Tale as Old as Time

By: Carlos Glick

Disney logo with castle. Credit: wptv.com

Ah, the wonderful world of Disney where our favorite Disney fairytales come to life. Some famous films include “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “Lion King” to name a few.

I’ve seen the original version of those three movies multiple times and absolutely love them. I remember when I first heard that they had plans on making a live action movie of “Beauty and the Beast,” I was so excited that I wanted it to come out as soon as possible.

The live action version of “Beauty and the Beast” kept the same story line but was told differently. They added some new songs and changed the backstory for Belle. 

Something that was new to the audience was Disney’s openly gay character: Josh Gad’s character, LeFou. This would be the first openly gay character in Disney history.

Another one of my favorite Disney classics is “Aladdin” and when I heard that they were making a live action movie of “Aladdin,” I was really looking forward to it. When the trailer for the movie came out, there was lots of controversy over Will Smith being the Genie due to the passing of Robin Williams. 

In the trailer, the Genie was not blue, which also brought out a lot of controversy. 

With “The Lion King,” I loved the original but when I saw the live action version, the story line was exactly the same. I didn’t mind it so much, but I know that the media did and that was a problem. 

Going along animation wise, let’s talk about the upcoming live action version of “Mulan.” Apparently, they are getting rid of Mushu, who was voiced by Eddie Murphy. He played a young dragon in the animated movie that brought us a little comical relief.

Another favorite that was great is “Christopher Robin.” “Christopher Robin” told us the story of Christopher being a grownup and how the real world is from his that point of view. Although it did not relate to an animated story, it did bring us our favorite characters that we all love such as Pooh, Piglet and Tigger.

Live action Disney movies are great. They bring back the inner child we once were and bring it to the next level. 

Currently, in the Disney universe, there are 19 live action Disney movies that have already been done or are currently in production.

Back in 2007, a movie came out that was named “Enchanted.” This was the first Disney movie ever that incorporated both animation and live action. 

Not only that, but it had a lot of different Disney references that we saw in animated movies. For example, we see elements from “Snow White” and “Cinderella” to name a few. 

Disney movies, old and new, animated to live action, have brought us joy and laughter. They will always have a place in our hearts from Pooh and his friends, to Aladdin and Jasmine on a magic carpet ride, will always be with us.

Disney live action movies will continue with us to the next generation. They are the next generation of Disney. 

So hop on a magic carpet ride through Agrabah or explore the Pride Land of Africa with Timon and Pumbaa live action style while Disney continues to make even more live action movies in order to make money. 

Live action Disney movies will continue to bring young adults’ memories and kids dreams come true as they watch their favorite Disney characters come to life.