Disney's Forgotten Odyssey: A Lost Adaptation of Ancient Greek Epic

The Odyssey, an epic Ancient Greek story about Odysseus' journey home to his wife Penelope after the Trojan War, has been adapted for the screen numerous times. However, one lesser-known fact is that Disney almost made a film version of it in the early 1990s.

In 1992, Disney announced that The Odyssey was in development as part of their 'Renaissance' era, which saw successful films like The Little Mermaid and Beauty And The Beast. At the time, writers and animators were pitching their ideas for stories at 'Gong Show' meetings, where they had a short amount of time to present their concepts.

The Odyssey was one of these ideas, but Disney struggled to translate the source material into a family-friendly animated comedy. The studio also couldn't settle on a cast of characters that fit with their winning streak at the time.

Directors John Musker and Ron Clements, who had hoped to work on Treasure Island, were instead encouraged to look at other approved ideas, including The Odyssey. However, they ultimately dropped the project and went on to co-direct Hercules in 1997.