Kids like Disney movies. Disney likes money. 90s-born kids like myself also like Disney movies. 90s kids like me also have a turgid hardon for remakes of things from their childhood, video games, television, cinema, you name it, we more or less eat it up.
Yeah they could do something original with the tech, yeah they could remake other things, but it's the smartest and safest way for them to make money
and get a good reaction from audiences who know they're going in to see something they already know they're fond of. Plus the advertising is easy. It's all easy. Except actually making the effects, I guess.
Personally I couldn't care less about the behind-the-scenes stuff; yeah film is about artistic expression, but Star Wars is all artistic expression and it's a big bag of farts. I just wanna see animals stampeding in the Pride Lands, man.
EDIT: I also wonder how kids today respond to those traditionally animated films, and how well a child can grasp all the detail in something like, say, this Lion King remake. Part of the originals' charm is the simplicity of the animation and the vibrancy of the colors, the exaggerated facial expressions and body movements. I remember being a child and actually not enjoying the live action Disney movies, or live action animal movies like Jurassic Park. I much preferred animation. But I'm sure there's a strong portion of children that would lose their minds watching stuff like this remake. I'd like to read about that...