Missing in action: modern remakes of classics

In cinema, the allure of nostalgia often serves as a powerful magnet that draws audiences back to beloved stories and characters from their childhoods. It’s no wonder that filmmakers and studios often capitalize on this sentiment with live-action remakes of classic animated films. However, because the primary motivation behind most of these adaptations typically prioritize profit over artistic merit, the results are often disappointing.

1998 “Mulan” is one of my favorite animated movies of all time. Naturally, when I heard the news about a live-action remake, I was incredibly excited and eagerly awaited its release. However, after finally watching it, I was sorely let down.

It vaguely resembled the original but lacked key aspects. Mulan’s inspiring character progression towards becoming a powerful warrior through sheer determination was wiped out by the newly added concept of “qi,” a mystical energy that flows throughout the body. A villainess witch was introduced for no reason, while Li Shang and Mushu, some of my favorite characters from the original movie, were removed. Most importantly, the iconic songs from the original like “Honor to Us All” and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” weren’t adopted.

Although maintaining the core elements of the original plot and characters is essential to a good live-action remake, that’s not enough. It needs to have its own unique flair to truly make it shine. A rare example that managed to do this quite well was the 2015 “Cinderella” remake. Cinderella, Kit (the prince), Lady Tremaine, the king and other characters had much more fleshed-out backstories and motivations. Instead of meeting for the first time at the ball in the middle of the plot, Cinderella and Kit encounter each other during a walk in the woods, much earlier in the story. This helped create a more coherent, logical and down-to-earth development of the romance, authentically preserving the original’s tone.

Visuals also play a critical role in the success of a movie, especially when stories have fantastical elements. They help convey themes that can’t be shown through dialogue. The original “The Lion King” movie excellently utilizes the power of visuals. It exclusively features talking animals as characters, bright, colorful backgrounds and extraordinary lighting that is hard to replicate in film.

In the remake, many scenes looked washed out, diminishing the effect of some of the themes, such as the circle of life and the sun’s influence. The characters were much more stiff and unemotional with barely any flair to each unique character, and multiple parts in the plot were less dramatic. For example, the original portrayal of Mufasa’s death incorporated visual elements that resonated with the audience as he flailed at the edge of the cliff. In the remake, if the dialogue was removed, it would just look like some random lion falling. The film felt more like a showcase of technological prowess and CGI, resulting in a rather bland experience. There’s really no reason why it had to be remade because it didn’t add anything new.

Nostalgia is a double-edged blade. Though it attracts fans to the remakes, it also sets up very high expectations. This makes it difficult to recapture the magic of the originals, which often hold a special place in the hearts of audiences and evoke fond memories.

One example of this is the 2024 live-action “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” I thought the adaptation was quite successful as the actors were great and the visuals were stunning. Many of the original easter eggs such as the cabbage merchant were included, and it deepened the effects of the war and the Fire Nation’s brutality. However, some fans were entirely deterred by the idea of this live-action remake because they believed that the new format restricted its ability to tell the story and convey the fantastical parts of the world. This demonstrates a good example of the nostalgia factor — no matter how great the remake is, it will never please longtime fans yearning for that sense of familiarity.

Live-action remakes do have the potential to be engaging and innovative by filling in gaps in the original story. However, they often miss the mark, as they fail to replicate the tone of the original, lack compelling changes, or not meet the nostalgia quota. In the end, it’s a disservice to both the original source material and the fans who hold it dear. Filmmakers can only be successful in remaking classics if they embrace innovation and strive to present the story in an authentic but fresh manner.