"Gigantic," Walt Disney Animation Studios' version of "Jack and the Beanstalk," may never see the light of day.
Disney has shelved the modern retelling of the classic "Jack and the Beanstalk" story. Ed Catmull, president of the animation studio, confirmed the cancellation of the animation project that was previously in development.
In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Catmull said, "It's impossible to know when we begin a project how the creative process will unfold, and sometimes, no matter how much we love an idea or how much heart goes into it, we find that it just isn't working.
With 'Gigantic' we've come to that point, and although it's a difficult decision, we are ending active development for now. We are focusing our energies on another project that has been in the works, which we'll be sharing more about soon, now set for Thanksgiving 2020."
"Gigantic" was initially slated to be shown in theaters on Nov. 25, 2020, two years later than its original release date in 2018.
The news about "Gigantic's" sad fate will undoubtedly come as disenchantment to fans of Disney, given that the project had a boatload of talent working on it. The modern retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk" would have gone with Jack forming a friendship with a female giant.
The animated movie was supposed to be co-directed by "Inside Out" writer Meg LeFauve with original music from Oscar-winning songwriting tandem Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez who wrote the original tunes for "Frozen."
Disney Animation Studios is considered as the benchmark for excellent animation ever since the studio released its first full-length animated film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 1937.
The studio quickly asserted its dominance in the genre of hand-drawn animation spanning into decades. With the rise of the computer and technology, Disney Animation quickly adapted to the times and strengthened their hold in the industry with their partnership and eventual acquisition of another animation studio, Pixar.
