Disney’s Live-Action 'Moana' Remake: Art or Just Another Cash Grab?
The answer will completely shock you. (Not.)
'Moana'
Disney has been on this trend for the last twenty years, where they take one of their animated movies and then remake it into live action.
We've seen it happen with The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White. And now they're doing it with Moana.
So what's the reason Disney is doing this with all their marquee hits?
Let's dive in.
Disney is Remaking Moana to Make Money
The original animated Moana is ten years old. The sequel just came out last year. But now we're getting a complete live-action remake.
While that seems soon, the people inside the House of Mouse know it's the perfect time to capitalize on a popular title.
Every time I see one of these trailers, the same comments go viral: "Why is this happening?" And people are thinking way too hard about this kind of stuff. The reason it's happening is money.
These movies all make a ton of money, outside of Snow White, which got bad reviews; the rest of them were financial successes.
They saw the live-action Lilo and Stitch movie cross a billion dollars this summer.
The first Moana movie cleaned up at the box office, and now they hope to just double their money on another movie that follows the exact same idea, story beats, and visuals, but this time with live-action people.
Like it or not, years are long enough to think some fans of the original movie will now have kids of their own to take, or maybe even appeal to adults who grew up with the original animated films, and to the current generation of young audiences, maximizing ticket sales across different age groups.
Again, I say, the whole reason to make these is money.
Surely It Can't Just Be Money
Yes, it is. These movies will sell toys, get theme park installations, and have many different avenues where they pull in cash for Disney.
The original Moana was a massive success at the box office and, significantly, has been one of the most popular titles on the Disney+ streaming service.
This will also drive viewers to Disney+ and raise the subscriber share, improving the stock, and making everyone happy.
This is a beloved IP that's easy to repackage and recast, and in some instances, they just use the same actors over and over, like using The Rock for both the animated and live-action versions.
What About The Art?
Of course, the people who work on these movies, from writers, director, cast, and on down, are artists working hard.
They're all hoping to make a huge movie that does well and is an artistic outlet for them.
But I am sure they know the reason this movie is being made is to make Disney money, and first and foremost, they want that to happen, because it will make them look good in Disney's eyes and make them insanely rehirable for other types of these movies yet to come.
Summing It All Up
Art and commerce both matter, but these live-action remakes have been total commercial moves for a long time, and they mostly work.
Disney is a huge business that wants to make money, so if they can reinvent their own IP without ruffling any feathers, they're going to do it and hope it makes them another billion.
We have to stop being so surprised by it.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
