Why You Need to Respect the Disney Remakes

Of late, the Disney live-action remakes have been faced with a lot of derision and backlash from, what seems like, everyone that likes the 2D-animated counterparts. A lot of people have called these remakes, soulless, unnecessary, and dull cash-grabs that have done nothing to the IP except to bring in buckets of money for Disney.

I’m here to explain why these people are dead wrong and why they need to re-examine these films with a keen eye and an open mind. It’s especially necessary to view these films from a filmmaking standpoint, while understanding the technological gaps between the old and the new.

The remakes have not been as well-received as their 2D-animated films that they have based their legacy around. Remaking a beloved classic is nothing to groan or roll your eyes over. It is actually something to be admired and respected because the filmmakers have decided to take their classic property and do something familiar while using the latest in technology to convey their vision.

Calling the remakes soulless cash-grabs is nothing short of incredibly disrespectful to the craft that the filmmakers have achieved in bringing their vision to the big or small screen. For the record, if you are going to call the live-action remakes cash-grabs, you could easily say that about any film that Disney had put out since its inception. A little FYI for those not familiar with film history, 1941’s Dumbo was made to recoup production losses incurred by 1940’s Pinocchio and Fantasia, according to Time Magazine.

Knowing that, it’s funny how fans are not upset at the fact that Disney put out a film from 1941 for the sole purpose of making money. When you think long and hard, Dumbo only exists because of the terrible, initial box-office numbers of the two films before it.

The remakes are ambitious and visually magnificent, if nothing else. They may not be perfect and some of them may not match the same level that the traditionally animated film brought, with the exceptions of The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, and Dumbo, but these movies have a certain awe and marvel about them that deserves the utmost respect with their efforts to make something familiar and différentfor audiences.

Moreover, overanalyzing every single thing wrong with the remakes saps the fun out of watching these films and it ruins the experience for everyone else because most people tend to follow the crowd or majority. Please, kindly, think before you judge too fast. You might be surprised at what you watch.