Since the early 2000’s, Disney and many other production companies have been remaking their popular cartoon movies as live action films, but is the reign of live-action remakes finally coming to an end? When Disney released their first live action, Ruyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book,” in December of 1994, the remake’s success was comparable to that of its cartoon original. This paved the way for the production of many other accomplished remakes throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s. According to Box Office Mojo, the 2014 adaptation of “Maleficent,” for example, grossed over 14 times that of its predecessor, and the 2015 live action “Cinderella” made over $360 million more than the cartoon version. In recent years, however, the success of live-action adaptations has decreased. Disney’s “Mulan” remake, from 2020, earned less than $70 million, while the 1998 cartoon earned over $304 million.
This dramatic shift can also be seen through the production’s ratings. The 2016 “The Jungle Book” was rated 7.4 on IMDb, 94% on Rotten Tomatoes , and 3.2 stars on Letterboxd, all of which are known for their cinematic reviews. Meanwhile, a more recent “Pinnochio” (2022), in contrast, was rated 5.1 on IMDb, 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 1.9 on Letterboxd. This same decline in ratings can be seen in both the 2023 “Peter Pan & Wendy.” Other recent remakes, such as “The Little Mermaid” and “Lady and the Tramp” received contrasting reviews from the public. These adaptations received praise from critics, and The New York Times even went as far as to claim that the 2021 “Cruella,” “feels fresher than most recent Disney live-action efforts.” This positivity however was not supported by the vast majority of viewers, many calling it a “cash grab” and “repetitive.”
This decline in success can be attributed to multiple factors. The original animated movies were inspirations for nearly every child when they were younger. Now, those movies are being remade without their original cartoon whimsy, and no longer have their nostalgia value. Additionally, changing plot lines further this discourse, which leads to popular distaste for the remakes.
Overall, it is worth saying that many do enjoy watching live-action remakes of their favorite Disney classic, and a younger generation of movie-watchers now gets to grow up experiencing the same excitement and anticipation for a new Disney movie as their parents did.
