Disney seems to be completely obsessed with remakes these days. We’ve known for a while that it is obviously their goal to land a complete monopoly on the film industry, slowly acquiring every franchise and studio they can get their hands on. Occasionally, their desire to remake classics is overwhelming.
Most of the time, they’re unnecessary wastes of time that we’d have been better off not having and just being left with the originals. However, on occasion, a remake works pretty well. We’ve taken a look at five remakes Disney should avoid, and five they might want to consider.
SHOULDN’T: Snow White
The first full-length Disney film holds a special place in history. Despite being released all the way back in 1937, the story holds up, it still looks pretty great and the response has been one of universal acclaim that whole time. Effectively, without it, Disney wouldn’t be able to do what they do today. Apparently there is a live-action remake in production at the time of writing. I’m not overly concerned about this. It’s an animated remake that concerns me. Seeing Snow White animated in 3D in Wreck-It Ralph was cool, but it lost all of the nostalgia and magic of the original. Seeing this happen in a full-length setting just wouldn’t work.
SHOULD: Hercules
Hercules is another Disney film that is already in the process of having a live-action remake created. Honestly, I’m on board. The original 1997 film was a great musical comedy with animations by Gerald Scarfe and music from Alan Menken taking it to another level. With Hercules’ strength playing such an important role, seeing how this might manifest itself with real human actors being used in the action sequences has the potential to be really cool. Similarly, while the Greek setting looks great when animated, the upcoming live-action remake will really give an opportunity to craft some beautiful settings.
SHOULDN’T: Star Wars
Okay, so we all know they’re already pumping out Star Wars films left right and center, but the one thing we absolutely do not need is a remake. At the moment, they’re too busy focusing on expanding the universe and bringing the Skywalker Saga to a close, so it won’t happen for a while. That doesn’t mean that in fifty years, when things start to lose traction after the release of Episode 57: Jar Jar Was Luke’s Brother, Disney might contemplate remaking the original trilogy with better effects and a new cast.
This would be the worst thing they could possibly do, because the one thing universally agreed upon in the Star Wars universe, is that the originals are fantastic. They simply couldn’t win if they tried to remake them.
SHOULD: Lion King 2
The support behind Disney’s idea to remake The Lion King was mixed. When it came out, the response was also pretty mixed, but the box office response was exceptional, propelling it to the biggest selling animated film of all time and 7th highest-grossing film ever. Obviously, as a film, it didn’t achieve the emotional depth of the original, but the photorealistic animation made it a treat to watch. The Lion King 2 didn’t achieve the same recognition as the first entry in the series, but it certainly isn’t a bad film by any stretch. Remaking this sequel would, if anything, give us another excuse to take in some truly sublime visuals.
SHOULDN’T: The Emperor’s New Groove
One of the weirder nuances of the Disney output was the turn of the century absurdist comedy The Emperor’s New Groove. The entire premise of the film is that the emperor, Kuzco, is turned into a llama by his ex-advisor. Pretty weird to begin with, right? The film isn’t exactly an ambitious epic, but it’s one of Disney’s more laugh out loud efforts, and just wouldn’t work as a remake.
There’s no need to attempt animation, and the visual jokes and dexterity of its outlandish plot simply wouldn’t work as live-action. Luckily, due to its relatively unknown nature, it's unlikely they’ll ever bother anyway.
SHOULD: The Aristocats
While the very recent release of Cats has probably set back the world of cat-based live-action filmography back a few years, The Aristocats is an entertaining film that would probably work quite well if they provided us with the adventures of some real cats. It’s been done with dogs a million times over, why not let cats have their day? One of the more serious reasons this film is due a remake, is some of its more outdated moments. For example, it would give Disney the opportunity to cut out some of the more... problematic... scenes, such as the Siamese cat who plays piano with chopsticks and shouts about fortune cookies.
SHOULDN’T: Alice In Wonderland
Alice In Wonderland is one of the most perfect film-recreations of a book ever. The Lewis Carroll original is a surrealist exploration of imagination and the first Disney film to explore it created visuals that matched what everyone had in their head. Kaleidoscopic colors and imaginative manipulations of world-view led to a stunning piece of cinema.
When they tried to give it another shot in the semi-live-action format of the 2010 remake, the brilliance of the original was removed almost entirely and replaced by a platform for Johnny Depp to show off in his role as the Mad Hatter. The sequel Alice Through The Looking Glass was even worse and cemented the idea that the original should just be left alone.
SHOULD: Atlantis: The Lost Empire
While Disney fans and their desire for comedy musical means much of the output that doesn’t match that criteria does comparatively worse at the box office, Atlantis: The Lost Empire was a great adventure film which saw Michael J Fox shine in the lead role. It looks great, sounds great and is unique in the Disney catalog. However, now that animation has progressed and the Disney canon is full of such variety, it may just be time to give it another chance to be recognized on the level it deserves. They could certainly bring the adventurous story back to life with even more exciting visuals.
SHOULDN’T: Bambi
Bambi is certainly a strange one. Disney, in general, likes to target their films towards children. Bambi is, as a whole, a heart-warming story of friendship focused around some very cute animals. They look great in their original 1942 animated form, and the story is unique and interesting and remains so even today. Remaking it is, let’s be honest, a distinct possibility given their current obsession with photorealistic animal-led films, but I’m not sure how well this one will work.
SHOULD: Bambi
But we should also look at Bambi from a different perspective. There are some particularly infamous scenes of violence and horror buried within an otherwise very calm film. If Disney ever wanted to move towards a more adult-oriented line of production, Bambi could really get their foot in the door.
Exploring the brutal, violent deaths in graphic detail would take the film to a new level which could be particularly interesting for Disney, rather than their usual achingly similar remakes. Obviously, it would have to be marketed very carefully in a way that made it very clear this film isn’t for kids, but it just might work...