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In recent years, a rapidly growing number of animated Disney films have been remade in a live-action setting with actors and CGI animation. This is intended to be a fun new look at a beloved classic. However, the decisions made with the remakes are usually terrible. They are nostalgia-baiting the money of Disney fans who have grown into adults and are boring, basic, and painful to watch.

One example of this is the new The Lion King remake which came out in 2019. The original The Lion King, having made 763 million dollars at the box office, was nothing less than a masterpiece. For about 30 years, it has been loved by kids and adults for its unique concept, morals of friendship and honesty, and mature themes handled in a way that is manageable and enjoyable for children. 

So, how does the franchise adapt to meet a new generation of kids and excite an older generation of Disney fans? By stripping the film of everything that made it special. To replace the captivating hand-drawn animation, the movie is entirely CGI-animated. Their faces are unexpressive, and in their realistic look the characters lose all of their charm. Not to mention the atrocious butchering of The Lion King‘s classic villain song, “Be Prepared”, which now sounds like a low-effort shout. One reviewer states, “It’s the work of a studio that’s gobbled up the rest of the film industry and is still hungry for more.” The animals are now only ugly, empty husks of their former selves. 

Another recent example is The Little Mermaid 2023, attempting to recapture the Disney magic™ of the original 1989 film. With the advancements in animation that have come over the decades, surely the new The Little Mermaid will be better than ever, right? That assumption would be incorrect. The movie has a 67% critic rating on rotten tomatoes, compared to the original’s 91%, and numerous reviews will tell you how uninspired the movie is. Unfortunately, a diverse lead cannot save a lack of quality.

The reason that old classics keep being remade into garbage is simple: money. It requires less effort to reuse an old idea rather than write a new story. The nostalgia of the now-adults buying the products is enough to make a profit. Why break the mold when the formula makes millions? 

That is how we ended up where we are today, with as much redone media coming out each year as new. Is this making the consumers happy? After all, we got here by voting with our wallets. Studies suggest not. Our media is becoming worse because of companies capitalizing on nostalgia for a quick buck rather than movies and shows people will remember. 

The only way this will change is the same way we ended up here: voting with our wallets. Only support movies in theaters that you want to send the companies a message to make more like it. If you are also sick of remade nonsense, don’t watch them! If enough people do it, they will learn. They will chase what earns them the most money. Make what earns companies the most money be the content you want to see.