When news broke that Disney is still developing a live-action Eragon reboot, fans didn’t just celebrate – they collectively remembered 2006 and winced so hard you could feel the dissappointment.
Let’s be honest: Eragon didn’t just “miss the mark.”
It catapulted over the mark, landed in a ditch, and then set the ditch on fire.
And yet… the bones of the story are so good that fans have waited nearly twenty years for a second chance. If Disney wants this reboot to work – and not become the next meme-tier disaster – it needs to understand exactly what went wrong the first time.
Hopefully next time I’ll choose to sit through it twice.
So let’s dive in, scalpel in hand, and perform a much-needed autopsy.
The Pacing Was a Crime Against Narrative
The 2006 film tried to cram an entire 500-page fantasy novel into what felt like an aggressively rushed 90 minutes.
Important events were:
- skipped
- combined
- or cut to the point where nothing made sense
It was like someone skimmed the SparkNotes version and said, “Yeah, that’s good enough.”
What Disney must avoid:
Treat Eragon like the multi-layered epic it is. Not everything fits into a single movie – which is EXACTLY why a series format is the correct call.
Saphira Looked… Rough
Look, we all love Saphira. She’s one of fantasy’s most iconic dragons. But in 2006?
She… looked like the dev team ran out of time and someone said “ship it.”
She went from…
To this in seconds, giving us no time to grow/bond with her…
The design didn’t match the book, the animation felt uneven, and the rapid aging montage made her feel more like a Pokémon evolution than a mythical creature.
What Disney must avoid:
If Saphira isn’t breathtaking, believable, and emotionally expressive, fans will walk.
This isn’t negotiable.
Treat her like a main character – because she is.
Let her age like she does in the book, like anything would in real life so the audience can bond with her while she grows.
The Worldbuilding Was Basically Nonexistent
Alagaësia is rich, layered, political, ancient.
The film gave us:
- vague forests
- generic caves
- and a villain who popped in like he was late to a dentist appointment
Nothing felt alive. Nothing felt lived-in. There was no sense of cultures, languages, or history.
What Disney must avoid:
Give us:
- the Varden’s culture
- Du Weldenvarden and the elves
- dwarves who aren’t an afterthought
- ancient Rider lore
- magic that obeys rules
Fantasy fans today expect immersive worlds (thanks, LOTR/HOTD/Witcher). Deliver that, and the reboot wins instantly.
The Characters Needed… More Than Names
Eragon, Brom, Arya, Murtagh – all iconic characters in the books. And very well developed.
In the film?
- Eragon felt like he was speedrunning puberty.
- Brom carried the entire movie with pure charisma. (who doesn’t love Scar, er, Jeremy Irons)
- Arya had the emotional range of someone stuck in traffic.
- Murtagh showed up, existed, and left.
They weren’t characters – they were bullet points.
What Disney must avoid:
Slow down. Let the relationships build.
Eragon + Brom’s mentorship should feel like The Witcher.
Eragon + Saphira’s bond should feel like the heart of the entire series.
Galbatorix Was Wasted on a Cameo
You don’t cast John Malkovich as a dark-lord tyrant and then give him… a handful of scenes that feel like deleted outtakes.
Galbatorix is terrifying – a corrupted Rider, a genius strategist, and the shadow over all four books.
The film turned him into “weird guy in a dark room who complains a lot.”
What Disney must avoid:
Give Galbatorix the Vader treatment.
Let the audience feel him even when he’s not on screen.
Make him a looming, intelligent, unpredictable threat.
Magic Was Treated Like Glitter
In the books, magic is:
- linguistic
- rule-bound
- dangerous
- exhausting
In the movie, magic was… sparkles.
Fancy pops.
Random bursts without rules.
What Disney must avoid:
Stick to the Ancient Language mechanics or don’t bother.
Fans WANT structured magic systems – it’s half the appeal.
It Just Didn’t Respect the Source Material
This is the biggest one.
The 2006 movie wasn’t bad because it changed things. Everything.
It was bad because it misunderstood why people loved the story.
It cut the heart out and expected the body to walk.
Like these are supposed to be 6′-9′ feet tall, musclar, yellow skinned, horned Urgals,
What Disney must avoid:
Respect what Paolini built.
Bring him in.
Listen to him.
He understands the world better than anyone.
The fact that he’s already involved in the reboot is the biggest reason fans are giving Disney a chance. Their other remakes lately have been similar to this article. But the reason Harry Potter did so well, I feel, is J.K. Rowling’s creative involvment, so we can only hope the same for this remake.
If Disney Gets This Right… They Could Strike Lightning Twice
Dragons are hot again – literally and figuratively.
House of the Dragon, Fourth Wing, The Witcher, everything is primed for a big fantasy resurgence.
If Disney nails:
- the lore
- the bond
- the scale
- the dragons
- the characters
- and the pacing
Then Eragon doesn’t just have potential – it could become a flagship YA fantasy series.
Just… for the love of Alagaësia…
don’t repeat 2006.
Additional images were created for The Outerhaven for editorial purposes – not official Disney art.
