List of unproduced Universal Pictures animated projects

This is a list of unmade and unreleased animated projects by Universal Pictures. Some of these projects were, or still are, in development limbo. These also include the co-productions Universal collaborated with in the past (i.e Amblimation, Walter Lantz Productions, Universal Animation Studios, Gingo Animation, Illumination, and DreamWorks Animation).

Aladdin and His Lamp
In 1941, after hearing the success of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs movie, Universal's first animation studio Walter Lantz Productions wanted to get into feature animation by having their first feature film called Aladdin and His Lamp, based on the famous tales of Aladdin. It was set to star the voices of comedy duo Abbott and Costello. However, after hearing that one of their rivals Fleischer Studios' film Mr. Bug Goes to Town failed at the box office, Aladdin never made it to actual production.

Untitled Lantz project
In the late 1940s, Walter Lantz attempted to do a feature film again, but it never came to fruition.

Cats
In the late 90's, Amblimation was set to make their next movie after Balto that was going to be based on the hit Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. While storyboards and pictures of the film were shown online, the film's production was canceled when Amblimation was shut down and merged into DreamWorks Animation.

Escape from Jurassic Park
Universal Cartoon Studios was set to make an animated TV series spin-off of the blockbuster Jurassic Park titled Escape from Jurassic Park. The show was to take place after the first film and before The Lost World: Jurassic Park in where Dr. Alan Grant and the gang head back to Jurassic Park with other people to try to re-open the park, however things go bad and the gang need to escape from the park again while trying to take care of the more friendly Dinosaurs. While the script for the first episode was made, the show's production was scrapped by director Steven Spielberg when he was busy working on other animated shows (including Animaniacs and Freakazoid!) and building DreamWorks.

Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect
Another Jurassic Park animated show was in the works at Universal Cartoon Studios, this time based on a toy line called Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect. Like the toy line, the show will take place a few years after The Lost World: Jurassic Park and before Jurassic Park III where Dr. Ian Malcolm and his gang meet a group of scientists on one of the islands of Jurassic Park that have created new dinosaurs that have mixed DNA of other dinosaurs with living animals of today's world and are running lose. Like Escape from Jurassic Park, its production was scrapped. However, some of the planned episodes' concepts later went into the screenplays for Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob
A plan for animated/live action hybrid feature film of animated singer MC Skat Kat and his gang was in the works at Universal, but the production for the film was scrapped when there was nothing to do with the character in movie form.

Crash Bandicoot cutscenes
After Universal Interactive Studios opened its doors, its then-parent company Universal wanted its animated studio Universal Cartoon Studios to do cutscenes for some of their video games starting with the first Crash Bandicoot game. However, the idea was scrapped when Universal Interactive's partners wanted the game all CGI and to keep their deals with them. Despite this, the cutscenes were shown online.

Chrysocolla: Part-Time Agent
After the success of the 1997 game Chrysocolla: Part-Time Agent, Gingo Animation began considering creating an animated TV series based on the Chrysocolla games, but its production was shut down when Universal Cartoon Studios found it too violent for TV.

The Tub People
Based on the children's picture book of the same name by Pam Conrad, this proposed feature was to be an adaptation of The Tub People and was announced by Universal and Gingo in 1998. It would've been released in 2001. The project was put on hold two years later because of script issues.

Frankenstein
According to Animation Magazine, Universal and the Industrial Light & Magic were going to make their first theatrical feature film based on the famous monster story Frankenstein. But nothing new came after and the film's production was scrapped.

The Shackers
In 1998, an adult animated film called The Shackers was in the works at Universal Feature Animation but was canceled when John Cohen, then-president of Universal Animation, wanted to make family-friendly animated films.

Oceanic
The project was dropped when an agreement couldn't be reached between Universal and the Brizzi Brothers.

Where the Wild Things Are
Universal acquired rights to the book's adaptation in 2001 and initially attempted to develop a computer-animated adaptation with Disney animator Eric Goldberg, but in 2003 the CGI concept was replaced with a live-action one, and Goldberg was replaced with Spike Jonze. The film was originally set for release from Universal, and a teaser of the film was attached to the studio's 2000 adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Disagreements between Universal and Maurice Sendak over Jonze's approach to the story led to a turnaround arrangement where the film's production was transferred to Warner Bros., who eventually released their own version of the film in 2009.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Dracula
There where plans to make a third Alvin and the Chipmunks direct to video movie by Universal Animation Studios in where they meet Dracula. The plot is that Dracula has bitten Simon to become a vampire and his successor and Alvin and Theodore have to save him. It would also be the first time that Alvin and Theodore have to think of a plan without Simon (who is usually the smart one of the group), but unfortunately the plans to make this film were canceled when Bagdasarian Productions's contract with Universal had expired.

Greenwoods
Produced at Universal Feature Animation, this proposed feature film was to be about a young man who stumbles upon a mysterious realm with fairy tale creatures while trying to head back home. Mixing traditional and computer-generated animation, it was being directed by Ralph Zondag, the co-director of Ama and the Mysterious Crystal. Due to creative reasons, production was ultimately shut down right after Computeropolis started production in 2002.

Nerd Boy
This proposed project is said to center on a geeky teenager who becomes a superhero.

Gabriel Garza: Unleashed
Universal planned to make another Gabriel Garza film, but instead of using hand-drawn animation, Universal wanted to use computer animation. Titled Gabriel Garza: Unleashed, this project would have focus on Vio kidnapping Claire Jones, while he and his henchmen plan to make a machine to destroy Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania and rebuilt as Vio's new empire. While searching on the Internet, Gabriel finds out that Vio also plans for world domination, which led Vio to take over every country around the world. Fearing the world's destruction, Gabriel sets out on an adventure with a group of his friends (Roge, Leno, Cole, Loy, the Elves, and Jan Soto) to rescue Claire and stop Vio. At the same time, Claire meets other people whom Vio created until they were refused to follow Vio. The project was canceled in 2004 when The Gabriel Garza Movie became a box office disappointment, but seven years later, a reboot was released by Universal Pictures.

Paint World 2
Universal and Gingo planned a proposed sequel to Paint World (1999). It was cancelled before it began production. The trailer is included on the Paint World Special Edition DVD. Also, third Paint World film was planned but cancelled after the cancellation of these. However, in August 2016, it was announced that the Paint World sequel, now known as Paint Universe, was revived and back into development by Universal and Gingo, and would be released straight-to-video in 2019, coinciding on the 20th anniversary of the original Paint World film.

Rez
In 2003, an animated film based on Rez was announced by Universal Feature Animation to be in production. Tetsuya Mizuguch was set to write the film's screenplay, but the production was eventually canceled.

Pizza Boy
The proposed film was described as "a story about a boy who dreams of owning a pizza restaurant."

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
An adaptation based on Laura Numeroff's book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. In May 2005, it was reported that the book was optioned to Universal Feature Animation, and its development was announced in December 2006 as a 2D/3D animated hybrid film. However, the project was scrapped because of the rise of computer animation and the decision to abandon hand-drawn animation.

Big Hero 6
Based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Big Hero 6, this proposed film from Universal Feature Animation would have been written and directed by Audel LaRoque. It was originally set to be released on December 1, 2006, but was delayed to 2007. In March 2006, Universal then moved the film to 2008, and announcing Audel LaRoque as the director of Computeropolis 2, which he was directing concurrently with Big Hero 6. However, in March 2007, the project was abandoned by Universal due to script problems and LaRoque was no longer working on the project, and would instead work on an idea that would later become Quest. The project was later moved to Walt Disney Animation Studios and was released on November 7, 2014. It was met with both critical and commercial success, grossing over $657 million worldwide and becoming the second highest-grossing animated film of 2014, behind Universal/Gingo's Gabriel Garza 2.

Wild Creatures
Universal considered producing an animated feature film that centered on a world of creatures. However, the idea never fully materialized. This idea, however, was reincarnated nine years later into Gingo's Imagimals, which was released by Universal on September 9, 2016.

Flanimals
On 28 April 2009, Variety reported that a 3-D, computer-animated feature film based on the Flanimals book series was in production at Illumination. Series creator Ricky Gervais was set to be the executive producer and also lend his voice to the lead character, while The Simpsons writer Matt Selman wrote the script. However it has been removed from the development schedule.

Pazo the Spaceboy
Jim Anderson was developing an animated film at Universal Animation set in space. The basic idea would've been about a young fearless spaceboy who attempts to rescue his family from evil aliens who plan to turn them into gemstones to conquer the planets. No other updates have been announced.

An untitled Illumination cryptozoology film
This proposed film from Illumination would have been produced by comedian Jack Black, Ben Cooley and Chris Meledandri and set in the world of cryptozoology, the study of animals that are said to not exist. Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Cupacabra and many other supposed mythological monsters fall under this mantle. While Black was developing the project at this time he was not attached to provide a voice to one of its characters as he did with DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda. The screenplay was to be written by Jason Micallef. However, there have been no recent developments regarding the film's production.

Another Code: Two Memories
This proposed motion-captured animated film would have been based on the point-and-click adventure game of the same name. It would have been directed by Steve Samono. However, Universal could not afford the rights to the film, so it was scrapped.

Gunnerkrigg Court
An animated film adaptation of the fantasy webcomic Gunnerkrigg Court was in the works at Universal Animation Studios in January 2010, to be directed by Jess Riol and written by Mike Reiss. It was also going to be executive produced by Tom Siddell, the creator Gunnerkrigg Court. However, in February 2013, Siddell reported on his blog that the project was cancelled due to "creative differences" at Universal.

Pluto
Universal Pictures and Illumination acquired the rights to the Japanese manga series Pluto in 2010 for a live-action/CGI film. No news have emerged since.

The Legend of Spyro 3D
On October 25, 2007, it was announced that the film rights for Spyro the Dragon had been purchased by The Animation Picture Company. Daniel and Steven Altiere wrote the script, which was going to be based on the recently released The Legend of Spyro trilogy. The film was planned to be made from Los Angeles, California, with animation by a South Korean Animation studio, Wonderworld Studios. The film was planned to be produced by John Davis, Dan Chuba, Mark A.Z. Dippé, Brian Manis and Ash Shah, and distributed and advertised by Velvet Octopus along with Universal. Mark Dippe was going to direct the film, which would've made it the first theatrical film Dippe directed since Spawn. This film was originally planned for released in theaters on Christmas 2009 for the United States and Canada, but it was delayed to April 10, 2010 for its North American release. It was later confirmed by Daniel Altiere himself that the movie had been officially cancelled due to decisions made by Activision to go in a different direction, which was later revealed in the form of Skylanders.

Fantasy Tap
In February 2010, Universal announced a 3D animated feature film adaptation of the 1997 video game Fantasy Tap in production. Michael Wildshill was set to be the executive producer, while Erica Rivinoja was writing the script. As of July 2014, the studio was still working on the film, but the project is in limbo due to management changes at Universal.

The Addams Family
In 2010, it was announced that Universal and Illumination had acquired the underlying rights to the Addams Family drawings. The film was planned to be a stop-motion animated film based on Charles Addams's original drawings. Tim Burton was set to co-write and co-produce the film, with a possibility to direct. In July 2013, it was reported that the film was cancelled. Had been made, this would have been Illumination's first stop-motion animated film.

Woody Woodpecker (animated film)
In the early 2010s, Universal and Illumination planned a Woody Woodpecker feature film. John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky (King of the Hill) were in talks to develop a story, but in July 2013, Illumination canceled the project. The film was eventually released as a live-action/CGI hybrid film in 2017.

Entropy
In 2010, a film adaptation based on the 2008 animated short Entropy was announced to be developed by Universal Animation Studios, but never got into production.

Mukashi Banashi
In October 2010, it was announced that Universal Animation Studios had acquired the rights to a Japanese-only PlayStation game called CG Mukashi Banashi - Jiisan 2-do Bikkuri!! to make an animated feature film, titled Mukashi Banashi. Following that announcement, no updates have surfaced.

Amulet
In 2011, Universal Animation Studios and Gingo Animation had the rights to develop a computer animated film adaptation of the graphic novel series of the same name by Kazu Kibuishi, but it was cancelled for unknown reasons, and was eventually picked up by 20th Century Fox and Temple Hill Entertainment.

Digger
In April 2011, it was announced that Universal Animation Studios was adapting the webcomic Digger into an animated feature film, with Brian Lynch writing the film's script. No other news emerge following that announcement.

Uglydolls
In May 2011, it was announced that Illumination had acquired the rights to Uglydolls to make an animated feature film. Four years later, in 2015, Variety magazine reported that an animated film based on Uglydolls would be the first project produced by STX Entertainment's new "family and animation" division named STX Family; it is set for a May 2019 release.

Seasons
In 2011, Jose Garcia pitched his own film called Seasons to Universal Animation execs, although it never came to fruition. This was later reworked into a personal graphic novel.

The Cat in the Hat
In 2012, following the financial success of The Lorax, the animated film adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book of the same name, Universal and Illumination announced plans to produce a CGI adaptation of the book. Rob Lieber was set to write the script, with Chris Meledandri as producer, and Audrey Geisel as the executive producer. However, the project never came into fruition. On January 24, 2018, it was announced that Warner Animation Group was in development of an animated Cat in the Hat film as part of a creative partnership with Seuss Enterprises.

Clifford the Big Red Dog
In May 2012, it was reported that Universal and Illumination would make a live-action/animated feature film based on the Clifford the Big Red Dog book series. Matt Lopez had been hired to write the script, while Chris Meledandri and Deborah Forte would produce the film. In July 2013, it was reported that Illumination had dropped the project.

Alarm
Based on the 2009 South Korean computer-animated short of the same name, a feature-length adaptation to Alarm was being developed by Universal Animation Studios. Jang Moo Hyun, the director of the short, was again set to direct the feature, with Michael Wildshill executive producing it. In October 2012, it was reported that the studio has hired Darren Lemke to write a script. However, in July 2014, the project was cancelled.

Seven Little Monsters
Based on the children's picture book of the same name by American author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, this proposed live-action/CGI-animated hybrid was originally directed by Rob Minkoff, and scheduled for a Christmas 2012 release, but it was pushed back to 2013. In March 2010, it was removed from the release schedule. Eventually, in July 2014, Universal shelved the project.

Diner Dash
In October 2013, it was reported that Universal Animation Studios has acquired the rights to the Diner Dash game series to make an animated film based on it. John Cohen was set to produce the film, along with Jess Riol and David K. Thompson. As of 2018, however, no additional information on the production has surfaced.

Adventure Academy
In 2013, Universal Animation Studios began production on Adventure Academy. Based off a concept by Geo G. while he was still working on Gabriel Garza 2 and Imagimals respectively, the film centered on a girl who signs up to the Adventure Academy in order to train to become a top adventurer. The studio decided not to continue with the project due to "creative differences" with Geo, so the film was cancelled by Universal, but in 2017, the film was revived by Gingo Animation and Sony Pictures Animation, now as an The Emoji Movie spin-off titled Addie featuring Addie McCallister from The Emoji Movie as the main protagonist, with Anderson as the director, and a February 22, 2019 release date.

Larrikins
This proposed animated feature film from Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation was to be directed by Tim Minchin (which would've been his directorial debut) and Chris Miller, written by Harry Cripps and to be produced by Christina Steinberg. Margot Robbie, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, Rose Byrne, Ben Mendelsohn, Jacki Weaver, Josh Lawson, Damon Herriman, Ewen Leslie, and Anna Kendrick were also cast in the film. The story would have followed an uptight bilby who ventures out and finds himself launched on a musical adventure across the mystical Australian outback when he gets kicked out of the sheltered life of his family burrow. On the way, he must battle an evil army of monsters known as the Syvalionilas, or "Syvas" for short, and win the heart of his one true love. The film was set to be released on February 16, 2018, but was cancelled on March 5, 2017 due to creative difficulties. Had been released, it would have been the first DreamWorks Animation film to be distributed by Universal Pictures, whose parent company NBCUniversal acquired DWA in 2016.

Johnny Express
In 2015, Universal and Illumination planned to adapt the South Korean CGI animated short Johnny Express into a feature-length animated film. However, as of July 2018, nothing new came out after and the production was canceled.