Though Disney got its start with its beloved Disney princesses, the recent trend with their movies is steering away from the originality they were once praised for. Rather than focusing their attention on crafting original stories for fans to fall in love with, Disney is instead falling back on live-action remakes to try to recreate their previous successes.
To do this, Disney has blatantly attempted to bring the same magic to the screen as the originals did when they were first released. By utilizing CGI to render fantastical creatures like the Beast from Beauty and the Beast and animals from The Lion King to life, Disney has tried to present audiences with the nostalgia watching the originals offered. Fans of the original films, however, can not help but notice the difference in quality.
This change results from Disney’s attempts at creating live-actions that highlight what everyone loves about the originals. Though this is a viable goal, their work with CGI fails to accomplish it. Rather than transforming the experience, the CGI in remakes like The Lion King does not enchant people the same way, because though the lions look realistic, it does not hold the same magic they did in 1994 when the animated version was released.
The CGI in the live-action remakes is, unfortunately, not solely to blame for the movies not turning out how fans of the original might hope. Though CGI undoubtedly plays a large part in why the live-action films are not becoming as adored as the originals were upon their release, there are other elements at work like the soundtracks being carbon copies of the films they were based upon.
Though the soundtrack of a film is seldom paid attention to, when Disney films are the focus of discussion it is an important factor. Much of Disney’s success comes from the lyrical prowess that makes famous songs like “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” from Mulan memorable. The issue with live-action remakes and their soundtrack is that they try to create new music for the film that lacks the addicting quality that songs pulled from the original retain even after decades. After watching the live-action remakes, the recent music is often cited as forgettable compared to what already existed for the film.
However, many viewers want more than the remakes are offering them. Though it differs from film to film, one common complaint that began to pop up in reviews is that these live-action remakes were too similar to the animated versions. When watching, it can feel like the viewer is simply observing the animated version through a live-action filter. With the conflicting demands for these remakes, viewers and the company are quickly discovering how difficult it is to transform a film from animation to live-action while maintaining the same magic of the original.
To rectify these problems, Disney has taken a new approach by attempting to imbue more originality into their live-action films. They have tried this with a few of their movies including Mulan and their most recent live-action remake, Snow White. These changes, amongst other reasons, caused Snow White to receive low ratings. Though nearly a century has passed since the original’s release and there should be some leeway for changes to be made to the story, the reviews for this film are a sign that people prefer the live-actions to be closer to the originals than the past few have been.
Instead of investing their time in creating live-action failures that try to cater to conflicting demands, it would be in Disney’s best interest to step away from remakes and return to making more original movies. Though they may be hesitant to try something new when they are already making a significant profit, it would be the smart move for Disney to facilitate connections with their audience by giving them brand new stories to adore. If Disney went in this direction, they would have the freedom to craft brand new adventures for their fans to watch, rather than falling back on these live-actions that appeal to no one when the originals are the better option for childhood nostalgia.
