Disney is working on a movie called Magic Kingdom where an ordinary family is sent to an alternate version of Disneyland where the park is alive. Yeah, it’s like Night at the Museum but with Disney characters.

Thing is that Disney is taking their time on it. Director Jon Favreau, who directed Iron Man 1 and 2, is helming the project and they’re taking as much time as they can. He’s actually working with Pixar on the story.

He told Crave:

“What we’ve been doing is writing a script, going up to Pixar, meeting with the brain trust, coming back down, bringing on artists, story editors and putting it together as though it were an animated film so that by the time we actually film it, we’ll have a rock solid story. I don’t want to rush anything. I want this thing to be perfect. I want it to be one shot one kill, like a sniper. I want to make sure this movie’s right in the crosshairs that we can really knock it out of the park so to speak.”

And from his own words – what the film is about:

“It’s going to be a family in the park. It’s an alternate reality version of the park that they get launched into. So much of it is just how it weaves together as a tapestry and what the visuals look like in creating this rich world. It’s informed by everything that I remember and know about the park from going there since I was a small child.”

Sounds awesome. But what can we expect from it? Any Disney secrets like Club 33? Favreau continues to tell Crave:

 “Club 33 is something that we’ve been discussing. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the vulture in Club 33 as a character. There’s a lot of ideas swirling around now. I don’t know which ones are going to make it in but it’s definitely informed primarily by Walt’s vision of the park, even before and immediately after it opened. A lot of it for people our age there’ll be a nostalgic element to it. People who know Disneyland are going to see that we did our homework, but then it’s ultimately an adventure that’s going to be for the family and for the kids too. I had a lot of fun playing to that type of crowd with Elf and Zathura. This seems to be mixing elements from all the films I’ve done, from Iron Man, Cowboys & Aliens, Zathura, Elf all rolled into one project that really is calling upon everything I’ve learned up to this point.”

I am very down for this film. It’s a passion project for Favreau and the fact that Pixar is involved and that Disney is rushing production are great signs. I wish they’d release a production still or something for us to savor though. [Crave Online]

jon favreau, magic kingdom, pixar