Disney has been remaking their classics for a long time now. The most recent release is The Little Mermaid with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the works. There are Twenty live-action remakes released as of today, and there is still no end to the ones they want to make in the future. Even one of its more recent animated originals, Moana, made only seven years ago, already has a live-action remake underway. Many of the upcoming remakes will be either original sequels to already-made movies or spin-offs of beloved characters. A few are a Snow White spin-off titled Rose Red, Mufasa: Lion King, Prince Charming, Gaston, and Lefou Prequel, and many more yet to be thought of by Disney. With so many being made and being a flop, are these necessary to the film industry, or is it just a cheap strategy to make a quick buck off of old tales?
The point of remaking these old movies is to take beloved classics and bring them back in a more relevant and modern light. They are also made to profit from the same stories without the effort of new ideas. It’s become more of a business rather than an art. Because of this the movies either do well and gain positive feedback from viewers or get a huge amount of hate about a number of things. With more recent readaptations the feedback is more bad than good. People have complained about everything from the characters to the CGI. Even the Snow White remake, which hasn’t been released yet, is having the same problems. Characters are criticized along with the new plot of Snow White. There is a whole debacle that has fans in anger over it. The original plot has been completely rewritten. No love story and no delicate princess. Snow is now more of a leader instead of falling in love and relying on the prince. The Seven Dwarfs are now the one dwarf and six regular, full-grown men. Well, five grown men and a woman. The reason behind this is thanks to the actress playing Snow White, Rachel Zegler. Zegler has repeatedly bashed the original film, completely rewriting the character and her role. All while making fans wonder three things: Why is she even playing a role she hates? What is going to happen to this beloved film’s remake? And what does this mean for poor Prince Charming? Disney is trying to be more modern with their fairy tales. By being more inclusive with characters they add actors into roles that wouldn’t have been included in 1937. In doing so it seems to have only made things worse.
Some movies have received great reviews. Cruella is one of them. It was, in most opinions, really well done. It is the perfect prequel to the classic 101 Dalmatians. Beauty and the Beast was the second-highest-grossing film of the readaptations as of its release in 2017. There is proof that these live-action movies can be well made and in turn, well received by the audience. That is if done right and with good intent, but the heads of the industry only seem to care about the money. The movies produced, including these live-action films, are getting less love and thought put into them leaving fans unsatisfied with the results.
Are these films even Disney films anymore? All that can be said is that if they are going to make them, then make them right. There will be no profit if the movie isn’t received well by the audience. Put thought into the plot, thought into characters, and thought into the overall quality of the movie. There is no point in making these films if you change everything about the original. You only lose the magic that was once there.
