Disney remakes. That’s the name of the game that the Hollywood big boys are playing, and at the moment it’s honestly not looking too shabby. After Jon Favreau’s excellent showpiece, The Jungle Book (live-action), and the box office hit, Beauty and the Beast, we can say with some degree of certainty that CGI has reached a new peak (Beast though), and, when we get past talking non-cartoon animals, it’s a worthy project that will bring purists and millennials together in a retrospective wave of Disney appreciation.
Celebrating 20 years since the release of Mulan, let’s look back on some of our favourite Disney classics that are going to get the live-action treatment.
Aladdin
Now a Broadway and West End spectacle, this tale about the ‘Diamond in the Rough’ has warmed hearts and shaken bellies across the globe.
First released in 1992, Aladdin is roughly based on The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (or ‘Arabian Nights’ as in the opening song), and follows a measly ‘street rat’ with a big heart as he weaves in and out of trouble with his partner-in-crime Abu, until a fateful meeting with a dazzling princess changes the course of his destiny. Classic love story.
And although the film was about Aladdin and his quest to win the princess’s heart, most viewers would point to Robin Williams’ genie-us performance as the fantabulous genie. Quick-witted, a plethora of accents and impressions, one of Williams’ signature performances had us rolling on the floor in laughter as he absolutely stole the show with the sort of bravado that has since redefined the art of voice-acting.
With the remake set for a 2019 release, we have news that Will Smith will be playing the genie in the live-action edition. Known from his early days as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith has been involved in a string of critically-acclaimed performances from the Pursuit of Happyness to Concussion and has really evolved as an actor.
The real question is, can he step aside the ‘Will Smith’ character that always seems to come through in his films, and give us the bag of tricks we have come to love so much in the cartoon? One thing’s for sure, he has some massive shoes to fill in if he’s to be recognised as William’s live-action counterpart.
And I do hope Abu’s in it, because I haven’t seen him on the cast list.
The Lion King
If you didn’t cry when Mufasa died, then you’re just plain soulless. Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff brought this ambitious project to us in 1995, and it was a real heart-wrenching ride into Simba’s tragic, but ultimately triumphant, life.
Considered among one of the greatest Disney animated films ever to be made, viewers experienced the Circle of Life in all its glory as they padded along behind a young Simba on a journey of self-discovery, after being framed for his father’s death and, consequentially, exiled by his uncle, Scar.
Kinda heavy for a family film, but with lessons about remembering who you are and what you’re destined to do, the 1995 original was a real rollercoaster, with Rafiki’s wisdom, Scar’s skulduggery, and Pumbaa and Timon bringing in some comic relief for a grand movie experience.
When the cast for the 2019 remake was announced, one name in particular stood out. And that was Beyonce playing Simba’s soulmate and love interest, Nala (hottest lioness ever). Well, with that voice, and certainly the look to go, nobody can really rule out B to bring some sizzle to the reboot.
Jon Favreau already proved his mettle with The Jungle Book, and we’re sure to see another epic clash of lions in his new project. Oh, and guess what? James Earl Jones is back to reprise his role as the mighty Mufasa (yay).
Dumbo
What do you get when you cross Tim Burton and a flying elephant? A plate-ful of awesome, that’s what. And that’s exactly what we can expect after the latest live-action trailer of the big-eared elephant that dared to soar above cloud nine.
In 1941, after Disney fell well short with Fantasia, they decided to go for a simple story about fulfilling your true potential. And as a result, Dumbo was born, and it was a testament to just how good this film was that, even though it was smack-dab in the middle of the Second World War, this was still the most financially successful Disney film of the 1940s.
And now, Tim Burton will be waving the conductor’s baton, as he looks to bring his quirky-creepy swagger to the live-action reboot. From the teaser trailer, it already looks like a darker and more suspenseful reprisal of the original, and it gave me Goosebumps.
One noteworthy absence in the trailer, and in the cast list, was the bold and daring Timothy the mouse, and fans of the original can only wait in anticipation to see if he will make an appearance in the film itself (would be weird not seeing him in Dumbo’s hat with the ‘magic’ feather).
The Little Mermaid
Growing up, if you did not think the red-headed beauty with a glossy tail was material for the ultimate fantasy, then you needed to get your eyes checked. Or, you can just wait for the reboot and feast your eyes on a live-action Arial as she navigates the deep blue, where the seaweed is apparently always greener.
The original flick, released in 1989, was based on Hans Christian Andersen’s folk tale, and tracked the intriguing life of a mermaid with a beautiful voice who sought pastures new as she looked for a life away from the confines of her restrictive home, only to be tricked by a sea witch into exchanging her voice for a complete human makeover (who would want to be human when you can live underwater with Sebastian the crab?).
Not much is known about the reboot at the moment (it’s not to be confused with this feature releasing later this year), except that Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, the musical) will be teaming up with renowned Disney songwriter, Alan Menken, to bring this one to the big screen, with Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha) currently in the director’s seat.
As much as I want to see Arial in the live, I hope they don’t skip out on Sebastian and his famous ‘Under da sea’ song. If they do that, then, along with Abu and Timothy, they’re really removing the heart from these live actions.
Mulan
Since we’re celebrating Mulan’s 20th anniversary, it would be remiss of us not to include it in our shortlist. The story is centred on a young woman who moves under the guise of a male warrior as she looks to save China.
Niki Caro (Whale Rider) is set to direct the feature, which boasts an impressive ensemble of renowned Chinese actors, including Yifei Lu as the titular character, and action stars Jet Li (Fearless) and Donnie Yen (Ip Man). Wowza, they’re not whitewashing this one.
In the 1998 original, we had Eddie Murphy as the talkative and lovable Mushu, the little comic dragon that stood by Mulan’s side as she pushed along in her mission, but there’s no indication that he will be back for the reboot (Abu, Timothy, Sebastian, and now this), although it’s still early days, and all we can do is hope that he will be there.
Other films getting the live-action makeover
In addition to those five, it looks as though the following will also be woven into live-action remakes:
Cruella, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Sword in the Stone, Pinnochio, and Lady and the Tramp to name a few in this exhaustive list. Just hope they’ll be up to the mark, and will not let us down on the day of release.
So what do you think? Are you looking forward to the reboots?