Live-action Disney remakes either flunk or fly

Sumin Kim

Compared side-by-side by its original, each live-action remake seems to be unnecessary. However, can audiences enjoy them just as much as their originals?

Carter Scruggs, Dispatch Reporter
February 25, 2019

Nostalgia has been recently thrown in our faces all the time, and we usually gobble it up everytime. At the forefront of this movement is the big mouse which now seems to be churning out remakes of classic stories on a on a consistent basis.

It seems like every two months or so it seems we can rely on Disney to deliver a piece of our childhoods in blockbuster movie form, now with a bigger budget, and fancy CGI. But is it really worth it to see the same stories we’ve already heard and seen so many times?

There have been four live action remakes made already, “Beauty and the Beast,” Cinderella,” ”The Jungle Book,” and “Maleficent.” While that may not seem like many, there are three brand new live action remakes set to hit theaters this year. Those movies being ”Dumbo,” “Aladdin,” and the “Lion King.” Time will only tell how good those movies will be, but how do the others compare?

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Starting with Maleficent. The earliest of the previous four, Maleficent provides the story of sleeping beauty from the perspective of the witch. It starts out with a small prologue, then escalates into the classic tale. Honestly the movie can be slow at times, though I do give it props for being like the only that actually presents a different angle, instead of just a scene for scene like the rest seem to be.

Next is the Jungle Book. The Jungle Book is the second out of the four made, and I think it’s one of the stronger links on the chain . While yeah, it’s pretty much exactly the same as the original movie, the whole thing gets dragged down by the weird effects. The effects are not bad, but it suffers by losing its stylized look.When you animate something, how you draw them is part of their character. When you just see a bunch of animals unnaturally talking to one another it just feels weird, you get this feeling like there was no reason that this movie should have been made.But this movie is really saved by the fact that the story of the Jungle Book in general is just a good story, most people can relate to being an outsider at some point in their lives.

Next is Beauty and the Beast. The most recent live action remake to come, Beauty and the Beast followed like almost a scene for scene remake. There’s not really any new songs, and it can be bland at some places. When comparing it to the original, the original has better singing and acting. The movie does have pretty good effects and pulls of the scenes that really count, with good costume design and good effects.

And finally Cinderella, the cream of the crop. In my opinion, it’s the best one they’ve made so far. The effects are good, and I really think it just executes the story that it is remaking the best. Unlike the other films the story of Cinderella goes way back, and has gone through many different iterations throughout history. The costume design is really good, the acting is fine, and so is everything else, overall it’s pretty good.

To recap I think these movies can be pretty hit or miss. I don’t really have a problem with them making more, even though it may get kinda annoying . These movies are pretty meh, but if they end up doing a good job I think it may be worth seeing. Now all that is left is to wait and see how these three movies turn out this year.