Disney Shelves JACK AND THE BEANSTALK Adaptation featuring Music from Lopez Song-Writing Team

Variety reports that Walt Disney Animation Studios has ceased development on GIGANTIC, a big screen adaptation of the classic fairytale "Jack and the Beanstalk" set to hit theaters on Nov. 25, 2020. The project was to feature original music from the Oscar-winning songwriting team of Robert LOPEZ and Kristen-Anderson Lopez.

In a statement, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios president Ed Catmull explained, "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."

Set in Spain during the the Age of Exploration, the story was to center on "Jack as he discovers a world of giants hidden within clouds and befriends a 60-foot female giant." The project, first announced at the 2015 D23 Expo, was to be directed by TANGLED's Nathan Greno. At the event, the FROZEN songwriters even performed one of the songs from the film.

In positive news, the site reports that the project has not been permanently scrapped by the studio.

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