At this rate, every Disney classic will have a live-action adaptation by 2030. After the success of ‘Maleficent’ and ‘Cinderella,’ we’ll be seeing ‘Alice: Through The Looking Glass’ and Jon Favreau’s ‘The Jungle Book’ in 2016. The House of Mouse is also deep into production on ‘Beauty and the Beast’ starring Emma Watson. Then, they have ‘Mulan,’ Tim Burton’s ‘Dumbo,’ and ‘Tinkerbell’ starring Reese Witherspoon in development. So what iconic animated feature could possibly be next in line for the live-action treatment from Walt Disney Pictures? It probably isn’t what you’re expecting.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney is conjuring up a film based on the ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ sequence from the 1940 animated musical extravaganza ‘Fantasia.’ Set to the music of Modest Mussorgsky and Franz Schubert, this segment of the film that brought classical music to a wider audience tells the story of the devil Chernabog as he summons evil spirits and restless souls from the afterlife to Bald Mountain. These demons run wild until the night ends with the sunrise. You can see the full section of the movie in the video below:
Writing the script for this project will be Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, who have some experience in working with dark fantasy tales. The duo have built a career in this genre thanks to upcoming films like ‘Dracula Untold’ starring Luke Evans, ‘The Last Witch Hunter’ starring Vin Diesel, and ‘Gods of Egypt’ starring Gerard Butler and ‘Game of Thrones’ star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
To be honest, there’s some great material here for another possible live-action hit for Disney. However, since the pair of Sazama and Sharpless are likely to insert a protagonist to face off against Chernabog and his demons, parts of the plot (which I have totally just made up in my head) sounds a bit like Dayman from ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.’ I mean, think about it for a second:
Disney’s ‘The Nightman Cometh’… I mean, ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ is coming. While it goes through the scriptwriting process and the search for the director, what do you think about this live-action adaptation for one of the most recognizable and enduring segments from ‘Fantastia’ (besides ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’, which already has a live-action movie)? Share your thoughts in the comments.
