The Disney Thread v Live Action Remakes

[Accelerando]

I decided to start this because before The Movie Thread got locked in response to the creation of the Movies and TV subform, there was a good conversation about Disney films.

Disney movies have spanned over 8 decades of pure entertainment, and I think most of us can vouch that we grew up with them and/or still watch them. From Snow White and Seven Dwarves to Mary Poppins to The Lion King to Pirates of the Caribbean, the pictures of Walt Disney and the company have embraced imagination and wonder.

I guess I grew up a Disney fan. I was a kid of the 90's, and I still remember my very first film I ever saw in the movie theater - The Lion King, which I saw an additional 3 times in the theater. To me it's still the best Disney animated movie ever made. My family took vacations to Walt Disney World and we became annual pass holders when we moved to Florida. I also ended up working there for some time too. Now I work in the Broadcast Productions department for the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in Glendale, CA.

So what are some of your favorites? What films are you looking forward to? Seems like the Studio is in a current trend of remaking some of their classic animated films into live action movies.

[ariich]

Huge Disney fan here. I love some of the old animated classics, and I also think what they've done with Pixar has been mostly phenomenal.

My top 10:

1. Up
2. Wall-E
3. Aladdin
4. The Emperor's New Groove
5. The Incredibles
6. Toy Story 3
7. The Lion King
8. Brave
9. Monsters Inc
10. Beauty and the Beast

I also think that Marvel have been doing a fantastic job under Disney ownership, which gives me a reasonably optimistic anticipation for what they can do with LucasFilm and the Star Wars franchise as well.

[hefdaddy42]

I'm an old school Disney fan, but I like a lot of their more modern things as well.

One of my favorites is the under-appreciated The Sword in the Stone.  The old Alice in Wonderland is also trippy as hell, and two tons of fun.

The Lion King is fantastic.  We actually caught in 3D when that limited release happened (two years ago?  Something like that.).

[Fiery Winds]

The Lion King is fantastic.  We actually caught in 3D when that limited release happened (two years ago?  Something like that.).

I was really curious how 3D would translate in a 2D film but I was pleasantly surprised. Excellent movie and excellent soundtrack.

[Accelerando]

Yes that 3D transfer for The Lion King was incredible. I took my little brother to it, who never saw the movie in theaters, and he said it was one of the best in-theater movie experiences he's ever had. The opening sequence with The Circle of Life is one of the greatest moments in cinema history, in my opinion. It's so majestic


The Little Mermaid was suppose to have a release as well, but Disney scrapped that release because the Beauty and Beast 3D didn't do well in the box office.

hef, I completely agree The Sword and The Stone is definitely underrated. That slew of 60's to 70's Disney animated features like The Jungle Book and Robin Hood were so good, and accompanied by amazing soundtracks. Robin Hood especially.

My top ten favorite Disney animated films are

1. The Lion King
2. Pinocchio
3. A Goofy Movie
4. Toy Story
5. The Great Mouse Detective
6. WALL-E
6. The Jungle Book
7. Robin Hood
8. Peter Pan
9. Up
10. Beauty and the Beast


My live action films are

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
2. Mary Poppins
3. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
4. TRON: Legacy  (Speaking of great soundtracks)
5. 20,00 Leagues Under The Sea
6. Remember The Titans
7. The Mighty Ducks
8. Angels In The Outfield
9. Cool Runnings
10. Homeward Bound

[Accelerando]

Looks like there's no end this live action adaptations trend. Disney just announced today they are developing a live action Mulan film.

https://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/30/disney-developing-live-action-mulan-film

Disney is set to make a live action film out of another animated classic, Mulan.

EW can confirm that Disney has ordered a script for a live-action take on the tale of Hua Mulan, the hero of Disney’s 1998 animated film. That version had Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Ming-Na Wen voicing the titular hero. The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.

Disney has purchased a script from writing duo Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek with Chris Bender and J.C. Spink attached to produce.

No release date or casting has been announced for the in-development project, but it can be added to the growing list of live-action takes on Disney’s vast catalog of beloved animated films. Cinderella recently debuted No. 1 at the box office and has so far earned over $330 million worldwide.

Disney also has a live-action Beauty and the Beast in the works, starring Emma Watson, coming in 2017, while another Alice in Wonderland is set for 2016. A new The Jungle Book is also planned for 2016, and a live-action Dumbo with Tim Burton directing is said to be in the works.

This one could be incredibly epic. I see some wuxia film inspired potential, with amazing cinematography to capture that breathtaking Chinese landscape. Get Yimou Zhang or Ang Lee on this project!

[hefdaddy42]

Yeah, if they take it seriously, it could be amazing. 

[Accelerando]

I just watched A Goofy Movie with my girl to celebrate it's 20th anniversary. Quite possible the most underrated film Disney has released. It's so good.

[Prog Snob]

I'm a big fan of Finding Nemo. I never get tired of watching it and actually just joined the Disney Movie Club and picked it up on Blu-ray.

[Dark Castle]

I just watched A Goofy Movie with my girl to celebrate it's 20th anniversary. Quite possible the most underrated film Disney has released. It's so good.

This guy understands. I love that movie so much.

[Mister Gold]

I just watched A Goofy Movie with my girl to celebrate it's 20th anniversary. Quite possible the most underrated film Disney has released. It's so good.

This guy understands. I love that movie so much.

It is a wonderful film. I'm not sure if it's quite as underrated as Notre Dame or The Black Cauldron are.

[MetalJunkie]

Looks like there's no end this live action adaptations trend. Disney just announced today they are developing a live action Mulan film.

https://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/30/disney-developing-live-action-mulan-film

Disney is set to make a live action film out of another animated classic, Mulan.

EW can confirm that Disney has ordered a script for a live-action take on the tale of Hua Mulan, the hero of Disney’s 1998 animated film. That version had Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Ming-Na Wen voicing the titular hero. The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.

Disney has purchased a script from writing duo Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek with Chris Bender and J.C. Spink attached to produce.

No release date or casting has been announced for the in-development project, but it can be added to the growing list of live-action takes on Disney’s vast catalog of beloved animated films. Cinderella recently debuted No. 1 at the box office and has so far earned over $330 million worldwide.

Disney also has a live-action Beauty and the Beast in the works, starring Emma Watson, coming in 2017, while another Alice in Wonderland is set for 2016. A new The Jungle Book is also planned for 2016, and a live-action Dumbo with Tim Burton directing is said to be in the works.

This one could be incredibly epic. I see some wuxia film inspired potential, with amazing cinematography to capture that breathtaking Chinese landscape. Get Yimou Zhang or Ang Lee on this project!

I'm all kinds of down for a live-action Mulan. And they could still use Eddie Murphy!

Now a Tim Burton Dumbo? I'm not so sure about that.

[Accelerando]

  Is that a Mushu tat Dumbo is sporting?

[Accelerando]

I saw Inside Out tonight, and it's the first time i've been wowed by a Pixar movie since Toy Story 3! Pixar is back folks. This movie represents why Pixar has been one of the most acclaimed studios in the world. It's wildly imaginative, wondrous, and smart.

[The Trooper]

Solid movie. I will be honest it blew me away. This may be a movie that gets a best picture nod

[hefdaddy42]

I don't know about Best Picture, but it was really, really good.

[adace]

Inside Out blew me away too. One of the best, most creative movies they've done.

[Mister Gold]

Inside Out blew me away too. One of the best, most creative movies they've done.

Completely agreed. I dare say that it's my new favorite from Pixar. Inside Out combines the sense of creativity and sense of adventure from Toy Story with the emotional complexity of the opening from Up! Right there with Mad Max: Fury Road as my favorite film of the year so far.

[hefdaddy42]

Best part: Lewis Black as Anger.

[Cable]

Inside Out blew me away too. One of the best, most creative movies they've done.

Completely agreed. I dare say that it's my new favorite from Pixar. Inside Out combines the sense of creativity and sense of adventure from Toy Story with the emotional complexity of the opening from Up! Right there with Mad Max: Fury Road as my favorite film of the year so far.

3rd'ed. 

I remember seeing the trailer for Up, and I was like WTF until I saw it. Pete Docter, who also helmed this one (and I think Monster's Inc) seems to be extremely creative. These ideas are great, although this might have been inspired by Herman's Head. Never the less, I just feel his stuff is more creative than the other output from Pixar. Not that the other stuff is a slouch, but just that it's a next level above.

While I felt Brave was severely overlooked, Pixar was in a bit of a rut IMO since Toy Story 3. Enough so where Disney Animation's last few movies had eclipsed Pixar. I know they are both pretty interchangeable these days however. But Cars2 seemed to bomb critically at least, Brave didn't do well enough, and Monsters U was good, but not as much as the 1st one IMO.

But I am totally comfortable with saying InsideOut is easily the best Pixar movie since Toy Story 3. And actually, while it cannot touch my top two of WallE (fav movie ever) and Up, this one is right next to those two for me, if not in the same conversation.

[bosk1]

Just saw it last night.  I don't normally go and see Disney/Pixar movies at the theater because (1) most of them are must-buy DVD/BR purchases anyway, and (2) seeing them in the theater doesn't add much to the experience, unlike a big screen action movie like the Marvel films.  So I am usually content to save my money and just wait for the home release.  But the reviews (combined with $5 movie night) got me out the door.  Fantastic movie.  I really enjoyed it, as did the wife and all the kids.  Such a neat, creative idea, and [mostly] very well executed. 

The only reason I say "mostly" is because I felt like they had a gaping lingering plot hole that they had no good idea how to resolve, and ended up resolving it in a really dumb way.  Joy and Sadness are stuck outside of headquarters with no way back.  "How do we get them back?  Uh...remember the scene in one of the unmemorable Matrix sequels where Neo fights all the Agent Smith clones?  That was cool.  Let's do that with invisible boyfriend, combine it with the trampoline deux ex machina from The Emperor's New Groove, and have that translate into an against-all-odds perfect trajectory shot that you would only see in a Loony Toons cartoon.  That should do it!"  That could have been handled better.  I'm not sure how.  But they easily could have used some other device that seemed more plausible.  In fact, what would have been both more plausible and more emotionally satisfying is if there was a situation where Sadness was in some sort of real danger (I mean, that's kinda what they were going for by having her float off on the cloud, but I didn't feel like it really came off the way they were intending it to), and Joy sacrifices herself to save Sadness and get her back to headquarters, except that Joy ends up making it too.  Again, that's kind of what they were going for, but I felt like it just ultimately came out of nowhere, seemed rushed, and fell flat, and that they expected the audience to not really notice/mind because they rushed right into the emotional resolution of the film by having Sadness come into her own and "save" Riley.  And they are partially correct.  Ultimately, I didn't really overly mind that that part was dumb, because the payoff was still rewarding enough.  But still, I've come to expect better from the Pixar writers.  To me, this was the one flaw in an otherwise terrific movie.

[bosk1]

Also, coolness:  https://www.slashfilm.com/inside-out-easter-eggs/

[hefdaddy42]

Yeah, I looked at that earlier today.

I love how they do that.

Marvel does the same thing with their movies/shows, as well.

[King Postwhore]

I should go to see this.  Very interesting.


https://www.mos.org/node/13128536

[hefdaddy42]

 

[Dream Team]

Saw Inside Out last night, great movie of course. The bias against animated films in Hollywood will never go away of course, but realistically half of Pixar's films could have been nominated for Best Picture. Finding Nemo for example is a perfect movie.

[Cable]

Saw Inside Out last night, great movie of course. The bias against animated films in Hollywood will never go away of course, but realistically half of Pixar's films could have been nominated for Best Picture. Finding Nemo for example is a perfect movie.

I'm still one of those people that doesn't fully get Nemo.  I would take Cars1 in a second over Nemo, despite me disliking the cash cow that film has become. I feel the message/moral of the story is more powerful in Cars vs. Nemo. But that is the cool thing about Pixar. Most people's top 3-5 of their films is not super surprising. But you'll always see ones that you didn't expect up high (Bugs Life or something). Not saying Nemo is one of those though.

[Accelerando]

Cars is a very good movie! I don't understand the backlash it gets from people. Talking cars isn't the most craziest thing Pixar has come up with lol. Cars 2 however..... It's the only Pixar flick that I consider a bad movie. An incredible step down from the fantastic original film.

[Kotowboy]

My Pixar Top 3.

1. Finding Nemo
2. Toy Story
3. Up

I like Wall • E until he goes into space and then it loses my interest. Cars is boring and I thought The incredibles was a bit meh.

[ariich]

Saw Inside Out at the weekend and thought it was absolutely wonderful. There were a few moments, particularly right at the end and in the credits, that absolutely cracked me up to the point where I was crying with laughter. But for the most part it was a nice story with some really gorgeous messages. Loved it.

My top 5 Pixar:

1. Up
2. Wall-E
3. Inside Out
4. The Incredibles
5. Toy Story 3

[Lucien]

[Cable]

^

Coming soon?!? I thought it was like at least 4th in their pipe, so I was expecting like 2017 at the earliest.

Cars is a very good movie! I don't understand the backlash it gets from people. Talking cars isn't the most craziest thing Pixar has come up with lol. Cars 2 however..... It's the only Pixar flick that I consider a bad movie. An incredible step down from the fantastic original film.

Me neither. It has become one of their merchandise horses, so that is the only logical place it comes from. Like with what Frozen has become for mostly girls, Cars is for boys. I recall an article about how Pixars are one deviation away from reality, and somehow Cars was more than that. But it is also one deviation away from reality- talking cars as you say. The message of the interstates is totally valid, and besides WallE, the only Pixar film I can think of that takes on a big topic.

My top 5 Pixar:

1. Up
2. Wall-E
3. Inside Out
4. The Incredibles
5. Toy Story 3

80% correct, and slotted almost perfectly.  Your 4 make up for one of them, and I honestly can only pick a top 4 really anyway.

[bosk1]

The Toy Story sequels were both great.  But while the MI sequel was good and I was okay with the Cars sequel, I don't really feel that any of the other Pixar movies really needs or benefits from a sequel.  ...except the Incredibles.  To me, that has great potential.

[Accelerando]

Lots of cool things that came out of D23 this weekend.

- Walt Disney Animation Studios announced their 57th animated feature, Gigantic, which is their take on Jack and the Beanstalk story. This isn't their firs time adapting this classic tale. In Fun and Fancy Free, one of the package films was the classic MIckey and the Beanstalk. Nathan Greno who directed Tangled is helming this, and Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson Lopez who wrote the music for Frozen will be on music duties....maybe their songs won't take you out the story this time?

- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales revealed new cast and characters, including Javier Bardem as the villain Captain Salazar and our old friend Will Turner played by Orlando Bloom will be returning. Johnny Depp, who the day before was officially named a Disney Legend by their Hall of Fame program along with George Lucas and Danny Elfman, appeared on stage dressed as Jack Sparrow, and as you can probably imagine, everyone lost their shit. You can watch that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OijlB9zMnz8

-  Robert Redford, Bryce Dallas Howard and Karl Urban will be starring in the Pete's Dragon remake. Bryce Dallas Howard made an appearance to talk about the movie and her affinity for the original.

- Out of all the remakes Disney is doing, I am most looking forward to Joh Favreau's The Jungle Book, which will have Bill Murray as Baloo, Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Ben Kingsly as Bageera, Lupita Nyong'o as Raksha and muthafawkin Christopher Walken as King Louie. Favreau, Kingsly, Nyong'o, along with new face Neel Sethi as Mowgli went on stage.  Favreau says he found a balance shows the majesty of Kipling and the iconic images of the Disney classic. He showed footage of the movie, which got a standing ovation.

- Moana brings back the directing team of John Musker and Ron Clements, who both directed The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. The Rock made an appearance at the panel to talk about his demigod character, Maui.

- The cast of A Goofy Movie had their own panel to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the movie. It's certainly the most underrated Disney animated movie of all time, and to me, a top ten animated film from Disney. Tevin Campbell, who was Powerline in the movie, sang "Eye To Eye"

[Lucien]

I didn't know they were doing a Jungle Book remake. Live action. This could be amazing or a complete flop. Live action movies with talking animals haven't always done so well  However, I'm actually pretty excited for it.