In the last decade, Disney stepped into a new era of movies, releasing numerous live-action adaptations of their famous stories. Audiences have directed negativity towards these new adaptations, though that seems to be for good reason. In these recreations, Disney has tended to stray from the original storyline, character-defining features, and costume designs, leaving viewers disappointed that their favorite childhood movies fail to appeal to youthful nostalgia.
Many of these live-action remakes have not impressed audiences, but there are a few acceptable exceptions. Beauty and the Beast was one such exception, as it was an astonishing remake of the already beloved story plot and animation. But honestly, anything starring Emma Watson is sure to be a hit. Following the original animated movie’s storyline closely, the film is filled to the brim with nostalgia. Watson plays Belle flawlessly with her stunning vocals in all the musical numbers and her incredible acting abilities, and Dan Stevens portrays the perfect Beast with his strong singing voice and ability to depict the Beast’s emotions. This movie is by far one of Disney’s most extraordinary and successful live-action adaptations. Unfortunately, the praise this film received is unique, as many of the other live-action adaptations were not as highly enjoyed.
Moving on to Mulan, the live-action movie was honestly not awful, but only if you hadn’t already seen the animated version. Alone, it could be a relatively good film, but saying that it has any relation to the original animated Mulan is a disgrace. This movie left out some of the key characters and added in some unnecessary ones, along with the plot barely resembling the beloved animated version. By far, one of the best characters in the animated movie and the most missed character in the remake was Mushu the dragon. With his humorous personality and character-building story, he added immensely to the overall plot of the movie. The original animated Mulan is also known for its iconic musical soundtrack, including songs “I’ll Make a Man Out of You,” “Reflection,” and “A Girl Worth Fighting For,” but the live-action remake features no singing at all, a complete divergence from the original. Overall, Disney turned our childhood classic and nostalgia-filled movie into a disappointing and serious remake that is beyond separated from the original.
The letdown from Disney continued with their attempt at a live-action Pinocchio movie in 2022. The original tale by Carlo Collodi is a dark story about a mischievous puppet who faces cruel punishments for his actions. Disney should have kept this story’s original form instead of mutilating it to become soulless. The film also features awkward CGI that makes the whole film feel tacky, especially when viewers know Disney can do exponentially better. Along with the unappealing visuals that make up the majority of the movie, the chosen voice actors do not fit the roles they portray, which throws off the whole film.
Another quite disappointing remake is the newest Snow White movie. Audiences expected the live-action adaptation to disappoint even before its release due to poor casting choices, as Rachael Zegler, who plays Snow White, was pessimistic about her role in most of her interviews. The music in the movie was somewhat tolerable, as Zegler has an astonishing voice, but it was just not a valuable or accurate adaptation from the original Snow White. Along with Snow White’s dress not looking like the original, classic magical gown, but rather a Spirit Halloween costume, Disney also changed key points from the original tale. Snow White’s love interest, originally a prince, became a no-good thief, and overall themes of the movie changed to female empowerment and challenging traditional gender roles. Though a powerful message that could suit a different plot, it has nothing to do with Snow White’s original and cherished storyline. Snow White has been one of Disney’s most disappointing live-action remakes.
While the intent behind live-action adaptations of the classic animated films can come from nostalgia and a desire for innovation, the remakes mostly fall short of capturing all the elements of the originals that made them so special to fans. That might be due to the loss of the magic that can only be seen in animation or the over-reliance on visual effects, as these films rarely succeed in offering something meaningful or fresh. It seems that it is time for Disney to start focusing on making new, original stories instead of trying to remake their timeless classics that will always fall in their predecessors’ shadow.
