For almost thirty years, Disney has adapted many films from its animated and live-action library into Broadway musicals. They range from one-to-one recreations of the movie refitted to a staging environment to complete reinventions that improve the original piece. Most of these shows remain popular with audiences and critics, with some becoming among the longest-running shows in Broadway history.
Of course, Disney has yet to show any sign of slowing down in adapting its films for the stage, and many would make for interesting choices. Some require radical reinvention and expansion of the material, while others seem tailor-made for Broadway.
10’Sleeping Beauty' (1959)
Princess Aurora (Mary Costa) has been born, and the kingdom is in complete celebration. All except for the evil fairy Maleficent (Eleanor Audley), who places a curse on her to die on her sixteenth birthday. Aurora soon falls under her spell, and only a kiss from a prince (Bill Shirley) can save her.
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Much ofSleeping Beauty’s music was directly taken fromTchaikovsky’s ballet of the fairy tale, and theEyvind Earle-style animation fits perfectly with that theatrical scope. While it’s a story more focused on the villain and the good fairies than on the title character and her prince, a stage adaptation would be able to add some much-needed dimension.
9’Monsters Inc.' (2001)
One of Pixar’s earliest classics,Monsters Inc., puts a light, fun spin on the idea of monsters hiding in closets. It’s a story about friendship and family as two monsters attempt to return a human girl to her world while avoiding the police and their co-workers.
While not intended as a musical, the story does lend itself well to a vaudevillian musical style. The ending credits even featureBilly CrystalandJohn Goodmanin character as Mike and Sulley singing of their friendship. The production design would also mean a mixture of puppetry, inventive costuming, and other forms of stagecraft, allowing for immense creative potential.
8’The Emperor’s New Groove' (2000)
It’s the story of a selfish emperor who turned into a lama and was thrown onto the outskirts of his kingdom. It is filled with memorable characters, hilarious comedy, and top-class animation, unlike any Disney film seen before or since. But, of course, much has been written of the original plan for this film to be a straightforward, serious musical piece calledKingdom of the Sun.
Several songs were composed for the original version by rock starSting. While the film is entirely different from what was intended, seeing some of the cut pieces in a stage depiction would be a welcome sight.
7’The Princess and the Frog' (2009)
The Princess and the Frogfeatures one of the best villains in Disney history, catchy songs byRandy Newman, and an emotional love story. In addition, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) has seen a popularity surge in recent years, and a stage version would only let her star shine brighter.
It already has a great soundtrack, so musically, very little needs to be added. But the creative potential for stagecraft is present, from particular types of puppetry and costumes to portray characters like Louis (Michael Leon-Wooley) and Ray (Jim Cummings). Not to mention projections or shadow puppets for Dr. Facilier’s (Keith David) friends.
6’The Rescuers' (1977)
WhileThe Rescuers Down Undermight be more beloved sequelamong audiences than its predecessor, the firstRescuersmovie deserves more attention than it gets. A group of mice dedicates themselves to rescuing troubled children across the world. Their latest recruits, Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor) and Bernard (Bob Newhart), are sent to investigate a kidnapped girl named Penny (Michelle Stacy).
It has a dramatic story and a melancholy atmosphere, but ultimately some good Disney fun with a happy ending. If put on stage, The Rescuers could shed some much-needed light on a lesser-known animated adventure.
5’Robin Hood' (1973)
Perhaps the most popular modern version of the classic myth, Disney’sRobin Hoodre-imagines the story with talking animals playing all the roles. While not outright a musical, it goes as far as to have characters sing at specific points in the story and have a rooster minstrel (Roger Miller) as the narrator.
Of course, certain things need addressing if it can be adapted to the stage. For example, do they depict the characters as humans? Animals? Perhaps a mixture of the two? A careful approach is needed, but the fitting depiction and atmosphere can make for an exciting experiment.
4’Encanto' (2021)
No Disney film in recent memory has been tailor-made for a musical adaptation more thanEncanto. A decidedly more personally dramatic story than an epic fairy tale quest, it follows a seemingly perfect family facing hidden trouble under the surface.
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With fantastic music fromHamiltonandMoanacomposerLin-Manuel Miranda, beautiful stylistic imagery, and infectious choreography, it’s the most successful animated musical Disney has seen in years. While some artistic license will be needed to portray or tone down certain family members’ powers, not much will be required apart from inventive stagecraft.
3’Moana' (2016)
Before hitting it out of the park withEncanto,Lin-Manuel Mirandaalso wrote several songs forMoana. On the Pacific Islands, a young chieftain’s daughter named Moana (Auli’I Cravalho) finds she has the key to saving her island from destruction. To achieve this, she enlists the help of the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson), braving oceans and monsters to save the day.
Moana already has a fantastic musical score in place. But while depicting the ocean on stage is no easy task, it is far from impossible. And the use of puppetry to showcase characters like Tamatoa (Jermaine Clement) and Te Fiti would be a sight to behold.
2’Meet the Robinsons' (2007)
Among the more underrated of Disney’s modern work,Meet the Robinsonshas a charmingly quirky personality all its own, a criminally underrated villain, and a beautiful message. What was marketed as a comedy about an unusual family turned out to be a touching story of a boy genius learning the true value of perseverance.
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The titular family itself was underutilized in the final film, while an expanded stage version could lend more light to their personalities. The potential for a theatrical stage version is already present in the movie and only needs to right creative team to bring it to life.
1’Alice in Wonderland' (1951)
WhileAlice in Wonderlandhas been adapted for pantomimes and theatrical productions, they still need to achieve the perfect stylization of the material like the Disney version. It almost prides itself on having no true story, just Alice (Kathryn Beaumont) wandering through a Wonderland in her mind and encountering one wacky event after another.
It’s a delightfully strange film and would make for a distinctive form of the theatre of the absurd. Characters change actors suddenly. Settings disappeared as quickly as they came. The fourth wall not being entirely present. If Disney wants to explore this brand of theatrics, then Alice in Wonderland is the work to utilize.
NEXT:From ‘The Lion King’ to ‘Newsies’: Every Disney Broadway Production, Ranked
