Film executives have a bad habit of remaking films to gain a new audience without having to find a new idea. Some are better than the originals, but that doesn’t happen very often. I still don’t know why Gus Van Sant felt the need to remake Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece Psycho (1998). It is a shot-for-shot remake, except in color. The original was effective enough – the colorized treatment was unnecessary.
I remember studying this concept in one of my film classes. Our professor brought up Psycho and its remake and asked why this remake exists. We theorized that its purpose was to allow a comparison to the original. I remember one of the students saying that Vince Vaughn wasn’t channeling Norman Bates in his performance, but rather was emulating Anthony Perkins. It seems like this remake was simply an unsuccessful experiment.
Nowadays, remakes of classic Disney films are a dime a dozen. Films such as Cinderella (1950), The Jungle Book (1967), Beauty and the Beast (1991), and The Lion King (1994) have all been subjected to a live-action remake. I’m not sure why Disney feels the need to keep remaking their classics. In my opinion, Disney films are timeless and should resonate with both the current generation and generations to come.
I never watched Cinderella (2015) because it didn’t seem appealing to me. I respect Kenneth Branagh as a filmmaker, but it didn’t seem like his remake was comparable to the original classic, at least based on the trailers. My wife watched it in theaters, and I was anxious to hear her opinion. She is a Disney fanatic, so I was surprised to hear that she didn’t like it (for the same reasons I was apprehensive, apparently). Cinderella is an age-old fairy tale, told and retold on film numerous times…was one more necessary?
We watched The Jungle Book (2016) together. I didn’t mind it, because it added unique elements to the classic tale, but my wife hated it. She told me afterward that she wanted to leave the theater midway through the film. She didn’t like that the new version wasn’t family-friendly – it was more frightening than the original. My wife particularly didn’t appreciate the new take on King Louie, which I can understand. However, we both liked Bill Murray’s version of Baloo.
We both enjoyed Beauty and the Beast (2017). It’s not as good as the original, but it has a magic all its own. The filmmakers did a great job with the effects and set designs, and the talent was praiseworthy. I especially loved the casting of Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts and Ewan McGregor as Lumière.
I’m a huge fan of The Lion King. I believe that was the only Disney DVD I owned before my wife and I combined our collections. Admittedly, I was excited when Disney announced this live-action remake. When I heard that it was a shot-for-shot remake, though, my excitement faded. From what I’ve seen in the trailers, the effects are the only draw to the film. It seemed pointless otherwise.
I had to watch Mulan (1998) a second time to gain a better appreciation of it. Perhaps I wasn’t in the right frame of mind when I watched it the first time. I may have only enjoyed it because Eddie Murphy voiced Mushu, the silly sidekick dragon. Again, I shook my head over the news of the upcoming remake. When I saw the first trailer, though? Wow! It looks like a more mature approach to the story – more like an ancient war movie instead of a live-action cartoon for kids.
However, Disney postponed the release of Mulan indefinitely because of the current COVID-19 crisis. I understand the need for social distancing to combat this virus, but I already miss being able to go to the theater. My most anticipated films of 2020 article seems nearly irrelevant, now that several of these films have been pushed back. I hope Mulan will find its way to theaters as soon as this pandemic is over.
I hear that Bambi (1942) is next on the list. The original is beautiful and doesn’t deserve to become an afterthought. I think Disney has gone far enough with the remakes. A couple of them are decent and appealing, but the others are unnecessary – they don’t add anything new.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Disney as a whole. For the most part, they produce great movies. I enjoyed Onward immensely. From a business standpoint, I wonder why they take the time to produce remakes so often. I’m sure they have plenty of original stories, patiently waiting for their time in the spotlight. Nevertheless, the remakes will probably still gross over $1 billion each –when the theaters reopen, that is.
