Since Disney’s inception in 1923, Disney has been adapting fairy tales and books. With some of their most notable movies like “Mary Poppins”, “Peter Pan”, “Robin Hood” and “Cinderella” are all based on books. With Disney+ adapting several books, including “Percy Jackson”“The Cemetery Book”, and “Out of My Mind”. So let’s review twelve books and book series that Disney+ should adapt.
Number Twelve: Magnus Chase
After Rick Riordan’s best-selling “Percy Jackson” book series ended, he continued to develop several books similar to his “Percy Jackson”, including a series of Norse mythology spin-off books following the cousin of “Percy Jackson” alum Annabeth Chase, cousin’s name is “Magnus Chase”. With Disney already having a pre-existing deal with ‘Percy Jackson’ and ‘Magnus Chase’ writer Rick Riordan, it’s possible we could see a ‘Magnus Chase’ series on Disney+ if the ‘Percy Jackson’ series is a hit. .
Number eleven: slumber parties
A children’s book written by famous British author Jacqueline Wilson, this book tells the story of a group of friends who always stay at each other’s house for their birthdays. One of the girls, Daisy, has a disabled sister named Lily, who gets bullied by one of the other girls (Chloe). This book screams “Disney movie” to me, and with Disney’s increased investment in content in the European market, particularly in Britain, this children’s story could become a major original movie for Disney+.
Number ten: Sleep in a sea of stars
“To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars” is a science fiction novel by Christopher Paolini (author of “The Inheritance Cycle”). Which, while being called “adult-oriented” according to Paolini himself, the story would mesh well with other sci-fi titles on Disney+ like “The Orville”, “Avatar” and the franchise ” Star Wars”. “To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars” follows Kira Navarez, a xenobiologist who accidentally awakens an ancient nanotechnology known as the Soft Blade, which attaches itself to Kira’s body, leading to unintended consequences. “To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars” could become a major sci-fi TV series for Disney+ and would be another series for audiences slightly older than your standard Disney Channel living room. Snoot Entertainment has picked up the rights to this book, but Disney may acquire distribution rights through 20th Century Studios.
Number Nine: Heartbreak Boys
With the popularity of Netflix’s “Heartstopper” and Disney’s “Love Victor,” there’s been an increase in the celebration of LGBTQ+ stories, and that’s why Disney should adapt “Heartbreak Boys.” After Jack and Nate are dumped by their exes Dylan and Tariq at the start of the summer, they decide to pretend they’re having the best summer of their lives to get revenge on their exes, which teaches the boys to get away with it. open to overcome heartache and new possibilities for love. . With Disney+ now airing ‘Love Victor’ (in countries that allow it) and Netflix’s ‘Heartstopper’ growing louder, Disney+ lacks a currently airing series aimed at LGBTQ+ audiences and ‘Heartbreak Boys’ could be a perfect IP address for such an adaptation.
Number Eight: The day I fell into a fairy tale
Now that title just screams “Disney+ series or movie.” Lana and her brother Harrison loved playing games together until Harrison decided he was too old for games. Yet, after a trip to the supermarket, Lana finds a magical portal to the land of fairy tales. With the world of fairy tales in danger, Lana must try to convince Harrison to believe before it’s too late. This story sounds like the type of fairy tales that Walt Disney and his famed animation studio cut their teeth in the 1930s and 1940s. Reclaiming the rights to “The Day I Fell Into A Fairy Tale” could be a Massive win for Disney+ as they seek new content for their streaming service.
Number seven: the honor of the tiger
This book follows Sebin, a young tiger spirit from the Juhwang clan who wants to join the Thousand World Space Force, just like their uncle Hwan. But when Sebin receives their letter of acceptance, a note remains claiming that their uncle is a traitor. After arriving for orientation, Sebin and three other cadets find themselves stranded on a ship with the crew unconscious and communications down. This story would be huge for Disney+, especially since they need more fantastic series like “Percy Jackson” and “Eragon”, both in development for Disney+.
Number Six: Sam Saves the Night
Here’s another book that would be huge as a Disney+ movie and series. This story follows the character of Sam, who has no friends and embarks on strange adventures when she falls asleep. This story would help diversify Disney+ Original Movies, which are currently extremely hit or miss. This story, if adapted, could help children who have trouble falling asleep to believe that if they close their eyes, they will have many great adventures.
Number Five: The Hugasaurus
A children’s picture book that teaches children about friendship, this story would work well for a Disney+ series of animated shorts or an animated film. Another book in this series is “The Worrysauraus”, which would also be a great book to adapt into a series of animated shorts or an animated special.
Number Four: The Unicorn Academy Where the Magic Happens
Ah, a book series about young girls and unicorns, this book series screams Disney and follows different protagonists in each of the twelve books. Disney+ could benefit from this franchise and use it as a low-budget fantasy movie series for Disney+ or as an animated or live-action anthology series, with each season adapting a book or each movie adapting a book.
Number Three: The Girl Who Talked to Trees
It’s a great story about a girl called Olive whose best friend is a 400-year-old oak tree, and he’s in danger. As she falls into the world of oak, Olive makes a promise. She listens to the stories of the tree. This book would work great as an animated anthology series and would be a series that could go on for many years telling many different stories. This book was published in July 2022, so it’s relatively new, so Disney+ should strike while the iron is hot.
Number two: the danger gang
Franky can’t wait to move to his new town – although he wishes he didn’t have to leave his best friend Dani behind. But everything changes after the storm, when strange green lightning and powerful thunder pound the city. From that night on, the children who live on Rue de Franky begin to change. Franky has always wanted to be part of a fantastic gang, just like his hero, super spy Zack Danger! And soon, he realizes that there is real danger in store for him and his newfound friends, and so the Danger Gang was born. Disney loves making shows and movies about kids with magical powers, so this book seems like a no-brainer for a Disney+ adaptation.
Number One: How I Became a Dog Called Midnight
George always wondered what it was like to be a dog, so after a mix-up with a magic fountain, George swaps places with a dog named Midnight. This book would be a perfect fit for a Disney+ miniseries or movie, and I’m sure there are millions of people who would love to see such a movie or series on Disney+.
Final Thoughts:
There are thousands of books that are ripe for Disney+ adaptations, but it all comes down to whether Disney sees the point in acquiring such IPs and franchises. Disney+ has invested heavily in content focused on its pre-existing franchises, including “Star Wars,” “Marvel,” and “High School Musical,” but several of the books and series on this list are fairly new and haven’t been adapted. in TV series or movies and Disney+ could lose a large pool of potential IP addresses that could bring new viewers to the Disney+ service.
As Disney+ looks to continue bringing in new viewers and retaining its large subscriber base, then scoop up the movie and TV rights to multiple book series and adapt them into content for the Disney+ streaming service. .
What do you think? Would you like to see any of these titles adapted into Disney+ shows and movies?
Ethan Holloway
Ethan is an autistic and type 1 diabetic Disney fan who grew up with properties like Iron Man, The Lion King, Aladdin and Toy Story. Ethan wants to one day create his own books/movies/TV shows to inspire people with disabilities to be themselves, but for now, Ethan is covering his views on Disney, their content, and how Disney+ can improve.