Disney has been doling out these live-action remakes like they dole out their pineapple dole whips, and 2019 seems to be the year of ultimate pineapple dispersion (figuratively speaking). The entire nostalgia-inducing movement started fun and endearing, but now it's beginning to look like a giant cash grab. Like many fans, I want to love these remakes because I loved the originals as a child, which is EXACTLY how Hollywood wants us to feel! But so far, it's been a hit or miss. Let's review what makes a live-action remake a beautifully swirled dole whip or swill from the Tiki Room trash can (in my opinion of course).
Let's start with the story. I watched the live-action of Aladdin this weekend. For the most part, it stays true to the original story. As a fan of the original story, I appreciated this. Although predictable, the live-action remake did not ruin the cartoon for me since it stayed true to the original story. Now let's look at Dumbo, which I watched a few months ago. I know the original Dumbo was short in terms of runtime, so I understand the need to add more story elements now. But I think the live-action tried way too hard. It tried to keep the general story of Dumbo being born different and getting separated from his mom but had to throw in other scenes to avoid complications caused by the original. For example, the original elephants on parade scene was a hallucination from drinking alcohol (which I'm sure Disney didn't want to repeat in the remake). So instead, they had some circus performers create magical bubbles that turned into dancing elephants. If I were a guest at the circus, I would be so impressed with those magic bubbles that I wouldn't care that Dumbo couldn't fly! But for some reason, these spoiled guests weren't satisfied with inanimate objects magically dancing around them that they had to cry for their money back when Dumbo couldn't fly.
I digress. There were also too many new characters. Again, I know adding human characters was necessary to prevent having to turn Timothy Mouse or the crows into CGI nightmares, but if you're going to change more than fifty percent of the characters, you might as well make a whole new movie. I didn't care for Colin Farrell's carnie turned soldier back to a carnie backstory. It distracted me from Dumbo's story instead of enhancing my understanding of it. Aladdin added some characters as well, such as Jasmine's handmaid. I didn't mind this since adding her helped with the original story (i.e., Jasmine was able to use the handmaid's identity when she went in the square, she could express her thoughts, etc.). In this case, the character addition integrated well into the original story. Her presence in the film did not make it feel like a completely different film.
So what makes a decent Disney live-action remake? Well, just looking at these two live-action remakes from 2019, this is what I would prefer in a live-action remake.
Keep true to the original. Don't deviate too much from the story, music, and characters. Small enhancements could be made to these ONLY IF these changes make sense within the context of the original story. Don't make these changes just for the sake of making it different from the original.
There is a second, less preferable option. IF you want to deviate from the original movie completely, then really commit to it. The retellings seem to be the best way to do it. Retell the story from the perspective of another character. That includes changing the name of the movie. For example, the title Maleficent as opposed to a "live action version of Sleeping Beauty."
Lion King's live-action remake is coming out later this year, and I am so nervous. Lion King is my favorite Disney movie from the Disney Renaissance, so I hope the live-action version does not ruin it at all.
What do you like about live-action remakes? What do you hate? Should Disney continue making them or stop before they ruin all your childhood favorites? Let me know what you think!
Popcorn Perks
Although we fear that watching these live-action remakes would be a waste of money, the popcorn perks at Harkins Theaters are certainly not. This year, I added popcorn perks to my Harkins Rewards membership for $30. This perk allows me to get a free medium popcorn for every visit (up to 36 visits) for a year! It is absolutely worth it if you go more than four times a year since one medium popcorn usually is $7.25 on its own! I've already used it five times since March and am planning to use it many more times before next March.
Is a medium popcorn too small for your movie-going party? Use your popcorn perks to upgrade to a large popcorn for only ONE extra dollar! So you're saving $7.25 (the price of a medium popcorn) at each visit. Still completely worth it. And don't forget that the large popcorn also comes with one free refill! With your popcorn perks, that's like getting two large popcorns for only $1! If you are a Harkins Rewards member (which is free by the way), I highly recommend buying the popcorn perks.
Comments