So with the release of the Lion King around the corner and the teaser trailer released for Mulan, there's arguably no better time to evaluate the scores to Disney's live-action remakes of animated.
Do you think that the scores to the live-action remakes of animated films are better or worse than their animated predecessors?
What is your favourite live-action score thus far?
Here are mine: Alice in Wonderland Maleficent The Jungle Book (Debney).
I think there are two different categories of Disney’s “remakes” :
a) movies and scores that are based on the same stories but with different screenplays, major plot changes - usually for those the score is completely different to the animated version - in this case it is difficult to compare as we’re talking of different beasts here (Alice, Maleficent, Cinderella, Jungle Book, Dumbo). My favorite scores are Alice and Maleficent. Cinderella and Jungle Book are not bad but not outstanding either. Dumbo score was a disappointment.
b) movies that are “live-action” reshoots of the animation (scenes usually replicated with minimum changes, maybe some additional scenes or an additional song), for which the score is adapted (and I really can not see the point of these movies) Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and it seems to be the case of the upcoming Lion King.
The success of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin and the failure of Dumbo seem to indicate audiences prefer the “more of the same” approach. The good thing that can come out of these are new recordings of beloved soundtracks.
The success of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin and the failure of Dumbo seem to indicate audiences prefer the “more of the same” approach. The good thing that can come out of these are new recordings of beloved soundtracks.
Which is why we sadly get the same sequels, reboots and remakes over and over again.
Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, and The Jungle Book are my favorites too. Though I wouldn't call AIW or Maleficent remakes of the animated films.
Nor is TJB. It's based on a book by Rudyard Kipling.
Wrong! The live action Jungle Book is a direct remake or adaption of the animated film. The other two are not.
Didn't the animated film have songs?
The live action version has score and songs from the animated film.
I thought we were talking about the recent release.
Disneys Jungle Book (2016) references two songs from the animated film (I Wan'na Be Like You and The Bear Necessities) and also incorporates themes from the original score. Mowgli is clearly the live action counter-part of the animated Mowgli. (same age and likeness, right down to the red shorts) Baloo, Bagheera and Shere Khan and really the whole cast have similar personalities with their animated counter parts.
THE LION KING will probably use the same music with improved sound and extra songs right ? This might be one hell of a blockbuster I guess and probably the most succesfull of all the " live action " remakes.Even though...this one is pure animation...so not really a live action remake...
