History WhatCouldHaveBeen / Disneyandpixar

** During the production of ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaidIIIArielsBeginning Ariel's Beginning]]'', there was leaked storyboard material where Ariel and Sebastian were discussing/debating about Eric's recent behavior, Eric walks in and says, "is someone feeling [[{{Pun}} really crabby]]?", and then Ariel glares at him. It's not known if this was cut or intended for another film.

* ''WhatCouldHaveBeen/Aladdin''

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'':
** The 2004 DVD mentions various previous ideas, including Aladdin's mother and gang of friends[[note]]They were reused in the TV series as villains and Abu's abusive former owners and two of them eventually turned good.[[/note]] being prominent characters, Iago being a calm British-like sidekick to a wacky Jafar, and the protagonist's design inspiration being changed from Creator/MichaelJFox to ''Film/TopGun''-era Creator/TomCruise. Additionally, most of the dropped characters were each going to have their own musical number, including a TearJerker for Aladdin's mom, and Jafar's VillainSong went through about five different iterations before finally arriving onscreen as a DarkReprise of "Prince Ali".
** The Peddler who introduces the story in the beginning was originally meant to have been revealed as the Genie disguised as a human the whole time in the end. There are hints of this during his scene: he has four fingers much like the Genie, wears a shirt colored blue like the Genie, and both are voiced by Creator/RobinWilliams. This was cut because Disney felt it dragged the ending on for too long, though [[WordOfGod the directors]] would go on to state that the Peddler was indeed the Genie the whole time. [[spoiler:The idea of the Genie being the narrator of the story as a human would be utilized in the [[Film/Aladdin2019 2019 live-action remake]].]]
** In the Cave of Wonders, there was supposed to have been an extended version of the lamp grabbing scene. In it, Aladdin would have approached the lamp and, before he would grab it, would look up and see images of others, including the poor sap in the beginning, who attempted to take the lamp and were killed. As it turned out, the lamp Aladdin was going for was a fake and, by stepping away from it granted him access to the real one.
** Originally, Aladdin was supposed to use his second wish in order to get through a DeathCourse designed to test Jasmine's suitors. The production team eagerly approached the idea of scripting and animating a fabulously elaborate action sequence but couldn't get the idea to work in practice, and ended up going for the much simpler solution of Aladdin being jumped by {{Mooks}} and then having to use the second wish to save his life. However, a concept similar to the deleted second wish was later used in the Broadway adaptation of ''Theatre/TheLittleMermaid''.
** Aladdin was originally fully aware that Jasmine was the princess when he first met her. It was changed because the production team believed that it implied Aladdin fell in love with her because of her money and power, not because he genuinely cared about her.
** Jasmine was going to be a spoiled brat who wanted to marry the richest of all the princes--[[LoveRedeems only becoming a sweet girl who learns humility after falling in love with Aladdin.]] An IAmSong was even written for the spoiled version of Jasmine, titled "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPd0Ydj_auM Call Me a Princess]]". The production team dropped this personality because they didn't think audiences would like her very much.
** Related to both the above, in the earliest version, Jasmine wasn't even the love interest! One of the members of Aladdin's gang was a tomboy named Abbi, and Aladdin would eventually realise it was her he truly loved.
** When Jafar wished to rule Agrabah, the original idea was for some [[BuffySpeak timey-stuff]] to happen, so everything was as if he'd always been the sultan, everyone's memories had been altered, and Aladdin, Abu, and the Carpet were only unchanged because Carpet wrapped around them and protected them from the magic wave. That was deemed to be ''way'' too confusing, and was scrapped as well (although the Animated Series did delve into a similar concept in one episode involving Jasmine and Sadira).
** In the earliest scripts, much like the original story, there were ''two'' genies, one occupying the lamp, and one a ring, and Genie himself could grant an infinite number of wishes.
** Jasmine was originally supposed to be a little bit more active. At one point, she was supposed to confront the Sultan and angrily declare "We have to talk.", but the animators nixed it because that would mean designing an entirely ''new'' room for that talk and were forced to fall back on showing Jasmine crying instead (which made them cringe). As well, when Jasmine was trapped in the hourglass, she was supposed to use the jewel in her headpiece to cut herself free, but this was changed to a last-minute rescue by Aladdin.
** Jasmine's original reason for fleeing the palace was because she had figured her father was NotHimself, and was seeking help. Instead it became IJustWantToBeFree.
** At one point during production of the movie there was supposed to be a scene where Jafar was to quiz the Genie on the animals during the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEryAoLfnAA Prince Ali]] scene, finding out that the Genie had turned Abu into an elephant. The final version of the movie doesn't have him find out until right before he sends Aladdin, Abu & the Carpet to the arctic.
** Originally, the filmmakers wanted an African-American actor to voice the Genie, with the song "Friend Like Me" originally taking cues from Cab Calloway and Fats Waller as heard in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guCLBENRvAs this demo recording]]. Disney felt uncomfortable with the implication of a black actor voicing a character who was practically a slave, so they insisted that a white actor be cast. Ironically enough, both the Broadway musical and the [[Film/Aladdin2019 live-action remake]] would have the Genie played by black actors.
** The third movie, ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves'', was originally going to be somewhat closer to the series and possibly involve Mozenrath, but they 1. couldn't get his voice actor and 2. decided to retool the plot so it didn't have anything to do with the series. However, some characters from the series do show up at Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding, including Sadira (which is hilarious if you've seen the series and know [[StalkerWithACrush what Sadira did there]]), Prince Uncouthma, and King Mahmood and his Wazir.
** Sometime in the late 80's, Disney offered Creator/BillPlympton a contract, but he turned them down. Later he learned that they wanted him to animate the Genie. ''[[DerangedAnimation That]]'' [[DerangedAnimation would have been something to see.]]
** There were plans in 1994 for a sequel movie involving pirates that got as far as [[http://talklikeapirate.com/wordpress/everything-else/pirate-songs/ having music commissioned]].
** Genie was originally going to be green.
** According to ''[[https://archive.org/details/disneys-aladdin-the-making-of-an-animated-film/page/n43/mode/2up Disney's Aladdin: The Making of an Animated Film]]'', The Sultan was originally going to tell Jasmine she was to be married by her 16th birthday, but Jeffrey Katzenberg nixed the idea for fear of sending negative messages. In the movie, it is changed to "next birthday." This early concept led to the widespread belief that Jasmine is only 15 in the movie, when in reality, her age is never stated in any ''Aladdin'' media.
-->"Our original plot line for ''Aladdin'' had the Sultan saying, 'Jasmine, the law says you must be married by your sixteenth birthday.' That was the original story concept and it stayed for quite a while. Then Jeffrey started to worry about what kind of a message we would be sending all the fifteen-year-olds in the world—that it's okay to get married before your sixteenth birthday? Of course, ''Aladdin'' is a fairy tale and presumably happened a long time ago, but he thought it would be better to change the line to, 'married to a prince by your next birthday.'"

** During the production of ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaidIII Ariel's Beginning]]'', there was leaked storyboard material where Ariel and Sebastian were discussing/debating about Eric's recent behavior, Eric walks in and says, "is someone feeling [[{{Pun}} really crabby]]?", and then Ariel glares at him. It's not known if this was cut or intended for another film.

* In a 1981 interview for Japanese magazine ''Sawayaka'', Creator/OsamuTezuka recounted about his once in a lifetime opportunity on meeting Creator/WaltDisney during the 1964 New York World's Fair. Tezuka asked Walt if he's seen the ''Manga/AstroBoy'' anime that just hit American television at the time. Walt then told him that he saw the show somewhere in Los Angeles and revealed that he always wanted to make a Sci-Fi story. Walt even expressed interest on collaborating with Tezuka on a potential animated project. Due to both creators being very busy with their own projects at the time [[note]] Walt was preparing for the release of ''Mary Poppins'' which was 5 months away from premiering, while Tezuka was busy making manga [[/note]], Walt told Tezuka "If you have time, visit me in Burbank". While the idea was never revisited due to Walt's death in December 1966, The Disney Company made up for the missed opportunity by airing [[Anime/TheFantasticAdventuresOfUnico both ]][[Manga/{{Unico}} Unico]] [[Anime/UnicoInTheIslandOfMagic movies]] on Creator/DisneyChannel not long after it's launch in 1983 and throughout TheEighties.

** Steve Jobs was not onboard for the title of "Ratatouille" since he thought it'd be too hard for English speakers to pronounce correctly. Many other titles were proposed, like ''Rat!'' or ''Remy's Secret Kitchen''.

** The Queen was originally supposed to be more of a comic figure--she was ugly but apparently thought of herself as attractive (a trait reused decades later for [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Ursula]]), with planned scenes of her popping pimples and the like. As the story became more serious she did too, becoming the dark, severe beauty that we know her as.

** ''Fantasia 2000'' was supposed to include a sequence featuring characters from every Disney Animated Canon film at the time. The original idea was that Mickey was composing an orchestra where the audience featured every major character from every Disney film thus far. The scene would switch between Mickey performing and gags involving the audience. One known gag was Snow White sitting next to the Evil-Queen-in-her-disguise. Snow White offers the Evil Queen some popcorn while the Evil Queen offers her a basket of apples, causing Snow to look bemusedly at her, This sequence was scrapped because it was seen as just a gimmicky gag-filled joke without any emotional weight. This idea was then changed to featuring just the Disney Princesses in a cathedral, but that too was scrapped. The concept of having every Disney Animated Canon character appear would finally be realized in “Once Upon a Studio” as apart of Disney’s 100 Year Celebration.

** ''Fantasia 2000'' was supposed to include a sequence featuring characters from every Disney Animated Canon film at the time. The original idea was that Mickey was composing an orchestra where the audience featured every major character from every Disney film thus far. The scene would switch between Mickey performing and gags involving the audience. One known gag was Snow White sitting next to the Evil-Queen-in-her-disguise. Snow White offers the Evil Queen some popcorn while the Evil Queen offers her a basket of apples, causing Snow to look bemusedly at her, This sequence was scrapped because it was seen as just a gimmicky gag-filled joke without any emotional weight. This idea was then changed to featuring just the Disney Princesses in a cathedral, but that too was scrapped.

** ''American Dog'' was a shelved idea that evolved into ''Bolt''. ''[[http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2006/09/14/5733.aspx American Dog]]'' would have followed Henry, a famous TV canine who stars in James Bond-like adventures, and finds himself stranded in the Nevada desert with a one-eyed, eyepatch-wearing cat and an ''oversized, radioactive rabbit'', who he cons into driving him back to Hollywood. Director Chris Sanders would have also had Henry suffering from delusions over the course of the film. The trio would search for a new home, all the while still believing that they're on television. When John Lasseter came on board as the head of Pixar, Sanders created two early cuts of the film, but Lasseter (according to rumors) said that the film was [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs "too quirky for its own good"]], and ended up firing Sanders after he couldn't rework the film, leading to Creator/DreamWorksAnimation stepping in and hiring Sanders. In fact, Disney took great measures to white-wash any memory of the original project once Sanders left; there's a very brief mention at the start of ''The Art of Bolt'' book and no mention anywhere on the DVD extras. The only remnant of the original script lies in the sequence where Bolt, Mittens and Rhino stop in an abandoned junkyard in Nevada, and debate whether they should finally settle down or not. Some believe that ''American Dog'' was axed because it was a victim of TrueArtIsIncomprehensible, due to Chris Sanders suffering from SmallNameBigEgo; this assertion is supported by [[http://i.imgur.com/3WRgyO9.png the few who have seen the early cuts]] of ''American Dog''.

* ''WhatCouldHaveBeen/TheIncredibles''

* ''WhatCouldHaveBeen/{{Luca}}''

* ''WhatCouldHaveBeen/{{Pocahontas}}''

** The Queen was originally supposed to be more of a comic figure--she was ugly but apparently thought of herself as attractive (a trait reused decades later for [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid Ursula]]), with planned scenes of her popping pimples and the like. As the story became more serious she did too, becoming the dark, severe beauty that we know her as.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'':

** ''Fantasia 2000'' was supposed to include a sequence featuring characters from every Disney Animated Canon film at the time. The original idea was that Mickey was composing an orchestra where the audience featured every major character from every Disney film thus far. The scene would switch between Mickey performing and gags involving the audience. One know gag was Snow White sitting next to the Evil-Queen-in-her-disguise. Snow White offers the Evil Queen some popcorn while the Evil Queen offers her a basket of apples, causing Snow to look bemusedly at her, This sequence was scrapped because it was seen as just a gimmicky gag-filled joke without any emotional weight. This idea was then changed to featuring just the Disney Princesses in a cathedral, but that too was scrapped.

** Moana in the final product is an only child but originally she was the youngest of ten siblings, and the only female one. She had to rescue her older brothers.

** Aladdin was originally fully aware that Jasmine was the princess when he first met her. It was changed because the production team believed that it [[UnfortunateImplications implied]] Aladdin fell in love with her because of her money and power, not because he genuinely cared about her.

** Originally Creator/DavidOgdenStiers only voiced Wiggins, with Ratcliffe being voiced by someone else. Norman Lovett, Patrick Stewart and Brian Blessed auditioned for the part.

** The manner of Gaston's death also underwent several revisions: In one of the earliest drafts, Gaston was to have survived his fall, with a broken leg, and encounter the wolves from before, where it was implied that they finished him off. Another revision is a bit closer to the final film, although instead Gaston laughs all the way down (similar to the Joker in ''Film/TheDarkKnight''), implying that his method of backstabbing the Beast was closer to TakingYouWithMe. The aforementioned wolf death concept was eventually reused with Scar's death in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing''.

** Ironically, it wasn't even ''originally'' intended to be a Disney movie. The film was once planned in 1994 with a table reading at Penny Marshall's house from the likes of Creator/RobinWilliams, Goldie Hawn and Music/{{Cher}}. Subsequently, it was in development at Creator/ColumbiaPictures and had [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing Rob]] [[Film/StuartLittle Mink]][[WesternAnimation/MrPeabodyAndSherman off]] attached as director and Billy Crystal, Creator/MegRyan and Creator/SusanSarandon in talks to star.

** On top of this, an extra was meant to be in a LoveTriangle with Lady and the Tramp, the rat was going to be less threatening and more comedic and speak in a gangster-type voice, Lady's only neighbor was a dog named Hubert, Aunt Sarah was supposed to be a stereotypical overbearing mother-in-law, Jim Dear and Darling were named Jim and Elizabeth Brown. And finally, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Si and Am were called Nip and Tuck.]]

** EVE originally first didn't find out the plant survived the exploding escape pod until after going back inside (she was originally just really happy that WALL•E survived, but they changed it to show she was still more concerned about her job than him) and the scene in the airlock dump was originally supposed to have WALL•E and EVE's roles reversed (with [[spoiler:EVE being the one AUTO damaged and WALL•E never making it to the deck]]), and [[spoiler:WALL•E fixed EVE right then instead of EVE having to rush back to Earth to repair WALL•E]]. The original version of these scenes (as well as an explanation as to why) were included as an extra on the DVD and Blu-ray releases. [[EarlyDraftTieIn This is also the plot the adaptation video game uses.]]
** Shelby Forthright's voice was originally more of a William Shatner impression than the "Lovable car salesman" voice he had in the final film. His original voice can be seen in the deleted scene "Secret Files" on the DVD and Blu-ray.

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'':
** There's the [[https://web.archive.org/web/20120515215920/http://blog.moviefone.com/2009/11/13/monsters-inc-original-pitch/ original pitch]], which was a 30-year-old man being haunted by monsters that represent different fears from his childhood. The concern was that kids couldn't relate to a 30-year-old protagonist and that the ending was too bittersweet, which is rather [[HilariousInHindsight hilarious given Pixar's]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Up}} later]] [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory3 movies]].
** The film was going to be about just Sully, whose character design was a bit different (he had octopus legs for one thing). The plot would have him having to hide a child that was older than Boo in the film. The child's costume was composed of a bathroom rug and a pair of fake eyestalks on her head, and Randall had a different name. Look for it on the DVD.
** Mike himself went through several design changes, including one iteration where he had ''no arms.'' This ended up being scrapped due to how difficult it was to animate an ArmlessBiped in any useful capacity as a character.
** Actors considered for Randall included Chris Barrie, Jeff Goldblum, and Vincent D'Onofrio. He would have also been a less antagonistic character as, in one draft of the script, [[spoiler:Randall was going to have a HeelFaceTurn when things hit the fan, leaving Waternoose as the TRUE BigBad]].
** Creator/LeonardNimoy was also in negotiations to play Waternoose, before he dropped out and was replaced by Creator/JamesCoburn.
** This could be hinted by the fact that, on the "top scarer" list for their floor, it's assumed that all the scarers' last names are on the list, except Randall Boggs appears as "Randall" (which could just as easily have been a last name).

** Due to Pixar not renewing its seven-film distribution deal with Disney in 2004 that would also give the latter full rights to its properties and sequel production, a sequel called ''Monsters, Inc. 2: Lost in Scaradise'' was intended to be produced by a newly established studio called Circle 7 Animation, along with ''Script/ToyStory3'' and a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo''. [[https://lostmediawiki.com/Disney_Circle_7_Animation_(partially_lost_production_material_of_cancelled_direct-to-video_sequels;_2004-2006) The plot]] would have involved Sulley and Mike visiting Boo's room to celebrate her birthday, only to find an old woman living where her room used to be. The two would then decide to explore the human world in search of her, only to get lost. With the deal falling through in January 2006, and then-CEO Michael Eisner, who Pixar seriously disdained, getting ousted and being succeeded by Bob Iger, Disney would purchase Pixar and give creative control back to them, with the sequel being scrapped in favor of ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity''. Circle 7 would be shut down two months later, with most of the animators going to either the feature animation department or [=DisneyToon=] Studios.
** There would have been a subplot involving Mike and Sulley having trouble with their landlord, who would have been voiced by Yeardley Smith. And would have shouted a lot.
** And yet another [[http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2011/03/04/the-quot-monsters-inc-quot-that-might-have-been.aspx version]] where scaring was used for entertainment not energy, the scare floor was like a film set, and the main character was a skinny monster named Hob who forms a friendship with a boy named Raymond.

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'':
** According to director Dan Scanlon, the movie originally opened with Mike's parents dropping him off at the university on his first day there, and Billy Crystal actually voiced his whole family! It was cut from the film due to Scanlon wanting to remove parental guidance from Mike's college life.
** Other early drafts included Mike and Sulley in grade school together (to respect the "fourth grade" quote in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'') [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-k56HttY5k It reached storyboards process]]. Then Pete Doctor advised Scanlon to disregard the quote to stick to the focus of the University.
** Characters of Celia, Fungus and Waternoose (recast as Creator/KelseyGrammer) originally were to make appearances. Grammer's cameo was cut from the film; Waternoose appears only in a photograph.
** Not surprisingly, the filmmakers tried to make it Sulley's story until they saw the story potential in Mike's struggles. Some concepts they experimented with was that Sulley initially wanted to be a dentist and suffered a case of DisappearedDad. These scenes would have probably explored Sulley's relationship with the unseen Bill Sullivan.
** Originally ''Monsters University'' was going to be a sequel to ''Monsters Inc.'', and was called "Monsters, Inc. 2: Lost in Scaradise," which was created by Circle 7. It would've been about Mike & Sulley dropping by Boo's room to wish her a happy birthday, only to discover that somebody different is sleeping in Boo's room. It seems that Boo and her family have moved since Mike and Sulley last visited her. Sulley is so determined to see Boo again that he and Mike venture out in the human world in order to find her. Once Mike and Sulley cross over into the human world, they then aren't allowed to return to Monstropolis until they actually reunite with Boo. It would also include an older Boo trying to hide Mike and Sulley from other people.
** Claire Wheeler was originally designed as an Eta Hiss Hiss girl until the animators thought it would be fun to place a goth character on the top of the Greek Life council. Even earlier drafts had her as a bubbly drama student.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOGqlCa4nLc Sully and Mike were originally redirected to Drama class after their Scare School expulsion.]] Interestingly, Claire's and Terri's personalities seemed switched around. Also, these scenes would've have offered a glimpse into the history of Scream energy.
** An [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIj2KAbmvfg alternative opening sequence]] actually showed how the monsters acquired info about the human world.
** The Oozmas were originally humiliated at a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-pR_bBssMc Movie Night]].
** Hardscrabble was originally supposed to be male and yelled a lot until Scanlon decided to feature a great female Scarer that was more sophisticated and intimidating.
** Old designs of Mike had him wear braces until Scanlon realized he would have to avoid the argument that "Mike would be scarier without braces" so Mike was redesigned with a retainer he could remove.
** One ending they experimented with was [[spoiler: after Mike's and Sulley's expulsion, Waternoose drives up in a limo, hearing about Mike's and Sulley's brief stint in the Human World and offers them jobs.]] The idea was unsurprisingly rejected as it would negate the whole theme of hard work.
** Don Carlton originally had fire-breathing abilities and he was learning to control it.
** Earlier storyboards seem to indicate that Terri enjoyed experimenting with personas, including becoming a goth, much to Terry's annoyance.

** Chicken Little was originally a girl but was [[GenderFlip changed into a boy]] to appeal to [[GirlShowGhetto boys more]].