It was to be a musical on par with the segments seen in the Fantasia films. The premise was that all the key animated female characters of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar interact with each other, singing, dancing and enjoying each other's company in a royal boarding school. The music was to be composed by Alan Menken.
Development[]
In May 2009, production started for the film.[1] In August 2012, eight-time academy award winning composer Alan Menken agreed to work on the project, as long as it would be greenlit by Disney in the future.[2] In March 2013, Disney completely gutted their hand drawn animation department, firing almost all of their veteran 2D animators. This was a shock to Kawena and Ciappa, who had been working on The Princess Academy for years now. As stated by Kawena: “After months working on it, with hundreds and hundreds of storyboards and concept art, the Disney Animation hand drawn studios closed its doors. So there was no point for us to even show that project.“ With no other options, the film was cancelled.[3]
Trivia[]
The Ballroom from Disney's 1991 animated film, Beauty and the Beast was inspired to use as the Grand Staircase for this short.
Concept art of Tiana with Maid Marian as she plays the Golden Harp while Cinderella listens. Rapunzel listens to Alice's Sister tell a story, along with Wendy, and Aurora. Dinah watches as Alice drops flower petals into the water while steering the boat. A Centaurette also listens in to the story, while Violet rests on her back. Last we see Daisy Duck, Snow White and Sally at the end of the boat.
The Tea Party sequence featuring from left to right: Jane Porter, Captain Amelia, Belle, Little Girl, Alice (holding Mrs. Potts), Alice's Sister, Snow White, Mulan and Anita.
Another take on the Tea Party sequence, this time in the background: Jane Porter, Captain Amelia and Megara. In the front: Wendy Darling, Aurora, Little Girl, Mrs. Potts, Alice, Alice's Sister and Anita.
A dance sequence where the princesses enjoy the music. From left to right: A Centaurette, Esmeralda, Little Girl, Mulan, The Golden Harp and Aurora. The birds from the film Cinderella fly above them.