20 Years Ago Disney Almost Made an Animated DUMBO Sequel With a Ridiculous Story

Disney’s animated classic 1941 film Dumbo is among the studio’s most beloved. It’s only the fourth film in the company’s catalogue, and its big-eared protagonist is still a popular Disneyland ride, with the film boasting a song, “Baby Mine,” that continues to be counted as one of the greatest.

While we did get to see a live-action adaptation of the movie in 2019, helmed by Tim Burton, this wasn’t the first time Disney had decided to revisit the franchise.

According to the MsMojo YouTube channel, Disney announced plans for an animated sequel in 2001, four decades after the original film. There was even a trailer released for the film, with animators promising that the sequel would have the “same flavor” as Dumbo.

According to Screen Rant, the sequel would reportedly have focused on Dumbo and his friends getting lost in New York City and being forced to find their way home all while navigating the hustle and bustle of the big city. However, viewers never got to see this sequel. In 2006, the idea was officially scrapped by Disney after John Lasseter was named CEO of Walt Disney Animation Studios. At the time, Lasseter decided it would be wise to cancel all coming sequels and start fresh.

Now, plenty of children’s movies have ended up in New York. Fievel Mousekewitz lands there in An American Tale, you’ve got Kevin from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and there’s Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco, which takes on a different bustling city. There’s even Babe: Pig in the City, which doesn’t specify the city, it only lets you know he’s in one. But it would be extremely hard to believe that Dumbo, an elephant, and his friends would be lost in New York for even a couple of hours without being captured, much less noticed and cornered. I don’t think this would have been a success, and while Burton’s adaptation didn’t have great reviews, it was beautiful to look at, and in my opinion, was a fun watch.

via: CheatSheet