Disney fairytales existed before we were born; some are almost as old as the World War, with the settings and productions also decades old, but the stories still resonate for some reason. Who hasn’t heard about Cinderella? There’s even a funny rhyme for it. Cinderella, dressed in yellow, went outside to kiss a fellow…..or Snow White that’ll make you stand before a mirror and say, “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, who’s the fairest of them all’? !. Kudos to Disney for helping ladies to live with the dream of having a Prince Charming and the guys for wanting a perfect Cinderella.
One thing to note is that most of these old fairytales have been remade, some more than once. This might have killed the vibes the old stories have due to some changes in the script, but the new remakes are exciting. However, there have been some negative reviews about it; we see how the human characters brought the cartoonish characters to life while playing the roles of princes, animals, and mermaids. The remake also helped adults or parents who wanted to watch stories they loved when they were young again. There are lots of Disney movies, but these are some that were remade:
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1. ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951)
A troublesome young girl sees a magical rabbit and follows him but unfortunately falls into a hole and sees a world that is quite different from hers. She faces various tests and challenges and meets other magical creatures but later finds her way to the lair of a Queen who wants to behead her; however, she finally escapes and returns to her world. This original film was released in July 1951 with cartoon characters, but the fairytale was remade twice as Alice in Wonderland and a sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass. The synopsis for the new stories changed a bit as Alice became a young lady of 19 years destined to defeat a magical creature in a mystical land after she followed a rabbit with a pocket watch. Alice later defeated the Jabberwocky and was granted her wish to return home, where she later canceled her engagement and traveled away to learn the trading business. Some of the cast includes Jonny Depp and Anna Hathaway. In the sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Alice returns home after three years to discover that her ex-fiancé is trying to dupe her family; she follows a butterfly into a mirror/glass and goes back to Wonderland only to find that things are a bit chaotic. She is then burdened with restoring balance to the magical world, which she did successfully. The sequel was directed by James Bobin and was released on May 27, 2016. There are just a few differences between the original and the remake, but both scripts are fantastic.
2. CINDERELLA
Cinderella has one of the most touching storylines for a fairytale. A young girl loses her mother while her father remarries but later dies. Her stepmother shows her ‘shege‘; she is forced to do several chores and is scorned by her step sisters. She later gets lucky when she meets the fairy godmother, who grants her wish to attend the prince’s ball. During the ball, she dances and falls in love with him but rushes out of the hall to meet the midnight deadline, where she loses one of her glass slippers. The Prince searched through the kingdom until he found Cinderella, and they lived happily ever after. In the Cinderella remake (2015) directed by Kenneth Branagh, Lily James plays the role of Ella, a kind-hearted girl who lives happily with her parents until her mother falls ill and dies; her father remarries and travels away but dies shortly after. Ella’s stepmother and sisters made life hard and frustrating for her, which caused her to run away into the forest, where she meets the Prince disguised as a palace servant; she falls in love with him but doesn’t know his identity until the King orders the Prince to get a Princess. The Prince wanted to marry Ella and decided to hold a ball where he invited all the maidens in the kingdom; Ella couldn’t come because of her stepmother but met her fairy Godmother, who allowed her a chance to go to the party. She meets the Prince, who reveals his identity to her; the clock strikes 12, and she runs away, leaving the Prince with no idea who she is. She later got her happily after as she reconciled with her love and forgave her stepmother and sisters. The difference is evident in the remake; there was an extra story added of how and who the prince is and also how Cinderella forgave her family.
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3. ALADDIN
The original film was first released in 1992 and told the story of Jafar, a royal viser in the mystical land of Agrabah, betrothed to the daughter of the Sultan, Princess Jasmine. Aladdin is a young boy who meets the Princess and falls in love with her while facing the consequences. He meets a Genie after tricking Jafar and uses his three wishes to get what he wants. In the remake featuring Will Smith as the Genie, Aladdin is already in love with Princess Jasmine and sneaks into the palace until he was discovered by the evil Jafar, who captures him and forces him to get the lamp. Aladdin gets the lamp and uses his wishes to become a Prince, but he almost loses his life while Jasmine is to wed Jafar; she steals the lamp. They trick Jafar into becoming a Genie and freeing the first Genie, who later gets married to Princess Jasmine’s maid and the story’s narrator. The 2019 remake not only gave the lead characters what they wanted but also the supporting characters their ‘happily ever afters.’
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4. MULAN
The old version of Mulan(1998) portrays the character of a headstrong lady who is opposed to the idea of her father enlisting to join the Emperor’s army; she disguises herself as a man and goes in her father’s stead. She fought and trained alongside the military while receiving instructions from a dragon, Mushu, until she was injured and her secret was discovered, she was sent away from the army by the leader, but she didn’t give up and followed them until she defeated the enemy who wanted to assassinate the Emperor. She won his favor and was rewarded, but she later returned home to her family. In 2020, the remake of Mulan starred Liu Yiufei as the female lead Mulan who decided to take her sick father’s place in the army. She trains with the military and encounters the enemy witch who taunts and injures her. Mulan reveals her identity to the leader, and he sends her away; while leaving, she meets the witch again and discovers the enemy’s plans; she goes back and can save the Emperor’s life. She almost died, but the witch saved her; Mulan returned home to join her family. There is no Mushu/dragon and no music but a love triangle in the remake, which made it more interesting.
5. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
There are many versions of this fairytale, but Disney’s film released in 1991 tells the story of Belle, a beautiful lady who, in a bid to save her father from the prince-turned-Beast, replaces him and lives in his palace. The Prince, who was arrogant and selfish, was turned into a beast because he refused to give shelter to a witch disguised as a beggar. She cursed him to remain a beast until the last rose petals fell if he didn’t find true love. He later fell in love with Belle, died, and came back to life as a human. He married Belle and lived happily with her. The remake that was released in 2017 was positively praised for having the same storyline. Still, there were little changes, such as Belle being able to see her past through an enchanted book, she and her father almost locked up in the asylum, Belle swapping places with her father against his wishes, and Agathe, who was the witch.
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Disney studios still have many remakes that are not released yet, such as The Little Mermaid, the Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Hercules, Beauty And The Beast, and others. We certainly know these movies don’t disappoint and relieve our childhood stories. Even though a lot of people still don’t agree with the remake because the storyline changes, we still believe the production is incredible. What do you think?
