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Credit: DisneyDisney has confirmed a series of “alternative” remakes of some of its beloved classics. Will this finally please the company’s hardcore fans?
It’s no secret that lifelong Disney fans have been less-than-thrilled to learn about some of the company’s latest live-action remakes like The Lion King (2019), The Little Mermaid (2023), and the upcoming Snow White featuring Rachel Zegler.
Regardless of the backlash these projects have received, The Walt Disney Company continues to go above and beyond to appeal to its hardcore fans. This time, the company has confirmed a series of “alternative” remakes of some of its most beloved Disney classics.
Related: Disney To Drop ‘Little Mermaid,’ ‘Lion King,’ and More
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For those unaware of the massive online backlash caused by Disney’s live-action remakes — if that’s possible in the social media era — here’s a short recap of the divisive response.
Disney live-action remakes and their less-than-magical response
The Little Mermaid
Disney’s live-action adaptation of the beloved classic The Little Mermaid was highly discussed since the film and its casting were first announced, dividing audiences and sparking polarized opinions regarding the 2023 movie.
Singer and actress Halle Bailey bravely spoke out on the racism and backlash against her casting as Princess Ariel, inspiring little girls around the world and surprising fans at Walt Disney World Resort.
Sadly, the movie’s backlash extended worldwide, with interviews making Halle Bailey extremely uncomfortable, causing her to release bold statements online, and The Walt Disney Company being forced to make racist changes to the movie for its international release.
Snow White
Similarly to The Little Mermaid, the upcoming live-action remake of Snow White, led by Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, has been controversial since the film announced Zegler’s lead role in 2021.
The intense backlash received by the upcoming live-action adaptation of the beloved Disney classic even sparked rumors of the movie’s cancellation, particularly after Zegler’s strong declarations about the film and Disney’s bold decision to leave little people out of the remake’s cast.
However, Disney tried to right its wrongs in a bold move, and while the movie will “not be released as planned,” the company has wrapped production on the polarizing film, slating it for a 2025 release.
The Lion King cinematic universe?
Believe it or not, the 2019 adaptation of The Lion King also received backlash from fans, particularly after The Walt Disney Company revealed plans to expand the classic Disney movie into an “epic cinematic universe” similar to Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU as the kids say) or Lucasfilm’s Star Wars franchise.
Fans reacted to the news by saying the 2019 remake was “one of the most soulless adaptations [they’ve] ever seen” and that “no live-action film is going to be better than the original.”
While Disney has not revealed further details about its “epic” The Lion King cinematic universe, the company will release a prequel to Simba’s story from the 90s and early 2000s Disney movies titled Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) later this year.
You can watch the teaser trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King below or click here to watch it.
Related: Disney Closes Pirates of the Caribbean, Removes Ride From Park Operations
Disney keeps moving forward; “alternative” remakes confirmed
Now, before we grab our pitchforks and torches, it is worth noting that the project we mentioned earlier does not mean the company is working on more live-action remakes — at least not apart from the ones that have already been announced.
Instead, Disney is working with alternative, rock, and pop-punk bands to reimagine popular Disney tunes from beloved animation classics for an all-new album.
Mark your calendars
Disney teased this exciting project a few days ago through its social media channels alongside Simple Plan’s — who worked on the first cover of this upcoming album. You can see the video shared by the company on X (formerly known as Twitter) below or click here to watch it.
Something magical is coming. Find out on July 12.
Something magical is coming ✨ Find out on July 12. pic.twitter.com/VEaMCMClPz
— Disney Music (@DisneyMusic) July 10, 2024
Related: Mass Absence at Disney: Advisory Urges Thousands to Remain Home, Cancel Vacations
Disney goes out with a bang-er
Lucky for us, the day has arrived to listen to this alternative cover, and it’s an absolute banger!
Simple Plan stated that the band wanted to pay homage to Sir Elton John’s original version of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” while adding their own style to it, making the classic song sound “fun and energetic.” “We’re really stoked by how it turned out and we hope everyone will enjoy it,” they added.
Disney commented that this project, titled “A Whole New Sound,” aims to make an album “for fans of all generations.” And they certainly got a lot of fans from the 90s and early 2000s on board with the release of Simple Plan’s single.
Related: U.S. Government Advisory Urges Summer Vacationers to Cancel Their Disney Trips
“We grew up watching Disney movies with our families and now we get to enjoy them with our own kids, so it’s pretty amazing to have been invited to be on this album,” Simple Plan said.
You can listen to Simple Plan’s fantastic cover of Sir Elton John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” which celebrates The Lion King’s (1994) 30th anniversary, in the video below or by clicking here.
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The cover was also released on Spotify and Apple Music. You can click the respective links to listen to this beloved song’s “alternative” remake.
And if you want to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Lion King, the beloved movie is available on Disney+ and you can click here to stream it.
Simple Plan took the stage at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival earlier this year, and the band will do so again on August 9 at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa to perform their interpretation of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.”
Related: All Fireworks Axed at Disney Parks Until September, Effective Immediately
Spectacular! Give me fourteen of them right now!
Unfortunately for us, we’ll have to wait a little longer to upgrade our Disney playlists after this taste of the upcoming alternative cover album.
In a press release, Disney confirmed that the full album, titled “A Whole New Sound,” is planned to be available later this year. However, The Walt Disney Company has not revealed an official release date.
Of course, we’re all anxious to listen to some of our favorite bands, like Green Day, Paramore, and Fall Out Boy, sing iconic Disney songs.
Unfortunately, Disney has not confirmed the bands participating in this upcoming album or how many songs will be in it. Do you want to guess? Let Inside the Magic know who you’d like to hear in “A Whole New Sound” and what song you’d like them to cover in the comments below!
Want to know a little secret while we wait for “A Whole New Sound”? You can listen to Fall Out Boy’s cover of “I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)” from The Jungle Book (1967) on Spotify, as the song is part of the 2015 “We Love Disney” compilation album.
And Apple Music listeners rejoice! The album is also available on the streaming platform. You can click here to give it a listen.
Will you listen to this banger by Simple Plan and catch the upcoming remakes of classic Disney songs? Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts below!