Live Action Remakes: The Good, The Bad, and The Uncanny.
Main Graphic done by the ever-amazing Isaiah Hawkings (Instagram @classic_historian_)
Live-action remakes of animated movies have been the mainstream movie-making style of my generation. Name an animated movie I grew up with, and they've remade it into live action. But it’s no secret that there's a vocal outrage from people who have been outspoken about the slopfest this trend has been: it’s lazy, redundant, and a way to disregard the animated original, which is seen as superior in story, color, character, and direction.
I propose a question: Could we ever see the day when a live-action remake is just as good as its original, and what could creatives and executives do to reach those heights? I want to examine what not to do before we discuss what should happen if this trend continues. There are about three or four key steps that occur within these remakes that remain very prominent in them: dull colors, misunderstood themes, compensation over completion, and minimal additions.
Problem 1: Dull Colors
Alice animated vs live action
This one is relatively easy to understand. These animated movies are known for their vibrant landscapes and colorful imagery. And I won’t kid myself here; some very vibrant live-action remakes do feature some great colors. But when the trend started with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, there was zero color and everything was murky greys, greens, and drab reds. This kind of pallet still exists in newer remakes. Little Mermaid 2024 didn’t have as vibrant colors. The blues were very drab, and the golden palace of Atlantica was stripped down to a few blackened rocks.
There is no bigger culprit than The Lion King 2019, which we will reference frequently here. Africa, once a vibrant landscape with flowing lakes, high mountains, and beautiful skies, has been stripped down to a desolate desert with cloudy skies and bleached colors. I don’t want to visit the Africa I see in pictures and in animated movies, but rather the one I see in those images. I want to visit THAT Africa, not the one proposed in 2019.
These remakes strip down the color of these movies, which had been destroyed for murkier skies. I say it is to be more “mature” than that of the animated counterparts, and that’s where I say nay to that, because if there’s anything these movies are known for, it’s their life-affirming messages that shape who we become!
Problem 2: Stripped-Down Messaging
These movies feature mature, adult themes, even though they are animated, from the themes of confronting your past to shape your future in The Lion King, to the themes of Ohana in Lilo and Stitch, to the various themes of self-identity in many of these remakes. These movies are pretty well known for shaping my generation’s brain development. Now, how do these remakes complicate or outright ruin these themes by misunderstanding or not even having them in the movie? Well, I’ll tell you how
Sometimes, a remake will remove a theme for another; for instance, Lilo and Stitch 2025 (slight spoilers ahead) does have ‘Ohana’ as an overall message. Still, some things are removed, like Stitch’s character arc of learning to become more than what he was created for and discovering that the Ohana he has is what he needs. The same thing can be applied to Jumba, as they removed Gantu and needed an alien villain. Jumba made sense as a villain, but in the remake, he doesn’t turn a leaf and find out that his Ohana is his son, aka Stitch, who found an ohana for them. There’s no bigger offender in this new movie than how they screwed Nani and Lilo’s relationship, Yes, their relationship is still a key part of the movie. Still, it feels Nani is raising Lilo out of obligation rather than a desperate hold to keep her only family together. They added a new Hawaiian proverb mentioned in this movie: Kulana, your duties and responsibilities. a subliminal message to tell kids to prioritize their own success over supporting their families? That’s not very Ohana of you, Disneyyyyy. Nani is constantly told to attend a marine biology school in California, which she does, leaving Lilo and Hawaii behind for something in the States. While Kulana was an intriguing addition to the movie, its handling was not well thought out.
No bigger an offender than once again, Lion King 2019, in which they removed the most crucial scene of the movie: Rafiki telling Simba the importance of learning from your past with the use of his iconic stick. The theme isn’t even mentioned in this movie. If you don’t know the film, you are on your own with understanding these themes for younger generations.
Some remakes retain their original themes, such as Cinderella Beauty and the Beast (to a lesser extent), Aladdin, Dumbo, and the recently released How to Train Your Dragon remake. However, these movies, which often downplay or misinterpret their themes, are made for obvious reasons, but they’ve been failing as of late.
Problem 3: Compensation over Completion (also disrespecting the original movie)
Some people talk about quantity over quality. This problem is somewhat similar, but it’s about box office returns and business versus telling the better story. Alot of these movies are made as a way to make big bank rather than improving upon certain aspects of the story. And obviously, it works. Lilo and Stitch are on the verge of reaching the billion-dollar mark, a milestone the original movie never achieved. The Lion King and Aladdin have also surpassed the original animated film in quantity. These are but a few examples. Why are there bigger returns with these remakes? It all comes down to “maturity” and the nostalgia factor.
These live-action remakes are treated as if these movies were better when they are accessible to audiences. “lol, these animated movies are for BABIES, nothing else.” It just feels disrespectful, as a lot of these animated movies have better maturity and flow than the remakes. There’s also a nostalgia factor. You see a lot of people’s reactions on YouTube. They say things like “Woah, it’s that thing from my childhood,” “I love this company so much,” and “DUDE LOOK, IT’S MY FAVORITE CHARACTER.” (see https://youtu.be/MYG3unYlI9w) These audiences have nostalgia binders that they don’t notice are inferior, as long as the live-action remakes feature the same characters, music, and locales. These live-action remakes will continue to thrive.
Problem 4: Minimal Additions
The Magic Book from Beauty and the Beast
Alot of these remakes go the route where they don’t add much to the original story. Some remakes do add some good additions, like Berk being an island destination for all the best dragon-fighting Vikings around the world in the HTTYD remake, or adding a lot more depth to The Prince in Cinderella. His father was on his deathbed, and he had a lot more conversation with Cinderella in the movie. But some stories add specific details, and they don’t work. For instance, Beauty and the Beast said that the idea was that the enchantress enchanted the townspeople so that they forgot about the giant castle, which makes sense. Well, some people had family in that castle, which makes the Enchantress more enchanting than in the animated movie. Additionally, they added a magic book that can transport Belle anywhere in the world, making it easier for the Beast to see the outside world. The idea of the Beast is that he is locked away for his own stubbornness
Of course, not everything they added was a bad idea. Belle’s mother had an explanation of how she died, even if it was kinda stupid, and maybe not period accurate. They also added an idea where Beast is a child of fatherly abuse. These are good additions in a live-action remake, but they are not anything substantial. The characters don’t change who they are; the new additions are subtle at best.
My Final Take
Live-action remakes are the lifeblood of the industry right now, and that’s an unfortunate thing to see. It’s a key to creative bankruptcy. And there’s a looming hypothesis I have brewing in me: If we continue down this path and everything gets remade and revived to oblivion, then what will Hollywood make next? There will be a time when we see a lot more originality in the future. Even then, there are plenty of indie films that are embracing originality. Movies like Flow, The Life of Chuck, Anora, and the recently announced PIXAR movie Gatto. Originality isn’t necessarily dead; it’s just that the mainstream media has taken the wrong turns in making animated original movies obsolete by telling audiences these movies are not for them. It's all about something simple: vote with your wallets and wait until the remakes are streaming. It’s that simple. Frankly, I need to do that myself. Because I went to see How to Train Your Dragon, I'm somewhat part of the problem. However, we can change the industry to support both animated movies and ensure that live-action remakes respect what came before. There can be a world where these two media can coexist. I hope that we can reach that point in the future.