Childhood tales told anew
Remakes—we either love them or hate them. While movies and TV shows are being remade left, right, and centre, Disney is now taking their turn to adapt their classic animated movies into live-action films.
Over the last two years, Disney has already released Maleficent, a twisted retelling of Sleeping Beauty, directed by Robert Stromberg; Cinderella, directed by Kenneth Branagh; The Jungle Book, directed by Jon Favreau; and most recently, Pete’s Dragon, directed by David Lowery. But the list doesn’t stop there. According to The Independent, we also have to look forward to Tim Burton’s take on Dumbo; a sequel to Winnie the Pooh, which will focus on an older Christopher Robin visiting his childhood friends; and Peter Pan, to name a few. Personally, I think this is an overwhelming, yet interesting development in the movie industry, but right now let’s focus on the remakes getting the most attention.
Last year, Disney announced they would be doing a live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson as the lovely, down-to-earth Belle and Dan Stevens as the rough-yet-sweet Beast. However, there is a bit of sadness to see the classics being remade—many cherish memories of Lumiere and Cogsworth bickering before breaking into song. Yet, while the design of the characters looks phenomenal in the new remake, the amount of CGI that seems to go into these movies is off-putting when recalling the original. Not to mention the curtailment of classic songs in these new films. They lack, for example, Cinderella’s classic “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” and Beauty and the Beast’s “Be Our Guest.”
Within the last month, we have also heard about Disney’s plans to remake Aladdin, under the direction of Guy Ritchie, and The Lion King, which will see Favreau back in the director’s chair.
Now, I personally loved Aladdin growing up, especially with Robin Williams—rest his soul—as the ever lovable and chaotic Genie, so I am really curious to see who they will cast for the part. As is often the case with remakes, many characters we grew up with either look younger or a lot more attractive than we expected. So who knows, instead of Jafar being a creepy advisor like in the old animated film, perhaps he’s going to be a bad-ass, suave villain who makes great eye candy.
There is also the realization that while the musical scores, costume designs, and acting will be phenomenal with the right casting and directors in charge, there is still a huge issue with the CGI and special effects. With the traditionally animated films there wasn’t any need for green screens, and unfortunately, while the effects are great, the creatures seem too outlandish. It makes me more than a little nostalgic for the simplicity of the old animated movies.
“As is often the case with remakes, many characters we grew up with either look younger or a lot more attractive than we expected.”
And how are they going to do a live-action Lion King movie? Will it be CGI lions? Or perhaps animal-like humans playing the part, similar to The Lion King Broadway musical? There are certain reasons why movies centred on animals are better off being animated—sometimes the CGI special effects ruin the magic.
Yet even in retelling these classic stories, Disney remakes offer another side to our beloved childhood stories. Considering the market demographic for the old animated stories, these new live-action films offer a grittier and deeper backstory that attracts an older audience. So while these movies may not be like the originals, they will offer a darker side of the story we have never seen before.
This is especially true for the newly anticipated Mulan movie. This is a girl who is fighting for her family’s honour, who will be killed if she’s discovered. While the Disney original didn’t really touch upon the consequences too much, given that Disney cartoons normally don’t have a lot of violence, these live-action remakes will give them the chance to do so. The live-action Huns will also look a lot more terrifying than their animated counterparts, which should be an interesting twist.
On the lighter side, I’m just excited to see the wise-cracking dragon Mushu on the big screen again. If Eddie Murphy gets to voice that brilliant little dragon again in the live-action version, I will be ecstatic.
Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures.