History DevelopmentHell / WesternAnimation

** ''Crash Nebula'', a ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'' spinoff canned for being too similar to ''Film/SkyHigh''.

* The fourth season of the 2010 reboot of ''WesternAnimation/{{Pound Puppies|2010}}'' has not been renewed and production has stalled indefinitely due to poor ratings and the failure of the toy line.

* The second season of the ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|2011}}'' remake, that was going to last 39 episodes, had not been renewed and remained on indefinite hiatus. It was eventually canceled, ending the series on a cliffhanger, finishing only half of its planned run. There was a short-lived [[WesternAnimation/ThunderCatsRoar reboot]], but ''that'' got cancelled after a single season.
* The sketch series ''WesternAnimation/{{MAD}}'' was not renewed for a fifth season and was halted indefinitely. Since Creator/CartoonNetwork has now taken the show off the schedule, it's likely been quietly canceled.

* ''Fearless Photog'' was a character created for a 1986 ''WesternAnimation/{{He-Man and the Masters of the Universe|1983}}'' contest by then twelve year-old Nathan Bitner. Among other prizes the winning character was supposed to have entered into production. Unfortunately, the ''He-Man'' toys had stopped selling by then, so the entire line (including the Photog figure) was canceled. It wasn't until 2012 and after a massive case of "whatever happened to...?" on the Internet that Creator/{{Mattel}} finally made Photog, selling him to adult fans on their [=MattyCollector.com=] website.

* ''WesternAnimation/HighGuardianSpice'' was supposed to come out in early 2019 via Crunchyroll as the first entry in their Crunchyroll Originals line of shows; however, after the initial announcement trailer, little was heard from the series and it missed its scheduled release date despite many of the crew stating it was completely finished. It was abruptly released in late October of 2021 with little fanfare.

* A ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake'' reboot was announced in spring 2017 for a 2018 release. The cartoon never came out and the release was pushed back to TBA 2019 and may have been ultimately cancelled.

* A planned reboot of ''WesternAnimation/SwatKats'' from [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1820796125/swat-kats-revolution/posts/2901724 Tremblay Brothers studio has been in development since roughly 2016 when a Kickstarter campaign began. However, the last update from the Kickstarter]] confirmed they were turned down by every major streaming service the series was pitched to. While they temporarily paused pitching the series to avoid negative correlation with ''Film/{{Cats}}'' (something cited in the Kickstarter update as a legitimate concern for the series), the Tremblay Brothers allege its eventual pickup and release is a matter of when, not if.

** ''Stewey The Dog Boy'', which was scrapped once Disney premiered ''WesternAnimation/TeachersPet''.
** ''WesternAnimation/ConstantPayne'', which was dropped due to a strike at the Nickelodeon studios.

** ''Baxter and Bananas'', which originally aired as a 15-minute short in 2002 opposite ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim''.
** ''Crash Nebula'', a spinoff of ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'' that was canned for being too similar to ''Film/SkyHigh''.
** ''Kung Fu Spy Troll'', a Butch Hartman series about mutant animals.

* The fourth season of the 2010 reboot of ''[[WesternAnimation/PoundPuppies2010 Pound Puppies]]'' has not been renewed and production of the series has stalled indefinitely due to poor ratings and the failure of the toy line.

* Robotech Shadow Rising is the proposed sequel to ''WesternAnimation/RobotechTheShadowChronicles''. Its fate is reportedly tied up with the schedule for the proposed live action movie on which no progress is known to have been made since its announcement in 2008.
** ''Shadow Rising'' has been put on hold in favor of another film project, ''Anime/RobotechLoveLiveAlive'', which was released on DVD with the special edition reissue of ''Shadow Chronicles'' in July 2013. ''Love Live Alive'' took the 50-minute OVA ''Anime/GenesisClimberMospeada: Love Live Alive'' and added 40 minutes of new bridging material written and conceived by the late Carl Macek to create a full-length feature designed as a direct lead-in to ''Shadow Rising''. ''Shadow Rising'' is still MIA, after an abortive 2014 crowdfunding attempt to produce a pilot called ''Robotech Academy'' came to naught.
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_7 The Magic 7]]'', which apparently was a fantasy TV special with [[GreenAesop environmental messages]], begun production in 1990, was first announced for a release in 1997, but hasn't seen the light of day ever since. Two of the actors who had recorded lines (John Candy and Madeline Kahn) even died ever since the project started.
* The second season of the ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|2011}}'' remake, that was going to last 39 episodes, had not been renewed and remained on indefinite hiatus. It was eventually canceled, ending the series on a cliffhanger, finishing only half of its planned run. There was a short-lived [[WesternAnimation/ThunderCatsRoar reboot]], but it got cancelled after a single season.
* The sketch series ''WesternAnimation/{{MAD}}'' was not renewed for a fifth season and was halted indefinitely. Since Cartoon Network has now taken the show off the schedule, it's likely been quietly canceled.
* [[https://lostmediawiki.com/The_Flintstones_(cancelled_Seth_MacFarlane_reboot_of_animated_series;_2013) A series reboot of]] ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' produced by Creator/SethMacFarlane was announced in 2011. Problems with [=MacFarlane=]'s schedule means that the series has gone no further as of 2013. It appears to be cancelled, as FOX's rights to the reboot expired and returned to Creator/WarnerBros, who opted to release a DirectToVideo movie featuring the characters interacting with wrestlers from Wrestling/{{WWE}}. [[http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/animated-flintsones-pic-adds-pro-wrestlers-to-its-bedrock/ Seriously]].

* ''Fearless Photog'' was a character created for a 1986 ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'' contest by then twelve year-old Nathan Bitner. Among other prizes the winning character was supposed to have entered into production. Unfortunately, the ''He-Man'' toys had stopped selling by then, so the entire line (including the Photog figure) was canceled. It wasn't until 2012 and after a massive case of "whatever happened to...?" on the Internet that Creator/{{Mattel}} finally made Photog, selling him to adult fans on their [=MattyCollector.com=] website.

* In 2011, Creator/MikeJudge was supposed to be the producer of a new series for the MTV animation department called ''[[http://www.toonbarn.com/other-cartoons/mtv-plans-animated-series-beavis-butthead-producers/ Worst Friends Forever]]'', about three unpopular high school girls. Nothing more is known about it, since it was immediately canned.

* Similarly, ''WesternAnimation/DisneyPrincessEnchantedTalesFollowYourDreams'' was intended to be followed up by more DVD releases featuring Mulan, Cinderella, Belle, and another Aurora story. The Belle/Aurora DVD was titled ''A Kingdom of Kindness'' and trailers were sent out on Disney home media releases featuring fully animated footage. The songs from the Cinderella/Mulan DVD were also featured on previews, but with StockFootage, indicating animation had not been completed. Unfortunately, John Lasseter axed any and all future DTV sequels from Disneytoon Studios.
* Creator/LaurenFaust doesn't really care for a ''Toys/MilkyWayAndTheGalaxyGirls'' series, but she's been trying to pitch it for years as she knows toy companies prefer when toys have MerchandiseDriven cartoons. There's still no sign of a series or even an animated special after some 10+ years of trying. She tried to pitch ''Milky Way'' once and ended up creating ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' instead (and it shows, with several of the ponies being [[{{expy}} similar]] to ''Milky Way'' characters). She's mentioned wanting to redesign the characters but nothing has come of that yet. The series website went offline and the project is seemingly put on the backburner for now.

* A ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'' movie was announced around 2013, but the near-universal hatred of the franchise and the show's cancellation have apparently put the plans on ice. It ''might'' have a chance to be [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell saved]] since Creator/{{Netflix}} picked the show up for two more seasons, but it remains to be seen.

* The creator of ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' has been trying to get a sequel/spinoff series about [[spoiler: Numbuh One's adventures in the Galactic Kids Next Door]] picked up for a while now, but its future doesn't look too bright.
* ''WesternAnimation/AtomicBetty Redux'' was in the works for several years before its cancellation was announced in 2019. It was to be about Betty as a teenager. The idea was scrapped and they simply made more episodes of the series itself.
* Halfway through its 7th episode, ''Polly and the [=ZhuZhu=] Pets'' was put on hiatus and went through a supposed name change to ''WesternAnimation/TheZhuZhus'', along with the main character's name, Polly, being changed to Frankie.

* In 2015 it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z240pys_D4A was revealed]] that another adaptation of ''Manga/AstroBoy'' was being made, this time co-produced by a French studio. All that's been revealed since then is some concept art, along with a few tweets confirming that the show is still in development and hasn't been cancelled.
* There were a couple attempts to make an animated adaptation of ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'', but none of them were ultimately made. The first one, as The Lost Media Wiki [[https://lostmediawiki.com/The_Blues_Brothers:_The_Animated_Series_(lost_episodes_of_movie_based_TV_series;_1997) states]], was to be aired on UPN in 1997. 8 of 13 episodes were reportedly completed, but the series was cancelled, and nothing outside of a couple of animatic promos has ever surfaced. The other one was announced in 2016 and was going to be made by Bento Box Studios (the studio that makes ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers''), but their website doesn't make any mentions of it, and outside of mentions made on every major animation and film site at the time, and [[https://twitter.com/BluesBrothersTV this Twitter profile]], there's absolutely no info about it whatsoever.

* An adaptation of ''Webcomic/FreakAngels'' was set to be released via the Crunchyroll Originals branding with previews of animation shown as part of Crunchyroll's February 2020 sizzle reel as well as a [[https://twitter.com/JRPictures/status/1295653059217862656?s=20 listing in the SAG AFTRA database with 2020 listed as the release window]]. However, after series creator Creator/WarrenEllis was accused [[https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/13/21322558/warren-ellis-allegations-forums-emotional-abuse-open-letter by over sixty women and non-binary individuals of sexual harassment and coercion]], Crunchyroll dropped all mention of the series, and as of April 2021, it has no set release date.

* A reboot of ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake'' was announced in Spring 2017 for a 2018 release. The cartoon never came out and the release was pushed back to TBA 2019 and may have been cancelled outright.

* In the early 2010s, Creator/CartoonNetwork announced a show called ''[[https://lostmediawiki.com/I_Heart_Tuesdays_(cancelled_Cartoon_Network_animated_series;_2011-2012) I Heart Tuesdays]]''. Despite the interest in the concept about a cursed bloodline, the series was cancelled around 2013 or so, possibly because of issues regarding the show's creator's inexperience with animation.
* An animated series based on ''WesternAnimation/{{Uglydolls}}'' [[https://deadline.com/2018/05/uglydolls-animated-franchise-stx-entertainment-hulu-1202396510/ was slated to be released on Hulu]] around the time the film made its debut on the platform (which happened in November 2019), but never materialized despite someone who worked on the show claiming that it was in production. In June 2020, it was revealed that Kelly Asbury, another person who worked on that particular incarnation of the franchise, had lost his battle with stomach cancer, so Asbury taking off due to the diagnosis could have played a role in its delay.

* Creator/CraigBartlett and fellow ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' writer Joe Purdy pitched an animated adult comedy to Creator/SpikeTV called ''Hellville''. It was a show set in Heaven and Hell. Spike rejected the show, but Bartlett sent the script out [[http://animondays.blogspot.com/2012/03/animondays-interview-craig-bartlett.html?_sm_au_=iVVjrpWMnQQN3F1D4vVRvKQvJQ6BF so he wouldn't be pigeonholed as a children's animator]].

** In November 2000, after DIC became re-independent from The Walt Disney Company, the studio announced several projects, including a ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'' spin-off titled ''Salem'', featuring the titular cat. 52 22-minute episodes were planned, but ultimately the series was never heard of again after this announcement. It was very likely that ''Sabrina's Secret Life'' replaced this.
** A similar fate also occurred with an animated Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire spin-off titled ''The Adventures of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - The Animated Series'', which would follow a concept similar to fellow-DIC show ''WesternAnimation/WhereOnEarthIsCarmenSandiego''. It was announced as a DIC-Celedor co-production in October 2001, but was never heard from again after this initial announcement.
* In 2018, fresh off the success of ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017'', producer Adi Shankar announced [[https://kotaku.com/devil-may-cry-netflix-series-coming-from-castlevania-pr-1830500693 he had purchased the rights]] to ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' to make an animated series, and to prevent Hollywood from making a live action version. There has been no news since that time, but if nothing else, with the rights to the series, Shankar succeeded in preventing a live action version from being made.

* ''Spawn: The Animation'', a reboot of ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'' following the HBO animated series, has been teased by Creator/ToddMcFarlane since 2007 with occasional [[https://twitter.com/modelsheets/status/554416663563874304 model sheet releases]] and claims that an entire season of dialogue has been recorded. However, at no point has animation been shown or anything resembling a release date or distributor been announced.
* In 2008, around the time ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'' premiered, Creator/{{Disney}} was working on a similar series called ''Poopdeck''. Production of the series was stalled indefinitely once Creator/CartoonNetwork [[ScrewedByTheLawyers got wind of it and ordered them to put a stop to it]].
* When the ''Creator/PBSKids Bookworm Bunch'' block was announced, a series based on ''Junior Kroll and Company'' was said to be part of the initial lineup. By the time the block debuted in the fall of 2000, the show was not included. It didn't show up for the block's second season, either, so it's likely that the show's production got cancelled.

* ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'''s [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity_Deathmatch#Cancelled_Reboots Wikipedia page]] mentions that MTV Studios announced twice a reboot/"reimagining", but nothing came of it. In 2016 the series creator Eric Fogel tweeted that the reboot's production was stopped without stating the reasons, then in 2018 he stated that he was in talks with Creator/IceCube and his Cube Vision production company to reinvent the series, but nothing has ever surfaced since then.

* ''Preschool Daze'', a ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' spin-off focusing on Suzie and Angelica at school, was put on hold after the success of the ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'', one shot special, led to a series. Only four shorts were produced (making up two full episodes) and put on the Rugrats "Tales from the Crib" [=DVDs=]. At this point, it's safe to say it's cancelled.

* ''WesternAnimation/HighGuardianSpice'' was supposed to come out in early 2019 via Crunchyroll as the first entry in their Crunchyroll Originals line of shows. Little has been heard of the cartoon since its announcement and the show missed its original slated debut date with no new date rescheduled as of April 2021, although its Twitter page is still up. Several staff members, including series creator and showrunner Raye Rodriguez, have implied the show is completed but Crunchyroll is refusing to release the show for undisclosed reasons. It finally came out in late October 2021.

* Similar to ''Webcomic/FreakAngels'', Powerhouse Animation announced [[https://twitter.com/catsuka/status/1189474919765159936?s=20 an original production called]] ''Heaven's Forest'' with Creator/WarrenEllis as its main writer and Adi Shankar as producer. Hiring for roles related to the series was occurring [[https://twitter.com/SamuelDeats/status/1242651176895762439?s=20 as recently as March of 2020]]. However, all mention of the series has ceased since the allegations against Ellis came to light. Still, it has not been officially canceled as of May 2021.

* ''High Guardian Spice'' was supposed to come out in early 2019 via Crunchyroll as the first entry in their Crunchyroll Originals line of shows. Little has been heard of the cartoon since its announcement and the show missed its original slated debut date with no new date rescheduled as of April 2021, although its Twitter page is still up. Several staff members, including series creator and showrunner Raye Rodriguez, have implied the show is completed but Crunchyroll is refusing to release the show for undisclosed reasons.

* The Jim Henson Company announced [[https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/henson-adopts-teddy-ruxpin-and-friends/ a reboot of]] ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTeddyRuxpin'' that featured [[SpinoffBabies younger versions of the characters]] in 2019, but nothing came of it.

* In 2015 it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z240pys_D4A was revealed]] that another adaptation of ''Manga/AstroBoy'' was being made, this time co-produced by a French studio. Nothing has been revealed since.

* The third season of ''WesternAnimation/ToadPatrol'' has been in development hell [[UpToEleven for almost 15 years now]]. A show sponsor page said that another 13 episodes were in development circa 2005, but nothing ever came of it. One of the reasons might be due to some of the production companies involved in the previous seasons going out of business or much of the voice actors either retiring or [[DiedDuringProduction passing away]].

* Similarly, ''Western/DisneyPrincessEnchantedTalesFollowYourDreams'' was intended to be followed up by more DVD releases featuring Mulan, Cinderella, Belle, and another Aurora story. The Belle/Aurora DVD was titled ''A Kingdom of Kindness'' and trailers were sent out on Disney home media releases featuring fully animated footage. The songs from the Cinderella/Mulan DVD were also featured on previews, but with StockFootage, indicating animation had not been completed. Unfortunately, John Lasseter axed any and all future DTV sequels from Disneytoon Studios.

* A planned reboot of ''WesternAnimation/SwatKats'' from [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1820796125/swat-kats-revolution/posts/2901724 Tremblay Brothers studio has been in development since roughly 2016 when a Kickstarter campaign began. However, the last update from the Kickstarter]] confirmed they were turned down by every major streaming service the series was pitched to. While they temporarily paused pitching the series to avoid negative correlation with ''Film/{{Cats}}'', the Tremblay Brothers allege its eventual pickup and release is a matter of when, not if.

* When the ''Creator/PBSKids Bookworm Bunch'' block was announced, a series based on ''Junior Kroll and Company'' was said to be part of the initial lineup. By the time the block debuted in the fall of 2000, the show was not included. It didn't show up for the block's second season, either, so it's likely production got cancelled.

* After the success of the ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' ''Franchise/StarWars'' episodes, Lucasfilm tapped Stoopid Monkey to produce ''Star Wars Detours'', a CGI cartoon featuring various side stories, with a planned 2013 airdate. The series was apparently well in production, with footage being released online, before the Disney acquisition forced Lucasfilm to allocate its resources towards the sequel trilogy. 39 episodes were reportedly completed.

* The second season of the ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|2011}}'' remake, that was going to last 39 episodes, had not been renewed and remained on indefinite hiatus. It was eventually canceled, ending the series on a cliffhanger, finishing only half of its planned run. There was a InNameOnly [[WesternAnimation/ThunderCatsRoar reboot]], but it got cancelled after a single season.

* The three ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' [=OVAs=]. Reports conflict as to whether they were finally cancelled, but evidence points to the latter.

* An animated series based on the comic book series ''ComicBook/{{The 99}}'' was announced to be one of the launch programs on Creator/TheHub, no word about the series has been heard [[http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/05/18/the-99-animated-series-the-hub/ since its announcement in March 2010]]. Given it's been years since The Hub was rebranded as Discovery Family, this one can safely be confirmed as long dead.

* ''Preschool Daze'', a ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' spin-off focusing on Suzie and Angelica at school, was put on hold after the success of the ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'', one shot special, led to a series. Only four shorts were produced (making up two full episodes) and put on the Rugrats "Tales from the Crib" [=DVDs=]. At this point, it's safe to say it's canceled.

* A ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'' movie was announced around 2013, but the near-universal hatred of the franchise and the show's cancellation have apparently put the plans on ice. It ''might'' have a chance to be [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell saved]] since Creator/{{Netflix}} picked it up for two more seasons, but it remains to be seen.

* The third season of ''WesternAnimation/ToadPatrol'' has been in development hell [[UpToEleven for almost 15 years now]]. A show sponsor page said that another 13 episodes were in development circa 2005, but nothing ever came of it. One of the reasons might be due to some of the production companies involved in the previous seasons going out of business or much of the voice actors either retiring or [[Main/AuthorExistenceFailure passing away]].

* ''WesternAnimation/GenZed''. The trailer received fierce backlash for its poor animation, unlikable characters, offensive jokes, and the fact that it outright lies about being the first animated show to have a transgender actress in a lead role (Creator/MaddieBlaustein sends her regards). It was slated for a 2016 release but nothing ever came of it. It's now generally believed the whole thing was some sort of scam or a failed attempt at trolling.

** In November 1999, DIC announced a co-production with Arles Animation in France titled ''GI Gadget'' featuring Inspector Gadget joining an elite army commando unit, and would have had a TV movie to begin the series The series was supposed to air in 2000, but nothing else was said after this announcement, and the production most likely was scrapped after Arles Animation was purchased in June of that year by Creator/BKN. DIC would instead team up with Creator/SIPAnimation in December 2000 and create WesternAnimation/GadgetAndTheGadgetinis, which came right on time for a Fall 2002 release despite the purchase of Saban Entertainment by DIC's former owner Disney. However, a planned American airing on Fox Family was silently cancelled after the purchase because of it's rebranding to ABC Family and reducing it's children's programming.

** ''Skeleton Key'', dropped due to its' DarkerAndEdgier tone.

* An animated series based on ''WesternAnimation/{{Uglydolls}}'' [[https://deadline.com/2018/05/uglydolls-animated-franchise-stx-entertainment-hulu-1202396510/ was slated to be released on Hulu]] around the time the film made its' debut on the platform (which happened in November 2019), but never materialized despite someone who worked on the show claiming that it was in production. In June 2020, it was revealed that Kelly Asbury, another person who worked on that particular incarnation of the franchise, had lost his battle with stomach cancer, so Asbury taking off due to the diagnosis could have played a role in its' delay.

** A ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' spin-off called ''The Patakis'', which was rejected for being too dark in tone compared to its' parent series (to put it in perspective, many of the scripts were compared to ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' in tone).

* Similar to ''Webcomic/FreakAngels'', Powerhouse Animation announced [[https://twitter.com/catsuka/status/1189474919765159936?s=20 an original production called]] ''Heaven's Forest'' with hiring for roles occurring [[https://twitter.com/SamuelDeats/status/1242651176895762439?s=20 as recently as March of 2020]]. However, all mention of the series has ceased since Warren Ellis' allegations came to light, although it has not been officially canceled as of May 2021.