#I mean the mice are mine the dialogue wasn’t my original idea

[short666bread]

They are once again mice, this time for Halloween

[dalia1784]

My thoughts on all the Disney Live Action Remakes so far!

Fair warning: This is strictly my opinion, if you have conflicting opinions on it feel free to post. Just don’t be a jerk about it.

1. Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1994)

Though it doesn't stay as faithful to the Kipling classic and in someways the animated classic, it's a pretty solid action film with a pretty impressive cast. The action was amazing, interestingly the animals don't talk (except in it's 1998 prequel The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story) but the body language spoke for itself. Personally This is one I recommend.

2. 101 Dalmatians (1996)

Glen Close was the perfect Cruella De Vil! Unlike the animated classic, the animals do not communicate but their actions speak louder with some pretty humorous and down right adorable moments with the puppies. The odd change that stuck out was Rodger's job, in the animated film he was a musician struggling to write a hit song but in this one he's a game designer struggling to create a good game. There were some pretty sweet and even funny moments but then again this was written by John Hughes (Home Alone, Uncle Buck, National Lampoons Vacation).

3. 102 Dalmatians (2000)

With the director of A Goofy Movie, Tarzan, and Enchanted at the helm this one was a fun film. The idea of a rehabilitated Cruella was an interesting take but when she lapses back to her old ways it's pretty funny. Of course there's a lot more puppies this time around and the introduction to a spotless dalmatian named Oddball who stole the show alongside Glen Close and a very talkative parrot named Waddlesworth. I adored how they show how self conscious Oddball is about being spotless and the antics she gets into trying to get spots like her siblings. An enjoyable sequel with some adorable humor.

4. Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Director Tim Burton gives his spin on the tale of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland. Though surprisingly it takes place after the events of the original novel as Alice is now an adult who must return to Wonderland to end The Red Queen's reign. This one is visual candy from beginning to end with some pretty frightening moments, I enjoyed a lot of the acting and Johnny Depp was a treat to watch. The soundtrack admittingly is the best I've heard from Danny Elfman next to Edward Scissorhands.

5. The Sorcerer's Apprentice [Based on the segment from Fantasia (1940)] (2010)

I was pretty mixed on this on one hand Nicholas Cage's performance wasn't too bad I'd personally call it decent. But I felt personally that it was an underwhelming film. It had potential but so very little of it was shown. The iconic scene of the broom coming to life was a bit disappointing.

6. Maleficent (2014)

Angelina Jolie is extremely gorgeous and was the perfect choice for this movie. The action and the visuals were very dreamy, Lana Del Rey's cover of Once Upon a Dream is very haunting, and I adored that they tried to establish a bond between Aurora and Maleficent. The way the faeries were portrayed left me bewildered but it was something I was willing to overlook.

7. Cinderella (2015)

This one had the most gorgeous costume designs to put to film. Lily Tomlin was a doll in the role and her rendition of A Dream is a Wish (Your Heart Makes) is beautiful. The villains are well written and Helena Bonham Carter was an interesting choice as The Fairy Godmother. My major nitpick was with two certain scenes: The first was when Cinderella's original gown is torn, I felt it was way more stronger in the animated classic as not only do they tear it to shreds they curse and verbally (possibly physically) abuse her to the breaking point. The other is when Cinderella is locked in her room, many complained that she did nothing in the animated one but wait to get her out which isn't exactly true. She tries to get out even when the mice go through the effort to get the key to unlock the door. In the live action version she literally does what everyone had initially criticized and yet they claimed she was a feminist role model for doing so? I don't know I may be reading into this But I will give it this they do establish a relationship with Cinderella and the Prince in the beginning.

8. The Jungle Book (2016)

This movie deserved it's Oscar. The cast was spot on, Neel Sethi was perfect in the role of Mowgli. The action scenes were a fantastic especially in IMAX 3D, the emotional scenes were very powerful and I loved how they incorporated the songs and score cues from the animated classic. For the record I died laughing at Christopher Walken as King Louie, I did not expect to hear him sing at all.

9. Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

A pretty mixed sequel, I loved a lot of the actors including Sacha Baron Cohen as Time. However the movie left me with way more questions and even more confused as to why certain events in the movie happened. I have nothing else to say but it's not bad, it's not great, it's just.. okay...

10. Pete's Dragon (2016)

This is my highly recommended of the remakes as it lives up to the original and then some. Elliot is one of the most uniquely designed dragons since Toothless and Falkor and this movie allowed him to shine. What I loved about this movie was the core focus on the movie which was the relationship between Elliot and Pete. This was one the most enduring and emotional films I've seen to date.

11. Beauty and the Beast (2017)

One of my all time animated films and this remake was a genuine mix of "I love this but dammit there's a lot I hate too!" For starters I absolutely hate the design of Belle's gown, for me it looked like a prom dress and sadly I've seen the Broadway show, the parks, and even cosplayers do a much better job of the gown's design. Dan Stevens as the Beast had me sold and nearly fooled me for Robbie Benson. I love the scenery design of the castle, the casting of the enchanted objects was actually really good though they did very little for Audra McDonald. Emma Watson's singing is extremely mixed when listening to the performances done by Paige O'hara and Susan Egan. Honestly I wished this was mixture of both the Broadway and the animated. The major positive I have is the soundtrack the songs are great and I was happy Alan Menken returned for the score (thanks for incorporating Home from the Broadway). Out of the new songs mine personally were Josh Groban's rendition of Evermore, Celine Dion's rendition of How Does a Moment Last Forever, and Days in the Sun as a decent replacement for Human Again. Ariana Grande and John Legend's rendition of the song is okay, it felt more like they were just trying to up Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson's rendition. Oh for the record the whole Lefou being gay was pretty solid I mean I caught on just by listening to his dialogue but it felt like it was tacked on to get more ticket sales because of it. A major mix bag it's worth a watch on Netflix.

12. Christopher Robin [Based off The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh(1977)] (2018)

Once again I was reduced to crying, this is personally one of my favorite Winnie the Pooh films to date next to The Tigger Movie and 2011's Winnie the Pooh. This was a genuine roller coaster of feels and breath of fresh air for the Hundred Acre Wood, the effects for our favorites so perfect and so life-like. Hearing Jim Cummings reprise his roles was overwhelming and a welcoming call, Ewan McGregor's performance is enduring and emotional. The movie itself gives off the stunning whimsical vibes like 1991's Hook, showcasing the idea of Christopher Robin as an adult. This is a pure gem to watch.