#live action Disney remakes

[slaket-and-sprash]

Honestly I think I speak for everybody when I say that if Disney absolutely HAD to dig up their classic films, I would rather get sequels than live action remakes.

Like the straight to DVD sequals had potential and a couple of them were actually good. If they had higher budgets and more time to work on them I think that more of them would be really great.

They dug up older charecters but at the VERY LEAST had some original ideas and concepts, again preferably I would want neither but if a Disney exec put a gun to my head and asked me wether I wanted to see "live action" versions of Robin Hood, Hercules, Snow White, and Treasure Planet OR a full blown sequel, I will pick the sequals

[youcallyourselfafilmcritic]

I know most people getting mad about these live-action Disney movies now are racists

But sincerely I have not seen one of them since the Lady and the Tramp one in. 2020 I think? And I feel great

My pores are cleared my plants are watered. There are so many wondrous other things you can do then either watch them or care they keep coming out. Watch their animated counterpart. Watch literally any other movie. Go for a walk. You are cringe but you are free

You can choose not to care about these

[actual-haise]

[dareduffie]

when will people learn that live-action remakes will never be good as their original animated counterparts because the glory of animation is the colour, movement, and fantasy that's just untranslateable to live-action

[handsomelyerin]

they're so tarzan and jane core

[madame-helen]

[snowyfrostshadows]

So.

We went from this for Starclan Cats:

To.

This:

Biggest downgrade of my life.

[artist-issues]

Let’s talk about this Mufasa movie.

No. Let’s not. Let’s just talk about Mufasa. This is going to be long because he’s a really good character and The Lion King is a really good movie.

Mufasa’s whole point, as a character, is to foil Simba. He’ s not just the stereotypical “great dad role model” character, or the “wise mentor who is ripped away” character.

He, as a character, is in the story because he is “Who Simba Really Is.”

Simba is our young protagonist. The whole point of Simba in the story is to start out “not yet grown into who he really is,” so that the story can teach him how to “grow into who he really is.”

So the audience needs to know “who is Simba and who is Simba supposed to be?” right at the beginning. Which is great, because all kids are trying to figure out the same question about themselves. So it’s relatable. But anyway, the storytellers make Mufasa the answer.

On a simple level, you can answer the question, “who is this Simba guy?” right off the bat in the movie with “the son of the King.” There’s the setting. There’s the set-up. There’s the title of the movie. That’s why the very first lion you’re introduced to in the movie is Mufasa, and it’s not a shot of a baby lion cub. It could have been. Lots of movies open with a shot of their main character. Encanto, for one.

Not The Lion King. The Lion King starts with, “you can’t know who Simba is without Mufasa, so Mufasa gets shown first.”

So okay, Mufasa is a King. Good to know. That’s obvious from the big rock he’s standing on and the way all the animals are coming toward him. But from there, they quickly establish a few more things about Mufasa. He smiles at this little bird that bows to him. He hugs the shaman-monkey. He goes from “big solemn lion” to “good and benevolent” immediately.

And then as it goes on, you learn more about Mufasa. He’s not an idiot; he knows Scar is up to no good, and he is very direct about it. He is not a naive dupe, trusting a schemer blindly. It’s more complicated than that. He is a better leader and a better guy than that. Mufasa knows Scar is his brother, and in a snappy little interaction with Zazu, storytellers make it clear that he worries about Scar; he knows he has good reason to worry, but hasn’t decided to give up on his brother.

Additionally, he is merciful to other dark creatures too. He beats the tar out of hyenas but doesn’t kill them. He rescues Zazu from Scar’s mouth. He scolds Simba but he does that, and more, to teach him. So what Mufasa is teaching us, according to what I just showed you the story says, is that A Good King, A Good Man (Lion, whatever) Is:

Authoritative - Makes decrees and makes decisions and yes, tells others what to do. Creates the structure his people live in.

Kind/Humble - Shows the same level of casual friendship to a revered shaman-recluse as he does a little self-important majordomo. (Humble because he’s not afraid to admit when he’s afraid if it’ll help his son.)

Teaches - Takes time out of the day to pass on what he’s learned to someone who is going to take his place—he’s not hoarding his own position or gatekeeping his life-experience-expertise. He’s not finding his identity in how he has this wealth of information that causes people to need him; he gives it away freely, purposefully.

Protects - Is willing to endanger himself and go to the trouble of defending creatures that are weaker than himself.

Shows Mercy - See Scar and the hyenas, who deserve death, but he doesn’t give it to them.

Prioritizes Family - The time he’s taking out of the day is for his son. And he follows up with his recluse of a brother instead of going, “that’s Scar, I know he don’t care about nobody but himself, his loss, not my problem.” And he extends trust to that brother, which is really just an example of gift-giving to a family member who’s done nothing to keep that trust.

Has Faith - Mufasa makes a point of not answering Simba’s question about “Will you always be there for me,” with just himself. He could’ve. Many parents do. Many parents are tempted to, to show their love. “Yes. You’ll always have me. I’ll always be there to answer your questions; I’ll always protect you, I’ll always be what you can count on, you’ll always find a need fulfilled in me.” But Mufasa doesn’t take that bait. He gives Simba an answer that is not “himself-based.” Not selfish. “Look at the stars.” I don’t care what ya’ll say. Mufasa has faith in something outside of himself. He says “and so will I,” but that’s after contextualizing himself within “something bigger than us.” (And oh my gosh, he doesn’t even answer with, “let me give you a lesson you’ll need for your whole life.” He doesn’t even take credit for this faith, for himself. He gives his own father the credit.)

And really, all of those traits can be summarized with the phrase: Lives His Life Sacrificially For Others.

That’s what a leader, a good father, a king, a good man, does. And pay attention: That is what Simba is supposed to be. Simba is supposed to be Mufasa. That’s who Simba really is, that’s where he’s supposed to go. There is a “real you.” But you have to agree with it and accept it, even though your natural bent is to give in to the illusion that you “don’t have to be that, you can choose who you are.”

Yeah, sure, in a sense you can reject Who You Really Are. You can spend your whole life playing pretend, like you’re not That. But you’ll be doing just that: playing pretend. Unfulfilled. Dissatisfied. Running from the misery that is the natural response to your silly game of pretend. Insisting that “there is no misery, this is what I want.”

Okay. Sure it is.

I’ll save Simba for another post.

The point is, Mufasa is a template for who Simba Really Is. Look at those traits. When it’s Simba’s turn to exemplify those traits, does he?

Act I: Is he authoritative? He tells characters what to. And he makes his own decisions—sometimes for good, sometimes bad. For example, he won’t let Zazu deter him from going to the elephant graveyard, so that’s a bad decision, but he does choose to go back and help Nala instead of running to save himself. Authoritative and protective. But it’s all misplaced because he doesn’t “Live His Life Sacrificially For Others.”

Act 2: He’s not. Timon and Pumbaa tell him to do something and he goes along with it. Timon and Pumbaa claim an ancient tradition and his father’s lesson is stupid and Simba goes along with that. He’s no longer making decisions of his own accord, for anything but his own comfort.

The idea is, in Act 1, you see Simba has the same traits as Mufasa, budding inside of him. But they’re all misdirected, and they’re all twisted, because they’re missing one key ingredient: he’s supposed to use those traits in the context of “Live His Life Sacrificially For Others.” Simba doesn’t want to do that. Simba wants to do whatever he wants.

Sure, there’s a part of him that combines that motive with “I want to be like my dad.” But that part dies on the vine and turns sour when his father dies saving him.

So then in Act 2, not only is Simba clinging to “I’m going to live life all my way,” but he’s changed what that means by pushing the nugget of “I want to be like my dad/I WANT TO BE WHO I REALLY AM” completely away. Because it’s too hard, and he’s got shame tangled up in it.

And worse—he starts doing basically the opposite of all of Mufasa’s traits, all of the traits that make him Who He Really Is. He’s not prioritizing family—he’s abandoning them. He’s not protecting others—he runs from the idea of going back to help Nala. (tiny glimmer of it still being inside him because he does try to protect Pumbaa from her.) Kind and humble? No. It’s unkind to tell your best friend you won’t help her because you’re afraid. Humble, no, because humility is thinking of yourself less, not thinking less of yourself.

Ask the question. When Simba’s living in the jungle with Timon and Pumbaa, is he exemplifying any of the traits of Who He Really Is? Or is he doing his best to bury that?

But then after Mufasa reminds him of who he Really Is, and Rafiki shows him how to get his past out of the way so he can accept it, Simba goes back. Into Act 3 we go

Now. Does Simba exemplify Mufasa’s traits? Does Simba start becoming Who He Really Is? There’s not a lot of time left in the movie. Look at the traits, see if he does.

Authoritative? Yep, comes up with the plan to break in and get to Scar, doesn’t back down from the confrontation.

Kind and Humble? Yeah, he willingly admits the truth (he thought it was true) that makes him look bad to give his mom closure. He’s kind to Nala and to Timon and Pumbaa, admits his mistakes, when they come to help him. Hugs the old shaman who cracked him in the skull with a stick—just like Mufasa hugged Rafiki to show us kindness and humility at the beginning of the movie.

Teaches? We don’t really see an opportunity for him to do that yet at this point in the story and his life, give me a break.

But protects? You bet. That’s why he’s there for the confrontation in the first place. Shows mercy?

Yep.

Because he’s not like Scar. He knows who he is. THE POINT.

And when he runs in for the big confrontation, he doesn’t immediately leap on Scar and rip him to pieces. Even though the storytellers make sure to show us he clearly wants to.

Instead, he runs up to his mother to see if she’s all right and show her that he is. And again, he tells her the truth because that’s what she needs even if it’s not what she wants, and he’s learned not to run from what he’s “done.” And faith in something bigger than himself?

Yeah. His father’s voice comes through the clouds just before he decides to roar and claim his title. Through the clouds. Because that whole “we’re a part of something bigger, something more important than ourselves,” was always what he was missing. He was just thinking about himself.

And all of this is because Mufasa is the example of Who Simba Really Is: Lives His Life Sacrificially For Others. That’s Mufasa.

That’s Mufasa, in the story of The Lion King. That’s his purpose as a character, that’s who he is.

So now if you make a movie that’s just about him, what you should be doing is showing how he got there. How he accepted who he Really Is instead of choosing who he wants to be, on his own. And you should make his father, and learning humility, an enormous part of that. Because self-sacrifice is such a pillar of his character. It’s the whole thing.

What you should certainly not be doing is telling a story that ends with finding self-worth or a kid who makes a name for himself. I repeat: if the Mufasa live action movie ends with Mufasa doing anything that revolves around self, they got him wrong and they set him up nonsensically for the next movie.

He should have to decide whether or not he wants to believe his own father, because of that one line, “let me tell you something my father told me.” That shows that he accepted his father’s lesson. And what was his father’s lesson about? Faith. In something BIGGER THAN YOURSELF. So then Mufasa grows up to be a character who lives his life sacrificially for others, and you can trace the roots back to that: “I learned a lesson about something bigger than myself from someone who was not myself, and I humbly believed and accepted that lesson.”

I mean jeez, the line is: “LOOK AT THE STARS.” Whenever you feel alone. Whenever you’re wrapped up in who you are and who you’re not and failure and the idea of what you want to be, knock it off. Quit looking at yourself and look at something bigger than you. And then you’ll get “Understanding of Who You Really Are”—no matter what mistakes you’ve made, no matter how you’ve failed, no matter what your circumstances are—thrown in.

…Of course, the Lion King remake ruined him anyway by having the point be “I’m not worthless.” And that was never the point. But whatever. I’m rambling now. You get the idea.

Mufasa is exactly what he needs to be for the original The Lion King. He’s exactly what he needs to be for Simba’s story. Mufasa is awesome.

[dommnics]

2021 - 2024

Some more Snow White's (with birbs) I've done over the years!

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Check out more of my work on other platforms!

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[youruinedmylifebynotbeingreal]

Inspired by (x)

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

just realised there's a very, very real possibility that there will one day be a Cars live action remake.

so.

that... that sure is a thought.

[slaket-and-sprash]

Honestly it's so fucking disgusting that the MCU and it's imitators have trained audiences to expect sequels, spinoffs, reboots, and a big crossover cinematic universe.

Like goddamn not EVERY FUCKING THING NEEDS A CINEMATIC UNIVERSE.

Like yeah I know I say "SCU" (Shrek cinematic universe) but that's a joke. I don't think we need a movie focusing on every little aspect of the Shrek world.

Or like...ok but I might be a little biased bc I fucking hate the live action Disney remakes (not for any political reason like I'm not an anti-woke weirdo but bc they're all bad shitty takes on classic Disney films with bad CGI that looks lifeless) but like...mf we don't need them to crossover, that's a shit idea and making a live action kingdom hearts movie to cross them all over is a doubly shit idea, speaking from a kingdom hearts fan.

Also like making a smash bros movie with Pikachu, Sonic, and Mario is a terrible idea bc all 3 films have drastically different tones and artstyles, and also if you want them to shit out more video game movie adaptations just to get a smash bros movie, fuck you, yes I want movie adaptations of Pikmin, Kirby, Zelda, Star Fox and Metroid but I DONT want them all done by illumination in order to make a smash bros movie. Smash Bros dosent work with a story, and also illumination can't handle making a movie with a darker storyline, I would rather them done by different studios. Also the detective Pikachu and Sonic movie, as well as the potential Metal Gear, MegaMan, Pac-Man and Minecraft movies would have vastly different artstyles and tones.

Not everything needs to be a cinematic universe. Thats what ruined modern star wars and DC movies.

Like did y'all watch illumination's the Grinch and go "I boy I hope they have a Dr.seuss cinematic universe with the lorax and Horton hears a who!" Like wtf marvel fucking spoiled y'all.

[yen-sids-tournament]

Mulan: Animated (1998) v Live Action (2020)

You do not have to see both to vote, but it might have been helpful.

Feel free to share opinions or explanations with comments/tags/rbs

[toaverse]

Upcoming Disney movies to expect:

Inside Out 2

Toy Story 5

Zootopia 2

Frozen 3

Frozen 4

Cars 4

Moana 2

Live action Lilo and Stitch

Live action Moana

Live action Snow White

Live action Mufasa prequel

Live action Bambi

Live action Hercules

What the fuck is this??!!

[nikibogwater]

If Disney is so dead-set on pumping out these live-action remakes and sequels to remakes, then where's my live-action remake of Cinderella III: A Twist in Time? I want Cate Blanchet bending the laws of the universe while dramatically snarling "Bibbity bobbity boo!" I want undercover Lily James on a stealth mission in the palace with her mice. I want Richard Madden yeeting himself out of a second story window to chase down his true love. If you're gonna commit to this whole live-action remake thing, then you'd better freaking commit.

[petr1kov]

netflix's avatar really encapsulates everything about the live-action remake trend that has been going on for years. it has nothing new to say, nothing to add in relation to the original work, so it tries to mask that emptiness with an attempt to correct perceived 'mistakes' made by the original work in order to validate its own existence -- except these 'mistakes' are often just character flaws that were intentionally put on the show in order to be explored and generate conflict (the most obvious example of this being the removal of sokka starting the series with sexist beliefs he's forced to confront, and that being replaced with a whole bunch of nothing).

but since correcting mistakes is the only real guide they have when adapting the story, it results in something even worse, which is a fear of making the good guys appear morally questionable in any way. so even other traits that cannot really be described as straight up character flaws (the way sokka's misogyny is) but that may make the character appear unsympathetic to the audience get sanded down. aang is in a serious quest that may cost the lives of thousands of people depending on how it goes, so the audience might find it inappropriate if he seems too goofy and carefree, right? it might seem like he doesn't care, so let's tone that down. katara might come across as bossy and annoying to some people if she expresses worry and jealousy over how fast aang learns waterbending, so let's just remove that plot point entirely since we want the audience to like her. etc etc, so on and so forth, until we have two cardboard cutouts where the original characters should be.