If there’s one thing that we all can agree on, it’s that remakes aren’t as good as they’re build up to be. We get excited at first, thinking that this remake will be better than the last one, but in the end, it turns out to be just like the one that came before it or got even worse. Now don’t get me wrong, I actually like remakes. It’s mostly because I get to see my favorite movie from a different light but still keeps the formula that made the original so loved. Remakes, nowadays, especially Disney, are basically cut and paste from their classic movies.
However, there are some moments in those Disney reimaginings that are good. Such examples are the backstory on Belle’s mother, including Cinderella’s past with her family as well as more character to her father before his death, Scar’s love for Sarabi, Mufusa’s wife that drove him to fight his own brother to win both the crown and Sarabi but ended up losing with a scar, Mowgli becoming a stronger character and inventor, the Genie finding love and travels the world with her (despite that their chemistry could’ve went much deeper) and with Dumbo’s and the 101 Dalmatian’s tale told from the human’s viewpoint. I’m not saying these elements makes the remakes any better, but they add more the stories we know and love.
But most of the added elements are either rushed, not well thought out or just not necessary to the story. These examples are the brief mentions of Jasmine’s mother and her unimportant home kingdom, Lefou being gay (yeah, you saw that coming), having an antagonist in Dumbo, the unneeded backstory of Mowgli and his father, and having Maleficent as Disney’s version of Wicked. There’s probably plenty of more from both sides to name out but let’s stick with what we got here.
Like I said, the Disney remakes are no more than cut and paste from the original source with no imagination of how they can surpass the animated movies. The same can be for other film companies but they at least put effort in their remakes. I did mention earlier that I like remakes due to seeing a different view from the tale I grew up loving. I’ll name out three remakes so you can get the idea. The first remake I like is “The Italian Job.” Based on the 1969 film of the same name, the plot has the thieves stealing gold from the country of Italy like its predecessor but takes a unique turn when one of their own betrays them and they go out seeking revenge. While I was never a fan to the first one other than saying the movie’s best line by Michael Caine, this movie became a family favorite due to the great acting, brilliant comedy and stupendous writing of the “The Italian Job” remake. The second favorite remake is “True Grit.” Again, based off of the 1969 film of the same name, the movie follows the same plot like the one before it but takes it to a more darker area, giving the audience a more twisted, realistic feel of the western genre. Last but not least is the “Planet of the Apes” trilogy. While the first 1968 movie is still well loved today, I can honestly say that the rest of the movies are… odd. And the least we talk about Tim Burton’s remake, the better. But with new remade franchise not only go deeper with Caesar’s backstory and his character, the filmmakers showed the origins of how the apes came to rule as well as how the humans came to be primitive. They even showed that both apes and humans used to coexist together before disaster befell them. It was almost like a prequel series to the 1968 film now that I’m thinking about it. I can name out several more remakes that I consider great reimaginings of their original source, but that will take up an entire day so I’m just naming out three.
So to answer the question: remakes aren’t all that bad if you put your all into it and give them a whole new perceptive from their first source. If people can make good remakes, maybe others can learn from them and do the same. Hopefully, Disney will do that due to their lack of effort on their previous remakes. But only time can tell. I wanted to bring this up because this goes to writers of all art, not just films in general. If you want to remake something that inspired you or gives you the nostalgia feeling of childhood, by all means, go ahead. But you have to put your all into that project, give it your innermost passion due to your love to the primary art. Don’t be lazy with it, that just shows you’re in it for the money. Be creative; give your new remake something that no one has seen before.
If you want to know more about why Disney aren’t striving to make their remakes as timeless as their classic animated films, you can check out a video down below, which this blog is based on. The video is about the Nostalgia Critic as he goes into full detail of how he thinks Disney keeps making money with its remakes while lacking the magic of the films they’re based on. Again, if you want to remake an art that inspired and got passed down to you, I hope you recreate that art to inspire and be passed down as the best like the original source to others. I wish you all the luck in the world with your project.
Why Do Disney Remakes Keep Making Money?
Matthew 11:16-17
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