Disney has gone too far with live action movies. In July, Disney will premiere Moana, the 25th live action remake in a long series of a few hits and way more misses. While we’re excited to see how far the filmmakers will go in translating animation to real life, we are also hoping that the upcoming movie will not make the mistakes we’ve seen in past ones.
As advertised, live actions can definitely be an amazing opportunity to see the magical lands of fantasy stories brought to life. However, we think the equation to a successful and good live action Disney film depends on many variables.
Live action remakes are best when they stick pretty closely to the original, iconic storyline. Creativity and plot twists might seem interesting in theory. Yet when the audience has already developed an emotional attachment to the original, unexpected add-ons aren’t always the best way to go. Changing the beloved story to live action already introduces a sense of unfamiliarity to the audience, so too many additional tweaks can take the movie down the wrong path.
For a movie that stuck well to the animated plot line, take a look at Beauty and the Beast. With an extremely talented cast, a picturesque set design and all of the original songs, the movie feels like a perfectly elevated representation of the magical tale. It didn’t hurt that the cinematography was outstanding either.
Of course, the team behind Beauty and the Beast decided to add some elements onto the plot, such as the songs “Days in the Sun” and “Nevermore.” These well-written tunes did a really good job in fleshing out the Beast’s character, and after watching it, we felt like these additions were well worth it. Still, in general, adding new songs to an already much-beloved soundtrack is risky, and in some movies (The Little Mermaid’s “Wild Uncharted Waters,” sung by Prince Eric, fell flat), an additional song takes away much more than it adds from the movie.
On the flip side, live action remakes should not cut songs from the soundtrack. In Mulan, the protagonist never sings. We understand that the production team wanted to keep the movie more reflective of real life, and a spontaneous musical break-out number defeats the purpose. Nevertheless, Mulan‘s songs were instrumental in revealing Mulan’s personality and in strengthening the soldiers’ friendships. In general, Disney music is one of the best parts of their movies. For Moana, Disney should either keep the same soundtrack or only add a couple good-quality songs that contribute to the plot.
Plus, please, please do not have animals talk in the live action remakes. Since the animals look so realistic, it feels unsettling when they open their mouths to form human words. The Lion King remake was not our favorite because, even though the CGI was incredible, watching it felt surreal. We were never immersed in Simba’s world—it was too off-putting. Some movies are meant to stay animated because the elements, such as talking animals, belong more less to real life.
In general, live action Disney movies are much better when they are not remakes. Instead, a more intriguing approach is when Disney draws from the worlds of other movies, such as in Cruella and Maleficent. Both are exceptional movies that also had significant financial success. By recalling characters from past popular movies like 101 Dalmatians and Sleeping Beauty, the audience has incentive to watch the film. Then, they stay captivated by the new angle to the stories. It is better for filmmakers, too, because it allows them more creative liberty. Also, since live action movies make all the characters seem much more human and authentic, it humanizes the villains, enabling us to sympathize with them and view them in a different light.
Right now, we’re still looking forward to live action Moana. However, if the movie has a talking Hei Hei, or if the director randomly decides to add that Maui has a long-lost brother, then we will be extremely disappointed. We hope they use this live action movie as a way to bring the magic of the ocean and family to life in the islands.
