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 1970s. 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.
- Scruffy (1973) – Based on the novel of the same name by Paul Gallico. The story follows Scruffy, leader of the apes of Gibraltar, who are being threatened by Nazi invasion during World War II. Development for this project came at the same time as The Rescuers, and Disney decided to green light that film instead.
- The Hero From Otherwhere (1976) – Based on the book of the same name by Jay Williams. This film would be a combo of animation and live-action, following two boys magically transported to a foreign planet and tasked with saving it. The project never went past the concept phase, and its timing in the middle of Disney’s “dark age” meant it was never going to get produced.
- Spacecraft One (1976) – Another space story! This film would have followed a mile-long spaceship looking for life beyond Earth. Again, its development during a down-period for the studio pretty much guaranteed it stayed grounded.
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 further editions with earlier decades!