The Problem with Disney’s Current Live Action Obsession
Over the past few years, Disney has been remaking a lot of their original classics into live action films with the first being the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland. These movies will continue to be made because they have been lucrative for the media giant and have made billions of dollars at the box office. The films offer nostalgia for previous generations but also allows today's kids to see modern takes on the movies, guaranteeing a big turnout from audiences.
The 2019 Live Action Aladdin Movie Photo: Walt Disney Studios via: Style Caster
These films also save Disney time because the story is already laid out for them and they don’t have to buy new IPs. The teams behind these remakes have been able to change the original stories through a modern lens and take out potential problematic parts or songs from them. Additionally, a lot of the originals lacked diversity and some showed communities of color in stereotypical ways, which can be harmful for children of color to see. So these remakes are not entirely bad and with the release of the trailers for The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan and Wendy, these remakes are not going to stop anytime soon.
The 2019 Live Action Dumbo Movie Photo: Walt Disney Studios via: Parade
However, these remakes do not compare to the originals. Disney does not realize the problems that come with all these live action movies that the originals had. The main problem with these remakes is that they lack the imagination and care of the originals. They often feel like soulless, cash grabs that lack the magic that Disney is known for. Even when the movie's writers try to change the stories to be more modern, the movies still lack the originality that made the original movie so loved.
The 2019 Live Action Lion King Movie Photo: Walt Disney Studios via: British Vogue
Part of the appeal of Disney and their growth in popularity is that they brought something to the table that was not around at the time, they created original stories that appealed to audiences of all ages since its inception in the 1930s. The Disney Renaissance in the 1980s and 1990s made Disney become a cult favorite for family friendly movies. The movies rely too much on the notalgia of their audience and not enough on making an original story.
The 2022 Live Action Pinocchio Movie Photo: Walt Disney Studios via: Parade
Despite the obvious lack of imagination with these movies, Disney is not going to stop making these remakes anytime soon. They still have a lot of original movies that they have not remade yet and have a large stream of content that they can remake in the future. These remade movies are not memorable and it is hard to say whether this live action formula will remain lucrative with audiences. The notalgia that they feel may run out and these movies will feel old for them eventually.
