GIGANTIC, Disney's Animated Take On Jack And The Beanstalk, Coming In 2018
I just received a press release from The Walt Disney Company officially announcing a new animated feature film called Gigantic, which is Disney's take on the classic story of Jack and the Beanstalk. John Lasseter introduced the film at the D23 Expo, but the press release includes a synopsis and a new photo from the movie, as well as a release date — well, a release year, anyway: Gigantic will arrive sometime in 2018.
Things are looking up at Walt Disney Animation Studios – way up. “Gigantic,” Disney’s unique take on “Jack and the Beanstalk,” will feature music from Oscar®-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who greeted D23 EXPO fans in signature style—in song—alongside director Nathan Greno (“Tangled”) and producer Dorothy McKim (“Get A Horse!”). Set in Spain during the Age of Exploration, Disney’s “Gigantic” follows adventure-seeker Jack as he discovers a world of giants hidden within the clouds. He hatches a grand plan with Inma, a 60-foot-tall, 11-year-old girl, and agrees to help her find her way home. But he doesn’t account for her super-sized personality—and who knew giants were so down to earth? “Gigantic” hits theaters in 2018.
The Jack and the Beanstalk story seems a little played out right now — we've seen it in live action in recent movies like Into The Woods and Jack and the Giant Killer — but Lasseter seems to want to create a definitive animated take on it, and the combination of Greno and McKim's talents and music from the duo behind Frozen, this could very well accomplish that goal.