Disney used to be a company best known for their charming animated fairytale stories, all started by Walt Disney. The first film they created was Steamboat Willie, released in 1928, featuring Disney’s star character, Mickey Mouse.
The time of Disney princesses was started not long after, with Snow White being released in 1937.
For several decades, Disney was best known for its animated Disney princess films, and while they were made mostly for children, the compelling characters and plots made the films something the whole family could enjoy.
The live-action “trend” has only recently really become something people are talking about, but Disney released its first live-action remake film in 1996, 101 Dalmatians. This film received its sequel, 102 Dalmatians, in 2000, meaning that by the start of the 21st century, Disney had already filmed its first two live-action films.
In 2010, Alice and Wonderland got its live-action remake, a Tim Burton adaptation, and in 2014, Sleeping Beauty received a live-action retelling with the film Maleficent.
The majority of the controversy surrounding these live-action films began in 2015, with the release of Cinderella. Many people claimed the film was “Regressive And Anti-Feminist” with Cinderella’s character having nothing to her but kindness, while others viewed her as a stronger character for her kindness. I personally enjoyed the film. I liked that it didn’t completely change the story, rather just added some further character development into it, with not just Cinderella herself but also both the Prince and the Stepmother.
The controversies only seemed to grow from there, with worries of racist depictions and stereotypes for the 2016 Jungle Book, criticism over the depiction of LeFou as a gay man in the 2017 Beauty and the Beast, and the frustration over Belle’s dress in this film being CGI in many parts.
There are some films, like 2019 Dumbo and 2022 Pinocchio, which I think got a lot less press because people weren’t very interested in seeing them. I know that I certainly didn’t hear much about these films until they were being released, and even then it was mostly from Disney’s advertisements.
The 2019 Lion King and 2019 Lady and the Tramp were met mostly with disappointment over the way the CGI turned out.
But the most recent controversies have been tied more to racism, with outrage at Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in the 2023 Little Mermaid, and Rachel Zegler’s casting in the 2025 Snow White.
Snow White has also been receiving a bunch of backlash because of Rachel Zegler’s comments on the older film being outdated, people taking it as she didn’t really like the film, and her very bold political statement against Trump earlier in the year made many people uncomfortable. The film itself is also receiving scrutiny for having CGI dwarves instead of casting little people for the roles, a decision that was made after Peter Dinklage said the roles of the dwarves were demeaning and wrong.
All of the controversy over this film resulted in a major box office failure with many people choosing to avoid the film altogether.
But it is important to remember that the majority of these reviews and concerns are coming from adults, people concerned over the consistency of the films with the ones they loved in their youth. I think we often forget while criticizing these films, that they are being made for children, and most of the children do not have a large problem with them. I know that my brother really enjoys the 2019 Aladdin, 2019 Lady and the Tramp, 2017 Beauty and the Beast, and even the 2019 Lion King.
I myself can actually enjoy most of these films decently well when watching them for what they are instead of just comparing them to their originals. Snow White, even with its major amount of controversies and failures prior to release, was not a bad film. It was not a great film by any means, but if you watch it simply for what it is at face value, it was enjoyable enough to watch, feeling like a combination of the 1937 story and Universal’s 2012 Snow White and The Huntsman.
Though the films are targeted more towards children, with the plot and overall story being one that they can understand, a lot of the PR and marketing feels like it’s targeting adults, almost trying to start up controversies, rage-baiting people into talking about the films in any capacity they can. The marketing strategies on these films feel like major failures, as Disney rarely tries to make them better; it almost feels like they’re making the casting and plot choices knowing it will make someone mad and that is exactly what they want.
However, now Disney isn’t the only company now making these live-action films, as Dreamworks is currently marketing its live-action How to Train Your Dragon, set to release in June of 2025, it seems the live-action craze of Disney is reaching other studios. Despite the different studio, this film has not been free of similar controversies as those of Disney, as several people are very upset by the casting of Nico Parker as Astrid.
And still, despite all the backlash, Disney shows no sign of slowing down with releasing their remakes. With Lilo and Stitch, set to release in May of 2025, there have been controversies and complaints over the whitewashing of characters like Nani and the design for the CGI Stitch.
Moana, which had its animated film released only in 2016 and its sequel in November of 2024, is already getting a live-action film, set to release in July of 2026.
Tangled, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, The Aristocats, Bambi, and Robin Hood are all confirmed to be following with their own live-action remakes soon.
With the craze of live-action remakes, it can leave one wondering if Disney will be returning to any animated films anytime soon.
Pixar seems to be keeping up with its animations fine, having both a new film and a sequel releasing in the next two years, with Elio set to release in June 2025, and Toy Story 5 confirmed for 2026. But Disney is keeping up with its trend of only live-actions and sequels, with Zootopia 2 and Frozen 3 also confirmed to be made and released soon.
I think that when making these retellings, Disney should return to the original story, making something new with the beloved characters like they did with the 2014 Maleficent or 2021 Cruella, or they should be more focused on adding one singular element of character or plot to the film like with Cinderella. The films might be better and be received more positively if they made them a little more original than just a direct copy, especially if they leave out important plot points or characters, like Mushu and the music with the 2020 Mulan, because the story would feel more authentic rather than a copy of something they’ve already made.
