Lately, Disney has been releasing live action remakes of their older, animated movies and they are planning on producing a lot more. They recently came out with a live action remake of the popular movie, Aladdin, and July 19 marks the release date of the live action version of The Lion King.
There are mixed opinions on if the live-action remakes are actually good, and how they compare to the Disney animated classics. While some of the new movies stick to the original plot, others are a little different. Dumbo, for example had many differences and modern twists from the original that was released in 1941. Many people enjoy the new movies and like seeing the story told again in a new way.
“The animated ones will probably always be better but it’s intriguing and nice to see [the new movies],” Julecia Smith ‘21 said. “It’s cool and they add a modern twist to it and you get to see a more modern version, but it’s never going to feel the same as the original. Dumbo was so good and I think the animation was really good and I really enjoyed it. I’m super excited about the Aladdin movie and I think The Lion King looks really good.”
The new movies seem to change the children’s cartoons into a more mature version of the story that kids might not be able to enjoy as much. These live-action movies seem to appeal to an older audience, like teens and young adults.
“Everyone likes the animated movies especially the older ones because Disney’s main viewers are young kids. With the main viewers being kids, they don’t want to see live action they want to see cartoons,” Evan Thomas ‘21 said.
The live-action movies tend to make a lot of money at the box office because they appeal to people’s nostalgia. However, their large box office totals have led some to believe that Disney is only making these for the money.
“I don’t really think there’s a need to make live action because you already have the original, why does there need to be another? The first one is going to be more popular and people are gonna not like the live version and I feel like they’re just trying to get more money. I like the original way more and when you see the live version it’s never going to compare to the original cartoons,” Cheyenne Brown ‘21 said.
Despite the concerns about the live action remakes, they do draw the attention of old and new fans. This new era of Disney appeals to lots of different people, older and younger, and they are executed in a new way that is updated to modern society.
