Disney Remakes
Everything You Need To Know
April 12, 2017
Disney Studios, the money-making machine of a corporation responsible for many of your favorite animated classics, has recently started going down the path of rebooting their old classics into live action or CGI (Computer Generated Image) films. This is to update the films for a younger generation, and give viewers a fresh, nostalgic look at their childhood memories. With the success of recent attempts at this such as Cinderella (2015) and Beauty and The Beast (2017), Disney shows no sign of stopping, announcing film after film that they will reboot in the near future. Some people like it, some people hate it, but here’s everything you need to know about these upcoming Disney projects.
- The Lion King
From Jon Favreau, the director behind Disney’s successful Jungle Book remake, comes a reimagining of one of Disney’s most successful movies of all time, 1994’s The Lion King. This film will include all songs from the original Lion King, and no doubt will add some new ones as well, ala Beauty and The Beast (2017). Set to be released in 2018, the reboot stars James Earl Jones reprising his role as Mufasa, and Donald Glover voicing Simba. No further casting information has been released.
- Dumbo
Dumbo, the 1941 film about a young elephant with extraordinarily large ears who develops the ability to fly, is an odd one to remake. It was quite the successful cash grab for Disney at the time though, making $1.6 million at the box office despite a budget of $95,000. This new film is being directed by none other than Tim Burton, who will no doubt highlight the darker, creepier plot points of the original film. With celebrities such as Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Michael Keaton, and Colin Farrell signed up to voice/play characters, this is one remake to watch out for.
- The Little Mermaid
As one of Disney’s most successful films, most people were expecting this movie to be transferred into live action. And lo and behold, it has been announced. The genius behind broadways Hamilton, 11 time Tony award winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as the man behind the tracks of the original movie, Alan Menken, will be composing the score together, which is sure to be a killer combination. Nothing has been confirmed yet in regards to casting, although Lindsay Lohan has been interested in playing Ariel.
- Mary Poppins Returns
While the original wasn’t animated, nor is this a “remake”, I still feel it belongs on this list. A sequel to the original film, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, this movie follows a grown-up Jane and Michael Banks, in which Mary Poppins re-visits them after a tragedy in the family. With a stellar cast including Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, and Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda (as well as Andrews and Van Dyke returning for cameo roles), if you’re a fan of the original, don’t miss this sure-to-be-great sequel on December 25 of 2018.
- Mulan
Disney’s Mulan, the extremely successful 1998 film about a young girl who disguises herself in the army to save her father, is getting the live-action remake treatment. Directed by Game of Thrones’ Alex Graves, and a script from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Jurassic World screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, it’s got great minds behind the wheel. This film has been confirmed to be a musical, and is planned to hit the big screen in November of 2018.
- Cruella (101 Dalmations)
Much like 2014’s Maleficent, Cruella will be a 2018 origin story centering around Cruella de Vil, the villain from the 1961 Disney film 101 Dalmations, and its sequel, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure. Disney has already attempted remaking both of these films into live action, to moderate success, in 1996’s 101 Dalmations and 2000’s 102 Dalmatians, but this is the first attempt focusing 100% on Cruella and her villainous origins. Featuring Oscar award winning actress Emma Stone in the main role as Cruella.
- Aladdin
Disney’s original plan for continuing this franchise was Genies, a live-action comedy that would have revealed how the Genie (originally voiced by the late Robin Williams) wound up in the lamp. However, it seems that this idea has been scrapped in favor of a standard live-action remake of the original film. Disney is currently in the casting process, looking for newcomers of Middle Eastern descent for the roles.
These films are certainly something to look forward to. As we get closer to some of the release dates for these films, you can expect trailers and promotional photos to be released. Hope you’ve found everything you ever needed to know about these new films.
