For over a decade now, Disney has been going through its animated library and adapting their beloved classics into live-action feature films. Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Cinderella, and even the Disney Afternoon’s Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers have had a go at a live-action movie. Another cartoon from that same syndicated afternoon block has the mythology, action, and characters worthy of the transition. It also comes with a huge problem: cost. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was one of Marvel’s most expensive TV shows because it had to replace its lead actress with CGI. Imagine the cost of animating an entire cast of stone creatures who interact with humans every episode. Not to mention they fly, fight, and munch on jalapeños. A live-action Gargoyles show would need to do that every week. Now fans are getting an update on the long gestating project, and while it is not what many wanted to hear, some are celebrating the opportunities its demise could open up. Especially now, when Disney is trying to get back to basics.
In a recent interview, Greg Weisman revealed that Atomic Monster’s live-action version of Gargoyles was no longer moving forward. That has now been confirmed by Variety, and fans are reacting in a surprisingly unified fashion. They don’t necessarily want a live-action reboot. One user even spelled it out in words Disney should be able to understand: “Give it the X-Men ’97 treatment.”
Give it the X Men 97 treatment for Christ’s sake
Live-action is nice, but even going back to Steamboat Willie, Disney’s business has been built on animation. X-Men ’97 showed just how much life was left in one of its old cartoons. Its second season arrived while Disney was pulling back from its live-action bets. Wonder Man was canceled despite Emmy nominations and an announced renewal. In the current climate, Goliath might have been too much for a TV budget to handle. For Gargoyles, going back to animation wouldn’t be retreating. It would be leaning into the storytelling that built the company in the first place.
Even Gargoyles itself must be showing some signs of life on Disney+, or a costly live-action series probably would not have gotten as far through development as it did. Disney has never released detailed streaming numbers for the series, but, over the years, the company has been reminded of the show’s popularity. The storylines from the show continued with Greg Weisman at the helm in Dynamite’s Gargoyles comic and both NECA and Mondo have produced toy lines that became hits with collectors. In 2023, a false report even pegged Kenneth Branagh, no stranger to Disney live-action remakes himself, as developing a Gargoyles movie. That report spread quickly until Greg Weisman tamped it down. Just a few months later, the Atomic Monster series was announced as in development. That leads to today, when the news of the show’s axing has revealed fan demand for a new animated show. Luckily, Disney may have heard the demand and be ahead of it for once.
If the replies on X are any indication, Gargoyles fans want the same thing Disney investors have also been demanding: get back to basics. According to Brent Spiner, that may be just what they’re doing. The actor who voiced Puck on the show says he’s heard there is movement on a revival animated series. After three decades of comics, collectibles, false hope, and now an abandoned attempt at live-action, Disney doesn’t need to reinvent Gargoyles. The company just needs to do what they did with X-Men ’97 and give fans more of the show they love with a modern flourish. Until then, fans will keep waiting patiently for Goliath and company to rise above the skyline again.
