While there are plenty of filmmakers creating animated films, few take on the involved process of stop-motion animation, but Henry Selick does. In fact, that is where he has spent most of his career. Best known for directing The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, and Coraline, Selick made a name for himself in this rare style of animation and continued to use stop-motion in his most recent film, Wendell & Wild. While Selick’s credits are impressive, he nearly had another notable film to add to the list as he was tapped to direct the first stop-motion Pixar film until the plan fell apart.
For a few years in the 2010s, Selick worked for Pixar, creating a film called The Shadow King, but the endeavor was canceled early in production. While it’s too bad that Pixar didn’t release the unique story, it’s not entirely surprising. Pixar has a few canceled projects, and The Shadow King represented a risk as the studio attempted a different animation style after becoming a pioneer in computer animation technology. It’s a shame this incredibly unique story never came to fruition, but for fans of Selick and stop-motion animation, there is still a chance that The Shadow King could be completed.
What Would ‘The Shadow King’ Have Been About?
Selick discussed the situation on The Hollywood Reporter’s Behind the Screen podcast, explaining that Pixar creative officer John Lasseter saw a screening of Coraline, which he enjoyed so much that he offered Selick a deal for a Pixar stop-motion film. It was an odd proposition, as Selick said himself, “Stop-motion films have never out of the gate been as successful as big CG films. The best stop-motion films live forever, though. And, as we see with Nightmare, make billions in merchandising.” This, along with the unique style, held an appeal for Pixar. Selick pitched the story that became The Shadow King. According to the original synopsis, the film would have followed a nine-year-old orphan boy named Hap with “fantastically weird hands.” Hap tries to hide his difference, but eventually, a “living shadow girl” teaches him to use his hands to make shadows that come to life, turning his hands into weapons against the man who wants to kill Hap’s brother and take over New York.
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The brief summary suggests it would have been dark, especially compared to other Pixar films, but perfectly suited for the stop-motion style. Actually, The Shadow King got pretty far along with a cast set to bring the characters to life. In addition to Jaden Betts in the leading role, the film would have included Pamela Adlon, Brendan Gleeson, Jeffrey Tambor, and Catherine O’Hara. Not only that, but the artwork and sculpting for The Shadow King had commenced, and roughly five minutes of stop-motion footage were captured before the film was shut down. Though the released information about it is limited, The Shadow King would have been a fascinating film, unlike anything else in Pixar’s catalog.
What Happened to ‘The Shadow King’?
Despite the progress, Pixar shelved The Shadow King because, as Selick told The Wrap, “it was costing too much and it was stop-motion.” The animation style was a selling point when the project was greenlit, but soon after, other films in the style, like Frankenweenie, were unsuccessful at the box office, making Pixar second-guess their plan. Additionally, the budget was a concern. Shifting desires of Pixar and Lasseter kept requiring the filmmakers to restart. Selick explained, “John Lasseter couldn’t help but come in and change everything every few months, because that’s who he is, and maybe that’s how the best work has been done there.” However, this process made progress challenging, and The Shadow King was canceled. Perhaps the experiment suggests that Pixar is better off not stepping so far out of its comfort zone.
Though Pixar will not resume work on the project, there is hope for The Shadow King since Selick has gotten back the rights to the story. In the previously mentioned The Hollywood Reporter’s Behind the Screen podcast, he confirmed that he still has faith in his concept and hopes to make The Shadow King after all, saying, “I absolutely feel that it would be successful and for the right price, if [a potential partner] likes what I’ve written and wants that movie, rather than think they like it and then want to turn it into Toy Story 8.” Though Selick has kept busy, The Shadow King making a return is not out of the question, so someday, fans may get to see the film they were promised so many years ago.