Top 10 Disney Movies That Almost Didn't Get Made
It’s not always sunshine and rainbows at the House of Mouse. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Instances of Behind-the-Scenes Drama from the Making of Disney Movies.
For this list, we're looking at Disney productions that faced insane hurdles before getting to the big screen. We’ll be including films that suffered from their issues and those that rose above their circumstances to become classics.
#10: Difficult Source Material & War
“Bambi” (1942)
There was a time when making “Bambi” seemed like more trouble than it was worth. A small team of animators had to figure out how to adapt the darker tone of “Bambi’s” source material into a kid’s movie. Designing and animating realistic deer also proved difficult. But after adding lighthearted characters like Thumper and extensively studying animals, the movie was ready to hit theaters in August 1942. Unfortunately, this was right in the middle of World War II. The world’s focus on the war was likely what caused “Bambi” to disappoint at the box office. Although “Bambi” didn’t thrive in 1942, a series of re-releases turned it into a beloved and successful film.
#9: Bad, Bad Marketing
“John Carter” (2012)
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After directing “Finding Nemo” and “Wall-E”, Andrew Stanton was given virtually limitless creative control over “John Carter of Mars”... and its marketing. Stanton started by dropping “of Mars” from the title because he thought this wouldn’t appeal to a wide audience. Then when it came time to cut a trailer, a number of special effects weren’t finished. After arguing with the marketing team about which scenes could be used, a teaser was finally released. But its slow-pace and somber tone failed to get audiences excited. When Stanton cut an action-centric teaser, it came off as generic and didn’t say enough about John Carter himself. Unimpressed by the story or lead character, audiences largely decided to skip “John Carter” altogether.
#8: Major Story Changes During Production
“The Good Dinosaur” (2015)
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Pixar's excellent box office streak was broken by “The Good Dinosaur”. The movie was originally supposed to come out in 2013 with Bob Peterson as a director. When executives felt the story was too crowded and confusing, Peterson was replaced with Peter Sohn. Sohn and his team simplified the story by cutting storylines and most of the characters. However, this meant that a lot of the voice acting recordings were now unusable. Disney pushed back “Good Dinosaur’s” release date to allow for the casting and story changes. But the alterations weren’t enough to make it a hit with Pixar’s fanbase. As of 2019, “Good Dinosaur” is Pixar’s lowest grossing film.
#7: Financial Pressure & a Strike
“Dumbo” (1941)
When “Dumbo” went into production, Disney was in a rough spot. Since their last two films had initially lost money, they needed “Dumbo” to soar at the box office while flying under budget. Animators were encouraged to use cost-saving techniques and to make the film shorter than usual. The production was chugging along smoothly until animators went on strike in 1941. Eventually though, the team returned to finish up the film. But when “Dumbo” was submitted for distribution, Disney received complaints that the film was too short. Despite initial resistance, the 64-minute film made it to theaters and became a big financial success. In the end, Disney’s big gamble on a little elephant really paid off.
#6: Losing a Lot of Animators
“The Fox and the Hound” (1981)
Legendary animator Don Bluth worked for Disney on and off since the 1950s. But he decided to leave the company permanently during the production of “The Fox and the Hound”. Shortly after Bluth’s - as well as Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy’s - resignation in 1979, thirteen other animators decided to follow in his footsteps. Disney was left with no choice but to delay the film until the next year to accommodate the new staff. Fortunately for the company, the animators who stepped up included future legends Brad Bird, Tim Burton and so many more. They were not only able to rescue “The Fox and the Hound”, but also go on to shine at Disney with their individual projects.
#5: Lack of Faith & an Earthquake
“The Lion King” (1994)
This may be hard to believe, but not everyone had faith in “The Lion King” from the beginning. “The Lion King” went into development around the same time as “Pocahontas.” Since most veteran Disney animators wanted to work on the more mature “Pocahontas”, a less experienced staff had to bring Simba and friends to life. The underdog “Lion King” team faced another huge hurdle when LA was hit by 6.7 earthquake right as production was wrapping up. Despite the fact that some animators were physically unable to get to work, the team pulled together and met their deadlines. Upon “The Lion King’s” release, the underdog film that beat an earthquake instantly became a cinematic classic.
#4: Controversial Resignations
“Toy Story 4” (2019)
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While the entirety of “Toy Story 2” was nearly lost due to a server error, the issues that plagued “Toy Story 4” went beyond the editing room. In 2017, Pixar President John Lasseter took a leave of absence amidst allegations of workplace sexual harassment. Around the same time, “Toy Story 4” co-writers Rashida Jones and Will McCormack left the project. Although it was initially believed they left due to Lasseter’s behavior, the duo later said they stepped away because of creative differences and the company’s lack of diverse and female creatives. Despite the fact that “Toy Story 4” became a billion dollar smash, it was clear that Pixar still had serious issues it needed to resolve.
#3: A Demanding Author
“Mary Poppins” (1964)
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It took over twenty years before Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers let Disney adapt her book. Even after making a deal with the company, she still proved challenging to the production. Travers negotiated for the right to look at the working script. She openly criticized the music, tone and cast of the film while saying “no, no, no” to anything she didn't like. Travers’ working relationship with the company got so bad that Walt Disney didn’t invite her to the premiere. When she managed to get into the “Mary Poppins” premiere anyway, she reportedly cried and demanded further changes. Although 2013’s “Saving Mr. Banks” does a great job at summarizing the relationship between Travers and Disney, the truth remains stranger than fiction.
#2: Chaos in the Editing Room & Delays
“The Black Cauldron” (1985)
Over the course of its long production timeline, Disney’s first PG rated animated film became the most expensive animated film made at the time. The risky rating and ballooning budget meant a lot was riding on “The Black Cauldron’s” success. But the first test screening was a disaster. Studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg ordered the animators to make major cuts before the intended Christmas 1984 release. When they hesitated, Katzenberg went into the editing room and started removing scenes himself. After pushing “Black Cauldron’s” release date back and removing more than ten minutes of footage, the film debuted in July 1985. In an ironic twist of fate, it was criticized for plot holes before it became a massive box office failure.
Before we produce our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
The Story, Characters & Lead Actress Were Changed
“Bolt” (2008)
Production Stopped Because it Was Over Budget
“The Lone Ranger” (2013)
Extensive Reshoots
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)
Controversial Tweets Get James Gunn Fired
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (TBA)
Too Expensive at Release
“Sleeping Beauty” (1959)
#1: Missing Deadlines, Rewritten Scripts & Deleted Content
“The Emperor's New Groove” (2000)
“The Emperor's New Groove” was originally a musical called “Kingdom of the Sun”. With music by Sting, voice talent from Owen Wilson and directing by Roger Allers of “Lion King” fame, it seemed poised to become a hit. But executives and test audiences didn’t like the film’s plot or characters. When Allers’ request to work on it for six more months to a year was denied, he quit. His co-director and now replacement Mark Dindal helped cut characters, removed most of Sting’s songs and made the film more comedic. Since these changes caused further delays, Disney rushed “Dinosaur” into theaters to cover The Emperor’s New Groove’s planned release date. Although The Emperor’s New Groove’s didn’t achieve box office success, its status as a cult favorite made the behind-the-scenes drama worth it.
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