Disney Movies: Original Cartoon vs. Live Action Remake
Growing up most of us were exposed to Disney. We were taught ways to be better people by watching movies with characters being taught the lesson themselves. When Disney started making remakes they either lost the original concepts or gave even more to the stories.
Disney’s 1998 Mulan takes place in China during the 15th century or the Sui dynasty. It showcases a girl named Mulan, who is being taught how to find a husband and be the “perfect woman”. Mulan doesn’t want to find a husband, so instead, she takes her father’s place, pretends to be a man and goes to fight in a war against Rouran - a pre-mongolian clan. The movie teaches a lesson about gender equality with singing dragons and dancing soldiers. It’s a great movie for kids that shows the importance of gender equality in a way they can understand. The original film is fun and enticing with a tiny dragon named Mushu as comic relief and inspiring scenes. The 2020 remake still gives viewers the theme of female empowerment but with no fun Disney movie singing and dancing. Although the remake was closer to the original story of Mulan than the cartoon, it was not as well-liked. Looking on Rotten Tomatoes there were many reviews of the new movie saying that it was “ the worst Disney movie ever” and that it lacked a lot of singing and dancing. Although this movie did not provide the usual enchantment that kids expect when watching a princess movie, It was very well written. Similar to the original tale that the cartoon movie was based on, it provided a good plot for viewers. Nevertheless, if someone was looking for an alternative to the cartoon, this movie would not have fulfilled their expectations.
Disney’s 1991 Beauty and The Beast is based in the Alsace region of France in the 18th century. It tells a story about a poor girl named Belle from a small town in France, whose father gets taken by a beast. She goes to the beast’s castle and exchanges herself for her father in order to save him. During her time in the Beast’s castle, Belle talks to the cleaning and kitchen staff who have been cursed to a life of living as the objects of their work the same way The Beast had been cursed to make her feel comfortable. The movie shows how Belle and The Beast’s relationship evolves from captor and captive to lover. The film has great songs and gives little girls a great role model as kind, intelligent, and understanding young women. The 2017 remake of Beauty and The Beast is very close to the original film. They had great casting, and CGI, and kept all the original songs. Even the way that the characters moved was similar. Audiences didn’t have much to complain about; one viewer even thought that it was “the best Disney live-action ever created. It’s the only Disney recreation where the movie gives more of a complete story than its predecessor”. The remake accurately captured the Disney enchantment and managed to complete the story even more.
Disney’s 1989 The Little Mermaid takes place in the ocean near Denmark in a fictional underwater kingdom called Atlantica. IT is supposed to be based in the mid-1800s. The movie follows a sixteen-year-old mermaid named Ariel on a journey to the surface, exchanging her voice for legs. Ariel falls in love with a prince and is tasked to get him to fall in love with her in three days in order for her to stay human as well as get her voice back. The movie shines light on the important lesson of learning not to judge people. The original 1989 movie has amazing scenery with coral reefs, shipwrecks, and underwater kingdoms. The 2023 remake continues to give viewers amazing sights of the ocean along with singing. The new movie keeps all of the original songs and characters, staying similar to the original but adding more diversity by casting Ariel as Halle Bailey who is an African-American actress. Lots of people liked the casting of Bailey as it included more diversity. Others thought that not having someone who looked like Ariel was wrong and didn’t make sense if they were trying to recreate the movie.
The original 1992 Aladdin is a film about being true to yourself, with roaring caves and flying carpets. It takes place in the 10th century in the Arabian Desert inside a fictional city called Agrabah. It tells the story of a poor boy named Aladdin, who falls in love with a princess named Jasmine. He gets the help of a magical genie to transform him into a prince. Not only does the film showcase a lesson on the importance of being your true self, but it also teaches children that men and women are equal by having Jasmine, a woman, become ruler instead of a traditional man. Jasmine is forced to find a husband to become sultan and rule, but she wants to rule on her own. Although, she does end up getting married which kind of takes away from the theme of female empowerment. The original movie was overall a great watch with funny characters and heartfelt scenes. The 2019 remake definitely captures more of Jasmine’s life and her role in the story, though the movie still focuses on Aladdin and how he learns to just be himself. Although the new film didn’t stay the same as the original, it still left viewers pleased, as it includes more background about the characters and so much more backstory and personality for Jasmine.
There was a variety of opinions on whether filmmakers were able to put out the same feeling that the original movies gave. Most of the remakes were able to satisfy their viewers and convey the same messages and feelings.
By Lucy Silberman