Since its arrival in 2019, Disney+ has also had some scars, as it has abandoned 10 major shows over the years before they ever saw the light of day. While the Disney-owned streamer has seen plenty of hits enter development and eventually make their way onto the service (some of which are set to make waves on Disney+ in 2025), there have been titles that have also fallen off the cart for one reason or another.
These shows have been put on the chopping block at various points in development, whether that be as late as mid-filming (being sold off to another streamer), or as early as an announcement being the only known piece of information fans had about the series.
Disney+ has abandoned 10 notable shows, ranging from big-name literary adaptations to new entries in long-running fan-favorite universes (like Star Wars or Marvel).
10 Shows Disney+ Abandoned in Development
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Based on the beloved children's fantasy book series of the same name, The Spiderwick Chronicles was set to be Disney+'s next big literary adaptation; however, the show never came to be (at least in the form it was originally conceived).
The Spiderwick series got as far as filming under the Disney banner, with production taking place in Vancouver from September 2022 to January 2023. Months after production was finished, though, it was revealed that the series would not move forward at Disney+, citing cost-cutting reasons.
In October 2023, it was announced that The Spiderwick Chronicles had been sold to the Roku Channel (via Deadline). It was eventually released in April 2024, with all eight episodes debuting on the service simultaneously.
Nautilus
First announced in August 2021, Nautilus was set to be a Disney+ reimagining of Jules Verne's classic novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (a book Disney adapted for film in 1954). It would have recounted the origins of the franchise's iconic Captain Nemo and how he came to captain the show's titular undersea ship.
The series was developed and filmed with the intention of being released on the Disney-owned streamer, but that never happened. Like The Spiderwick Chronicles, Nautius was dropped by Disney mid-production, and its streaming rights were sold off to the highest bidder.
It eventually ended up at Amazon Prime Video (per Deadline) in the UK and Ireland and premiered on the service in October 2024. AMC picked up its North American rights, and a release in the U.S. and Canada is expected on Sunday, June 29, on AMC+.
Lizzie McGuire Reboot
One of the most high-profile Disney+ series to kick the can was the highly anticipated Lizzie McGuire reboot. The new streaming series was set to revive Hilary Duff's beloved Disney Channel show of the same name, checking in on its colorful cast of characters years after the events of the original series.
The Lizzie McGuire reboot was going to be unique in that it was set to be a more mature take on its characters and world, aging up with the show's original audience. The series got as far as production before it was stopped in its tracks.
The long-awaited revival shot two episodes before showrunner Terri Minsky left the project, citing creative differences. The show was then put on hiatus in January 2020, with the word being that it was not "family-friendly" enough for Disney+ (via Deadline) before getting cancelled in December of that year.
Rangers of the New Republic
While the Star Wars brand has been no stranger to cancellations on the theatrical side of things (read more about Star Wars' big movie problems here), its TV ventures have remained relatively unscathed—that is, except Rangers of the New Republic.
The Mandalorian spin-off series was announced just before the show's second season, revealed to be an epic galaxy-spanning tale that would have centered on Gina Carano's New Republic Marshal Cara Dune.
However, in early 2021, Carano found herself in hot water following controversial statements online. She was promptly fired from Lucasfilm, and Rangers of the New Republic was ultimately abandoned. According to Star Wars News Net's reporting at the time, no scripts were written for the series, and the storylines they did have were eventually absorbed into future seasons of The Mandalorian.
Black Panther Spin-off Series
The world of Marvel Studios' Black Panther is just getting set to hit Disney+ in a big way with the upcoming release of the animated Eyes of Wakanda. However, that was not the only streaming project set in the fictional African nation Disney had planned.
In May 2021, it was reported that a Disney+ Black Panther spin-off series centered on the origins of Danai Gurira's Okoye was in the works with director Ryan Coogler attached to develop the project.
While nothing more was heard about the series for some time, Marvel Studios' head of streaming, television, and animation Brad Winderbaum told Pay or Wait in February 2025, "I think fans of Okoye are going to be excited to see her come back...But I don’t think it’s going to be on a television show," seemingly confirming that the show was no longer happening.
Tiana Disney+ Series
Initially set to follow up on 2009's The Princess and the Frog, the Tiana Disney+ series was set to expand the world of that beloved Disney animated story. It would follow Anika Noni Rose's Tiana as she set off on a new adventure as the newly crowned Princess of Maldonia.
The series was first announced in December 2020, with a 2023 release date reportedly being the internal goal at Disney. The only real news fans got before the show's eventual cancellation came in October 2023, when it was revealed that Midnight Mass writer Joyce Sherri would serve as the series's showrunner.
Things went quiet from there, though, as it was not until March 2025 that The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Tiana had been abandoned; it had gone over budget, and Walt Disney Animation Studios would no longer pursue long-form animated content.
Tron Disney+ Series
Not much is known about the mystery Tron Disney+ project, except that it was yet another series to hit the cutting room floor at the renowned Hollywood studio.
Set in the digital world of the Tron movies, the Tron Disney+ series was reportedly in the works before Disney+'s launch. The House of Mouse sought to revive some of its back catalog for its new streaming platform with titles like Mighty Ducks, National Treasure, and Willow.
According to Empire, though, the Tron series was ultimately abandoned shortly after the streamer's launch, thanks to a lack of progress behind the scenes. Instead, fans will be able to return to The Grid later this year with the upcoming Tron: Ares movie.
Race to Witch Mountain
Disney has attempted to revive its classic Witch Mountain franchise several times over the decades, with its abandoned Race to Witch Mountain series being just the latest.
The Disney+ series was reportedly in development as far back as 2019. It would have seen Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard as one of the show's adult leads, following a pair of teens who develop superpowers and are forced on the run.
Howard, however, revealed in August 2024 that the show had been kicked to the curb and was no longer moving forward at Disney+. No specific reasoning was given, but one can assume it may have been a victim of Disney's changing streaming strategy and honing in on guaranteed hits.
The Muppets
Another name announced in the initial wave of Disney+ projects in 2019 was the abandoned The Muppets series (known as Muppets Live Anothyer Day). Frozen actor Josh Gad was developing the new streaming series with writers Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis.
The series was set to take place after the events of The Muppets Take Manhattan, in which Kermit the Frog reunited with the Muppets following Rowlf the Dog's mysterious disappearance.
Muppets Live Another Day was one of the first Disney+ series to get the axe, though, as it did not even make it to the launch of the service, getting scrapped in September 2019 (via The Hollywood Reporter). This was due to creative differences amongst its writing team and changing leadership at The Muppets Studio.
Book of Enchantment
While never officially announced in any capacity, Book of Enchantment has become an object of fascination for longtime Disney fans. The animated streaming series was reported to be in development in February 2019.
It was supposedly going to adapt the Villains book series by Serena Valentino, telling origin stories of some of Disney's most iconic big bands, recounting how they came to be the evil beings fans find them as when their respective movies pick up.
The series was said to have been abandoned in August 2019 after almost a year of development, as it was deemed too dark for Disney. Even after an attempt to change the tone mid-production, it still did not meet the studio's quality standards (via Deadline).
