Scrolling through the upcoming releases tab has never been more disappointing. Trying to quickly find something to watch has never been harder.
In an era littered with low-effort live-action remakes, creativity is scarce in the film industry. Instead of delivering high-quality originals, Disney continues to throw cheap CGI-powered remakes at fans to no avail. From “Snow White” to “The Little Mermaid” to “The Lion King,” Disney’s recent productions have done nothing but disappoint their loyal fanbase.
Last Friday, Disney’s not-so-heavily-anticipated “Snow White” remake finally arrived to theatres and was met with heavy criticism surrounding everything from casting to set design (or lack thereof). The film was rated a measly 42% by Rotten Tomatoes and was subject to a plethora of lukewarm reviews from critics and audience members alike.
“Zegler is the film’s only saving grace, bringing warmth, strength and sincerity to a script that doesn’t deserve her,” critic Paul Emmanuuel Enicola said.
Many reviewers echoed Enicola’s sentiment, and the recent release served as nothing but a reminder that the film industry is becoming more and more devoid of creativity with each release—and this trend is sure to continue with the upcoming “Lilo & Stitch” live-action set to release on May 23.
Remakes ruin the trademark Disney magic people count on for every release. Something about seeing the scenic castle and fireworks followed up by poor color grading and fake dwarves just doesn’t seem to do it for a lot of people.
In addition to complaints about unoriginality, every remake receives immense backlash surrounding casting choices. For example, many netizens complained about Zegler not being “white enough” for the role of Snow White and the strange CGI dwarves in the movie, while last year, many fans were upset with the racially inaccurate casting for Ariel in “The Little Mermaid”.
To Disney, remakes are genius because the multi-billion-dollar corporation gets to spend less on writing and set design (largely in thanks to CGI). Furthermore, remakes are reliable because a large portion of casual viewers will be more interested in seeing a story they already know and love (even if redone poorly), instead of taking a gamble on a new movie.
But best of all, remakes provide Disney with a quick and easy opportunity to score diversity points, or at least they can attempt to– assuming the choice isn’t flamed by racist Disney “purists.” Why bother integrating unique cultures into new storylines when you could cast a person of color for a role previously filled by a White actor? On the surface, it seems like a representation win, but upon further inspection, what once seemed progressive now seems lazy and overdone.
Among controversial casting choices and stale writing rises another issue: poor visuals. In a clear attempt to cut costs, the majority of Disney’s recent remakes are CGI-powered—with uncanny dwarves, landscapes and talking animals that ruin the films’ immersion.
“At the end of the day, the best parts of Snow White are the parts that feel genuinely real and authentic. If only there were more of those, and less screen time spent dancing in the realm of mind-breaking absurdity,” critic Liz Shannon Miller said.
As long as people continue to pay to see them, Disney is going to keep pumping out remakes regardless of quality or substance. With creativity on the decline and profits on the rise, it’s unlikely the company will listen to fans’ complaints, but hopefully Disney will give the fans what they want after the mirror on the wall declared “Snow White” the stalest remake of them all.
