cool was that she was a beautiful little fairy, but she also was sort of vicious on the inside, like the mermaids who tried to drown Wendy! As for why the series was cancelled, it was all about money. An interview with the Tinkerbell team revealed as much.
"They told us the middle of last week that they won't be making Tinker Bells #7 & #8," they said. "It came out of the blue, really. We were working on #7, and production told us it was being shut down. The manager I talked to said sales of DVDs had slowed down and the merchandise wasn't selling as strongly as they wanted."
18 King of the Elves
This movie was going to be based on a short story by Philip Dick, someone who is also known for writing the stories that Blade Runner and Total Recall were based on.
The story, King of the Elves, is a tale about a typical man that gets into an atypical situation by saving some elves from a troll. They crown him their leader. That's basically all I know of the story, so I am curious what Disney was thinking in terms of turning a short story to a movie-length film. Then again if someone can turn The Hobbit into three long movies, I guess you can do anything. On the other hand, some of the concept art for the elves is gorgeous and wild looking. I would have loved to see them come alive.
Some film blogs had their own theories for why the film was cancelled.
"There's two obvious reasons that King of the Elves may have been axed," wrote blogger Brendon Connelly. "The first is that it could be very hard to merchandise; the second is that the source story is actually not really what you'd first think of as a Disney toon. Here's a minor spoiler – the lead character ends up...(ending) his best friend."
17 Yellow Submarine
This was a cancelled remake of the famous Yellow Submarine film made by The Beatles. The original was known for being well...trippy! Trippy to the point that ts scared kids. This remake would've done the same from what concept art we can find that still clings to the internet.
A history of box office bombs is the biggest factor to the cancellation of this flick. Remember Mars Needs Moms? Probably not, because it was terrible and was treated as a miserable flop by the movie-going public. One of the creators, Robert Zemeckis, had far less freedom after that, so he did not get to work on the Yellow Submarine.
I definitely believe this remake would've been fascinatingly nightmarish. Zemeckis would've used the same stop-motion tech that he used for Beowulf, The Polar Express, and A Christmas Carol. If I am recalling correctly, his version of A Christmas Carol had a lot of dark imagery. Zemeckis could try a different outlet other than Disney but the whole project does sound expensive and I know I'd lose a lot of heart after Mars Needs Moms.
In his own words, Zemeckis said, "That would have been a great one to bring The Beatles back to life. But it's probably better not to be remade – you're always behind the 8-ball when do you a remake. It gets harder and harder [to make movies]. With the current state of the industry, it's difficult to stay passionate about it."
16 Mort
This project would've been based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel, Mort. The creators of Moana were linked to this project that never came to be. Also former Disney animator Claire Keane has uploaded some of the concept art from Mort to her website. For those who haven't read the novel, Mort is about a man named Mort who becomes Death's apprentice. On his first solo mission, Mort ends up messing with the fabric of time after preventing the death of a princess. There is not much information out there as to why this story was shelved.
Though there has been some information out there in terms of how people felt about the project. It hints that Disney couldn't obtain the rights to the story.
"Now, I don't think I can say what I was working on since the project was shelved," said artist Sue Nicholas. "But those of you who know my love of Halloween and the morbid would know how much I LOVED working on this drop-dead idea. I really hope they eventually obtain the rights to do this."
The story honestly feels Tim Burton-ish, doesn't it? I don't see how the story could be problematic for Disney. It has a princess and they've dealt with dark themes of death before. There is also an important lesson about how death is a necessary part of life.
15 Newt
The plot of this cancelled film seemed to be interesting. The story focused on the last male and female blue-footed newts on earth. Science and man force the two together to save their species. Of course though, the newts hate each other! That certainly sounds more interesting than Cars 2!
Though it sounds suspiciously like the movie plot for Rio, doesn't it? It wouldn't be the first time Disney has been suspiciously similar to other movies though. The Lion King and A Bug's Life in comparison to Antz and Kimba the White Lion are fine examples of that. Maybe they are trying harder to avoid that issue in the future?
Sources have shown that the creator of Up took control of the Newt project and threw it out for a better idea of his, Inside Out. A very different story! I suppose it can be common for more seasoned Disney professionals to take control of struggling projects.
Before its cancellation, Newt did make its way into other Disney films in the form of Easter Eggs. We see a newt used in a potion in Brave and we also see a "Newt Crossing" sign in Andy's room in Toy Story. With the Rio film in mind, I personally doubt this project will be picked back up.
14 The Aristocats II
There is little known about what this film could have been. Though it makes sense that the film was going to focus on the fan-favorite and most recognizable of the kittens, Marie.
Tod Carter, who has worked with many Disney sequels, released some information during an interview on Animated Views.
"The main idea for the young aristocats in this adventure was to add some mystery by pitting them against a jewel thief on the open seas aboard a luxury cruise ship," he said. "With Marie as the focus character, they had an idea of a love interest for her in the form of another cat, and while on the ship, the setting would fully show the turn-of-the-century beauty of different European locations, such as their homeland of France, Spain, England and Scotland."
After how awful The Fox and the Hound II was, I know I wouldn't have been open to The Aristocats II. The ideas for the story seem hastily put together and cliché. I'm sure it would've entertained little kids though. I think The Aristocats was a little bit more for children than a family flick. I would've watched this sequel far more for the artistic depictions of Europe than the plot.
13 Chicken Little 2: Mission to Mars
I'm surprised anything branched out of the original Chicken Little movie, but here we are. This sequel may have been cancelled, but a video game sequel was still made!
Chicken Little 2: Mission to Mars was going to have a love triangle, which feels like a bad sign already. It was going to be between Abby, also known as the "Ugly Duckling", and a new girl who is a sheep named Raffaela.
"By the time the first reel was being finished, the crew was fairly excited about the direction the show was heading," said Tod Carter to Animated View. "The story I heard, was that the screenings were going extremely well and at one point there was talk that Disney would actually increase the budget since they felt they wanted to up the production quality to match the quality of the story.
"Sadly, in their next breath, Disney pulled the plug on the project. It was a reactionary move (in my opinion) to sales figures for current projects and the overall market. The executives didn't feel that the original film had a wide enough market to draw upon to support the sequel. We'll never know for sure, but I really feel the film was progressing well and would have succeeded."
12 Pinocchio II
Truly, what more is there to tell in the story of Pinocchio without the whole thing feeling sour? The film would focus on him being a real boy, which is far less exciting than a puppet. Little is known about what direction this film would've gone, as it did not get far before getting cancelled.
In an interview with Animated Views, screenwriter Robert Recce said, "It's a story that leads Pinocchio to question why life appears unfair sometimes. I really wish I could tell you more, but you'll have to wait for the movie. But it might be a while. The interview isn't so recent, but it seemed that Recce had hope at the time that the sequel may be picked back up one day. I doubt it! It's far more likely to get a live action remake with today's trends.
Pinocchio is one of Disney's purest babies. By that I mean it was a hit and is a huge Disney icon. The Blue Fairy and Jiminy Cricket are massive Disney symbols. They are the ones who practically started the whole if you wish hard enough your dreams will come true Disney philosophy. With that in mind, it would be very hard to make a sequel to do it justice.
11 Fantasia 2006
Fantasia 2006 would have been the third installment of the artistic anthology of animated shorts mixed with music. This is one of the more disappointing cancellations, as this film had a lot of new ideas to bring to Fantasia. Unlike the other two, this one was planned to use music from all over the world rather than just classical European pieces. It would have also been the first of the series to feature singing voices rather than just instruments.
The story is that the cancellation occurred in 2004 because Disney shut down their hand-drawn animation studios in Florida and suffered from a number of poorly performing films. Only 23 minutes of animation was produced, but at least four shorts were released for the public to enjoy.
My favorite of the released shorts was probably The Little Matchgirl, partly because it's a short based on a story from the great Hans Christian Anderson. Maybe it's because I like crying, since the story is a very heart wrenching one about an orphan Russian girl who is selling matches for survival on the cold streets.
Despite this one not making it, I certainly hope there are chances for more Fantasias to be made in the future.
10 Monsters, Inc. 2: Lost in Scaradise
This cancellation was replaced with Monsters University. I'm already thankful since Lost in Scaradise is a title that induces me to cringe. The story summary is that Mike and Sulley visit Boo for her birthday in the human world. However, the girl's family moved, so the whole adventure and movie plot is in finding them.
Apparently, the reason the movie was scrapped was Disney shut down the studio making it, Circle 7, in 2006. Circle 7's whole purpose was sort of a marriage between Pixar. After it was shut down though, Pixar made the prequel called Monsters University.
The concept art and title hint at a tropical landscape, so maybe the twist is that Boo's family just went on a big vacation?
Or maybe it's that Boo's family moved to a tourist trap? Also do Mike and Sulley visit her that often? It would sort of be cool if they haven't seen her in a while and found her as an older child. Though I think a big aspect of Boo's charm was that she was a toddler.
Speaking of which, how would Mike and Sulley know when her birthday is? She wasn't old enough to know or tell them. I guess this sequel sort of painted them as massive stalkers.
9 Friady Cat
A Disney noir thriller? Something that took on a comedic version of a tale similar to something written by Hitchcock? That sounds like it would've been awesome!
Unfortunately we will likely never see Fraidy Cat. The story was about Oscar the cat and Corina the cockatoo's involvement in a missing "persons" mystery. The cat appears to be the sort who scares easy so he's probably involved on accident and coincidence. Being an overweight domestic animal that has lived a comfortable and non-exciting lifestyle being swept up into the world of a Hitchcock thriller sounds like a lot of fun.
I little to no idea why this story was dropped by Disney, as it seemed it was in good hands. Ron Clements and John Musker, who have made Disney classics like Hercules and The Little Mermaid were on the Fraidy Cat team!
There are theories that the film was cancelled in the most disappointing of ways: by higher ups thinking they couldn't sell merchandise and spin-offs from it. They also might have thought kids wouldn't care about Hitchcock (which would be very wrong, since my friends and I existed as children back then and loved Hitchcock). Maybe they could've learned something from how beloved Courage the Cowardly Dog was, which took a similar thriller, comedy, and animal protagonist formula.
8 Recess: The First Day of School
Like the name suggests, this movie was going to be a prequel to the cartoon show. I am a pretty big supporter of such film ideas, as it's a fun idea to see how a whole series started. I'm surprised the idea wasn't tackled in the first, second, third, or fourth of the Recess movies. I suppose the plot would've been about how the group of main characters adjust to their first day of the fourth grade.
When it comes to what to expect, there are some themes that the series is strong in tackling. Though I didn't watch much of the show as a kid, I do appreciate the themes the series explores such as individuality versus social order and conformity versus non-conformity. These are issues people constantly face not just as kids in the fourth grade but for their whole lives.
I always wondered why it was the fourth grade and not the fifth grade where you stand at the precipice of change that is leaving elementary school and moving on to middle school where if there was any recess at all, it would be much shorter. Unfortunately there isn't even a taste of what this movie could have been as utterly nothing was released prior to the movie's cancellation. No art, scenes, music, or even a main plot!
7 Uncle Stiltskin
The Brothers Grimm's tale of Rumpelstiltskin is a story about a man who lies to a king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The poor girl is then the king's prisoner where he locks her in a room filled with straw. He threatens her life and says he'll only have mercy if she makes straw into gold for him by the next morning. An imp creature makes a deal with the girl that she'll trade something for his service and he'll turn the straw into gold for her. Eventually the king asks her for more, making her ask the imp for more, which makes the stakes much higher to the point that the imp wants her first born child. The whole story then becomes a bet as to whether the protagonist can guess the imp's name in order to keep her child.
So what direction would Disney have taken all this? I suppose we'll never find out, though there were several rumors. One was that it would've been the post-Grimm's version of the story. Another was one where the imp accidentally kidnaps a troublesome child and learns the true meaning of family or something of that tone. Why it was cancelled is a mystery.
6 The Prince and the Pig
The Prince and the Pig did get some artwork released, so that's all we really have. The surreal duo apparently had a surreal goal in mind too: stealing the moon!
This cancelled film actually gives me the same vibes as one of Disney's lesser known films, The Black Cauldron. There is a boy and a pig in that story! The story was based on a book though, so Disney couldn't have completely recycled their pig and prince into The Black Cauldron. The boy was a farm boy too, not a prince. Though there was a princess involved. The movie is not well-remembered today, but I certainly enjoyed it as a kid.
From what we can see in the cover, the art looks a little aged compared to what we have now. That's because this was back around the year 2000.
Something I appreciated in The Black Cauldron is that despite being magical, the pig didn't talk. I wonder if this pig would've talked if the movie made it? They are stealing the moon of all things, so the answer is probably yes. Also am I crazy or is the pig wearing clothes? His little pig feet look like they are poking out of sleeves.
5 My Peoples
What offends me the most is that this sweet-looking movie was scrapped in favor of Chicken Little. Chicken Little! Unlike some other cancelled flicks on this list, we actually have a lot of information on what could have been for My Peoples. The story was going to be about two families that didn't get along: the Harpers and McGees. Like something out of Romeo and Juliet as, their children, Elgin and Rose, fall in love. The story was set in Texas during the 1940s.
There was a big focus on dolls in the story, as Elgin liked to create dolls out of household items. The dolls end up coming to life after a mishap with a magic potion and the dolls help reunite Elgin and Rose as their families try to separate them.
Barry Cook, whose work has been involved in Disney hits like Mulan, had a ton so faith in My Peoples, which was his pitch. The film went through a ton of love and hard work before its cancellation. In an interview, Cook revealed that he partly blamed himself for the movie's cancellation and didn't feel bitter to those who struck the movie down.
"I feel like I can never take myself out of the equation of the movie not getting made," he said. "You can't say, 'Oh, these guys didn't know what they had!' It's just not true, because you have to take your part in the whole thing."
It's okay Cook, I'll be bitter for you.
4 Treasure Planet II
Another major pity! This film was cancelled when the original Treasure Planet did not do so well at the box office. It's gained a cult following since then though, so there are some broken hearts at what could've been. If Treasure Planet II was not cancelled, a TV show may have followed.
With how big steampunk has become in today's aesthetics and stories, Disney probably missed out in the long run by cancelling this gem.
Animated Views articles revealed that the story would've had Jim Hawkins attending a Royal Interstellar Academy. He would've had a love interest named Kate and Captain Amelia would've been the dean of the school. A new enemy named Ironbeard hijacks Ameila's new ship. Jim reunites with Long John Silver to take back Ameila's ship. The movie would've ended with them succeeding and Jim and Kate graduating from the academy.
The director for the cancelled movie was Jun Falkenstein, who was known for also directing Disney's The Tigger Movie. Besides Falkenstein, a lot of the same people from the original movie were there for the story, art, and voice acting. A lot of concept art for the cancelled film can be found for those who want a look.
3 The Search for Mickey Mouse
This film was meant to celebrate Mickey Mouse's 75th anniversary. Then I suppose in a way, he had a birthday cancelled? That's sort of sad.
The reason the movie was cancelled was due to a lack of ideas. Writers were just having trouble getting an interesting story down while integrating different Disney cameos.
As the title suggests, Mickey Mouse is missing and characters such as Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald, and Basil of Baker Street (from The Great Mouse Detective) go on a journey to find him. In their wide search, they meet tons of Disney characters such as Alice, Peter Pan, and Aladdin.
Well, it sounds like the project did have ideas. The reason of the cancellation doesn't really make aense once you read a plot synopsis. They shouldn't have been shy about going Kingdom Hearts on us with a Disney cameo explosion. People love Disney enough to just eat up cameos, good story or not.
I think the movie could've just been a collectable for Disney enthusiasts, but I can also see how that's not profitable. Though in light of it being a movie that's a 75 year celebration, maybe profit wouldn't matter so much? I'm sure any movie-maker would laugh at that thought.
2 Dumbo II
This sequel was going to be directed by Robert Ramirez, who was also known for directing DreamWorks'Joseph: King of Dreams. This surprised me, as many haven't seen that film since it pales in comparison to the Prince of Egypt.
Dumbo II would've taken place only one day after where we left off in the original film. I would've already had an issue with that since Dumbo is all the way back from the 1940s, so we probably could use a fresher start. The story has Dumbo, along with a bunch of other baby animals, getting separated from the circus.
Apparently, in the story, each baby animal would've symbolized a different part of childhood.
The idea sounds familiar but not at all overused. It's always pretty trendy to have characters symbolize different aspects of people such as different sins or the id, ego, and super-ego. Theorists love it!
I can see why it was cancelled, though a definite reason has not ever been released. There is speculation that it may have been cancelled due to John Lasseter becoming a CEO around the same time as the cancellation. Also Disney discontinued direct-to-DVD sequels in 2007.
1 Wild Life
The plan for this movie was to show a lot of 1970s American culture. As for plot, characters Red and Kitty-Glitter look for a new star for their Club Wild Life. They seem to fit the trope of high strung, competitive, and busy talent-seekers.
After finding a talking elephant named Ella from a zoo, Kitty-Glitter and Red find their new star. There is some odd plot point where Ella is electrocuted on stage by some loss wires and that turns her into a confident diva who achieves riches and fame. However Ella eventually wants to go back to her simple zoo life, which causes complications for Red and Kitty-Glitter.
Wild Life was going to be a more mature Disney film and that was partly why it was cancelled. Apparently it was so littered with adult humor, the vice chairman at the time, Roy Disney, was disgusted and wanted it to be shut down after viewing it in a 1999 presentation.
Well that certainly sets this one apart from the other cancellations, doesn't it? Honestly the plot sounds like it could even be in an episode of BoJack Horseman, especially if you consider the adult humor in the mix. The writers must have been embarrassed by this one.
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About The Author 
Allison Stalberg (375 Articles Published)
Writer, author of The Awei Series, and cat foster parent. Her favorite games include Dragon Age, Pokémon, Final Fantasy XIV, Team Ico games, Ōkami, and RPG maker horror games. She probably would be a Fairy/Ghost type Pokémon Trainer.
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Is Disney Going to Make Anymore Tinkerbell Movies
Source: https://www.thegamer.com/abandoned-disney-projects-cancelled/#:~:text=An%20interview%20with%20the%20Tinkerbell,it%20was%20being%20shut%20down.
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