Within the past decade, there has been an increase in the production of live-action remakes of many beloved animated films. Disney is by far the largest contributor in this phenomenon, as they appear to be working through their collection of classic animations, most recently debuting the live action “Snow White,” released last month.
Disney has the ability to revamp stories because the company is not the creator of the tales they showcase, many of which are based in folklore. While we understand the immersive appeal of live-action movies, there seems to be a level of halfhearted handiwork on Disney’s part. Many of these live-action remakes include changes that aren’t really significant enough to bring a fresh or interesting take to the source material. Rather than watching a well-coordinated adaptation of animated films or an experimental take, viewers are left with recycled remakes that don’t respect their source material.
In the context of “Snow White,” the film’s creators attempted to make creative changes, while simultaneously clutching Disney’s originally animated story. The film seemed eager to capitalize on the dwarves’ backstories, but each of their nuances weren’t apparent after their character introductions. Snow White was also saved by a new love interest instead of the prince. These are just some changes that make the film notably different from the original. However, such alterations don’t offer any creative liberties to the story of Snow White as a whole.
Following the film’s release, box office results revealed the film is underperforming, so much so that Disney paused their originally planned remake of 2010’s “Tangled.” This shows that in order to produce a well-received remake, films must be created in an extremely thoughtful manner, and Snow White fell flat on this.
While most of Disney’s live-action remakes have received backlash in some way, we observed their success when it comes to films that stay true to their original plots. For instance, although not a fairy tale, Disney’s 2019 “The Lion King” the 2017 “Beauty and the Beast” are the two top-grossing live-action remakes, according to box office results. In both films, we see the plot mimicking the original 1990s cartoons almost identically, giving new generations an updated graphic appeal and returning fans warm nostalgia.
We see the respectful replication of original storylines as the key factor that made these two remakes so successful. “The Lion King” kept the original characters and plot, updating the nostalgic cartoon style to a more realistic CGI. Disney even had returning voice actors from the original 1994 cartoon to keep the characters alive with realistic animals. “Beauty and the Beast” was praised for its casting, with the original voice actress of the 1991 Belle, Paige O’Hara, applauding the casting of Emma Watson. This film successfully transformed a classic cartoon into a visually stunning live action that immersed viewers into a magical world.
However, Disney has also had success with bringing fresh twists to classic fairy tales. One shining example was the 2010 remake of “Alice in Wonderland.” Disney brought on Tim Burton to direct, whose signature aesthetic gave the already wacky world of Wonderland a visually provocative feel. Burton altered the plot to focus on Alice being more of a prophetic savior who rescues Wonderland from the Red Queen rather than keeping the whimsical “dream story” of the original 1951 cartoon. Burton’s darker take gives the story a fresh sense of edge and elevates Alice’s character from a “silly little girl” to a powerful heroine who literally slays a dragon. The remake serves as a perfect example of Disney taking a classic story and providing a fresh take that’s full of intention and purpose.
In our view, Disney doesn’t seem able to consistently churn out films that are either innovative or thoughtful in their retellings. This dilemma results in remakes that feel like a cheap attempt to appeal to nostalgia rather than create renditions or expand on beloved fairy tales. It’s our view that Disney should be more intentional with their remakes instead of throwing in unnecessary additives. We believe Disney should honor original films with quality shot-for-shot remakes or clearly offer consistent, fresh renditions in an effort to not muddle people’s perceptions of beloved tales.
