Disney, the company behind most beloved family films, is out of ideas. At least, that is what it appears as since the last decade has been filled with disappointing live-action remakes.
Remakes are nothing new. Since the beginning of film, different directors have tried different takes on stories told before. In fact, some directors would remake their own films.
The company saw success with the 1996 adaptation of the 1961 film 101 Dalmatians, and again in 2010 with the remake of 1951’s Alice in Wonderland. These films gained enough success for the company to continue their adventure into the real world.
Click on the link for a timeline of Disney’s animated and live action movies over the years.
However, the past few years have seen the general public grow tired of remakes such as Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (2019), The Lion King (2019), and The Little Mermaid (2023). All of these films were originally released during the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s.
It is obvious that the company is trying to recreate the magic they did thirty years ago, as the kids who grew up watching these films are beginning to have children of their own. The problem is that these new parents want to show their children the originals, not mediocre remakes.
The most recent film was Mufasa: The Lion King (2024), a sequel to a remake of an adaptation of a Japanese cartoon, was panned by critics and audiences alike who found it unnecessary and awkward.
Upcoming films already lowered audiences’ expectations. Snow White, releasing in March, has gone through several delays as fans feel that the trailers are unfaithful to the original story. Moana is scheduled for release in 2026, only 10 years after the original was released. This was actually a delay as it was in production during the same time that the sequel to the original was released. That should say something about the level of necessity this film has.
At the same time, interest in animation is at an all-time high. Dreamworks’ Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), Sony’s Spider-Verse films (2018, 2023), and Netflix’s Nimona (2023) all experimented with new 3D animation styles. In fact, the last was briefly under Disney’s production, but was repeatedly delayed and eventually cancelled.
