In Between ‘The Princess and the Frog’ and ‘Moana,’ 2 Disney Filmmakers Tried to Adapt Fantasy Novel About Death
Walt Disney Studios is easily one of the most iconic companies in the world, responsible for many of the most-beloved movies of all time. From animated classics to live-action reboots and original streaming shows, Disney always remains on the cutting edge of filmmaking innovation. While the company has consistently produced films that fans want to see, over the years, a few projects have ended up on the cutting room floor. One of these is Mort, an animated production with an impressive pedigree. While Mort died early on in the production process, fans still wonder what might have happened if the eerie flick would have made it to the big screen.
John Musker and Ron Clements are Disney legends
Many filmmakers associated with Disney work with the studio on an ongoing basis, writing and producing several successful films. John Musker and Ron Clements are good examples of this, two talented creators who have worked together on some of Disney’s biggest hits. The duo worked together to direct hits such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and The Princess and the Frog.
As reported by SlashFilm, Musker and Clements are pros at animation, with more than 40 years of experience working on major animated films with large budgets. In fact, most credit their 1989 Disney film The Little Mermaid with saving the studio from financial ruin and ushering in a new era of prosperity for Walt Disney Studios. After the two worked on the 2009 success The Princess and the Frog, Musker and Clements were ready to tackle a new project — and they set their sights on an eerie film idea that would ultimately never make it to the big screen.
What happened to the canceled movie ‘Mort’?
According to a video on the MsMojo YouTube channel, Walt Disney Studios planned to make a brand-new animated feature called Mort after the success of The Princess and the Frog. The movie, planned for release in 2011, was based on a story by Terry Pratchett and would follow the adventures of a young boy named Mort, who works as the apprentice of Death himself.
While the story promised lots of thrills and eerie surprises, in the same vein as classics like The Nightmare Before Christmas, it ultimately never got off the ground. As reported by Collider, the company quickly realized that in order to make Mort, they would have to purchase the rights to Pratchett’s entire Discworld series.
Disney determined that it would be much too expensive of an endeavor, especially since they had no way of knowing whether Mort would be a hit with fans. But it worked out for the best. Musker and Clements quickly went to work producing Moana — a film that would become a major success for Disney.
Disney has scrapped many major movies over the years
Mort is far from the only movie that Disney canceled unceremoniously. In 2015, the studio revealed plans to make a movie called Gigantic, which would serve as a retelling of the Jack and the Beanstalk story. As reported by Screen Rant, the movie made it well into its development phase before it stalled out and eventually canceled due to creative delays.
Newt was announced in 2008, a film that focuses on the last two newts living on earth who are forced together to help save their species. The flick was canceled in 2010, reportedly due to Disney deciding that there wasn’t enough to work with in terms of a storyline.
