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Credit: Inside the MagicMultiple Disney movies have been shut down, and there may be reconsiderations about special live-action remakes.
The concept of live-action remakes is not entirely new; Disney has been exploring this territory for several decades. One of the earliest examples is 101 Dalmatians, released in 1996, starring Glenn Close as the iconic villain Cruella de Vil. However, the trend truly took off in the 2010s with movies like Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Maleficent (2014), which provided a fresh perspective on classic stories and characters.
The success of these early adaptations paved the way for a slew of live-action remakes, often incorporating modern visual effects and star-studded casts. Some of the notable remakes that followed include Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (2019), and The Lion King (2019). These films achieved substantial box office success, appealing to both nostalgic fans of the original animated versions and new audiences alike.
The most recent live-action remakes were met with controversy over casting and an array of decisions from The Walt Disney Company. Still, The Little Mermaid (2023), starring Halle Bailey, has grossed more than $555 million at the box office, and the company just finished up production on a live-action version of Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler, that is expected to be released in 2024. The movie, deemed “woke” by many, is changing some aspects of the classic Disney animated film, but this isn’t the only reason that we’ve seen fan backlash.
Some argue that these adaptations often play it safe, following the original plot too closely and not taking enough creative risks. Critics contend that there may be a lack of originality in rehashing familiar stories instead of exploring new narratives and characters. This criticism is particularly evident when comparing certain remakes that stay relatively faithful to the original, scene by scene, with minimal deviation.
Another point of contention arises when examining the changes made to certain characters or story elements. Some fans have expressed disappointment when iconic characters are altered or when plotlines are modified significantly, diverging from the spirit of the original.
Ultimately, fans have called Disney “lazy” for its continued effort to produce live-action remakes in recent years, but that hasn’t stopped the company from announcing even more.
There are plans for more than two handfuls of live-action remakes yet to come, including the Snow White film that has wrapped filming already.
These include:
- Hercules
- Mufasa: The Lion King
- Lilo & Stitch
- Bambi
- The Sword in the Stone
- Robin Hood
- The Aristocats
- Hunchback
- Moana
There have also been mentions of other films potentially being developed, including a live-action version of Princess and the Frog, and a sequel to Aladdin (2019). With the ongoing writers and actors strike happening in Hollywood, though, some have mentioned that this may be too many projects to have in production.
Disney CEO Bob Iger and his team may be forced to take a look at live-action films when production does begin again– which could still be quite a while– and these delays may put some of these movies into the “scrapped” file before it’s all said and done. Disney has already scrapped some live-action remakes, including a prequel to Aladdin titled Genies, and a film titled Charming, which was to give the perspective of Prince Charming in the movie Cinderella. The question is if these delays might lead to more in the future.
For now, it would seem very likely that the Moana live-action movie still gets made as it was part of Disney’s annual shareholders’ meeting and featured Dwayne Johnson. Others in the group mentioned above, however, could be in danger of being axed.
Disney has already begun casting and development for several of these films, including Hercules and Lilo & Stitch, but that does not mean that they’ll follow through. Unfortunately, some of the less popular Disney films– such as The Sword in the Stone, Robin Hood, or The Aristocats— could be gone as a result of the strike and indefinite delays. However, this is just speculation and has not been confirmed.
What do you think of Disney live-action films? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!