Disney fans who have secretly wished that their favorite movies were a little more realistic have finally taken power.
Disney has plans to create at least 18 new live-action movies. Live-action versions of animated films also can combine live acting with computer animation, with animated characters being able to interact with real actors in some films.
The next expected live-action film is Beauty and the Beast, which will be released in March. Films like 2014’s Maleficent, largely popular due to Angelina Jolie, and 2015’s Cinderella revealed the world’s fascination with live-action revivals of familiar fairy-tale stories.
Not every project, though, is a success. Alice Through the Looking Glass, for example, did not appeal to viewers and only brought in about $77 million.
Disney has future plans to recreate classic movies like Dumbo, the Little Mermaid, the Lion King, Aladdin, Mulan, and more.
Bringing these movies to life is a way of capturing the attention of a new generation as well as engaging people who grew up with the classic versions of each film.
Another way Disney puts a twist on live-action films is taking minor characters and dedicating an entire movie to them.
Tink is a Peter Pan spinoff focused on Tinkerbell, who is to be played by Reese Witherspoon. Disney also reported that they will be creating a prequel to Aladdin, focusing on the Genie rather than Aladdin and Jasmine.
Some people argue that these new remakes will not meet the high standards of the original animated versions. Also, changing the stories too much may cause viewers to lose the sense of nostalgia that they are used to feeling when watching their favorite films.
On the other hand, Disney tends to add originality by changing the stories and making the tone darker, as seen in Maleficent, which was a spinoff of Sleeping Beauty.
Reimagining these modern classics may just be a way to reel in more money, but either way, there is a definite excitement in seeing long-time favorite characters come to life.