Disney’s D23 Expo is in full swing in Anaheim and whether you love Disney, or just all the things they own, there’s lots of cool stuff going on. It’s not all Marvel and Star Wars though. If you’re a fan of classic Disney animation, there’s plenty for you too. Disney has often made some of their greatest animated films when taking inspiration from classic tales. They're poised to do so again when they produce their take on Jack and the Beanstalk.
Unveiled at the Disney Animation Panel today Gigantic will be Disney’s take on the classic story of the man who climbs a magic beanstalk and finds a giant, except in the case of Gigantic, he will apparently encounter a whole world of giants. While on his journey he makes friends with Inma, a 60 foot tall, 11-year-old girl with a personality to match. He agrees to help her find her way home. To add some cultural flare to film, it is actually set in Spain during the Age of Exploration, so expect Jack to be something of a Christopher Columbus of the skies.
In addition to the officially released news, our own Eric Eisenberg is reporting from D23, and from what info he's gathered there, it sounds like Gigantic will include entire societies of different sorts of giants, including Storm Giants, who will act as the villains of the story, and will be twice as big as the girl Jack makes friends with. The character of Jack will be a grown man, as opposed to the youth that he is often portrayed as, which will be important to the interaction between Jack and Inma as the film will focus on the relationship between the adult, yet small human, and the young, yet huge, giant.
We’re also going to warn you well in advance, you may need to bring some tissues when Gigantic hits theaters. While speaking at the panel, director Nathan Greno said he wanted to make the "definitive" version of Jack and the Beanstalk, and that it will have an emotional impact on par with Dumbo. If you need a reminder what sort of emotional experience Dumbo was, well, you can relieve "Baby Mine" by clicking here but we warn you, it’s going to hurt.
Gigantic will be directed by Nathan Greno, who previously directed Disney’s Tangled. Gigantic is produced by Dorothy McKim, whose previous Disney credits include Meet The Robinsons and the theatrical short Get a Horse. Songs will be written by the Oscar winning song writers behind Frozen, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson Lopez
While far from a traditional retelling of the classic story, Disney has never been one for a traditional story. Instead, they always but their own personal spin on it and, more often than not, their version does become the "definitive" version for generations to come. Gigantic is set for a 2018 release.
