Keep it original

Published 7:00 am Friday, April 3, 2015

I’ve always held affection for Disney’s animated movies.
Despite some people’s beliefs, I don’t believe we outgrow the messages that can be found in some of these stories based on classic fairy tales.
For me, one of the big themes has always been coping with the loss of a parent. I can probably count on one hand the number of children in a Disney movie whose parents die at some point during the movie. For example, when Mufasa from “The Lion King” is killed by Scar, who tossed him into a stampede of wildebeest and when Bambi loses his mother to the hunter. We witness how these youngsters cope with the loss of their loved ones and become the great leaders they were meant to be.
In reality, I’m more of a fan of the original productions of these movies so I don’t watch the sequels.
However, I did enjoy the live-action remake of “Cinderella” and “Maleficient,” but I heard some news that makes me question just how far I’m wiling to go for my love of Disney.
Dumbo and Winnie the Pooh are two of my favorite characters.
About a month ago, I read a news article, which announced that director Tim Burton has plans to make a live-action version of “Dumbo.” Now, I’m a huge fan of Burton’s work, but I’m not sure how I feel about a live-action version of a movie where most of the characters are animals. If you’ve seen any of Burton’s movies, you know that his films can be quite dark and quirky.
Yesterday, I read that filmmaker Alex Ross Perry, who I’m unfamiliar with, will be directing a live-action version of Winnie the Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. Again, this fictional world centers on mostly animal characters, with the exception of Christopher Robin.
I’m not sure how these movies will turn out. On one hand, it’s nice to recreate movies of old to spark a new generation’s interest, but that can sometimes go wrong.
It is my hope that Disney will continue to create movies, but I’m hoping for something a bit more original than what’s already in the Disney vault.

Sign up for our daily email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox