In 2015, Disney showed off a massive model of an animated film they were working on based of the classic childhood story, "Jack and the Beanstalk", called "Gigantic" at the D23 Expo. Shortly before this year's expo the film which was supposed to premiere in 2018 was pushed back until 2020. Now as of yesterday the film and ideas are being shelved.
It was an updated take on the classic fairytale in which Jack befriends a female giant. Meg Lefauve (Inside Out) and Nathan Greno (Tangled) were slated to co-direct the film. While Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Frozen) were slated to write songs for the film. Part of the reason the film was delayed from 2018 and 2020 was because Robert and Kristen were busy with writing the music for "Frozen 2" due out in 2019.
Disney & Pixar Animation President Ed Catmull had this to say in a statement:
"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."No details on the new project were not released but Disney fans can prepare for the next two films in animation in Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It-Ralph 2 due out on November 21, 2018 and the much anticipated sequel in Frozen 2 due out November 27, 2019.
Now what does this mean for the parks? Rumors had been swirling for months before this year's D23 Expo that Disney had plans to build a Spain Pavilion at Epcot with an attraction based on Gigantic. That rumor was pushed back once it was delayed until 2020. Now it could be in jeopardy with the film being shelved.
Of course Disney can build a Spain Pavilion without an attraction based on 'Gigantic' but it seemed they had high hopes for the film since they had an attraction already in the works before the film even hit theaters. Now the film has been cancelled and now only questions remain. One of those big questions is: Will Disney build a Spain Pavilion at Epcot now that 'Gigantic' is shelved or will it choose another country to debut on World Showcase?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
