Long before the written word, humans told stories to one another to help make sense of the world. The strongest of these stories managed to survive until they could be put to writing, though they took on new forms thanks to each generation of storytellers. Their success was due to the strong morals and messages they presented, which are so universal that they can always find an audience.
Walt Disney was captured with fairy tales since he was a child and adapted many of them into cartoons, first in his Silly Symphonies, and then his movies. Today, fairy tales are still seen as Disney's trademark, though there are many myths and tales from around the world they've yet to tap into.
How Anansi Got His Stories
The stories of Anansi the Spider come from Africa and focus on how a little spider can use his mind to overcome various obstacles. Of his many adventures, his most famous is when he went to the sky god and asks to be given the world's stories. The god agreed, but only if Anansi could capture four dangerous and elusive creatures.
Stories about an underdog overcoming the odds are a staple of Disney's films. A spider protagonist could also help improve their representation, similar to Charlottes' Web. Most importantly, it's a way to help share some classic stories of African mythology with a wider audience.
When Amaterasu Hid In Her Cave
In this myth from Japan, the sun goddess, Amaterasu, is so shocked by her storm god brother's prank that she locks herself inside a cave and refuses to come out. Because of this, the world is plunged into darkness, and life begins to struggle and die. Meanwhile, the other gods try to think of a way to get Amaterasu to come back.
Despite the dire situation, this myth has plenty of moments of levity, particularly near the end when the gods try to lure Amaterasu out with roosters, a mirror, and a party. The story of the sun goddess extends further back than this myth, which could give the filmmakers room to expand on the conflict between the siblings before Amaterasu hid away.
The 1001 Arabian Nights
Scheherazade has found herself the new bride of King Shahryār, who kills his wives the day after their marriage, so they cannot cheat on him. However, she manages to pique the king's interest when she tells him a wonderful tale of faraway lands and daring heroes. So enthralled was the king that he spared her life to hear the ending, and when she was done, Scheherazade started another tale.
Disney would have to make a few adjustments to the tale to make it work for general audiences, but the basic premise could make for a fun mix of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. It's also a chance to show that female characters don't always need to wield a weapon to be strong. Sometimes the answer to a problem is through choice words and clever wit.
Journey to the West
The immortal monkey king, Sun Wukong, is released from his imprisonment to guard a Buddhist monk as he travels to India to acquire Buddhist texts. Joining them is a cowardly pig demon, a quiet river demon, and a dragon transformed into a horse, all seeking redemption. The road won't be easy, however, as many demons and other evil creatures wish to kill the monk.
This classic of Chinese literature has been adapted many times over the years and has been the inspiration for many stories, including Dragon Ball. Disney would have better luck making this into a tv series than a movie, as there is way too much to squeeze into two hours.
East of the Sun, West of the Moon
A young peasant girl agrees to marry a white bear and live in his magnificent palace of silver and gold. However, she goes against his advice and spies on him at night, revealing that he is an enchanted prince placed under a curse. Because she saw him in human form, he is forced to leave her unless she can find him east of the sun and west of the moon.
This myth has everything you could want in an epic story, including an impossible quest, riding on the north wind, and a climax involving a kingdom of trolls. Even one of Disney's one-time rivals, Don Bluth, knew the potential of this tale, though he was never able to adapt it himself.
Hans My Hedgehog
When a childless farmer declares that he will have a son "even if he were a hedgehog," he didn't expect his wife to give birth to one. As he grows older, Hans decides to live on his own, riding off on a giant rooster and playing the bagpipes. One day, he comes across a king lost in the forest and agrees to help if the king promises him the first thing that greets him when he returns to his castle.
Disney has shown with Beauty and the Beast and Tangled their talent for expanding short stories into an emotional journey. This one offers such bizarre imagery to work as a foundation. The story is quite cynical, even by fairy tale standards, but Disney has no trouble changing what they will for the sake of a film. Modern examples of this story can be found in Jim Hensons' The Storyteller and The Witcher.
The Frog Princess
A Russian Tzar commanded his three sons to fire their bows into the air and seek a bride where they landed. The elder princes find suitable wives, but the youngest discovers that a talking frog has claimed his arrow. When the tzar orders his future daughter in laws to perform various tasks, the frog out-performs the others, which leads to revelations about her history.
Despite sounding similar to the frog prince, this story goes in a completely different direction. The second half plays out like a quest, with all sorts of colorful characters, including Baba Yaga. All Disney would need to make those characters marketable and whip up some songs since the foundation is so strong already.
The Seven Ravens
A peasant with seven sons finally has a daughter, but she is born sickly. The brothers are sent to gather water for her, but they end up losing it, and in his wrath, their father curses them into raven form. When the sister matures, she decides to seek out her brothers and asks the sun, moon, and stars for assistance bringing them home.
The concept of a young girl on a quest to retrieve her brothers fits with Disney's usual lineup of female heroes triumphing against impossible odds. The journey to locate the brothers also offers some fantastical locations, such as a palace made of glass and the abode of the sun, moon, and stars. If Disney made it into a musical, they could get very creative with the imagery of celestial bodies singing and flying around the protagonist.
Brother and Sister
A brother and sister flee from a witch who had kept them enslaved. Unfortunately, the witch cursed all the nearby water sources, so when the brother stops to drink, he is transformed into a deer. His sister remains with him in the forest, though things become complicated when the king's hunting party arrives in the area.
The strength of this story is its theme of family love. This is not a new concept for Disney, but they usually show it through parent and child or same-sibling pairings, like Frozen and Encanto. This fairy tale allows for a brother-sister dynamic, made even stronger when you have a sibling sticking with another when they have what is essentially a disability.
Prince Lindworm
After eating magic roses, a queen gives birth to twin boys, but the eldest is born a snakelike dragon called a lindworm. When they come of age, the human prince wishes to marry, but his brother won't allow it until he is given a bride first. When he settles on a Sheppard girl, she seeks out the advice of a wise woman on how to survive her wedding night.
It would be interesting to see how Disney animators could bring the lindworm to life, as wingless, snakelike dragons aren't seen too often in media. Turning the story into a feature would allow them to expand on characters overlooked in the original, such as the younger prince and his relationship to his monstrous brother. It's a chance to add more drama to the story while keeping the original structure.