Since the live action adaptation of The Jungle Book was released in 1994, Walt Disney Studios has released a total of 22 reimaginings of films originally released in an animated format. Mufasa: The Lion King, the 2024 sequel to the live action The Lion King severely underperformed in the box office, especially compared to the animated blockbuster Moana 2. Despite the disappointing performance of the live action film, the studio still has 13 live action adaptations planned for the coming years. Confirmed for a 2025 release date are Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Lilo & Stitch, and Moana. Others in planning stages include Hercules, Robinhood, and Bambi. According to Forbes, Disney has spent, on average, roughly 185 million USD per live action remake. Even with such large budgets, the live action films fall flat of recreating the lively and charismatic original films, especially when the use of poor CGI hinders the appearance of whimsical characters and situations. This is particularly prevalent in films in which the main characters are animals, with 2019’s The Lion King and Lady and the Tramp in particular coming to mind. CGI cannot place anywhere near the amount of emotion onto the faces of Simba or Mufasa that the 1994 original animated feature offered. The film feels lacking in emotional substance as a result, and left audiences majorly disappointed upon viewing it.
Disney is not the only studio guilty of regurgitating successful storylines in a different format; Dreamworks is set to release How to Train Your Dragon this year, bringing to life the 2010 animated hit. Apart from that, they are also considering releasing two live action Madagascar films. Pixar, though owned by Disney, has strongly declined remaking any of their films in the live action format, as expressed by the company’s CCO Pete Docter. However, there is no telling whether or not this sentiment will remain true as time goes on.
With or without Pixar, the trend of live action remakes shows no signs of slowing down. I would not be a lone voice in exclaiming that this is truly a shame. Films do not have to be live action for the story to be ‘completed.’ To be animated is enough and, the majority of the time, remaining animated is better. Instead of retelling the same stories with slightly tweaked messages in hopes of relating a fifty-year-old film to a modern audience, studios should be making original storylines, giving new writers chances to share their stories with audiences.
In 2024, Disney’s biggest animated feature films were Inside Out 2 and Moana 2. While both were sequels, another disappointing trend in the film industry, both were fresh animated films with largely intriguing stories to tell. Inside Out 2 grossed 1 billion USD more than Mufasa: The Lion King. The numbers show that audiences are more interested in new stories, even if they are animated, and even if they are a continuation of a previous franchise. Pixar’s sequel to Inside Out has been nominated for Best Animated Picture at the 2025 Academy Awards. Also in that category are Flow and The Wild Robot, two original animated stories that were among my favorite films released last year. These stories would not have the emotional weight they do if they were remade for the big screen in the live action format. The intricate mechanisms of the titular character of The Wild Robot could be somewhat recreated, but the connection between her and the surrounding wildlife which blossoms throughout the film would simply not have the emotional charge it does in the animated version. The emotions of animals’ faces can be exaggerated in animation in a way that a CGI-version of a real animal could not realistically create. Thinking back to The Lion King, when Simba’s father tragically dies, the facial expression of animated Simba conveys heartache and grief through drooped ears, raised ‘eyebrows,’ and a frown on his mouth (see photo below). This exaggerated display of emotion is singular to animation, and the live action version of this moment is therefore lacking in emotional intensity in comparison.
Some animated films have such intricate and singular animation styles that the visuals themselves are art forms, and live action could not replicate this. The Mitchells vs. the Machines and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse are two great examples of films that simply would not translate effectively into live action films. Studio Ghibli films such as Princess Mononoke or Howl’s Moving Castle would lose their sense of whimsy and fantasy if they were remade outside of the animated format. These stories are complete, and they should remain complete without studios trying to recreate them. The space that is currently being taken up by live action remakes should be occupied by unique new stories, whether animated or not.
Consider supporting indie animated films from the past and present to amplify stories that are often overlooked. Persepolis, Chico & Rita, Flow, and Savages are all phenomenal films with fascinating art styles and stories to tell, and I strongly recommend checking them out.
