The New Trend of Disney Live-Action Remakes

What’s Up with All the Disney Live-Action Remakes?

Being from Florida, I know that there are some absolutely rabid Disney fans out there. It’s a fandom that is almost cult-like in it’s devotion to the anthropomorphic Mouse, but even keeping that in mind, I have to ask “What’s with all the  Disney live-action remakes?” Don’t get me wrong, I grew up on Disney movies, so I’m not hating on them. However, it feels like Disney is getting a little too greedy with how hard they’re pushing their new line of live-action remakes. What used to be a sporadic reoccurrence has quickly gathered steam and become a full blown trend in recent years. Now we’re looking at potentially four movies hitting theaters in 2019 alone (Dumbo, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil). My question is, “Why do we need them?”

The first Disney live-action remake I can actually remember seeing was a Jungle Book remake starring Jason Scott Lee in 1994, followed by a Glen Close headed 101 Dalmations movie that his theaters in 1996. Since then there have been more than a few released on the Disney channel, but theatrically things were pretty quiet for a while. It wasn’t until 2010 when Tim Burton released Alice In Wonderland to mixed reactions from critics and audiences (mostly due to Johnny Depp’s manic performance as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter’s bulbous-headed Red Queen). It wasn’t exactly a masterpiece, but it was enough to justify Maleficent a few years later and with it, the dam was open.

Since then there’s been a Disney live-action remake almost every year. Cinderella was released in 2015 (it’s one of the few movies I’ve actually walked out of). Followed by another The Jungle Book (this one directed by Jon Favreau and is not to be confused with Netflix’s Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle) in 2016. However, it was 2017’s remake of Beauty and the Beast that really showed the (monetary) potential of these films. It received a ton of praise from audiences and critics alike. That combined with a $500 million box office was more than enough to justify making more and more of these films. This has all lead to the four Disney live-action remakes audiences are looking at in 2019. Of course, that’s hardly going to be the last of them, and Disney has a ton more in various stages of production from Mulan to Snow White to… Lilo and Stitch?

I’ll admit that these films aren’t the worse live-action adaptations I’ve seen over the years. After all, there still hasn’t been any truly impressive American anime adaptations (Yes I saw Alita: Battle Angel and found it lacking) and video game movies are just… Well, they’re just a mess. Still, I’m a bit unnerved by the enthusiasm in which Disney is pumping these things out, especially now that they own both Marvel and Fox. Of course, I might be a little biased in all this. four in one year puts these Disney live-action remakes on par with the rate comic book movies are hitting theaters and you don’t see me complaining about that. That doesn’t mean I’m still not worried about the market becoming oversaturated with these films though, especially since many of them have been subpar in the past. That’s not even taking into account how disturbing some aspects of live-action fairy tales might be. Marvel movies at least feel as though they’re building towards something (even if each “phase” is six to ten movies). This feels like a cash grab, especially because it’s recycling old films to pass them off as new again.

Now, I’m not boycotting this new trend of Disney live-action remakes (yet). However, I’m not exactly putting these films on my list of anticipated movies for the year. I get that there are some pretty intense Disney fans out there and to them, this all probably seems like a dream come true. However, these four films aren’t even taking into account the animated features Disney still has in store for us in 2019. There’s also Toy Story 4, Frozen 2 and an Artemis Fowl adaptation scheduled as well. Personally, I see a burn out in my future when it comes to these movies. Or course, that doesn’t mean I still won’t be seeing them all opening night in theaters. My concern though is that this trend is going to take away from potential original features that Disney could be focusing on instead. I get that there are plenty of good remakes out there and a few of these films could use a fresh coat of paint given that we’ve come pretty far when it comes to being more socially conscientious these days. I’d much rather see something new and exciting though in theaters.

I’m sure there are plenty of you out there though that are chomping at the bit to see these Disney live-action remakes. I might not get the appeal of them, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear your thoughts on them. Do you think Disney has the right idea with this new trend? Is there one, in particular, you’re excited to see? Leave a comment below to let me know your thoughts. Hopefully, my concerns are unwarranted, but, as always, I’ll be posting new reviews as soon as these films hit theaters, so you can always check back to see my thoughts.