Trazee In-Depth: Disney Live-Action Film Status

There is a special place in all of our hearts for original Disney films and the announcement of the live-action remakes kicks the nostalgia into high gear. Normally, I would be one to say don’t mess with a good thing, but the idea of getting to see some of my favorite childhood films reimagined on the big screen has me intrigued.

With the incredible success of Alice and Wonderland, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, it’s hard to deny what the audience wants.

Most of the official announcements and line-up teasers came in the fall of 2016, but there have been several developments in the production processes that have us excited all over again.

Disney’s Mulan came out in 1998 with the voices of Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong and Pat Morita. Depicting a young woman secretly going to war in her father’s place, Mulan was an original film for the time and as far as typical Disney princesses go, Mulan was quite the heroine.

With Disney officially confirming the Mulan live-action remake, it’s exciting to think of the possibilities with director Niki Caro. Caro, known forWhale Rider. The search for a Chinese lead is on. The official film release has been pushed back to 2019, but the style of the film — musical or not — is still up in the air.

Development for Disney’s Aladdin has been coming along quickly since leading roles were announced. After a bit of a struggle to cast the film in a culturally appropriate manner, Disney officially announced Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott as Aladdin and Jasmine. Both stars are relative newcomers along with a majority of the cast, except, of course, for Will Smith as the Genie.

The live-action remake of Aladdin will be a musical directed by Guy Ritchie. Movie buffs know Ritchie’s work, including Snatch; Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Sherlock Holmes; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. With such a visually charged and gripping lineup, we can expect Aladdin to keep us on our toes.

Although we won’t be seeing trailers for The Lion King anytime soon, the official release date is expected to be July 2019. Pre-production is in full swing and the original film from 1994 will be re-imagined with John Favreau directing. Favreau directed the recent remake of The Jungle Book and will also head up The Jungle Book II.

Fortunately, most of the cast and crew have been announced for The Lion King and, unlike Aladdin, it is star-studded. With Seth Rogen voicing Pumbaa, Donald Glover as Simba, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Billy Eichner as Timon, Alfre Woodard as Sarabi, John Oliver as Zazu and James Earl Jones as Mufasa, it’s safe to say there will be a lot of familiar voices — both serious and comedic.

A few Disney movies in production that we are still in the dark about are Dumbo, The Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, Peter Pan, The Sword and the Stone and Pinocchio.

Not to be confused with variations of the original film remade throughout the years, Snow White will possibly be remade into a spin-off called Rose Red, focusing on Snow White’s forgotten sister.

Still just in talks, Pinocchio seems to have come to a stand still since it was originally announced in 2015. Warner Brothers openly discussed its own Pinocchio remake directed by Ron Howard and starring Robert Downey Jr.

Originally released in 1941, Disney’s Dumbo may be overdue for a remake. Disney director and vet Tim Burton is set to direct the live-action film starring Danny DeVito as Medici, Colin Farrell as Holt Farrier and Michael Keaton as V. A. Vandemere. Written by Ehren Kruger, known for the Transformer franchise films, The Ring, The Brothers Grimm and The Skeleton Key, expect the Dumbo remake to be a little dark.

With so many live-action remakes on the horizon, 2019 looks like it will be a big year at the movies. Expect more details, teasers and trailers to come in the next year, including bonus features from Fantasia, Prince Charming and Cruella.

Talks of where Disney will take a Fantasia or Prince Charming remake remain to be seen, while Cruella is expected sometime in 2018. While fast approaching, little details have been offered for the origin story other than Emma Stone signed on to play Cruella de Vil.