While we’ve been gifted with more than 100 Disney movies over the past couple of years, there are still a few fan favourites which never saw the light of the day. The thing about Disney is that animated movies usually require a huge budget. And hence, only the promising concepts or stories are produced by them. It’s sort of sad that these movies never made it to the theatres or were dropped half way even though a lot of them had the potential of bringing in huge numbers or hits to the box office. Here are some of the movies that you would have seen if they hadn’t been shelved by the creators:

1.  The Seven Dwarfs

Via thecricketgallery.com

We’ve all seen the story of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs on screen multiple times or are at least familiar with the books associated with it. Plans had been made by Disney Toon Studious for a spin-off of this famous children’s story book which would have mainly focused on the individual stories of the dwarves along with the story of Snow White, her father and the Evil Queen.

However, the movie was cancelled halfway through production because one of the plot lines of the movie regarding Dopey losing his voice having seen the death of his mother seemed way too dark for children to comprehend. Hence, it was shelved right away.

2.  Dumbo II

Via nerdist.com

Having been one of the fan favourites due to the first movie, Dumbo II was shelved even though there were plans of making it right after the release of its first film. The plot line of the second film revolved around the story of animals of different ages who were separated and lost in New York and were in hopes of finding their way back to their families.

The sequel was supposed to be released by 2001 but the production was on hold for several years and it was finally cancelled when the position of the CEO of Walt Disney Animation Studios was filled by John Lasseter in 2006.

3.  Newt

Via fandom.com

Quite similar to the storyline of Rio (2011), Newt was based on the story of two blue footed newts who weren’t very fond of each other and were forced by scientists due to being the last of their species.

This was also scheduled to release in 2011 but was supposedly dropped due to the newer projects that Disney was working on. Many also thought that it might have been shelved due to the similarities in the plotlines it had with Rio.

4.  The Rainbow Road to Oz

Via d23.com

After making two hit films (Oz the Great and Powerful, Return to Oz) from books written by L. Frank Baum, Walt Disney was set to create a 3rd film that was centered on the story of the princess and the mousekeeters. Annette Funicello was also supposed to be casted for the role of the princess and Walt had acquired the rights to more 11 Oz books to make them into movies.

Nonetheless, filming was halted and only a preview was released for the audiences. Walt was also busy creating Sleeping Beauty at that time and many assumed that it was because of it that he had not completed the film.

5.  The Prince and the Pig

Via deviantart

The movie was supposed to be built upon the adventures encountered by a prince and his pig, who were off on their mission to steal the moon. The project seemed very promising to Disney and they even offered a whopping six-figured cheque to Rian Johnson, who is the writer of the story.

However, the makers changed their mind afterwards and shelved it.

6.  Hiawatha

Via disneyfilmproject.com

Among all the other works of literature that intrigued Walt Disney, Hiawatha was one of them. Written by one of the most famous poets of that time, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Walt had nearly created the film but it was cancelled because the creators assumed the movie would be far too serious for audiences. Not to mention, the failure of Fantasia had an effect on this decision as the makers did not want to risk it with a highbrow project.

7.  Gigantic

Via medium.com

The animated musical was derived from the children’s story book ‘Jack And The Beanstalk,’ where Jack would stumble upon the home of giants and form a pact with one of the giant’s to protect the human world from the wrath of Storm Giants.

Music composers from the movie Frozen were also supposed to be a part of this film until it got shelved by Disney who claimed that the film wasn’t quite ‘working out’ for them.

8.  King of the Elves

Via fandom.com

It’s surprising how King of the Elves never saw the face of a theatre after having rescheduled the release of Frozen from 2012 to 2013. The story had great potential and it based on the dangerous journey of a man who was made the King after saving a group of elves.

The makers halted productions midway because of some issues with the plotlines and afterwards, the director got busy with other films. Later, it was never made.

How many of these shelved potential movies had you heard of previously? Which ones would you like to see in the theatres soon? Don’t forget to let us know!