Sometimes, despite an initial creative vision or promising team, Disney movies get shelved indefinitely or scrapped altogether. Despite the studio’s consistent releases, especially since the 90s, you might be surprised to learn Disney has quite a few projects left behind.
Here’s a look back at all of the projects that were either put on permanent hiatus or cancelled during the 1940s. In the future, it’s always possible one of these will end up in theaters!
Note: the dates listed next to each title are the dates of project cancellations. None of the films in this era have specific reasons for project cancellations, so only the plot summaries (when known) are noted below.
- Chanticleer (1941) – In this original story, a rooster believes that he makes the run rise with his crowds in the morning.
- The Hound of Florence / Inspector Bones (1941) – Based on the novel of the same name by Felix Salten. This story follows a detective who turns into a dog, and must face off against “The Mad Dog of London”, an evil professor.
- The Blue Orchid (1942) – Based on Venezuelan folklore, this film would follow animals and spirits in the rainforest.
- The Lady With The Rad Pomom (1942) – This film, also set in South America, would follow two birds fighting over the lady with the Rad Pomom.
- Lima Story (1942) – In continuing the South American storytelling, this animation would follow an adventurer exploring Lake Titicaca.
- The Near-Sighted Overbird (1942) – In a Disney version of the Mr. Magoo trope, this story follows a near-sighted man getting into mishaps.
- The Ostrich Who Laid the Golden Egg (1942) – Not much is known about the plot of this animation, except that it would answer the question, “Where did you come from?”
- Ajax the Stool Pigeon / Roland XIII (1943) – The story of a bird serving as a military carrier pigeon, despite his overwhelming fear of heights.
- The Gremlins (1943) – Based on the story of the same name by Roald Dahl. The titular gremlins have a bad habit of wrecking airplanes, causing chaos for neighboring humans.
- The Little People (1946) – While we don’t know much about the plot of this film, we do know it was one of the earliest attempts to combine animation and live action into one feature film.
- Currier and Ives (1949) – This film also would have mixed live action and animation, but production costs early in the development of the project meant the film was scrapped altogether.
- Hiawatha (1949) – This animation would explore the journey of Hiawatha, a follower of the Great Peacemaker of the Iroquois.
This list does not include sequels or remakes of previous Disney films. For an even more comprehensive list, including animated short films, check out the Wikipedia page here.
Previous editions of this roundup:
Stay tuned for one final edition!