Disney is widely known for its family content, especially when it comes to its most prolific division: animation. From the first full-length animated film to today, the company has delivered fairytale masterpieces that span generations. Yet recent years have seen them pivot to remaking their animated films in a live-action format. The spectacle is alluring, with stunning costumes, sets, and musical numbers throughout these remakes. Disney has also taken the time to update some moments for a modern world. But the constant remaking of films has taken over the market, limiting the original films the company is making and distracting from new stories. Everything from The Lion King to Cinderella has made its way back to the big screen with a new look, and they are not remotely close to done, with The Little Mermaid later this year and Snow White on the horizon, amongst many, many others. Additionally, with the recent announcement of the Moana remake, Disney has moved to films that haven’t even been out very long. The remakes have reached various levels of popularity, but none has surpassed the original, so why continue remaking old films when they could be focusing on new stories?

Remakes Offer Nothing New

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Many Disney films are pulled from fairytales, of which there is an endless supply, especially if they broaden their horizons into new cultures and mythologies. There is no lack of ideas or material to be made, simply a lack of originality. With remakes, everyone knows how the story will end before the first trailer is released. They are predictable because we've seen the story play out a hundred times before. They offer nothing new to the audience besides a scene here or there, which is superfluous to the story, as proven by the original. Most of these live-action versions don't differentiate themselves from the animated classic when it comes to story, with the notable exception of Maleficent. Telling the Sleeping Beauty story from a new perspective made the story fresh, yet other live-action films have not gotten the same treatment.

Remakes like Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King are essentially the same movie in a different format. And, in the long run, what's the draw of a knock-off version of something you can already watch? Sequels, prequels, and remakes are popular throughout the film industry, but Disney is slowly cycling through their entire filmography. While their library is nearly endless, this lazy habit is unsustainable. No remake has surpassed the original in popularity, so what's the point in continuing the trend ceaselessly? After a short time in the spotlight, people move on, remembering only the classic animated version. This isn't the first time Disney has remade their older films, and while 1996's live-action 101 Dalmatians is remembered for an incredible Glenn Close performance, it certainly hasn't overtaken the animated original. The live-action princesses aren't replacing the classics on merchandise or in people's hearts. While the remakes are successful enough, they don't have the same longevity as the originals. When the fad fades, people will remember the original films rather than the remakes.

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The Remakes Disregard the Original's Greatness

Moana Dwayne Johnson
Image via Disney

Disney's animated films pushed the boundaries of technology and made animation what it is today. From the very first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Disney shaped the very nature of the medium. Though often overlooked, Disney stuck with their animated films, gaining respect for the medium, with Beauty and the Beast becoming the first animated film to get an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Throughout their history, Disney has unitized different animation methods to create beautifully artistic films. But remaking these groundbreaking works of art takes something away. As if saying animation is a lesser art form, fit only for young children, when that isn't the case. Often time, animation is disregarded as childish, but Disney's films have always fought that stereotype, offering something for all ages. Disney often includes jokes that kids won't understand so that fans can find new enjoyment as they grow.

Yet regurgitating the same story in a new format that lends itself to an older audience reinforces the belief that animation isn't for the masses, especially with Moana, which came out in 2016 and will even have Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui. This remake isn't reintroducing the characters to a younger generation because it's only been seven years. There isn't yet a younger generation. Admittedly, some remakes have taken the time to update the more problematic parts of the story, but in the case of Moana, what is there to update? In the meager seven years since its release, nothing from the original film has become glaringly problematic. Remaking Moana so soon after its initial release is a strange choice, which shows Disney's unwavering commitment to remakes even when their material is finally running low. These remakes come across as a statement that the original animated films cannot stand on their own, which simply is not the truth.

The Original Films Have a Lot to Offer

Adriana Caselotti and Lucille La Verne voicing characters in 'Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs'
Image via Walt Disney Animation Studios

While Disney's original films were groundbreaking in technology, they often lacked diversity. And try as they might, this will not be fixed by remakes. Diversity is an important thing that needs to stick. While it's a noble goal, remaking old films with additional diversity won't help the situation because most viewers' memory of the characters will revert to the originals. With a wide array of stories available, Disney could devote their efforts to creating diverse characters rather than trying to back peddle to add diversity. But that's not all original films could bring to the company. Disney is known for happy they-all-get-married-endings. Recent films have moved away from that, but the vast majority of Disney's films still follow the familiar formula.

Continuing to defy that ending with original content would add wider variety to their filmography, but for that to work, they need new stories, not old ones. Basically, live-action remakes need to stop because the original films are more than capable of standing on their own, and new stories can deliver the variety, diversity, and unpredictability that remade films cannot.