Movie Ideas for Disney

 Once again, it's that time of year when Christmas draws near and the worldwide population commence their plans for celebration and shopping for gifts, ingredients for Christmas dinners and so forth. You might be thinking "what has that got to do with the main topic of this article and vice versa".

With Christmas around the corner, it's worth noting that Disney films have been broadcast on terrestrial television during the holiday season for years. I even briefly mentioned this when I celebrated Disney's 100th Anniversary.

So putting those things into consideration, and as I promised, I thought I'd give my thoughts and ideas on what films Disney could produce. I realised that the organisation has not experienced a brilliant year, financially. So consider this a little bit of help that I'd give to them. In no particular order, here are some ideas;

Fantasia 3(000?)

Since its release in 1940, Fantasia, which is probably the first film I ever watched (we did have it on VHS) and one of my personal favourites, has had a massive impact on generations of Disney fans. Fantasia is unique in the fact that its animated segments are combined with the classical music pieces played by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Considering the impact, it made sense that sixty years later, along came Fantasia 2000, which, much like its predecessor, also contained short cartoons combined with classical music - only one was based on a piece with elements of jazz music.

Should there be a third instalment of the beloved franchise, this one could not only include segments featuring classical tunes, but also segments featuring contrasting jazz tunes, i.e. Scott Joplin's The Entertainer, Dave Brubeck's Take Five and Herbie Hancock's Cantaloupe Island. Also, it would be ideal to include some progressive rock, avant-garde and/or ambient tunes, say, from Rick Wakeman and Brian Eno. I understand those guys have composed songs, but they've created instrumentals as well. Rick Wakeman in particular has composed pieces that are inspired by classical music.

One thing I also noticed in the two Fantasia movies; the first one featured Mickey Mouse in the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment, and while that was also featured in 2000 along with Mickey, 2000 additionally featured Donald Duck for the Pomp & Circumstance March segment. So while I think both characters ought to be brought back for a third film, Disney could bring in another one of their core universe characters - say, Goofy. I can imagine Goofy starring in a segment for The Entertainer and unicycling over a line of classic cars or something similar to the shorts he featured in where he participates in a sport or physical activity which due to his clumsiness leads to hilarious consequences.

Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow

This is the only video for the PC version I could find.

Now for those of you who don't know, Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow is a video game in which the titular duck detective visits a tropical island that is in danger of destruction when a mysterious spiritual idol goes missing. So he goes on a quest to recover it, fighting off ninja guards along the way. Maui Mallard in question is Donald Duck disguised as a ninja and the game sort of parodies Magnum PI.

Like most boys who are my age or close to it, my childhood involved playing video games. Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow was one of those games that I had on the PC. I've got very fond memories of this particular game and I remember how awesome the graphics were for a platform game and how atmospheric the music was. 

This video game could be the inspiration for a kung-fu action film, similar to Mulan.

Emperor Jimmu

For those of you who don't know, the Emperor Jimmu in question was the legendary first Japanese emperor who led a military expedition from Hyuga near the Seto Inland Sea.
Disney has produced a range of films set in non-western countries despite the fact that all the characters speak English. You've got Pinocchio which take places in Italy, The Jungle Book in India, The Aristocats, Beauty & The Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame in France, Coco in Mexico. 
This is one of the reasons why I think it would be awesome of Disney to maybe consider producing a film set in ancient Japan. I remembered that the company also collaborated with Studio Ghibli, hence the English dubs on Hayao Miyazaki's features. In addition, Japanese anime has been popular with young people, hence the obsessions many of my classmates were obsessed with Pokémon and other anime projects.
I believe that they could do something really clever and action-packed with this one.

A movie in which the monarch takes the lead role

In the many Disney movies based on royalty, the lead roles were usually taken by the prince and/or princess who got the most action. In the past, the princess character was often portrayed as the one needing rescue from the prince, not only in Disney, but in fairy tales in general. However, in recent years, female characters have become more prominent and given strong leads, such as Belle in Beauty & The Beast, Mulan in her titular movie, and Merida in Brave.
Despite this progress, kings and queens have yet to receive such treatment in Disney movies. It would be great to see a movie where the main focus is the monarch. Though princes and princesses are young and fit, monarchs are usually experienced veterans who have seen and lived through a lot, such as explosions, wars, and meteors. Despite their age, they may surprise us all.

Don Quixote

I have many pleasant memories of reading the book Don Quixote. The story follows a man who is a huge fan of chivalric stories, which inspire him to join the 17th-century military. The story would make a great film, especially since it features an under-ranked and under-represented member of the chivalry, who teams up with Sancho Panza, a farm labourer.

Disney originally planned to adapt Don Quixote during their Golden Age. However, it may have been due to financial difficulties that the company was facing at the time, making it difficult to produce. Nevertheless, I think now would be the perfect opportunity to see an animated epic based on this classic example of 17th-century Spanish literature.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Disney had considered adapting the famous story of the family of bears who find a human girl in their home. Some might think that Disney would downplay the film's audience with this idea, but the company had thought of unique narrative elements that could add something special to the story.
As we know, the premise of Goldilocks and the Three Bears is straightforward: The bear family (husband, wife, and child) goes out for a walk or picnic, leaving their house unattended. Meanwhile, Goldilocks stumbles upon their house and enters it. Inside, she finds three bowls of porridge, three chairs, and three beds, all in different sizes and formats. Goldilocks finds only the adolescent bear's possessions satisfactory and sleeps in his bed. 
When the bear family returns home, they find their porridge and chairs messed up. After that, they locate Goldilocks, and the ending differs depending on which version one reads.
What Disney could do with this adaptation is to start with Goldilocks being on an outing with her family. A fog could cause Goldilocks to get separated from her family, leading her to enter the bear's house. Then, the bears could be revealed as they arrive home. Initially, they are suspicious and uneasy about humans trespassing in their house, but they develop a more sympathetic persona. Meanwhile, Goldilocks' family searches for the girl, and her dad's a bounty hunter who's protective of his kids, which might lead to something dark.
Considering Tim Burton's track record, and including the films he made with/for Disney, he could direct this one.

The Hero from Otherwhere

I read on the Time website about this story, originally a Jay Williams novel, where two schoolboys end up stranded on another planet and the planet's leader wants them to defeat a wolf that's been terrorising the world. To me, that would sound interesting to revisit and for some reason, it reminds me of the Boy Who Cried Wolf, which Disney could use to blend some narrative elements in.

Monkey

The Monkey project was a plan by Pixar to create a film based on the novel Journey to the West, aka Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China, some years before Toy Story was released. However, the idea was abandoned due to its high budget. But, considering Pixar's success with commercially successful films since Toy Story, maybe they could reconsider Monkey as their next project. This film has the potential to attract a large audience, including Asian moviegoers, due to its Chinese culture. Moreover, kids would love to see the monkeys in an epic fantasy adventure, and many adults who fondly remember the TV show Monkey Magic could sense the nostalgic inspiration.

Monsters Inc 2: Lost in Scaradise

Regarding Pixar, some readers might disagree with my suggestion because there has already been a second film in the Monsters Inc. franchise called Monsters University. Furthermore, fans have expressed their frustration with Pixar's recent trend of producing sequels. Lastly, neither John Goodman nor Billy Crystal are getting any younger.

However, Monsters University is technically a prequel, and I was referring to a possible sequel. Pixar had once considered a sequel where Sulley and Mike revisit Boo, the little girl they had to return home, only to find that she has moved out, leaving them stranded in the human world.

I watched a review by the Nostalgia Critic titled "Sequels, We Do Want," where he talked about Monsters Inc. and wondered how the story would continue if Boo had grown up as a teenager or an adult. I thought he made an interesting point, especially considering how Monsters Inc. 1 ended.

The Nostalgia Critic also had interesting opinions on other films. As for my previous suggestion about Fantasia 3, that was also a recommendation made by the Nostalgia Critic.

Mistress Masham's Repose

Disney had a project in mind based on a novel by T. H. White titled Mistress Masham's Repose. The story is about a ten-year-old girl named Maria who becomes an orphan and lives with an abusive governess. The only people she considers her friends in this difficult time are the chef, a former professor, and some little people known as Lilliputians, who are similar to those from Gulliver's Travels. The story takes place after World War II in Northamptonshire, where I went to university.

A live-action film adaptation of this story could work well. It could be a mix between Honey I Shrunk The Kids, where the kids have to make a long journey across their front yard, and Gulliver's Travels, where the main character acts as a protective shield for their micro companions. Maria could protect the Lilliputians from the abusive Miss. Brown. For example, she could save them from being destroyed by Miss. Brown's lawnmower.

Moreover, adding a diesel-punk theme could make the movie even more interesting. Perhaps the Lilliputians could be given military gadgets such as tanks, helmets, heavily armoured guns, etc. Considering that the story takes place after World War II, Miss. Brown could act as a femme fatale towards her companion, Mr. Hater, who is a vicar. One thing to add; It might be a good idea to change his name to lower the exposition.

Fraidy Cat

Ron Clements and John Musker had plans to direct a movie about a cat with severe anxiety, which would have been in the style of Alfred Hitchcock's suspenseful films. However, the movie was rejected for unknown reasons. It's possible that the president thought it might be too scary for kids, given the style of the film.
I believe that many of Hitchcock's films are nowadays okay for children, as they are not as explicit or offensive as one might assume (with the possible exception of Psycho). Additionally, if the movie's rejection was due to the cat's anxiety, I find that reasoning questionable. Mental health issues, including anxiety, are becoming more common, even among children. For instance, the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the virus, have affected many people's mental health.
A few years ago, the movie Inside Out taught us that we cannot always control our emotions. Therefore, the movie Fraidy Cat could be relatable to many people, as we all experience anxiety in some form. Although humans have only one life, we might still understand and sympathize with the cat's feelings and experiences.

Haung

Okay, this is the last suggestion I have for Disney. They have adapted a lot of material into films, but they do have a portfolio of films adapted from original screenplays. This includes most of Pixar's films, Lilo and Stitch, Wreck-It-Ralph, Zootopia/Zootropolis, Moana and Strange World.

Once, I had a college assignment where we had to think of a rough idea for a film. Before I went with what I eventually submitted based on the guidelines, I was brainstorming ideas. One of them was an animated film that would have been inspired by the films from the Renaissance, such as The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and Beauty and The Beast. The story would have been set in Vietnam during the 10th century, sometime before the battle with China (who was ruling Vietnam at the time) at Bạch Đằng River which occurred in 938 AD. 

The plot would revolve around a Vietnamese soldier named Haung, who visits a man who's brewing a magic potion, similar to Getafix in the Asterix franchise, to fight against the authorities. Unfortunately, a meteor hits them, killing Haung's friend, and due to him accidentally tasting the unfinished potion, the main character grows into a giant strong monster similar to Chernabog from Fantasia, The Incredible Hulk, and King Kong. 

Much like a werewolf, he ends up wreaking havoc when something/someone annoys him. But he also falls in love with a female resident who's his age, and the two have a little bit of a romance while the village folk are hunting him down, due to a misunderstanding.

Of course, this is an original idea that I've come up with

So those are some suggestions for future projects that Disney could consider. They may already have ideas in the works, but given their recent struggles, it might be worth considering these ideas. It's difficult to predict how audiences will react, and some of the projects I mentioned had previously been abandoned. However, in some cases, it's never too late to revisit an idea. After all, Disney didn't give up even after a 20-year struggle to get Mary Poppins made, and it turned out to be a blockbuster. Both The Little Mermaid and Beauty & The Beast were originally planned in the 1930s, but the studio revisited them roughly five decades later and achieved great success. 

If someone from Disney is reading this, whether or not you decide to move forward with these ideas, I wish you all the best in the coming years. Thank you for reading, and if I don't post anything before then, Merry Christmas!