I’m mad at Disney, Disney, they tricked me, tricked me, had me thinking live actions would be good…
I’m sure many others like me grew up with Disney movies as a part of their childhood. Back in the good old days, there was nothing more exhilarating than falling headfirst like Alice down the rabbit hole of pure magic that Disney would weave into their films. Remember watching in awe as Cinderella transformed from a ragged dress to a beautiful ballgown and jamming to Sebastian’s rendition of ‘Under the Sea’ (arguably one of Disney’s best bops)?
The 2D animated films have a charm like no other.
However, while we’ve been stressing and worrying over coronavirus, another pandemic has emerged unnoticed… The plague of Disney live-action movie remakes has surfaced stealthily and silently over the past decade and is only growing in traction. Disney has taken many of the classics we love and reformed them for a modern audience – Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and 101 Dalmatians, to name a few.
Now, I will not be a big, fat liar like Pinocchio and say that I dislike all the live-action movies that Disney has made. I think some live-action remakes have been excellent in their own right! I loved how Jasmine was more confident and empowered in the live-action compared to the animated version and became the deserving leader of Agrabah. And Maleficent was a HUGE improvement from the snooze fest that was Sleeping Beauty (pun intended) and portrayed a touching maternal relationship between Aurora and Maleficent.
Despite this, Disney should be questioned for some of the live-action remakes they’ve made. For one, I didn’t see the point of remaking The Lion King and Lady and the Tramp, since the animals were rendered by CGI. Besides, their animated counterparts were far cuter (baby Simba, anyone?). And the mere thought of how Disney butchered the live-action of Mulan makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry.
Image Sources: https://international-dubbing.fandom.com/wiki/The_Little_Mermaid_(1989_film) and https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5971474/.
With The Little Mermaid live-action remake coming out in May this year, it seems that Disney is determined to recreate all their old, animated films with new versions, and it’s not difficult to see why. The classics we all know, and love have a solid fanbase globally. Even if we’re sceptical of how good the live-action remake will be, we’ll still head to the cinema anyway because we have an irresistible urge to satisfy our curiosity. It’s a capitalistic move, but a smart one. I highly doubt that The Little Mermaid live-action will be any better than the animated version, but I’m still planning to watch it.
That being said, should Disney branch out and create live-action movies with original storylines? I’m sure if Disney can dream it, they can do it. However, it’s a much safer decision for them to create content that they know will attract a large audience. Producing brand-new content carries the risk of it being unsuccessful and a waste of effort.
It’s also not as though Disney doesn’t create any original movies – Encanto and Raya and the Last Dragon recently graced our screens. And Disney produces many original movies in collaboration with other film studios, such as Pixar. Although they are fond of the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ method, Disney consistently releases new content. So perhaps Disney’s convenient cash grab with the live-action remakes isn’t that big of a deal.
For now, I’ll sit back with my popcorn and enjoy watching the movies of my past come to life.
And remember, even if you doubt the live-action version will be better than the original, always have a little faith, trust and pixie dust.
Ishrat Zaman is a current third-year student studying a double degree of Economics and Law. She is an ardent lover of all things desserts (or anything sweet, honestly). In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching movies and travelling to new places.
