Disney has an extensive catalog of animated movies that millions of people grew up watching. Multiple generations have fond images of these classic, childhood movies. In recent years, Disney has been trying to reimagine these classics as new, live-action films. This has sparked a wave of controversy, with some enjoying the opportunity to dive back into nostalgia, whereas others have been writing off the movies as “cash grabs.”
Currently, Disney has five live-action movies in the works: Snow White, Lilo & Stitch, Moana, Bambi and Tinker Bell. Although, many other remakes have been confirmed or rumored.
The reason behind these remakes getting labeled as “cash grabs” is because of The Lion King remake in 2019. This movie was the catalyst that encouraged Disney to keep on making these uninspired remakes due to the high profits yielded. It’s the fifth-biggest movie that Disney has ever put out and according to the worldwide box office, it made 1.6 billion dollars.
These movies are also heavily reliant on the nostalgia factor, by reusing the original story from the animated movies and adding nothing new. Many have shared their opinions on the live-action remakes on platforms such as IMDb“…[The Lion King] feels soulless compared to the original” said 0u, regarding the Lion King remake. Another online Commenter, andrewchristianjr said, “Same story, and somehow the magic and emotion is not there.” The movie received a rating of 6.8/10 instead of the 8.5/10 the original movie had gotten.
The production of these movies has also gotten criticism due to the VFX workers who are often overworked and underpaid when working on these live-action adaptations. According to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), 70% of VFX workers have reported unpaid overtime work. This makes workers think that it’s not possible to have a long-term career in VFX, and in late August they asked to unionize. After unanimously voting for it, IATSE VFX union was established on Oct. 2.
However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for Disney’s live-action movies. A new live-action Lion King prequel titled Mufasa: The Lion King, which has an entirely new and original story, came out on Dec. 20. This movie will hopefully break the run of bad live-action movies from Disney.
By the end of this, hopefully, Disney will find ways to make money through avenues other than live-action remakes, or at least start putting more effort and originality into these films.
