The project is being reimagined as a Disney+ event series shepherded by Ronald D.

In a roundabout way, the filmmaker had gotten to work with famous Disney toys in big-budget confines, just not in the way he originally intended.Īfter years of radio silence, a massive development for Magic Kingdom finally emerged at the start of 2021.

In the years that followed, Favreau followed his penchant for visual effects wizardry to other Disney projects like The Mandalorian and The Lion King. Roughly six years after first being announced, this particular theme park ride movie was no closer to existing than when Favreau had initially signed on. In March 2014, Favreau reaffirmed his commitment to Magic Kingdom and even hoped The Jungle Book would be the project that helped get it off the ground after all these years.īy the time The Jungle Book hit theaters, there had been no further updates on Magic Kingdom, though Favreau maintained in a Collider interview that he had taken on this Disney remake to fine-tune the visual effects technology necessary to bring Magic Kingdom to life. It was a total contrast to Magic Kingdom, which now looked more like an aberration in Disney’s slate. This remake of the classic 1967 animated film was perfect for Disney’s new mandate to produce big-budget live-action blockbuster updates of classic cartoons. In November 2013, Magic Kingdom got another significant setback when Favreau signed on to direct another Walt Disney Pictures release, The Jungle Book. Disney was no longer looking to replicate the success of Pirates of the Caribbean, they wanted the next Avengersor Alice in Wonderland. What was an ideal fit for Disney’s approach to live-action features two years ago was now out of step. This was the first but also one of the most fatal stumbling blocks for Magic Kingdom. In that same piece, writer Drew Taylor noted that Disney had some hesitations about greenlighting any big-budget Walt Disney Pictures releases in the wake of the then-recent box office shortcomings of John Carter.

Magic kingdom disney