History DevelopmentHell / AnimatedFilm

* By far the most famous example of this is ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler''. At 29 years, it is the longest film production ever, most of which was spent in and out of development, much of it owing to Creator/RichardWilliams's insistence that the animation for his masterpiece (yes, he really called it that) be absolutely flawless. He took to self-funding it with odd jobs after repeatedly missing deadlines for potential investors, and an ever-rotating staff, some of whom were fired before even starting, added bits and bobs to the film, much of which Williams eventually scrapped when he felt it didn't meet his standards. In the early 90s, following the success of ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', Mirimax offered to help complete the film, so long as it was completed for a specific budget and met an exact deadline. Williams did neither, the studio fired him, and a hastily completed version was eventually released. Both Williams and his admirers disowned this version and, in 2013, it was announced that the film would never be completed, leaving what ''was'' finished stuck here forever.
* TheMovie of ''WesternAnimation/ClerksTheAnimatedSeries''. Originally planned as ''Clerks: Sell Out'', wherein Dante and Randall decide to make a movie about their escapades in the Quick Stop, this got an animation test in 2006 and was supposed to go straight to DVD a little while after ''Clerks II''. However, according to Creator/KevinSmith, Disney still own the rights to the series and all designs related to it, which essentially negates all possibility of there being a movie any time soon.
* ''The California Raisins''. Plans for a California Raisins movie was considered in 2001 but it was scrapped, possibly due to Will Vinton losing his animation studio in 2002, followed by the death of the lead vocalist Buddy Miles in 2008. In 2015 it was announced that a Live-Action/CGI film adaptation was in the works and may be released in 2016 or 2017 but no further information on the progress of the project or who's starring in it.
* The ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'' adaptation. Partially delayed in Creator/JeffSmith's refusal of Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s [[ExecutiveMeddling demands of putting pop music in]], apparently the rights are now with Creator/WarnerBros. [[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=27366 According to the latest news]], it's in early stages of development. Smith doesn't seem very involved as of yet and makes very little comment on the animation/design, saying only that it is ''dynamic''.
* A sequel/prequel to ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. One was attempted during, but floundered due to many problems at Creator/{{Disney}}, with Creator/StevenSpielberg, problems converting the characters to CGI, and a skyrocketing budget. Attempts to make a sequel anyway continue to be discussed, but Roger Rabbit remains one of the biggest film properties to never be properly capitalized. But between Bob Hoskins' retirement from acting in 2012 and [[AuthorExistenceFailure his passing in 2014]], it's unlikely to ever materialize (unless it's a prequel). The second film was also planned to take place during WWII and involve [[ThoseWackyNazis a bunch of wacky Nazis]], which Spielberg outright refused, as he felt he couldn't satirize Nazis after making ''Film/SchindlersList''.
** With the original book's author Gary K. Wolf set to terminate Disney's rights to the IP under copyright law, the sequel may end up being made at [[ChannelHop another studio]].
* A CGI ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'' film was announced in late 2007, and posters emerged in early 2009 which slated the film for a Christmas release. The feature never came out, and it was later cancelled.
* ''VideoGame/DragonsLair:'' TheMovie which is supposed to be animated by Creator/DonBluth himself, now a Website/Kickstarter campaign.
* The CGI ''WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats}}'' film, which was supposed to be made by the art director of ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', which [[EpilepticTrees apparently]] reincarnated in the form of new AnimatedSeries ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'', which premiered in July 2011 on Creator/CartoonNetwork.
* ''The WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack Movie''. [[http://www.kungfucinema.com/j-j-abrams-to-produce-samurai-jack-film-11829 It seemed to be seeing the light of day again]]... in 2009. It ended up being secondary to a continuation of the TV series for Creator/AdultSwim.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'' also had an animated film in DevelopmentHell for a while. Wiki/ThatOtherWiki says the "Wishology" specials may have started out as that movie; [[Film/AFairlyOddMovieGrowUpTimmyTurner a live-action FOP TV movie that was meant as a conclusion to the series]] was eventually released in 2011, with a sequel released in 2012.
* Creator/DreamWorksAnimation has had a few:
** ''Truckers'': [=DreamWorks=] was supposed to do an adaptation of Creator/TerryPratchett's book with Academy Award winning writer Simon Beaufoy writing the script and a set release date of 2012. The talks of making the film seemed to die down once the script was completed and everyone has since moved on.
** Similarly, they purchased the rights to make a film adaptation of the comic strip ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' in 2006, shortly before they released their adaption of fellow comic strip ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge''. Since then however, nothing has come of it.
** An Aardman/Dreamworks project retelling "The Tortoise and the Hare" that might have featured Michael Caine as one of the voiceover performers withered on the vine.
** Dreamworks also planned to adapt a character from the extremely obscure 1980s black-and-white furry comic ''ComicBook/TalesFromTheAniverse'' in the early 2000s, but reps had a hard time comprehending the treatment that the comics' creator gave them.
** ''Me and My Shadow'', a film about a man's friendship with his LivingShadow that would have featured a unique blend of 3D and traditional animation, was scheduled to be released in early 2014 but seems to have fallen through the cracks after Dreamworks's split with Paramount.
** ''B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations'', a film centering on an agency of ghosts, was set to be released in the summer of 2015. It has now been put on the back burner due to [=DreamWorks=]' restructuring plans.
* ''Blue Planet'', a CGI sci-fi action project planned by now-defunct Rainbow Studios (later acquired by Creator/{{THQ}}), with a video-game tie-in. A trailer was released, to widespread acclaim, which showcased the for-the-time high-quality CGI, parodies of Pixar's ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' and ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' characters, and a soundtrack featuring "More Human Than Human" by Music/RobZombie. Much of the already-shot footage was recycled for the tie-in game, which was eventually released as ''VideoGame/DeadlyTide''.
* In the late 1990's, Fox and Creator/MattGroening signed a deal to make three films based on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. The [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie first film]] was released in 2007. In 2017, [[http://www.indiewire.com/2017/07/the-simpsons-movie-2-in-earliest-stages-1201861483/ it was said that a sequel was in "the earliest stages of development."]] Here's hoping it comes out soon...
* Around 2003, Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox planned to make an animated adaptation of the children's novel ''Literature/TheWainscottWeasel''. They finally dropped the idea in 2006.
* In 2001, ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' producer John H. Williams founded his own studio, Vanguard Animation, which created ''{{WesternAnimation/Valiant}}'', ''WesternAnimation/HappilyNEverAfter'', ''WesternAnimation/SpaceChimps'', and a direct-to-video sequel of the latter. Their website shows several other projects in the pipeline, such as ''The Nut House'' (a heist film parody involving squirrels and acorns; no connection to ''WesternAnimation/TheNutJob''), ''Rotten Island'' (adaptation of a book by William Steig, who also wrote the books that inspired ''Shrek''), an adaptation of Creator/RoaldDahl's ''Literature/TheTwits'', and [[http://www.awn.com/news/people/pandas-stevenson-joins-vanguards-alien-rock-band many more]] are mentioned in a 2010 press release. However, other than the October 2011 announcement of ''The Nut House'', it seems Vanguard has vanished.
** Fortunately, ''The Nut House'' has been SavedFromDevelopmentHell in the form of ''[[http://www.screendaily.com/news/distribution/buyers-get-squirrely-for-john-h-williams-animation/5100058.article?referrer=RSS Get Squirrely]]'', though it's getting relegated to a DirectToVideo release in the US come November.
* Paramount announced plans for a sequel to ''{{WesternAnimation/Rango}}'' in late 2011 but despite the film grossing over $100 million and winning an Academy Award, it looks like the sequel is no more due to Disney buying Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic (who did the animation).
* In June 2011, {{Creator/Paramount}} announced to develop an animated film based on the ''WebComic/PennyArcade'' comic strip ''The New Kid'' with Gary Whitta ({{Film/The Book of Eli}}) penning the script and with Mary Parent and Cale Boyter of Disruption Entertainment producing the flim. There has not been any new updates about this project since.
* Henry Selick's ''Shademaker'' began development in 2010 at Disney as part of a new foray into stop-motion animation for the studio with a set release date of 2013. Disney even set up a new animation studio in San Francisco for Selick to do the film and future projects. But in the summer of 2012, Disney dropped the film for no apparent reason and gave the rights back to Selick. Not long after, Disney closed the animation studio and now the film's future is up in the air.
* Ever since the announcement of a ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' movie, there have been barely any details about it except that the film would somehow combine live action and animation. The creators have even stated that the project is in "development hell" until now cancelled. This was likely due to the series' noticeable decline in popularity and Disney's later disinterest in non-would-be-blockbuster movies. In 2019, the film was announced again, titled ''The Phineas and Ferb Movie: Candace Against the Universe'', for [[Creator/DisneyPlus their new streaming service]].
* Ever since ''WesternAnimation/TheTwistedTalesOfFelixTheCat'' came to an unceremonious end, WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat has had numerous projects on the backburner.
** In the early 2000s, three holiday films featuring Felix were [[http://www.felixthecat.com/fan-pdfs/newsletter%20%20winter%202003.pdf announced]]. Only the Christmas installment was released in 2004, while the Valentine's and Halloween entries were never heard of again.
** In September 2008, former rights-holder Don Oriolo stated that an AllCGICartoon revival of Felix was in the works, but nothing more came out of it. Oriolo sold the rights to the character to Creator/DreamWorksAnimation in 2014, which in turn was taken over by [=NBCUniversal=] two years later, presumably canceling the project.
** By March 2016, more talk of another Felix series (under [=DreamWorks=]) began to surface, with Creator/DHXMedia (who currently represents the brand on behalf of [=DreamWorks=]/Universal) being involved.
* In 2012, Universal announced that they would produce a live-action/CGI hybrid movie based off ''Literature/CliffordTheBigRedDog'', with David Bowers attached to direct and Matt Lopez to write. It was scheduled for release in April 2016, but was pushed back to July 2017. Nothing more was revealed after that. Eventually Universal's rights expired and handed over to Creator/{{Paramount}}, who will theatrically release the live action/CGI feature in November 2020.
* Similarly, Universal planned to produce a ''[[Literature/TheCatInTheHat Cat in the Hat]]'' CGI film via Creator/IlluminationEntertainment in response to the box office success of ''WesternAnimation/TheLorax''. Due to the continued success of the ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' franchise, and the [[NeverLiveItDown terrible reputation]] of their [[Film/TheCatInTheHat live-action take of the story]], Universal shelved the film for years. The rights were ultimately passed on to Creator/WarnerBros, who announced in 2018 that it would be the exclusive production house of Creator/DrSeuss adaptations. On the other hand, the setback allowed Universal to move onto production of [[WesternAnimation/TheGrinch2018 Illumination's take on]] ''Literature/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas''.
* According to [[http://web.archive.org/web/19970327225413/http://www.sega.com/news/releases/vector.html this 1996 article]], the Sega Genesis game ''VideoGame/{{Vectorman}}'' was supposed to get an animated movie adaption, but it never materialized.
* A DarkerAndEdgier CGI version of ''Literature/TheWindInTheWillows'' was supposed to come out in 2012. 2012 has been and gone, and nothing's happened, so it's presumably entered this trope.
* Yuriy Norshteyn's ''The Overcoat'', a stop-motion film using cutouts. Largely a single-man project, with the man working on a lot of other projects and suffering from severe perfectionism. Probably the current record holder, being in production since 1981; as of 2004 only 25 minutes out of planned 1 hour were ready. A number of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO2QqDervCU preview fragments]] have been released.
* Disney's remake of ''Yellow Submarine'', cancelled after the record-setting [[BoxOfficeBomb box office failure]] of ''Mars Needs Moms''.
* Seth [=MacFarlane=] has been in talks to make a ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' feature film since 2007. He stated in 2008 that he planned to produce the project within the next year, and has given similar responses to the feature's production in recent years.
* A ''Marvin the Martian'' hybrid CGI/live-action film was announced in 2008, with Creator/MikeMyers voicing Marvin. It was planned to come out in late 2011/early 2012, but vanished without a trace. The only thing to materialize out of it since was some leaked test footage.
* Along with the above mentions ''Marvin the Martian'' film, a ''WesternAnimation/HongKongPhooey'' CGI/Live-action film was also announced along side it, with Creator/EddieMurphy to voice the title character. Test footage was released in 2012, but nothing else had came of the film until casting information sprang up in late 2014. The film as of resent appears to have been SavedFromDevelopmentHell, as a release date of September 18, 2015 has been announced. The day has approached, but no news.
* ''The Waterman Movie'', based on the Flash animated web series ''[[WebAnimation/WaterMan Waterman]]'', has been in development hell since at least 2010. The film was announced in 2007 and was financed through crowd funding. What makes the film notable is that it is the last film appearance of the late Creator/LeslieNielsen, who had recorded all his dialogue for the film before his tragic death. Many planned release dates have been made, going back as early as Winter 2007, and as late as Christmas 2012. As of March 2015, no information on the film has come up since June 2011.
* A CGI animated adaptation of the popular comic ''ComicBook/TheGoon'', with the voices of Creator/ClancyBrown as The Goon and Creator/PaulGiamatti as Franky, was announced back in 2010, with a fully animated and voiced trailer being released. An official poster was also released claiming the film will be released theatrically. Due to financial troubles, Blur Studios launched a {{Website/Kickstarter}}, which it successfully reached in late 2012. No information has come up since then. In March 2015, Blur Studios had an update on the Kickstarter project claiming it was close to finishing the movie.
* A UK animation studio named Kaleidoscope announced in 2013 a ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''-like film called ''Once Upon a Time in the Kitchen'', starring Creator/NicholasHoult, Creator/GemmaArterton and Creator/StephenFry. The main premise was to be "a kitchen divided between everyday utensils and the snooty best silver from the other side of the table". The film was aimed at for a late 2014 or early 2015 release, but with almost no signs of movement and them missing the release dates, it seems to have fallen into Development Hell.
* The New York Institute of Technology set out to create the world's first feature-length AllCGICartoon called ''The Works'', being worked on sporadically between 1979 and 1986. Unfortunately, the poor commercial performance of ''{{Film/TRON}}'', competition from Creator/{{Lucasfilm}}, and an increasing lack of interest by the creators brought production to a halt, but the goal of a feature-length CGI animated film was eventually met with {{Creator/Pixar}}'s ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''.
* The film adaptation of ''Literature/TailchasersSong'' has become this. Announced in 2011, it's stated to be an AllCGICartoon adaptation. It was supposedly going for a 2016 release however nothing has been heard of it for years. The official Twitter is active as of 2018, but it hasn't mentioned any news about the film in several years.
* [[http://www.awn.com/animationworld/cartoon-movie-2007-sneak-peeks-european-animated-features This page]] gives details about a number of animated films and shorts from 2007, including the concept for something named ''Bones Story'' by Pierre Coffin (one of ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'''s creators), and a CG film about Music/CrazyFrog, the infamous ringtone mascot from the mid 2000s, that was to be preceded by 52 one-minute shorts. None of them were ultimately made.
* A trailer released by Sony back in 2014 revealed plans for a ''WesternAnimation/{{Sly Cooper|2016}}'' feature film slated for a 2016 release. Due to a lack of new footage or information combined with how ''WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank'' [[BoxOfficeBomb bombed at the box office]], many fans speculated that it was pulled altogether. In June 2017, the film was confirmed cancelled. It was instead reworked into an animated series.
* Disney and Mandeville Films announced a live-action/CGI hybrid adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' in 2014, to be directed by advertisement director Robert Rugan. Exactly nothing else has been heard about the project since then.
* ''ComicStrip/{{Heathcliff}}'':
** ''Heathcliff: Bad Kitty'' was an AllCGICartoon film meant to revitalize the franchise. Only the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lKBra4QSBs initial teaser]] is known to exist despite distribution rights being discussed and it having a $5 million budget. ''Bad Kitty'' was supposed to come out in 2011; however, it and its cartoon series have seemingly been quietly canceled.
** Waterman Productions (who produced ''Film/{{Casper}}'', ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' and ''Film/StuartLittle'') made a deal in 2012 to make a live action/CGI hybrid film of ''ComicStrip/{{Heathcliff}}''. Nothing has been heard since.
* Fox announced an adaptation of the [[Creator/WillWright Maxis Studios]] video game ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'' in 2009, a year after the game was released, with Creator/BlueSkyStudios producing and Chris Wedge directing. There have been no subsequent announcements since then, and with the underperformance of the later spin-off ''VideoGame/{{Darkspore}}'', its future is in doubt.
* An untitled Nicktoons crossover film directed by Jared Hess was in development, but as of April 2016, nothing has been heard of it since then.
* Creator/BlueSkyStudios:
** They've had a ''ComicStrip/{{Mutts}}'' adaptation in the works several years.
** There was a bird-themed film in development in the early 2010s. Aside from concept art, nothing else has surfaced. It may have evolved into '' WesternAnimation/SpiesInDisguise'', which stars pigeons.
* Creator/RalphBakshi liked to talk about doing a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/{{Wizards}}'' from time to time, which has been stonewalled due to numerous other projects Bakshi had in the pipeline and Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox not wanting to collaborate with Bakshi following the catastrophic bomb ''Film/CoolWorld''. By 2015, Bakshi had a screenplay for ''Wizards II'' and with ''WesternAnimation/TheLastDaysOfConeyIsland'' finally completed, Bakshi seemed to be ready to start work on the sequel. Two years later, however, Fox was bought out, along with the ''Wizards'' IP, by Creator/{{Disney}}. Between Bakshi's utter dislike towards Disney and his deteriorating health, it's not clear whether or not a ''Wizards'' sequel will ever be made.
* Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation:
** Sony picked up the rights to produce an adaptation of ''VideoGame/RollercoasterTycoon'' in 2010. Nothing else has been heard from it since.
** Sony put the AllCGICartoon film adaptation of ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'' on hold after director Creator/GenndyTartakovsky left the film's production. He cited Sony Pictures' ExecutiveMeddling as a result of the hacking scandal as a reason for leaving the film, irritated that despite very positive reception to the film's test reel Sony's executives would not give the go ahead to start production. Several years later, King Features commissioned Wildbrain to produce a new web cartoon called ''Popeye's Island Adventures'' in December 2018, suggesting that Sony's rights to the character expired and that the film had been canned for good.
** The setback of ''Popeye'' initially allowed Tartakovsky to move onto developing his original film, ''Can You Imagine?''. However, there was no further news since its annoucement and he later confirmed its cancellation on July 2017.
* Fox picked up the film rights to ''Literature/MrMen'' in early 2015. As of this writing (February 2019), no new information has come out. Additionally, Creator/{{Disney}} took over Fox that year, leaving the film in uncharted waters.
* Sanrio announced a ''Franchise/HelloKitty'' film in January 2015 with a tentative release date of 2019. However, Sanrio didn't even start production until they licensed the rights to Creator/NewLineCinema in March 2019. Beau Flynn is attached as producer.
* Creator/DonBluth planned a film called ''The Little Blue Whale'', which was basically ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'' [-[[RecycledInSpace UNDERWATER!]]-] However, Creator/RobertTowne said he had to write the final script, and then Sullivan Bluth Studios gave the project to Towne in the late eighties. Nothing has been heard about the movie since.
* After Fox let the [[Film/{{Garfield}} film rights]] to ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' lapse, Alcon Entertainment announced plans in 2016 to reboot the film franchise as an all-CGI animated film. Mark Dindal (''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle'') was attached to direct the film in November 2018, with ''Garfield'' creator Jim Davis (who had no involvement in the Fox films) as executive producer. The following summer, however, Davis sold the ''Garfield'' IP to Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}, and Dindal left to work on a film based off the Toys/FunkoPop toys for Creator/WarnerBros, leaving the film's fate in limbo.
* The poor box office performance of ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGONinjagoMovie'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{The LEGO Movie 2|TheSecondPart}}'' led to Warner Bros. shelving a number of ''Franchise/{{LEGO}}'' movies in development, such as a sequel for ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'' and the long-awaited ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious''-esque parody spin-off ''The Billion Brick Race''. Given that Creator/{{Universal}} Studios would subsequently [[ChannelHop take over]] production of LEGO movies, [[FranchiseKiller it's plausible they'll never get made at all]].
* In 2015 Creator/WarnerBros. and Creator/CartoonNetwork announced a planned ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' movie in response to the success of Creator/{{Paramount}} and Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongebobMovieSpongeOutOfWater'', with Chris McKay of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie'' to produce it. No more news of it have been revealed since then, and with the main show ending min 2018, it might have been scrapped in favor of the four specials on Creator/HBOMax.

* The poor box office performance of ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGONinjagoMovie'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{The LEGO Movie 2|TheSecondPart}}'' led to Warner Bros. shelving a number of ''Franchise/{{LEGO}}'' movies in development, such as a sequel for ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'' and the long-awaited ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious''-esque parody spin-off ''The Billion Brick Race''. Given that Creator/{{Universal}} Studios would subsequently [[ChannelHop take over]] production of LEGO movies, [[FranchiseKiller it's plausible they'll never get made at all]].

* Creator/DonBluth planned a film called ''The Little Blue Whale'', which was basically ''Disney/{{Bambi}}'' [-[[RecycledInSpace UNDERWATER!]]-] However, Creator/RobertTowne said he had to write the final script, and then Sullivan Bluth Studios gave the project to Towne in the late eighties. Nothing has been heard about the movie since.
* After Fox let the [[Film/{{Garfield}} film rights]] to ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' lapse, Alcon Entertainment announced plans in 2016 to reboot the film franchise as an all-CGI animated film. Mark Dindal (''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''Disney/ChickenLittle'') was attached to direct the film in November 2018, with ''Garfield'' creator Jim Davis (who had no involvement in the Fox films) as executive producer. The following summer, however, Davis sold the ''Garfield'' IP to Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}, and Dindal left to work on a film based off the Toys/FunkoPop toys for Creator/WarnerBros, leaving the film's fate in limbo.

* After Fox let the [[Film/{{Garfield}} film rights]] to ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' lapse, Alcon Entertainment announced plans in 2016 to reboot the film franchise as an all-CGI animated film. Mark Dindal (''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''Disney/ChickenLittle'') was attached to direct the film in November 2018, with ''Garfield'' creator Jim Davis (who had no involvement in the Fox films) as executive producer. The following summer, however, Davis sold the ''Garfield'' IP to Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}, and Dindal left to work on a film based off the Toys/FunkoPop toys for Creator/WarnerBros, leaving the film's fate in limbo.

* Creator/{{Pixar}}:
** Creator/BradBird[='=]s ''1906'', an animated adaptation of the 2004 novel based upon the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, was picked up by Disney, Pixar and Warner Bros. with an estimated $200 million budget, which ultimately played a role in the film getting pushed back and rewritten numerous times by Bird in order to lessen the film's scope. Eventually, Pixar and Disney dropped the project over lack of confidence, and Bird left production as well, leaving only Warner to carry the film and leaving its future unknown.
** Pixar had plans to release a film entitled ''Newt'', about two newts that were experimented on by scientists and want to fall in love with each other. Because Creator/BlueSkyStudios' ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' had a very similar premise to this idea, the project was handed over to [[Creator/PixarRegulars Pete Docter]], who proposed a different idea that would become ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut''.
* Frequently occurs in Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon:
** Disney announced in 2008 that a 3D adaptation of Creator/PhilipKDick's short story "The King of the Elves" was scheduled for 2012, but the project got shelved in 2009. Reports in 2010 and 2011 claimed that the project had gone back into development with a new director and script writer. Concept art has been leaked, but there hasn't been any news on that front since then. It's been assumed the project has been quietly cancelled.
** Disney was working on a romance film loosely based on ''Literature/ThePrinceAndThePauper'' named "Kingdom of the Sun" in the 1990s. Due to a TroubledProduction and [[ExecutiveMeddling differing developmental views]] the film was pushed back a year and eventually heavily retooled into ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove''.
** In the early 1990s, Disney announced several films that ultimately went unmade: ''Theatre/SwanLake'', ''Literature/SinbadTheSailor'', ''[[Literature/TheOdyssey Homer's Odyssey]]'', ''Song of the Sea'' and ''Silly Hillbillies on Mars''. The ''Swan Lake'' adaptation is the only one that has been discussed since. It was cancelled due to being too similar to ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid''. A Disney-esque film called ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' was later made by a competitor, killing off any future attempts at a ''Swan Lake'' adaptation.
** ''Gigantic'' was announced as ''Giants'' in 2013 with a 2016 release date. Its release was delayed to 2018 in 2016, then to 2020 in mid 2017, then indefinitely later that same year due to issues with the story. Unsurprisingly, the plot changed dramatically from the initial announcement to the cancellation. Inma was changed from a side-character human to a protagonist [[GiantWoman Giant Girl]], most of the characters were presumably scrapped, and the tone completely shifted. One of the troubles of the film being in development hell was that the girls meant to play Inma either kept on aging out of the roles or would age out by the time voice acting began.
** Disney has toyed around with a film featuring all their animated film characters for years, to no avail. One attempt was a film called ''The Search for Mickey Mouse''. In it, Mickey Mouse disappears and [[Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective Basil of Baker Street]] must find him. It was cancelled because the writers couldn't figure out how to make all the cameos into anything more than quick-paced fanservice.
** Disney almost adapted ''Literature/WhereTheWildThingsAre''. The film would have featured traditionally animated characters upon CGI backgrounds.
** In the mid-2000s, a film called ''Fraidy Cat'' was shown off at events. It was ultimately canned because it was thought that children wouldn't understand, or be interested in, the plot. It starred a cat in London and spoofed Creator/AlfredHitchcock films.
** A FracturedFairytale based off ''Literature/LittleRedRidingHood'' named ''Little Red's Wolf'' was in production during the late 1990s/early 2000s. It was shelved due to being too similar to the then-upcoming film ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}''.
** Disney has announced plans for several films in the past, however they weren't specified as either live action or animated (though signs point towards the latter): an adaptation of ''Literature/DonQuixote'', an adaptation of ''Literature/TheNightingale'', a film set in Africa called ''The Song of Sundiata'', a film about birds called ''The Last Songbird'', and a film about apes helping British soldiers during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII called ''Scruffy''.
** A film alternatively titled ''My Peoples'', ''Angel and Her No Good Sister'' and ''A Few Good Ghosts'' was in development in the 2000s. It would have been set to a bluegrass score and featured the voices of Music/DollyParton and Creator/LilyTomlin. The plot would have been about a family of ghosts possessing various wooden figures, and it would have employed MediumBlending: the physical characters would be traditionally-animated while the wooden figures would have been in CGI. Unfortunately, Disney's decision to abandon traditional animation causes the project to be cancelled in November 2003, shortly before the Florida studio that was making the film closed in January 2004.
** In the 2000s, industry rumors existed that Disney wanted to remake several of their classic films in CGI. That ultimately never happened, but in the 2010s they began doing just that except in ''live-action''.
** A musical based on the life of Marco Polo was announced at one point but it never made it that far into development. It would have had songs by Stephen Weiner and Glenn Slater.
** After ''101 Dalmatians'', a film about a chicken called ''Chanticleer and the Fox: A Chaucerian Tale'' was in production. It was cancelled and instead ''The Jungle Book'' was released.

* Creator/DisneyToonStudios:
** A project simply known as ''GHOST PROJECT'' was cancelled early in development. Judging from concept art it involved late 19th century to early 20th century ghosts.
** ''Disney/DisneyPrincessEnchantedTalesFollowYourDreams'' was meant to be one in a series of ''Disney Princess: Enchanted Tales'' films. A sequel was well into development and had a trailer showing that it involved ''Disney/Mulan'' and ''Disney/Cinderella'' characters, but ultimately it never came out.
** Many Disney sequels were cancelled in 2009 when Disney put a stop to their direct-to-video sequels. This included ''Chicken Little'', ''Pinocchio'' and ''The Aristocats''.

* The New York Institute of Technology set out to create the world's first feature-length AllCGICartoon called ''The Works'', being worked on sporadically between 1979 and 1986. Unfortunately, the poor commercial performance of ''{{Film/TRON}}'', competition from Creator/Lucasfilm, and an increasing lack of interest by the creators brought production to a halt, but the goal of a feature-length CGI animated film was eventually met with {{Creator/Pixar}}'s ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''.

* After Fox let the [[Film/{{Garfield}} film rights]] to ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' lapse, Alcon Entertainment announced plans in 2016 to reboot the film franchise as an all-CGI animated film. Mark Dindal (''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''Disney/ChickenLittle'') was attached to direct the film in November 2018, with ''Garfield'' creator Jim Davis (who had no involvement in the Fox films) as executive producer. The following summer, however, Davis sold the ''Garfield'' IP to Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}, leaving the fate of the film in limbo.

* The film adaptation of ''Literature/TailchasersSong'' has become this. Announced in 2011, it's stated to be an AllCGICartoon adaptation. It was supposedly going for a 2016 release however nothing has been heard of it for years.

* After Fox let the [[Film/{{Garfield}} film rights]] to ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' lapse, Alcon Entertainment announced plans in 2016 to reboot the film franchise as an all-CGI animated film. Mark Dindal (''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''Disney/ChickenLittle'') was attached to direct the film, with ''Garfield'' creator Jim Davis (who had no involvement in the Fox films) as executive producer. The following summer, however, Davis sold the ''Garfield'' IP to Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}, leaving the fate of the film in limbo.

* Creator/DonBluth planned a film called ''The Little Blue Whale'', which was basically ''Disney/{{Bambi}}'' [-[[RecycledInSpace UNDERWATER!]]-] However, Creator/RobertTowne said he had to write the final script, and then Sullivan Bluth Studios gave the project to Towne in the late eighties. Nothing has been heard about the movie since.

* Sanrio announced a ''Franchise/HelloKitty'' film in January 2015 with a tentative release date of 2019. However, Sanrio didn't even start production until they licensed the rights to Creator/NewLineCinema in March 2019. Beau Flynn is attached as producer.

* In 2012, Universal announced that they would produce a live-action/CGI hybrid movie based off ''Literature/CliffordTheBigRedDog'', with David Bowers attached to direct and Matt Lopez to write. It was scheduled for release in April 2016, but was pushed back to July 2017. Nothing more was revealed after that. Eventually Universal's rights expired and handed over to Creator/{{Paramount}}. Creator/{{Disney}} eventually got the rights and will theatrically release the live action/CGI feature in November 2020.

* Fox picked up the film rights to ''Literature/MrMen'' in early 2015. As of this writing (February 2019), no new information has come out. Additionally, Creator/{{Disney}} is set to take over Fox that year, leaving the film in uncharted waters.

* A CGI ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'' movie was announced in late 2007, and posters emerged in early 2009 which slated the film for a Christmas release. The movie never came out, and it was later cancelled.
* ''VideoGame/DragonsLair:'' TheMovie which is supposed to be animated by Creator/DonBluth himself, now a kickstarter campaign.

* In June of 2011, {{Creator/Paramount}} announced to develop an animated film based on the ''WebComic/PennyArcade'' comic strip ''The New Kid'' with Gary Whitta ({{Film/The Book of Eli}}) penning the script and with Mary Parent and Cale Boyter of Disruption Entertainment producing the flim. There has not been any new updates about this project since.
* Creator/HenrySelick's ''Shademaker'' began development in 2010 at Disney as part of a new foray into stop-motion animation for the studio with a set release date of 2013. Disney even set up a new animation studio in San Francisco for Selick to do the film and future projects. But in the summer of 2012, Disney dropped the film for no apparent reason and gave the rights back to Selick. Not long after, Disney closed the animation studio and now the film's future is up in the air.

** Disney was working on a romance film loosely based on ''Literature/ThePrinceAndThePauper'' named "Kingdom Of The Sun" in the 1990s. Due to a TroubledProduction and [[ExecutiveMeddling differing developmental views]] the film was pushed back a year and eventually heavily retooled into ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove''.

** Disney has toyed around with a film featuring all their animated film characters for years, to no avail. One attempt was a film called ''The Search for Mickey Mouse''. In it, Mickey Mouse disappears and [[WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective Basil of Baker Street]] must find him. It was cancelled because the writers couldn't figure out how to make all the cameos into anything more than quick-paced fanservice.

** ''Disney/DisneyPrincessEnchantedTalesFollowYourDreams'' was meant to be one in a series of ''Disney Princess: Enchanted Tales'' films. A sequel was well into development and had a trailer showing that it involved ''Mulan'' and ''Cinderella'' characters, but ultimately it never came out.

* The ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'' movie. Partially delayed in Creator/JeffSmith's refusal of Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s [[ExecutiveMeddling demands of putting pop music in]], apparently the rights are now with Creator/WarnerBros. [[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=27366 According to the latest news]], it's in early stages of development. Smith doesn't seem very involved as of yet and makes very little comment on the animation/design, saying only that it is ''dynamic''.

* ''Blue Planet'', a CGI sci-fi action movie planned by now-defunct Rainbow Studios (later acquired by Creator/{{THQ}}), with a video-game tie-in. A trailer was released, to widespread acclaim, which showcased the for-the-time high-quality CGI, parodies of Pixar's ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' and ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' characters, and a soundtrack featuring "More Human Than Human" by Music/RobZombie. Much of the already-shot footage was recycled for the tie-in game, which was eventually released as ''VideoGame/DeadlyTide''.

* In 2001, ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' producer John H. Williams founded his own studio, Vanguard Animation, which created ''{{WesternAnimation/Valiant}}'', ''WesternAnimation/HappilyNEverAfter'', ''WesternAnimation/SpaceChimps'', and a direct-to-video sequel of the same. Their website shows several other projects in the pipeline, such as ''The Nut House'' (a heist film parody involving squirrels and acorns; no connection to ''WesternAnimation/TheNutJob''), ''Rotten Island'' (adaptation of a book by William Steig, who also wrote the books that inspired ''Shrek''), an adaptation of Creator/RoaldDahl's ''Literature/TheTwits'', and [[http://www.awn.com/news/people/pandas-stevenson-joins-vanguards-alien-rock-band many more]] are mentioned in a 2010 press release. However, other than the October 2011 announcement of ''The Nut House'', it seems Vanguard has vanished.

* Paramount announced plans for a sequel to ''{{WesternAnimation/Rango}}'' in late 2011 but despite the film grossing over $100 million and winning an Academy Award, it looks like the sequel is no more due to Disney buying Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic (who did the animation on the film).

* Ever since the announcement of a ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' movie, there have been barely any details about it except that the movie would somehow combine live action and animation. The creators have even stated that the movie is in "development hell" until the project is now cancelled. This was likely due to the series' noticeable decline in popularity and Disney's later disinterest in non-would-be-blockbuster movies. In 2019, the movie was announced again for [[Creator/DisneyPlus their new streaming service]].

** In the early 2000's, three holiday movies featuring Felix were [[http://www.felixthecat.com/fan-pdfs/newsletter%20%20winter%202003.pdf announced]]. Only the Christmas movie was released in 2004, while the Valentine's and Halloween movies were never heard of again.

* In 2012, Universal announced that they would produce a live-action/CGI hybrid movie based off ''Literature/CliffordTheBigRedDog'', with David Bowers attached to direct and Matt Lopez to write. It was scheduled for release in April 2016, but was pushed back to July 2017. Nothing more was revealed after that. Eventually Universal's rights expired and handed over to Creator/{{Paramount}}. No release date has been announced since then.

* Seth [=MacFarlane=] has been in talks to make a ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' feature film since 2007. He stated in 2008 that he planned to produce the movie within the next year, and has given similar responses to the movie's production in recent years.
* A ''Marvin the Martian'' hybrid CGI/live-action film was announced in 2008, with Mike Myers voicing Marvin. It was planned to come out in late 2011/early 2012, but vanished without a trace. The only thing to materialize out of it since was some leaked test footage.
* Along with the above mentions ''Marvin the Martian'' film, a ''WesternAnimation/HongKongPhooey'' CGI/Live-action film was also announced along side it, with Creator/EddieMurphy to voice the title character. Test footage was released in 2012, but nothing else had came of the film until casting information sprang up in late 2014. The film as of resent appears to have been SavedFromDevelopmentHell, as a release date of September 18, 2015 has been announced. The day has approached, but no film.

* A UK animation studio named Kaleidoscope announced in 2013 a ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''-like film called ''Once Upon a Time in the Kitchen'', starring Nicholas Hoult, Creator/GemmaArterton and Creator/StephenFry as the stars. The main premise was to be "a kitchen divided between everyday utensils and the snooty best silver from the other side of the table". The film was aimed at for a late 2014 or early 2015 release, but with almost no signs of movement and them missing the release dates, it seems to have fallen into Development Hell.
* The New York Institute of Technology set out to create the world's first feature-length AllCGICartoon called ''The Works'', being worked on sporadically between 1979 and 1986. Unfortunately, the poor performance of ''{{Film/TRON}}'', competition from Lucasfilm, and an increasing lack of interest by the creators brought production to a halt, but the goal of a feature-length CGI animated film was eventually met with {{Creator/Pixar}}'s ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''.

** Creator/BradBird[='=]s ''1906'', an animated adaptation of the 2004 novel based upon the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, was picked up by Disney, Pixar and Warner Brothers with an estimated budget of $200 million, which ultimately played a role in the film getting pushed back and rewritten numerous times by Bird in order to lessen the film's scope. Eventually, Pixar and Disney dropped the project over lack of confidence, and Brad Bird left production as well, leaving only Warner Brothers to carry the film and leaving its future unknown.
** Pixar had plans to release a film entitled ''Newt'', about two newts that were experimented on by scientists and want to fall in love with each other. Because Creator/BlueSkyStudios' ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' had a very similar premise to this idea, the project was handed over to Pete Docter, who proposed a different idea that would become ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut''.

** In the early 1990s Disney announced several films however none ended up being made: ''Theatre/SwanLake'', ''Literature/SinbadTheSailor'', ''[[Literature/TheOdyssey Homer's Odyssey]]'', ''Song Of The Sea'', and ''Silly Hillbillies On Mars''. The ''Swan Lake'' adaptation is the only one that has been discussed since. It was cancelled due to being too similar to ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid''. A Disney-esque film called ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' was later made by a competitor, killing off any future attempts at a ''Swan Lake'' adaptation.

** Disney has toyed around with a film featuring all their animated film characters for years, to no avail. One attempt was a film called ''The Search for Mickey Mouse''. In it, Mickey Mouse disappears and Basil of Baker Street must find him. It was cancelled because the writers couldn't figure out how to make all the cameos into anything more than quick-paced fanservice.

** A film alternatively titled ''My Peoples'', ''Angel and Her No Good Sister'', and ''A Few Good Ghosts'' was in development in the 2000s. It would have been set to a bluegrass score and featured the voices of Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin. The plot would have been about a family of ghosts possessing various wooden figures, and it would have employed MediumBlending: the physical characters would be traditionally-animated while the wooden figures would have been in CGI. Unfortunately, Disney's decision to abandon traditional animation causes the project to be cancelled in November 2003, shortly before the Florida studio that was making the film closed in January 2004.
** In the 2000s industry rumors existed that Disney wanted to remake several of their classic films in CGI. That ultimately never happened, but in the 2010s they began doing just that except in ''live-action''.

* [[http://www.awn.com/animationworld/cartoon-movie-2007-sneak-peeks-european-animated-features This page]] gives details about a number of animated films and shorts from 2007, including the concept for something named ''Bones Story'' by Pierre Coffin (one of ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'''s creators), and a CG movie about Music/CrazyFrog, the infamous ringtone mascot from the mid 2000s, that was to be preceded by 52 one-minute shorts. None of them were ultimately made.
* A trailer released by Sony back in 2014 revealed plans for a ''WesternAnimation/{{Sly Cooper|2016}}'' feature film slated for a 2016 release. Due to a lack of new footage or information combined with how ''WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank'' [[BoxOfficeBomb bombed at the box office]], many fans speculated that it was pulled altogether. In June of 2017, the film was confirmed cancelled. It was instead being reworked into a cartoon series.

** ''Heathcliff: Bad Kitty'' was an AllCGICartoon film meant to revitalize the franchise. Only the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lKBra4QSBs initial teaser]] is known to exist despite distribution rights being discussed and it having a $5 million budget. ''Bad Kitty'' was supposed to come out in 2011 however it and its cartoon series have seemingly been quietly canceled.
** Waterman Productions (who produced ''Film/{{Casper}}'', ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'', and ''Film/StuartLittle'') made a deal in 2012 to make a live action/CGI hybrid film of ''ComicStrip/{{Heathcliff}}''. Nothing has been heard since.

* An untitled Nicktoons crossover movie directed by Jared Hess was in development, but as of April 2016, nothing has been heard of it since then.

** Many Disney sequels were cancelled in 2009 when Disney put a stop to their direct-to-video sequels. This included ''Chicken Little'', ''Pinocchio'', and ''The Aristocats'' sequels.

** Sony picked up the rights to produce a movie adaptation of ''VideoGame/RollercoasterTycoon'' in 2010. Nothing else has been heard from it since.

** The setback of ''Popeye'' initially allowed Genndy to move onto developing his original film, ''Can You Imagine?''. However, there was no further news since its annoucement and he later confirmed its cancellation on July 2017.
* Fox picked up the movie rights to ''Literature/MrMen'' in early 2015. As of this writing (February 2019), no new information has come out. Additionally, Creator/{{Disney}} is set to take over Fox that year, leaving the film in uncharted waters.
* Sanrio announced a ''Franchise/HelloKitty'' movie in January 2015 with a tentative release date of 2019. However, Sanrio didn't even start production until they licensed the rights to Creator/NewLineCinema in March 2019. Beau Flynn is attached as producer.

** Sony put the AllCGICartoon film adaptation of ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'' on hold after director Creator/GenndyTartakovsky left the film's production. He cited Sony Pictures' ExecutiveMeddling as a result of the hacking scandal as a reason for leaving the film, irritated that despite very positive reception to the film's test reel Sony's executives would not give the go ahead to start production. There's still hope that the film is alive, however, as Sony Pictures Animation's website continues to [[http://www.sonypicturesanimation.com/upcomingfilms.php?s=popeye list]] ''Popeye'' as an upcoming film despite losing Tartakovsky. It appears to have been cancelled, as King Features later commissioned Wildbrain to produce a new web cartoon called ''Popeye's Island Adventures'' in December 2018, suggesting that Sony's rights to the character expired.

* In June of 2011, {{Creator/Paramount}} announced to develop an animated film based on the ''{{Webcomic/Penny Arcade}}'' comic strip ''The New Kid'' with Gary Whitta ({{Film/The Book of Eli}}) penning the script and with Mary Parent and Cale Boyter of Disruption Entertainment producing the flim. There has not been any new updates about this project since.

* Ever since the announcement of a ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' movie, there have been barely any details about it except that the movie would somehow combine live action and animation. The creators have even stated that the movie is in "development hell" until the project is now cancelled. This probably is due to the series' noticeable decline in popularity.

* Sony put the AllCGICartoon film adaptation of ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'' on hold after director Creator/GenndyTartakovsky left the film's production. He cited Sony Pictures' ExecutiveMeddling as a result of the hacking scandal as a reason for leaving the film, irritated that despite very positive reception to the film's test reel Sony's executives would not give the go ahead to start production. There's still hope that the film is alive, however, as Sony Pictures Animation's website continues to [[http://www.sonypicturesanimation.com/upcomingfilms.php?s=popeye list]] ''Popeye'' as an upcoming film despite losing Tartakovsky. On a more positive note, the setback has allowed Genndy to move onto developing his original film, ''Can You Imagine?''. It appears to have been cancelled, as King Features later commissioned Wildbrain to produce a new web cartoon called ''Popeye's Island Adventures'' in December 2018, suggesting that Sony's rights to the character expired.

* Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation picked up the rights to produce a movie adaptation of ''VideoGame/RollercoasterTycoon'' in 2010. Nothing else has been heard from it since.

* A trailer released by Sony back in 2014 revealed plans for a ''Franchise/SlyCooper'' feature film slated for a 2016 release. Due to a lack of new footage or information combined with how ''WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank'' [[BoxOfficeBomb bombed at the box office]], many fans speculated that it was pulled altogether. In June of 2017, the film was confirmed cancelled. It was instead being reworked into a cartoon series.

* Sanrio announced a ''Franchise/HelloKitty'' movie in January 2015 with a tentative release date of 2019. That year has come, and nothing has come out of it.

* Fox picked up the movie rights to ''Literature/MrMen'' in early 2015. As of this writing (February 2019), no new information has come out. Additionally, Creator/{{Disney}} is set to take over Fox that year, leaving the film in uncharted waters.

* Fox picked up the movie rights to ''Franchise/HelloKitty'' in early 2015, with Sanrio confirming the film's development later that year with a tentative 2019 release. As of this writing (December 2018), no new information has come out. Additionally, Creator/{{Disney}} is set to take over Fox that year, leaving the film in uncharted waters.

* Back in the late 70s and early 80s, there were plans of a French-Hungarian co-produced AnimatedAdaptation of Creator/{{Voltaire}}'s ''Literature/{{Candide}}'', which were halted when the director's [[Animation/FoamBath feature film debut]] bombed, followed shortly by [[AuthorExistenceFailure him passing away]]. Fast-forward to the 2010s, when the project got reimagined as a mini series, taking guidance from the creator's original notes and adapting his excessive DerangedAnimation to modern media. Should this get finished, the idea would be SavedFromDevelopmentHell in some form.

** There was a bird-themed film in development in the early 2010s. Aside from concept art, nothing else has surfaced. It may have evolved into '' WesternAnimation/SpiesInDisguise''', which stars pigeons.