My thoughts on Disney re-makes

At the time of writing this post (end of May), we have just been graced with the full trailer for the Christopher Robin movie, starring Ewan McGregor and everyone’s favourite bear, Winnie-the-Pooh. The release of the film is fast approaching and I’m certain I will cry all the tears then probably gone back to watch it again. I am a huge fan of Disney (obviously), and this year, I’ve worked hard to include more Disney related content into my blog because it is and always has been a huge part of my life, so why wouldn’t I? The films are so magical and mean an awful lot to me as I’m sure they do to a lot of people who have grown up with the magic of Disney.

But as we’ve seen over the past good few years, more and more of our beloved classics are being re-made and more notably some into live action re-makes, starring actual, real-life human actors and actresses, with a lot more in the pipeline including Aladdin, Mulan and The Lion King (although still animation based). If you’re a Disney fan, chances are you have your own opinions on re-makes. If you’re a film fan in general, you’ve probably got your opinions because Disney certainly aren’t the only films to ever be re-made. But personally, I absolutely adore Disney re-makes.

It’s no secret that the Beauty and the Beast re-make is one of my favourite films ever, even though I wasn’t actually that loved up with the original Beauty and the Beast. I think the main reasoning for this is the casting; I think it has a spectacular cast with so many much-loved names which most of us will be familiar with. I focus a lot on the actors in films and knowing a film has a cast with actors I love will make me 10x more likely to want to see it. Same with The Jungle Book re-make. Idris Elba anyone? 

But back to Disney re-makes. I love that there’s a huge wave of older films being re-made right now because not only do we have the incredible resources to do so which provides us with outstanding graphics which look more real than the real life thing does, it’s also catering for a new generation of kids and making Disney more attractive to them to grow up with. I grew up with the original Disney movies because I knew nothing else but at a time where technology and visual graphics are so advanced, I think our generation of kids now will want to watch a more visually stunning film of the same, classic, tale as old as time story. 

I think Disney are catering to a much wider audience by re-making these movies. And let’s not forget that if you’re not a fan, nobody is forcing you to go to the cinema and watch it. I love to see how old films that everyone knows and loves are re-made; the new actors, the updated graphics and even making them a teeny bit more modern and more appropriate for today’s society. For example, the casting of the new The Lion King having predominantly African backgrounds and heritage. The world has moved on and I think this is a fantastic step forward.

At the end of the day, we’re probably not going to love every movie we watch, regardless of how much of a fan we are. I wasn’t big on the Cinderella re-make, don’t know why, I just found it a bit meh. But that’s certainly not put me off watching all of the others. I think there’s something so incredibly magical about watching your favourite stories and fairy-tales from when you were younger come back to life on the big screen, in such a realistic and vivid way that it’s almost like they’re in the room with you. It’s almost like a modern nostalgia. We’re always going to have our opinions on popular films, be that Disney, Harry Potter or James Bond. But I will always support Disney re-makes of old classics and new releases which I also think are making a huge leap forward in how we view the world through Disney’s eyes.

What do you think of Disney re-makes? Which ones are your favourites? Any you didn’t like? Which ones are you looking forward to? Let me know!