The worst part about Disney Live Actions is they downplay the most impactful moments.

[Dice]

I hate the Disney Live Action series because they almost completely suck the gravity out of the heaviest scenes.





In Cinderella the dress ripping scene is a HUGE deal. Cinderella (and, well, loyal band of friendly cognizant Disney animals) makes a lovely dress, and despite the hardships she's put through, day after day, she's thrilled to go to the ball. The Live Action relegates this to a simple tug of her sleeve, a few bits of chiffon torn, but a dress that (FORREAL) still looks good to go (just take off the ripped sleeve). In the animated versions her sisters all but violently attack her dress and leave it, literally, in SHREDS. After Lady Tremaine and the evil Step Sisters run off, leaving her alone in the dark as she runs away bursting into tears. In the Live Action: She chuffs off and sobs a bit. :/

LOOKIT THAT FACE!!! 😭

A few bonus points are lost to this shitty dress transformation which has her rotate back and forth a few times instead of one, elegant smooth motion... (the original film has her play with the dress happily as well; this one does nothing).

The Beauty and the Beast scene takes the central character's big reconciliation into...eugh, this awkward scene about knights and girls liking romance books. The original beast was so animated (pun intended), and so vicious... Them two are still tense and he's still on the verge of boiling (as he always is), but her saying "thank you" has him taken back to let out a (FINALLY) relaxed reaction. The Live Action has him make a lame joke. :/
I can hear people saying that the original beast was too aggressive... but...again, I'm talking gravity; the original scenes worked better because way more power and emotion is running what's animated. The Live Action adaptations feel so...restrained.





Beauty and the Beast had a botched brand of girl power running through it. Which is a shame, because I loved this bit of her yelling back at the giant.

lol fuckit, bonus points lost to this lame dress scene too. The magic looks nice (maybe a bit flowery, but it's a magical castle...), but it just sorta happens out of nowhere because a chandelier loses its guilding?? ....it's so strange.

I haven't seen Mulan yet (I have very low drive to do so, TBH), but the recent Schraffrillas Productions video tells me the exact same problem is happening here:

Mulan is the Worst Disney Live-Action Remake So Far

Go to https://BuyRaycon.com/schaffrillas for 15% off your order! Brought to you by Raycon.Schaff is not happy, Bob. Not. Happy.Patreon: https://www.patreon.c...

youtu.be

Anyone care to share examples or, even better, scenes you may have liked better in the Live Action adaptions?

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

And the fact that they're completely lifeless.

 

[NSA]

I liked Aladdin the best of all of them but it still doesn't hold up to the classic.

 

[Deleted member 2802]

imho they only have one purpose 💰 for 🤑

 

[ClickyCal']

The worst one

 

[woolyninja]

People keep buying them so they're going to keep making them

 

[Saucycarpdog]

I liked Aladdin the best of all of them but it still doesn't hold up to the classic.

Click to shrink...

The orginal can never be replaced but I agree, Aladdin was the best of the bunch despite being one of the more critically disliked of the bunch.

I had trouble sitting through the live action versions of the Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. I actually pivoted to browsing Era on my phone in the last 10 minutes of The Lion King. (it was fine, there was only one other person in the theater and they were looking at their phone too)

 

[Starphanluke]

I will NOT tolerate a thread shit-talking the 2015 Cinderella movie, which is genuinely in my top 5 movies of all time and I watch often when I am feeling down.

Spoiler

It is a problem in many of the remakes though, yes.

 

[Dice]

The worst one

Click to shrink...

Literally the same, but worse. lol

 

[Dice]

imho they only have one purpose 💰 for 🤑

Click to shrink...

And the fact that they're completely lifeless.

Click to shrink...

It makes me sad, because with the budget and enthusiasm, and hell, even the ADDITIONS they implement could totally be used for good are just....wasted on these sad and rather joyless productions.

 

[Plinko]

Live-action version of The Jungle Book was fantastic and better than the original. I feel like the rest of the remakes have been subpar.

 

[Jotakori]

I finally tried watching the Beauty and the Beast live action remake last night and it was just as awful as I anticipated it would be--which actually kinda surprised me cuz a part of me thought certainly it can't be as bad as I'm expecting lol. Sure, it was visually very stunning, but it felt so.... dry? As though only the set designers and make-up artists had fun, and everyone else just approached it like a chore. There was no inspiration in any of the writing or acting, and had none of the amazing impact of the original animation.

After that I have zero desire to try out any of the other remakes, and I now feel compelled to find time to rewatch the original B&B so I can scrub my brain.

 

[Sayers]

The worst one

Click to shrink...

Man, that animated version still gets me 26 years later and that live action version makes me feel . . . absolutely nothing.

GF and I did enjoy the Aladdin remake for what it was but it doesn't touch the original.

 

[ThorHammerstein]

Growing up, I'd always hear friends' parents saying cartoons / animated movies were for kids.
But perhaps due to the constant praise that they get, with the live action versions, it's gotten all those people to go watch the. But in live action.
The only one I've found to be decent was Aladdin and I don't really care to watch it again. The original? Put it on now and I'll gladly watch it.

 

[Dice]

Live-action version of The Jungle Book was fantastic and better than the original. I feel like the rest of the remakes have been subpar.

Click to shrink...

I actually agree.

.... I also don't think that was as high a bar as the others.

(And fucking Bill Murray was perfect for Baloo)

I will NOT tolerate a thread shit-talking the 2015 Cinderella movie, which is genuinely in my top 5 movies of all time and I watch often when I am feeling down.

Spoiler

It is a problem in many of the remakes though, yes.

Click to shrink...

You're welcome to write up what you prefer or like about it. I'd honestly welcome the opinion since I'm sorta sour and could use a fresher perspective.

But with respect to, what I thought, was one of the biggest moments of the film -- it totally underwhelmed and made a lovely fantasy movie little kids will like the special effects of. :/

 

[sfedai0]

Well, Im doing my part by not watching any of them.

 

[Strider_Blaze]

I will still say that indeed most of these live action remake can never top the animated version. Though I consider the 2016 Jungle Book remake the exception. To me, animated Mowgli was just unbearable and didn't bother to understand the danger he was in, in stark contrast to the live action Mowgli.

Plus Idris Elba made for a great Shere Khan!

 

[NSA]

The orginal can never be replaced but I agree, Aladdin was the best of the bunch despite being one of the more critically disliked of the bunch.

I had trouble sitting through the live action versions of the Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. I actually pivoted to browsing Era on my phone in the last 10 minutes of The Lion King. (it was fine, there was only one other person in the theater and they were looking at their phone too)

Click to shrink...

I think maybe because the genie reveal set my expectations so low.. I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't terrible.

Even the kids didn't like the lion king remake.

 

[Supermanisdead]

The worst was the way they completed erased any and all queer subtext in Lion King.

 

[Chivalry]

The worst one

Click to shrink...

The remake is one of the worst movies ever made, imo. Everything about it is an exercise in art destruction. The tech is fantastic, but artistically it's beyond pathetic. Hate absolutely everything about it.

 

[Advance.Wars.Sgt.]

The only thing these live action remakes have done for me is made me realize just how damn good the original animated films were.

Like, even with B&B, which is my least favorite of the bunch, I wanted to rewatch 3 times over as an apology after seeing the live action version.

 

[Zetta]

I remember almost walking out of The Lion King when the Beyoncé song came up. That was one of my favorite scenes in the original and that song killed it for me. Now when are we getting a Hercules live action with Danny Davito as Phil, its the only Live Action I'd be willing to go see in theaters.

 

[ClickyCal']

I remember almost walking out of The Lion King when the Beyoncé song came up. That was one of my favorite scenes in the original and that song killed it for me. Now when are we getting a Hercules live action with Danny Davito as Phil, its the only Live Action I'd be willing to go see in theaters.

Click to shrink...

Except wouldn't James Woods still be Hades?

 

[blazenumb1]

I agree most of them aren't great. However as another poster noted, The Jungle Book is a fantastic movie and is a rare exception that is better than the original.

 

[Ayirek]

I don't understand why worse versions of classic films are so popular. Aladdin's live action remake was atrocious. And I refuse to use the words "live action" in conjunction with the Lion King remake. That was just a new cartoon remake in higher fidelity. This trend is so awful and I hope it ends soon, but considering it's enormously profitable for Disney while being relatively low-effort I assume this is just the future.

 

[Zorg1000]

The worst one

Click to shrink...

This one legitimately pissed me off, like who the hell thought this was a change for the better?

 

[Dice]

The worst was the way they completed erased any and all queer subtext in Lion King.

Click to shrink...

Hold up. Say wha?
HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS

EDIT: oh shit, is it scar???

 

[Fat4all]

Except wouldn't James Woods still be Hades?

Click to shrink...

It would depend. If Hades is fully CG, yes, I think Woods has First Right of Refusal on vocal roles

but I think they could just hire a different actor if they wanted to for a live action performance

 

[Deleted member 35631]

I think Disney doesn't dare to go beyond what the animated movie is, and that's why they lose their soul. To me, the live action movies look like some recorded play. They don't have much substance.

Something that I disagree with, Cinderella is great. It's their best adaptation and I think they made it before they started this stupid trend.

 

[Zetta]

Except wouldn't James Woods still be Hades?

Click to shrink...

If CGI I think he gets first dibs but if live action they can just get someone else. They need to also get a great Meg, best "princess" in all of disney. Hell I'd settle for a Little Shop of Horror version of Hercules, that'd be great.

 

[Fat4all]

isn't a live action Hunchback on the slate?

im worried

 

[Deleted member 4353]

I agree when it comes to Mulan only. Live action Aladdin was fantastic and charming as hell. The magic carpet scene was great and matched the original imo.

 

[Reizzz]

Lion King live action was so bad. No soul in any of the acting....even with James Earl Jones

 

[Supermanisdead]

Hold up. Say wha?
HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS

EDIT: oh shit, is it scar???

Click to shrink...

Scar was very queer coded in the original, as was Zazu and of course Timon & Pumba. In the remake, Scar is mad that Sarabi rejected him for Mufasa and Pumba ends the film with a warthog wife and child. Zazu barely gets any mention.

It was actually all incredibly insidious. Maybe one of the nastiest things Disney has done against queer media in a long time.

 

[Turin]

isn't a live action Hunchback on the slate?

im worried

Click to shrink...

Wish they'd consult someone who got what worked about that movie. Like say someone who regularly does intensive video essays about Disney movies with over one million youtube subscribers....

 

[Sibersk Esto]

Hold up. Say wha?
HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS

EDIT: oh shit, is it scar???

Click to shrink...

Scar isn't really queer subtext as much as it is queer coding. Scar is coded to be effeminate, posh, preening and suggestive in his body language in a clear case of making the audience feel uncomfortable and regard Scar as "other than" and inherently villainous BECAUSE of those traits. It's a common practice.

You could argue for Timon and Pumbaa as Simba's fathers

 

[skeptem]

Somehow the drawings have more life than the actors.

 

[Jave]

The worst one

Click to shrink...

To this day I can't believe this was an approved project at Disney. All the emotional moments from the original are lost because there's only so much you can do with realistic looking animal models. What really sells the Long Live The King scene is the horrified look on Mufasa's face as he realizes he's about to die. The remake has none of that.

 

[Uncle Squingis]

Live-action version of The Jungle Book was fantastic and better than the original. I feel like the rest of the remakes have been subpar.

Click to shrink...

Speaking of sucking the life from the animated version...

 

[SchrodingerC]

Most of the Cinderella remake is the equivalent of a wet fart, but the dress ripping scene is inexcusable. The animated version makes you feel the horror of the moment, which pays off with the fairy godmother's arrival.
In the remake the dress is barely ripped! Cindy girl, save your needless tears, your emotional moment already happened.

 

[Sneaky Gato]

These movies made me remember a piece by one of university professors on how people connect (or dont) with art. One of the examples she gave is that a significant portion of the population cannot or refuse to connect to anything they deem a cartoon. Any sort of interest goes out of them. Doesn't matter how good or even bad it is. In their eyes a cartoon cannot by definition be interesting, relatable, or worthy of their time. I genuinely wonder sometimes if these films were made in order to trick those people into being interested even though they are essentially cartoons. Which is why you would hear people calling stuff like the Lion King live action.

 

[Supermanisdead]

Scar isn't really queer subtext as much as it is queer coding. Scar is coded to be effeminate, posh, preening and suggestive in his body language in a clear case of making the audience feel uncomfortable and regard Scar as "other than" and inherently villainous BECAUSE of those traits. It's a common practice.

You could argue for Timon and Pumbaa as Simba's fathers

Click to shrink...

It's not villainy because of those traits. Scar exists outside the rigid heteronormative patriarchy. It's clearly the oppositional pov of traditional norms. He'd be the single, lonely outcast regardless of the way he behaves. Scar is what happens when "the world turns it's back on you" but you don't turn your back on the world compared to Timon & Pumba just saying fuck it and living away from society.

 

[grand]

Animation > Live action.

At least for these type of moments. But I think Disney knows that, hence why the live action stuff is just to pray upon nostalgia while the new stuff continues to be 3D animation. This isn't a CGI killing 2D evolution.

 

[The Unsent]

I respect your opinion, kids seem to like these new versions and I'm ok with that.

Still want to see Emperor's new Groove, adapted, out of curiosity, more than anything.

 

[Deleted member 511]

I agree when it comes to Mulan only. Live action Aladdin was fantastic and charming as hell. The magic carpet scene was great and matched the original imo.

Click to shrink...

While I liked the live action Aladdin, they don't even leave Agrabah during that number which makes it lose some of its magic imo. It's more like 'A Whole New Agrabah' in the live active movie lol. I kept waiting for them to go to different locations like in the original but then they just...don't.

Anyway, you're right OP. Aladdin's the only one I cared to watch because the original is probably my favorite disney move but they did water down the impact of some of the original story beats. I remember a Youtuber pointed out how the live action movie changing One Jump Ahead from stealing bread to live to escaping with Jasmine was a bad change due to the fact that it's not as emotional when Aladdin decides to give up his food to the children. In the original, we saw him go through so much to get that bread and him giving it up so easily to help children spoke to his character. They act like they invented making Jasmine this independent character despite the fact that...she always was? Speechless is a good song on its own but Jasmine was anything but speechless in the original so? I remember Naomi Scott implying in an interview that Jasmine was vocal and spoke her mind now in the live action when the character had those traits before.

They also got rid of the Prince Ali reprise which was a great moment. :(

 

[julian]

Look at this...
LOOK AT THIS!!

 

[Sibersk Esto]

Scar exists outside the rigid heteronormative patriarchy. It's clearly the oppositional pov of traditional norms.

Click to shrink...

Yes, which the film says is bad

 

[Strider_Blaze]

I respect your opinion, kids seem to like these new versions and I'm ok with that.

Still want to see Emperor's new Groove, adapted, out of curiosity, more than anything.

Click to shrink...

Honestly, out of the films that would benefit from a remake would be the Black Cauldron. Heck Disney literally skipped over the first story of the Chronicles of Prydain series lol!

 

[BasilZero]

Funny how I watched both beauty+beast and Cinderella back to back the past week

I think the live action films do okay as they are due to the fact that they feature stuff that the animated ones lacked in terms of further character development and lore.

It won't ever replace the animated ones but I enjoyed both types for different reasons and await for more in the future

 

[Ashhong]

Is it really that hard for these filmmakers to create good, emotional live action copies of the original? You have the source right there. How can you fuck it up so much? Are these people not fans of the original movies?