MovieChat Forums > Frozen (2013) Discussion > What should Disney adapt?

What should Disney adapt?

posted 10 years ago by luigitornado
97 replies | jump to latest

What story would you like Disney to adapt? I know it has a very small chance-- zero probably, but I always wanted to see a Disney Legend of Zelda movie. I think Legend of Zelda animated movie was proposed to Nintendo a few years back and they declined, but it was from a lowly studio.

Disney could do the series justice. I know there are a few problems, such as deciding if the hero, Link, should be mute, but it's not like we haven't had mute heroes in animation. And when you consider that Link is almost always accompanied by a chatty sidekick...it could work.

As for Nintendo...I think it would only benefit them, so I don't see why they should not peruse such an endeavor, this isn't the 80's anymore...another Super Mario Bros. movie disaster (I love the movie anyway) won't happen.

What stories would you like to see adapted by Disney?

[–] emmzio 10 years ago

For my GCSE Media Studies coursework, I had to create a Disney-styled production and create characters, story, promotion etc for my own Disney film. My story was adapted around The Princess and the Pea, but held very little resemblance to the short original fairy tale. Although my production did not need development, I achieved an A+ for it.

The Princess and the Pea has a lot of potential, I think.

[–] krissyLJ 10 years ago

That sounds very interesting, Emma.

Is there any chance that you might be able to share some material from that project publicly? Honestly, I'd really enjoy seeing it, given him much I enjoy your fan fiction.

But if you'd rather keep it private, I understand.

[–] emmzio 10 years ago

I don't really have much material to share at all -- a lot of it was made up of researching existing Disney films. However, I can give you the premise:

My princess's name was Lily, (I thought about changing this name several times, I'm still not sure about it now)and she lived in a kingdom with her mother and father (King and Queen) and her younger sister -- who I never gave a name.

The villain - Katara - had very stereotypical aims. Simply, her and her group of mercenaries wanted to rule the kingdom. Katara is an ancient evil warrior whose spirit inhabited an old tree. She looks human, but her skin is dry and wooden, and her hair is grey. She also wears a considerable amount of makeup -- like Ursula.

At the beginning of the film, the kingdom is invaded by Katara and set alight. Lily desperately tries to escape with her family but can only mangage to save her younger sister (who is 4 years old).

After escaping, Lily heads off into the woods with her younger sister. Hearing of her parents demise, and the whole kingdom believing Lily and her sister dead too, the sisters have no choice but to thrive in the woods for survival.

I wanted to Lily to come across as a mother figure, something no princess has been before. Even though this fairytale originates from Sweden (And carries some swedish traditions) Lily is a brunette and wears purple and green rags with a beaded sash around her waist and an anklet.

Her dress would look something like this:

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/26/be/d9/26bed95ebe1fd8cb9a023f 2e18065783.jpg

But ripped to just below the knee and a light purple and faded green.

The lack of princesses with brown hair inspired this. Her sister is a dark blonde, and wears a knee length white dress with buttons up the front and a peter pan collar.

They build a tree house by a stream and manage to live there for two years.

Two years later, a Prince wanders through the woods with his magical companion, Peasly, who you can guess, is the pea of the story. Except he's not a pea, he's fist-sized emerald with huge green eyes and little round wings. He was given to the Prince - Felix - when he was born. His father promised him a lifelong friend of consistent power and love, and he recieved the mute Peasly. Felix is a dark blonde and wears a deep blue tunic (similar to Flynn.)He has ice blue eyes.

He orders Lily to help him back to his kingdom after he was sent to travel to marry another princess. Lily agrees after he steals her treasured locket and won't give it back. Her and her younger sister set off with him.

I'll admit, its a roadtrip sort of story, but it ends with Felix and Lily going back to Lily's kingdom to reclaim the throne, and saving everyone in it.

Like I said, not much development. I had an idea that Lily would be the one to destroy Katara, and her wounds are healed by Peasly because of her purity of heart. Peasly would then become the gem in Lily and Felix's engagement ring. I think the meeting between them would certainly be a Jane/Tarzan sort of scenario. Its more of a traditional sounding Disney film.

What do you think?

[–] SweetAspartame 10 years ago

I like it a lot, Emma. Very imaginative.

-I like the name Lily for a princess, probably because I consider "Lillian" to be just about the most beautiful name there is. Lily of the Valley

-did you have the idea of how (or if) the most iconic aspect of the fairy tale, the princess sleeping on many mattresses yet unsettled by the presence of the pea deep underneath, would find its way into your narrative? I've always enjoyed that element

-I find it intriguing that your villain has associations with an old tree. It feels Druidic. And that she would be tree-like in origin yet burn Lily's kingom...that's unsettling. It's as if the villain is violating her own existence.

-I love the idea of the sisters being forced to live in the woods and the older sister coming across as a "mother figure" to the younger one, which, as you point out, is an unexplored idea. Plus, lonely woodland settings also seem rich and fascinating and intrinsically visual

-"a tree house by a stream" -- it has a bit of a dream-like feeling, like the kind of place to which a child might think of running, when he/she muses about running away from home

-turning the titular "pea" of the story into an animated sidekick -- clever, very clever

-interesting that the prince, in this case, coerces the princess to help him; it's a marvellous inversion of Tangled, where it's the other way around

-I can see an arc where the prince doesn't begin entirely sympathetic but becomes so by the end of the film

-I'm all for Lily being the one to destroy Katara, but I've love to see the prince involved in it too. One thing I like about both Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid is that the films give the princes something heroic to do at the end.

-and the idea of the pea as the gem in the engagement ring -- very cute

I like it, Emma. If nothing else, you might consider writing it up as a short story or novella.

It's remarkably different from the original story, but I like it a lot.

[–] emmzio 10 years ago

did you have the idea of how (or if) the most iconic aspect of the fairy tale, the princess sleeping on many mattresses yet unsettled by the presence of the pea deep underneath, would find its way into your narrative? I've always enjoyed that element

Yes, I imagined there to be occasional hints at the original story throughout.

Peasly's character would constantly wake up other characters and nestle uncomfortably into character's beds throughout the narrative. Felix would make some comments about this.

Felix is encouraged to marry - like the fairytale - but cannot find the right girl. Similar to Eric, I suppose.

Approaching the end, Lily will try and convince Felix that she was once a princess - similar to the original fairy tale - but her identity will be revealed in a different way rather than sleeping on the matresses.

Either Lily - or her younger sister, depending on audience attachment - will be revived after being wounded in the final battle. Peasly is the healing element in the story, but his purity only works in the sunlight. In Lily's kingdom, the people stacked matresses and pieces of furniture up against the castle gates to prevent Katara's reinforcements from arriving. The battle ended at sunrise, and the shadows from the castle walls is preventing sunlight getting to Peasly so he can heal Lily/her sister in the courtyard. Felix would then proceed to carry them up - up the stacks of matresses to the very top matress, where the sunrise's light is creating a golden glow. He would lay them down and Peasly would heal Lily/sister in a magnificent sequence.

That's how I believe parts of the original story would slot in nicely.

[–] sarahb2 10 years ago

Emma, if you're considering developing this story, you should remove it from this message board. Anyone can read your story and steal the idea, and develop it themselves. Even Disney could do it, and not compensate you. Just a thought!

[–] emmzio 10 years ago

That's a good point, thank you!

[–] aqua02beat 10 years ago

Thumbelina, the princess and the pea

[–] JayZeeNoJayZed 10 years ago

I too would love to hear more about your ideas for a Princess and the Pea adaptation, Emma, if you feel comfortable sharing it.

It's a great fairy-tale, and I'd love to know how you consider an adaptation could go.

[–] RogerSmithAD 10 years ago

In terms of fairytales, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Princess and the Pea, Rumpelstiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel & Gretel come to mind.

I would personally love a good Jack and the Beanstalk version from Disney. And I think that will be next anyway (Giants). The story has a princess so...... Ka-Ching.

[–] karsten_nord 10 years ago

Rumplestiltskin and a related tale called "The Three Spinners."

[–] sarahb2 10 years ago

One of my favorite childhood books, "The King with Six Friends":
http://www.amazon.com/The-King-Six-Friends-Williams/dp/0819303429

It's about a young king who is forced out of his kingdom and goes out into the world, picks up six eccentric friends with different powers, and with their help passes a series of tests and regains his kingdom.

It's an awesome story, and I think would make a wonderful movie.

[–] superjedijetboy 10 years ago

Goldilocks and the three bears could be a fun one. Make Golilocks sort of Alice in Wonderland-ish, and she and the three bears go on some woodsy adventure after they clear up the initial 'misunderstanding'.

[–] peterpanlovesitalianbeef 10 years ago

I'd like to see a Hispanic Disney princess, really Disney has a variety of options on what they could do with one. Perhaps they could do a Mayan princess?

Take a look at this article, 5 Stories That Would Make for a New Latina Princess:

http://www.latina.com/entertainment/book-club/stories-would-make-new-l atina-princess#axzz2mCKQrY00

I quite like Rosha and the Sun, a story that focuses on a brother and sister. Personally I like how Merida and Elsa don't have a prince, so it'll be great to add another single character to the lineup.

[–] GussVanZandt 10 years ago

Elsewhere, I mentioned that I'd love to see Disney do "The Prisoner of Zenda," which is a classic novel and a great 1937 live-action film.

It's a rousing, swashbuckling adventure story but has definite fairy-tale qualities. Great for boys and girls.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] Musikalelsker 10 years ago

I love the Nutcracker! But I don't think they're going to do it because they've kinda already done it in one of their christmas specials.

[–] impeachmybush 10 years ago

I'd honestly love to see Disney adapt a Hispanic princess through the Mexican novel 'Like Water for Chocolate'. Take out the sexual parts of the book and you have a very creative Cinderella story about a young woman doomed to be her mother's caretaker all her life, but with the ability to infuse her emotion in her food she is able to break free.

It's just a really beautiful story and could be so perfectly adapted by Disney for a children's movie with a hispanic heroine.

I am better than you

[–] peterpanlovesitalianbeef 10 years ago

Infuse her emotion in her food? What does that mean?

[–] Agbnsd 10 years ago

it means when she's cooking she cries and lets her tears fall into her food. Salty!

[–] impeachmybush 10 years ago

Well, for example she is not allowed to marry because of her duty to her mother. The man she loves marries her sister as a way to stay close to her and on their wedding, she is so full of sorrow that the emotion is infused in her food, so everyone who eats it begins to cry and feel sorrowful.

I am better than you

[–] president-bush-2004 10 years ago

Is "Swan Lake" off limits because that Swan Princess franchise is apparently still reproducing? It got a Christmas special in 2012 and is pushing out a fifth film in 2014...

I just want a Tsarist Russia era Disney Princess film because that architecture

chamomile tea with soy milk please. and i'll need more stevia.