Thursday 9 March 2017

Disney Live-Action Remakes – My Thoughts

The Disney Movie of the Month this month is Maleficent, the 2014 live-action remake of the 1959 animated Sleeping Beauty. Disney has recently had quite a thing for live action remakes of their beloved animated movies recently. The highly anticipated Beauty and the Beast is going to be released shortly, and they’re not stopping anytime soon.
I previously talked about what I’d like to see in a live-action Aladdin but this time - because Maleficent is the Disney Movie of the Month – I am just offering a few more general thoughts about live-action remakes of Disney movies. I am not completely opposed to Disney remaking their archive but I feel it needs to be done well when they do…

The aesthetic is important.

·         This is something both Maleficent and Cinderella got spot on. In Maleficent the aesthetic is a cool dark gothic style which really serves the movie well. On the other hand the live-action Cinderella was a gorgeous looking movie, the dress was stunning and the locations were beautiful. I hope subsequent live-action Disney remakes can also have strong aesthetics which really fit the movie.

If it’s going to be different then really go for it.

·         This is Maleficent’s style, it took a princess romance story and made it a villain origin story that turned the villain into an extremely sympathetic character. As I mentioned in my initial post about Maleficent, I think the movie could have been even stronger if it had pushed the differences even further (for example they should have completely left out Prince Phillip). I’d love to see a live-action remake of The Little Mermaid done in the style of Maleficent that focused on Ursula.

If the basic story is the same then fix the problems of the original in the new version.

·         This one is one of the biggest strengths of the live-action Cinderella. I really hate the 1950 animated version of Cinderella. It’s boring, it’s sexist and Cinderella is completely useless. But the live-action remake fixed that! Suddenly Cinderella and the Prince had personalities! They actually interacted before falling in love! There was a more substantial plot! I’d love to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarves undergo a similar process.

Give the live-action movies a legacy.

·         I would like to see a lasting legacy for the live-action remakes. At the moment it sort of just feels like a quick brand recognition cash grab that is then quickly forgotten by Disney, but I’d like to see them start to create a legacy for their live-action remakes if they’re going to keep doing them. For example why not merchandise the live-action version of Cinderella alongside her animated counterpart? This idea of giving the live-action remakes a legacy leads onto my next point…

A Disney Shared Cinematic Universe!

·         I don’t know if this would ever happen but wouldn’t it be fun to see characters meeting up and teaming up!

And finally, do a live-action Princess and the Frog.

·          I love Princess and the Frog, Tiana is the best Disney Princess. This movie deserves more love and attention from Disney. I just really want it to happen!


So that’s a few thoughts on Disney’s live-action remakes. I’m interested to see what they have in store for subsequent live-action remakes.

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