Gigantic: Walt Disney Animation Taking on Jack and the Beanstalk
Earlier today at the 2015 D23 Expo, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter officially announced the next big CG animation feature for the company, which will be a unique take on another classic fairy tale in Jack and the Beanstalk. Disney’s version has been dubbed Gigantic, and it will be a CG animated musical from director Nathan Greno (Tangled) and producer Dorothy McKim.
What’s more, the Academy Award-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez will be providing the music and original songs for the film. In addition, the husband-and-wife team greeted the crowd in attendance for the animation panel today with an original song from the film, “Get a Horse!”
The film is puts the Jack and the Beanstalk tale in Spain during the Age of Exploration. The story follows a young adventure-seeker named Jack, who discovers a world of giants hidden within the clouds. He comes up with a plan with Inma, a 60-foot-tall, 11-year-old girl, and agrees to help her find her way home. However, Jack didn’t count on her super-sized, yet down to earth, personality. Disney also showed a visual reel with concept art giving a sense of the film’s pot and scope. It showed familiar pieces from the fairy tale, but also some twists, including a whole land of giants and the friendship between Jack and Inma. It looks like the singing harp will be there too. Lasseter expressed his belief that many Disney animated versions of fairy tales were seen as the definitive versions, and he hopes that is also the case with Jack and the Beanstalk and Gigantic.
Disney’s Gigantic will hit theaters in 2018. Here is a piece of artwork for the film that was shown during the presentation at the D23 Expo.