Then:
It seems nearly impossible to remember a time when there wasn’t a live-action adaptation of an originally animated Disney movie hitting the box office. In the past few years we have been bombarded with remake after remake, and the list is not getting any smaller. While we may think that the craze is just starting, Disney actually started getting serious about live-action adaptations nearly ten years ago. In 2010, Tim Burton’s live-action adaptation of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland brought in over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office. However, the beginning of live-action Disney movies dates back even farther to the mid 90s. On Christmas of 1994, Stephen Sommers premiered his live-action adaptation of Disney’s The Jungle Book, which was recreated again in 2016. Which means there are two live-action reboots of the same film, but this is not a singular circumstance. The 90’s also gave us a live-action recreation of the originally animated Disney Film One Hundred and One Dalmatians. This reboot aptly titled 101 Dalmatians, received a sequel in 2000: 102 Dalmatians. Therefore it can be said that the original film has two live-action adaptations just as The Jungle Book does. Although Disney began remaking animated films long before we started noticing them, it was the success of Alice in Wonderland (2010), that made Disney producers realize the opportunity at hand. Disney’s marketing chief Ricky Strauss describes their live action remakes as a “new approach,” to the older, animated, films using modern technology. Analyst Paul Dergarabedian claims that, “The superhero genre is inexhaustible, so why not get into the same business with fairy tales?” Is the success of studios like Marvel and DC encouraging Disney to release a long, continuous line of reboots? Sagas and cinematic universes have been increasingly popular in the past 10 years, but live-action remakes are still fairly new and don’t exactly fit into the same category as many Marvel films for example.
Now:
Many argue that Walt Disney wanted his films to be remade for newer generations to justify the new obsession with live-actions remakes. However, with the recent launch of Disney+ fans are being re-exposed to Disney classics, therefore we don’t need anymore remakes right? No, not according to Disney. The launch of Disney+ brought one more live-action remake to the table; The Lady and the Tramp, but once again, not without controversy. The releases of the “live action” reboot of Disney’s The Jungle Book, Dumbo and then The Lion King, and now The Lady and the Tramp have many fans arguing over how far Disney can stretch the use of the term “live action”. All these films revolve around animals, not people, so even the “live action” version is to an extent, animated. The studio has been utilizing newer CGI technology by creating realistic-looking animals. In Jon Favreau’s “live action” adaptation of The Jungle Book, was entirely digital with the exception of the actor who played Mowgli. While this CGI tech still makes to animals look real, many fans believe it takes the magic away from the original animations. Remakes aren’t the only thing Disney is altering about it’s originally animated films, 2018 brought the release of a spin-off entitled Christopher Robin, inspired from Disney’s Winnie the Pooh series. Disney is in the process of creating even more spin-offs involving characters such as Cruella de Vil, Prince Charming and Tinker Bell. While many are getting tired of Disney’s new slew of live-action remakes they are continuing to be successful. The Jungle Book received a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95% and grossed over $966 million at the box office. The 2018 version of Beauty and the Beast brought in $1.26 billion dollar, with 2017’s Cinderella at $543 million. The remakes are becoming so popular that many fans are matching actors to animated characters in case of a live action reboot. Along with that, fans are suggesting their own lists of animated films they want to see recreated as live-action films. Disney fans have recently been pushing for films such as Up and Brother Bear to be revamped with the live action touch.
Later:
Despite resistance, Disney has shown no sign of slowing down it’s production of live action remakes and adaptations. As long as they continue to make money, Disney will continue to produce them. While many ideas are in the works only few have been given set release dates, so it’s difficult to tell when, or if, they’ll be hitting the silver screen. Disney is set to release a live-action remake of its 1998 animated film Mulan, in March of 2020. However, the film has already been receiving backlash as it has been reported that Disney has removed a beloved original character from the film along with the all of the original songs. Many people who watched Mulan as children are upset to see that Disney is taking away features of the film that made it so lovable in the first place. But Mulan is not the only future remake receiving backlash, The Little Mermaid, whose release date is to be determined, is already in the news for its casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel. Fans are divided on this casting choice because of its breaking of racial divides, as the character was originally white, and Bailey is African American. Many believe that the casting is important in breaking racial divisions while others believe the character should be kept white. Many are also arguing another casting that has yet to even be announced: Ursula. The original inspiration for Ursula came from the drag queen Divine, many LGBTQ supporters are pushing for a drag queen to star in the role for the live-action film. Despite the controversy, there are many more films on the live action remake list including, Cruella (Yes another One Hundred and One Dalmatians adaptation), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Jungle Book 2 and Peter Pan. Whether or not you love Disney’s live action remakes/adaptations or hate them, they’re not going away anytime soon.
TDMP Blog Writing Project 