Jon Favreau signed on in 2010 to direct Magic Kingdom, a movie where a Disney park comes to life, and Pixar even helped with the script. Then it stalled. See what he said and what came next.
Disney once had its own “Night at the Museum” in the works, and the museum was a Disney theme park.
The movie was called Magic Kingdom, and Jon Favreau, the director of “Iron Man,” wanted to make it badly. He talked about it for years.
It never happened. Disney never officially canceled it, either. It faded away.
So what was it, and what got in the way? Favreau has dropped plenty of clues.
What was Disney’s Magic Kingdom movie about?
A Disney park that comes to life after dark.
The idea followed the “Night at the Museum” playbook, The Film Stage reported in 2011, with the magic of the park waking up at night.
Favreau gave a little more in 2012. “It’s going to be a family in the park,” he said, as Empire reported. They’d get launched into “an alternate reality version of the park,” he said.
So, a family, a park and a whole lot of Disney characters, all in one place. Easy, right?
Who was making Magic Kingdom?
Favreau, plus some big names.
Favreau went into talks to direct it in November 2010, /Film reported, citing Deadline. A draft by Ronald D. Moore, of “Battlestar Galactica,” had gotten the project moving again.
Then, in 2011, Disney hired novelist Michael Chabon to write it, The Film Stage reported.
Favreau was all in. In a statement, he said Imagineer Tony Baxter gave him a tour of Imagineering and pulled original concept art from the archives to show him Walt’s vision, The Film Stage reported.
Did Pixar help with Magic Kingdom?
Yes. Favreau said in 2012 that he’d been taking the script up to Pixar to meet with its “brain trust,” the group that gives notes on Pixar movies, Empire reported.
He wanted to build the story like an animated film before he ever rolled a camera.
“I don’t want to rush anything. I want this thing to be perfect,” Favreau said. He wanted it to be “one shot one kill, like a sniper.”
Why was Magic Kingdom never made?
Disney never gave a reason, because it never officially pulled the plug. But Favreau talked about what made it hard.
Too many worlds. “Part of what’s complicated about it is you’re mixing all of the different lands and characters together,” he told Collider in 2014, as /Film reported. He thought “The Avengers” and “The Lego Movie” showed it could be done.
Disney’s own movies. In 2016, Favreau told CinemaBlend that Disney’s live-action remakes, like “Maleficent,” “Cinderella” and his own “The Jungle Book,” would shape what Magic Kingdom could be. “There are a lot of things that have to be worked out,” he said.
Favreau got busy. He went on to direct Disney’s “The Jungle Book” (2016) and “The Lion King” (2019), and he created “The Mandalorian,” according to D23.
And then came Baby Yoda.
Did Disney try another Magic Kingdom project?
Sort of, and Ron Moore came back around for it.
In 2021, Moore was developing “The Society of Explorers and Adventurers,” a Disney+ series meant to bring Disney park lands and characters to life in a “Magic Kingdom Universe,” WDW News Today reported. The S.E.A. is the fictional explorers’ club from Tokyo DisneySea and Hong Kong Disneyland’s Mystic Manor.
Then, in June 2024, Moore left 20th Television for a deal at Sony. Laughing Place reported that the S.E.A. series likely wouldn’t move forward, and WDW News Today called its status unclear.
What is Jon Favreau doing at Disney now?
Still making Disney stuff, just not this.
He wrote and directed “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit,” a three-part miniseries about Walt’s long-lost character, which hits Disney+ in February 2027. It was even filmed at historic Disney spots.
He also directed and co-wrote “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which hit theaters this year.
What are some fun facts about Magic Kingdom?
Favreau’s first stop was Disneyland. He said he first heard about the project on his way to Disneyland with his family, and filled a book with ideas, The Film Stage reported.
Favreau is a Disney Legend. Disney gave him the honor in 2019, according to D23.
Disney has made plenty of park movies. “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “The Haunted Mansion” and “Jungle Cruise” all started as rides. A movie about the whole park is the one that hasn’t happened.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
/Film, Nov. 11, 2010: Jon Favreau In Talks To Direct ‘Magic Kingdom’ For Disney (citing Deadline)
The Film Stage, June 19, 2011: Michael Chabon Will Make Magic With Jon Favreau
Empire, 2012: Jon Favreau Talks Magic Kingdom
/Film, March 10, 2014: Jon Favreau Still Wants To Do ‘Magic Kingdom’ (citing Collider)
CinemaBlend, April 5, 2016: Is Jon Favreau Still Making Magic Kingdom At Disney?
WDW News Today, June 18, 2024: Status of ‘The Society of Explorers and Adventurers’ Series Unclear
Laughing Place, June 17, 2024: S.E.A., “Swiss Family Robinson” Series Reportedly Not Moving Forward (citing Deadline)
D23 Disney A to Z: Jon Favreau entry
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