Everyone knows that Disney is an extremely successful, world-renowned company that produces imaginative and inspiring movies. Through their catchy songs, humor and bright colors, Disney movies draw viewers in and spark wonder and excitement in kids, and even adults. The world has grown to love Disney movies for what they are: an escape into new worlds where anything is possible. However, they are shifting their focus to remaking old classics instead of creating new stories.
Lately, they have been making more live-action movies than ever before, such as “Snow White”, “Mufasa” and “The Little Mermaid”. In the process, audiences are left wondering if Disney’s values have changed from creativity to profit. Some people, including Lambert High School’s students, feel Disney has become repetitive.
“They’re very successful franchises [live action remakes] and at the end of the day, Disney has shareholders and they want to make money,” Audio-Video Technology & Film (AVTF) teacher Mr. Ben Cook explains.
Because of this repetitive feeling, people are leaning more towards older animated movies rather than live-actions. While these newer movies have an updated cast and more advanced technology, such as CGI, fans feel that they don’t carry the same emotional depth as the originals. Additionally, the older films include creative storytelling and captivating animation styles, which live-action films often lack.
“The new animation or live action, it’s very flashy, it’s very bright, it’s very modern, and it doesn’t convey that same nostalgic feeling that you get,” freshman Sripoorva Prasanna states.
On top of that, the new films sometimes differ from the originals in terms of content. They might have a contrasting plot or different characters. When people walk into a live-action movie, they expect a spin-off of their favorite stories. But when the film is not the same as they expected, fans notice immediately and it leaves them feeling unsatisfied.
For example, according to Cybernews, 91% to 97% of people who watched animated original movies enjoyed the unique storytelling and style of animation. On the other hand, live action movies lack this consistency with ratings ranging anywhere from 31% to 88%.
Disney may be facing these harsh ratings due to movie content and animation styles, however the opposite has also proved to be true. Newer movies such as Encanto have returned significant revenue. In fact, it made $261.3 million worldwide, as stated by The Numbers. Even certain sequels have been doing well recently because of their familiarity and the nostalgic feelings that fans get. Specifically, Moana 2 returned over $1 billion internationally, making it one of the highest-grossing films in 2024, based on Deadline.
“As people, we learn by what’s familiar and so we’re drawn to things that are familiar and people love these stories,” explains Mr. Cook. “And of course, they’re going to want to see more of them.”
Overall, while Disney has had some successful movies, they have also been struggling with balancing modern ideas with old classics. Because of this, their performance and ratings have been slowly dropping. As Disney continues to make new movies, including the upcoming “Moana” live action, fans are excited to see what these new films will have to offer. By combining innovation with the emotions of original movies, Disney can satisfy all audiences. This allows them to not only remake movies, but keep the magic alive for generations to come.
