By Sofia McGinnis
On Dec. 20, 2024, Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King was released in theatres, marking Disney’s 22nd live-action adaptation.
“Despite the success, Mufasa has so far reached just 29% of the $1.66bn lifetime total achieved by Disney’s The Lion King remake in 2019,” said Screen Daily.
With the live-action remake of Snow White set to release on March 21, 2025, audiences are left wondering if the nostalgia trend will be financially successful for Disney.
In 1994, Disney released a live-action version of the Jungle Book. The film received a modicum of success but did not spark many moviegoers’ interest.
It wasn’t until 2010, when Disney released the live-action Alice in Wonderland directed by Tim Burton, that the trend started to take off.
Screen Rant said, “Alice in Wonderland was a box office hit, earning $1.025 billion worldwide. … While not ranking among Disney’s highest-grossing movies … Alice in Wonderland sparked an opportunity for Disney to capitalize on live-action remakes as it was evident that they would make bank at the box office.”
Since the release of Alice in Wonderland, Disney has released 22 live-action remakes from Cinderella (2015) to Pinocchio (2022).
Screen Rant said, “Disney’s remake box office results have varied massively with their live-action remakes. … The Lion King is easily their most successful, earning $1.663 billion at the worldwide box office.”
However, despite the massive success at the box office, many long-time movie watchers have become frustrated with the lack of new ideas.
Emily Carrucini, a UTampa student studying theatre and minoring in film, expresses her concern about the growing trend.
“My most number one opinion about it [is] I feel like they’re doing it because they’ve run out of ideas.” said Carrucini. “And I feel like that’s a little bit lazy of Disney to do because you’re a big company and they’re not creating new ideas.”
Evlin Walsh, a student at the University of Chapman who is majoring in film and television with a minor in film music, also expresses her concerns.
“I think it’s just demonstrating a lack of creativity,” said Walsh. “The reason they’re made is because they know it will make money … and also requires more people to work on it, especially on the development side.”
Dreamworks has also made a shift towards live-action remakes.
“Dreamworks, once the cool kids to Disney’s staid old institution, are now dipping their toes in the live action remake pool with How To Train Your Dragon, and the teaser trailer shows all the hallmarks of a disappointing live action remake,” said Tansy Gardam from Decoding Everything.
Hector Sotomayor, a professor of film studies and new media at UTampa, comments on why the trend to live action is happening.
“[Saying this is a] new trend is a lie,” said Sotomayor. “The industry [is] known for remaking films. … [The] industry is suffering. [They’re] finding ways to get people back to theatres, and this isn’t enough. … You don’t want to [say it], but [it’s] saving theatres.”
People tend to gravitate towards what they know, said Sotomayor.
“[People go] in the theatre to see how bad it is, curiosity in all of us to see if they can make it better,” said Sotomayor. “We like what we want, should we be mad at Disney [for it?] … If these films were good, would I be angry right now?”
As of now, Disney is set to release more live-action movies, with Snow White coming out in March and Lilo & Stitch in May. Only time will tell if these movies will be a smash hit or a complete failure.
–
Photo courtesy of The Direct.