Hans Christian Andersen is one of the most famous authors of all time, and people worldwide have enjoyed his classic tales for centuries. He has written numerous stories, including The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Clothes, and The Ugly Duckling. His stories have been adapted into movies, plays, musicals, and more by Disney, among others.
Disney planned an animated version of one of Andersen’s tales, but it was scrapped. Let’s take a look at the story and why it never came to be.
Hans Christian Andersen and his classic tale ‘The Emperor’s Nightingale’
The Emperor’s Nightingale is a story written by Andersen that tells the story of a Chinese Emperor who was so enamored with a mechanical bird that he decided to keep it in his palace and cherish it as his own. The mechanical bird would sing beautiful songs that could be heard around the palace, causing joy and happiness among the people.
But when the emperor tired of its singing, he threw it out of his window and into the night sky. But with its magical powers, the bird eventually found its way back to its master and taught him a valuable lesson about appreciating what you have in life.
Disney had plans to make this into an animated feature-length film, but those plans were never realized.
Disney’s take on the classic tale and why it was scrapped
Disney considered doing an animated version of this tale, but it was ultimately scrapped. There is some speculation that the film would have been done as a paper cut-out animation. The film likely would have also included Mickey Mouse, according to Wattpad.
An older version of the story was released in 1951 and directed by Jirí Trnka. This import from the Czech Republic portrays the life of a lonely child whose overzealous parents keep him away from the outside world.
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In a feverish dream, his toys come to life and take on the characters of Andersen’s story. The movie is narrated by Boris Karloff using a poem by Phyllis McGinley.
Other Andersen stories that Disney has adapted
The Little Mermaid is one of the most successful adaptations of an Andersen tale. This animated classic from 1989 tones down some of the original’s harsher edges. In the original tale, the mermaid disappears in the sea foam after dying of grief.
Another Andersen adaptation from Disney is the movie Frozen. It is based on the story The Snow Queen, written by Andersen. The original story is very different from the Disney movie, with the two main characters being a girl and a boy, who are neighbors, not siblings.
While the final film deviates from the original story, the theme of “regeneration through faith,” the abilities of its lead character, and a journey through mountains for reunification remain. Gerda is also referenced in the character of Anna, as is the faithful reindeer who comes to Gerda’s aid in the character of Sven.
The Ugly Duckling was a short that was part of the Silly Symphonies series. The ugly duckling in Andersen’s story experiences harassment because of his lack of physical beauty.
However, to his surprise, he grows up to become a swan, the most magnificent bird of all. The baby swan’s misery is lessened in this version because, rather than spending an entire year shunned and abandoned, he is discovered by his family after only a few minutes.
Disney has taken the stories of many authors and brought their characters to life on the big screen for decades. Thanks to the creativity and innovation of Disney, these classic characters will continue to live on for generations of children.
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