Live-Action Adaptation of 'Fantasia' Sequence in Development at Disney

The number of live-action remakes in development at Disney has reached the double-digits! This time around, the company is lifting from one of the more iconic sequences from an animated classic.

The Hollywood Reporter has announced today that Disney has green-lit production on a live-action adaptation of Night on Bald Mountain, one of the eight segments featured in the 1940 animated film Fantasia.

Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (Dracula Untold and this year’s The Last Witch Hunter) will write the screenplay and produce the adaptation.

The original segment focused on a winged demon who summoned evil spirits from the dead to cause mayhem until they are driven back at dawn by the Angelus bell. In Fantasia, this segment was set to a classical piece from Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (and arranged for the film by Leopold Stokowski).

Sources close to Disney say that the film will lean more towards the Maleficent approach in terms of offering a new take on the story. Unlike Maleficent (which gave a darker take on the story of Sleeping Beauty), Bald Mountain is already dark to begin with, so it shouldn’t be too hard to come up with a version of the story that fits the established tone.

You can watch the original segment down here:

With this new remake, that takes the number of upcoming live-action remakes up to ten (and counting, of course).

In no particular order (including one sequel): The Jungle Book, Pete’s Dragon, Beauty and the Beast, a sequel to Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo, Mulan, Winnie the Pooh, Pinocchio, Tink, and Night on Bald Mountain.