A perfect title attracts moviegoers, which is why it's common practice for movies and TV shows made by companies such as bad movie title that alienates audiences can have a significant impact on box office earnings and thus a film's success. Factors like marketing, appealing to a broader audience, and properly capturing the essence of the story are important to the process of crafting the perfect movie title.
Ranging from beloved classics films to modern-day box office hits, many of the best Disney films that won the hearts of audiences initially had different titles, which were changed to better fit the film as the plot and storylines were planned and developed. Some of Disney's most beloved and well-known movies had surprising and truly bizarre working titles that wouldn't have done the film justice.
10 Tangled (2010)
Originally Titled Rapunzel Unbraided
Tangled tells the tale of a young princess with magical long hair who is desperate to leave her isolated tower and explore the world. The animated film is closely based on the well-known fairy tale "Rapunzel" from Grimms' Fairy Tales. The Disney film was originally set to be called Rapunzel Unbraided, which was later shortened to Rapunzel. However, prior to the film's release, the title was changed to Tangled instead.
The former president of Walt Disney Animation Studios, live-action remake of Tangled now in development.
9 The Princess And The Frog (2009)
Originally Titled The Frog Princess
The groundbreaking and underrated animated classic The Princess and the Frog revolves around the hardworking and dedicated waitress Tiana Rogers (Anika Noni Rose), who aspires to own a restaurant one day. Set in New Orleans during the 1920s, The Princess and the Frog follows Tiana after she kisses Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), who was transformed into a frog by Dr. Facilier (Keith David), and gets turned into a frog herself as well.
The Disney film is inspired by the novel The Frog Princess written by E. D. Baker, and the book's title was to also be the title of the film until it was changed to The Princess and the Frog. The original title The Frog Princess and elements of the story received criticism, resulting in the name's alteration to avoid controversy and derogatory language being used.
8 Bolt (2008)
Originally Titled American Dog
Bolt is another adorable animated adventure film that follows a dog named Bolt, voiced by John Travolta, a canine actor starring in a television series who believes that his TV powers are real and mistakenly embarks on a mission to save his beloved owner Penny with the help of his nonexistent superpowers. The project was initially titled American Dog and had a vastly different plot and tone. As significant changes were made to the original story of the film, the title was also changed to the short and snappy Bolt.
The main character's name was also changed from Henry to Bolt, and the titular character's lightning bolt design became an iconic and easily recognizable symbol. The title Bolt perfectly fits the tone of the adventure-filled movie and the tiny yet energetic and brave dog protagonist's name encapsulates his personality.
7 Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989)
Originally Titled Teeny Weenies Or The Big Backyard
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is a Disney live-action film that went through several working titles before landing on the iconic final one. Despite the word "shrunk" being grammatically incorrect, the film's name is a well-known and beloved title that gives enough information about the plot and also displays its tone. As evident from the name, the film follows an inventor who accidentally shrinks his children and the neighbor's children to heights of a quarter of an inch.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was first titled Teeny Weenies, before being changed to Grounded to appeal to a larger and more mature audience. Grounded was then changed to The Big Backyard, before the science-fiction adventure film landed on the final title, Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. The film's title is based on a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and eventually became a staple of Disney's repertoire.
6 The Lion King (1994)
Originally Titled King Of The Kalahari
The Lion King is one of the most popular and iconic Disney films, and surprisingly, the beloved musical was initially titled something vastly different. The coming-of-age comedy-drama movie follows young lion cub Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) who is forced to flee his kingdom after his father King Mufasa (James Earl Jones) is murdered by his uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons). After Simba grows up, he returns as an adult (then voiced by Matthew Broderick) to take down his evil uncle, avenge his father, and lead the kingdom as the king.
The first script of the film was titled King of the Kalahari. However, when a new script was drawn up, the film's title was changed to King of the Beasts, and then King of the Jungle. The final title change saw King of the Jungle being changed to The Lion King, as the film's setting was changed to a savannah instead of a jungle. The simpler title also better conveys the power of the story, which is about Simba stepping up to save his home.
5 The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
Originally Titled Kingdom Of The Sun
The film title and plot of The Emperor's New Groove underwent a drastic transformation. When the cult classic's development began, it was planned to be a musical epic film titled Kingdom of the Sun. During the years in development, it was turned into a lighthearted fantasy comedy film, and the title was changed to Kingdom in the Sun. Later, this title was changed to The Emperor's New Groove, which better fit the lighthearted nature of the finalized story.
The film was initially set to have a more complex plot that revolved around an emperor and peasant who switched places, and the name change to The Emperor's New Groove marked the film's tonal shift towards comedy. The fantasy comedic romp underperformed at the box office, earning $169.5 million. However, many now recognize it as one of the best animated Disney movies.
4 The Princess Diaries (2001)
Originally Titled The Princess Of Tribeca
The coming-of-age comedy film The Princess Diaries is based on the novel of the same name by Meg Cabot. Yet the film adaption was originally titled The Princess of Tribeca. However, once the film's setting was changed from New York City to San Francisco, the title was changed back to The Princess Diaries. This proved beneficial as Cabot's young adult novel had a devoted fanbase that would be invested in a film adaption of the popular story.
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The new title, The Princess Diaries sparked the attention of the target demographic of young adults. The Princess Diaries also launched Anne Hathaway's career and was a commercial hit, grossing over $165 million worldwide. Hathaway's portrayal of Mia Thermopolis, the Princess of Genovia, in her film debut was widely praised and turned the young actor into a household name.
3 Up (2009)
Originally Titled Heliums
The heartfelt comedy-drama film Up follows an elderly widower Carl Fredricksen, voiced by Ed Asner, who embarks on a mission to travel to Paradise Falls in South America by attaching balloons to the house he and his late wife built and flying it there. The young scout Russell (Jordan Nagai) becomes an accidental stowaway and s Carl as they travel to Paradise Falls to fulfill his late wife's wish.
The critically acclaimed film was originally titled Heliums, in reference to the thousands of helium-filled balloons that lift Carl and Ellie's house into the sky. However, the succinct and distinct title Up is perfect for the uplifting film that went on to be nominated for Best Picture. The title Up doesn't just represent Carl and Ellie's house's journey to the sky but also references Carl's journey of growth and healing following his wife's death.
2 Frozen (2013)
Originally Titled The Snow Queen
The iconic Disney blockbuster film Frozen follows Anna (Kristen Bell), the princess of Arendelle, who embarks on a mission to find her estranged sister Elsa (Idina Menzel), the Snow Queen. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen", Frozen revolves around Elsa and Anna, the former of whom has ice and snow powers that she struggles to control, focusing on the bond between the sisters.
During the film's lengthy development and then production, it was referred to as The Snow Queen before the title was finalized as Frozen. Frozen follows the trend of Disney titles being shortened to one-word names that aren't simply the name of the main character, similar to Tangled and Up. However, the title Frozen is a strong representation of Elsa and Anna's stilted sisterly relationship along with Elsa's magical ice powers, and the transformation of Arendelle into a frozen landscape.
1 WALL-E (2008)
Originally Titled Trash Planet
The groundbreaking science fiction film WALL-E is set in the future and follows the titular robot who roams the inhabitable and deserted Earth in 2805 and cleans up the garbage-ridden planet. With a pet cockroach as his only companion, WALL-E's life is turned upside down after a futuristic robot named EVE arrives, and he follows her to the starship Axiom. The film was developed under the title of Trash Planet, before being changed to W.A.L.-E, the spelling later changed to WALL-E.
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The film is thus named after the endearing and lovable robot protagonist, and while Trash Planet might have been an accurate title, the pessimistic tone could have isolated potential audiences. The choice to title the film after WALL-E was a massive success, and the critically acclaimed Disney film won a Golden Globe Award, and Academy Award, and earned over $500 million worldwide.
