Live action remakes are rewarding when done right

Dylan Newman, Staff Reporter

I remember the time when the most exciting thing was to watch a new Disney cartoon. Today, we are given special opportunities to relive a simpler time by watching new live adaptations of the classics we’ve all grown to love.

When Seth Rogen was casted as Pumbaa for the upcoming Lion King live action rendition, I was excited to see somebody known for being goofy playing the character.

Live action remakes enable filmmakers to cast people who are perfect for roles that bring back that nostalgic feeling we all experience when watching our favorite childhood movies.

These remakes are a form of nostalgic marketing, which is a technique many companies use to bring back childhood memories from movies. Although this could lead to cash-grab endeavors that are lazily redone, it holds the potential to have consumers feel great to see it done correctly.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of audiences enjoyed the live action rendition of Beauty in the Beast. With its originality preserved along with brilliant casting for the characters, the movie is a great example of nostalgic marketing done correctly.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case with live action films.

The new Sonic the Hedgehog movie will hit theaters on Nov. 8. The movie’s trailer went viral and was poorly received with more dislikes than likes on Youtube.

The animation quality of Sonic was a poor quality representation of what Sega originally produced in the past. This caused major backlash from comments saying how its developers ruined Sonic for fans of the series.

Jeff Fowler, director and executive producer on the project, said on Twitter they will be changing the poor animation presented in the trailer. It’s respectable to see them making changes in order to preserve beloved characters of many people’s childhoods rather than brushing it over.

Nostalgic marketing and live action remakes are worthwhile when done right. People enjoy seeing well crafted reprises of their favorites, not underdeveloped shots in the dark.

With an Aladdin remake hitting theaters this month on May 24, fingers are crossed for a well put together film that brings back the special feeling of being a kid again.