I love Disney. I grew up with it and never stopped watching their movies, studying their history and paying attention to anything new they create. One of the newer things they have been doing is live-action remakes.
For a while I didn't think they were actually going to follow through on most of these. I assumed they were just a way to get Disney trending (as any announcement for one of these always does). Now it is pretty obvious they are committed to Tim Burton's Dumbo, Guy Ritchie's Aladdin, etc.
How do I feel about them? Well that's a little complicated. On one hand I understand that a lot of these are based on familiar stories that are going to be retold every ten years anyways. Every generation needs their Cinderella movie.
A big part of the appeal of the live-action remake is that it is a legitimization of something you love. This cartoon you grew up with is a real movie now. Full of more obvious adult themes and social media approved actors. Now you can openly get excited about Disney again, because they have a new and improved version of something you like.
Which bothers me. These are remakes of some of the most timeless and accessible movies ever made. Movies that still work and special because of their animation. I have not watched the new Beauty and the Beast because I think it looks bad. Visually. It looks dreary and unimaginative. Look at the differences in the designs of the characters. One is much more bland, limited and completely lacking the memorable personalities given by the world's greatest animators. Why would I watch a lesser copy of Beauty and the Beast, when I still have a perfect version of that?
Recently however my opinion on the subject has somewhat changed based on reactions to the Christopher Robin trailers. When his was announced I was dreading it. Hook with Winnie the Pooh seems to miss every point and I feared that this would another forced dark and miserable take on something fun. Not to mention that Disney completely buried their amazing 2011 version of Winnie the Pooh, their last traditionally animated feature which everyone should finally see.
Watching the trailers has not done anything to change my opinion. The characters are unable to emote with their poor designs and generic CG. The color scheme looks bleak and dower. But then I started to see other people's reactions and it was... positive. Sincere. Heartfelt. People were taken aback by it and excited to see this movie. So why was my opinion so far off?
Well I never gave up Winnie the Pooh. I took my mom to see the 2011 movie on opening day. I still watch the cartoons and TV episodes I grew up with. I discover older versions I've never seen before. I find Christian allegory in my annual viewings of Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too. You know how normal kids like sports when they are young and as they grow up they continue liking it? That is me with Disney, Pooh in particular.
But most people that viewed that trailer? They probably hadn't heard Pooh's voice or paid attention to it since they were young. Hearing Jim Cumming's saying "Christopher" did something they did not expect.
As much as I adore the 2011 movie, I understand why a live-action version is easier for people to get on board with. Animation is still seen as kids stuff and a lot of adults are going to view any new traditionally animated feature as inferior to what they grew up with. Because we don't train people to actively view animation. It would be cool if we took animation seriously, but we don't. It is something we are taught to grow out of.
When Beauty and the Beast came out last year of a friend a posted that she loved the new version because she didn't realize how important the original was to her. I really wanted to tell her that she should just watch the original then, since it is still there and still perfect. But I didn't say that. Because is it a bad thing for an adult to be reminded of simpler times and what they loved? Our culture puts up roadblocks between us and what we enjoy, if Disney can break them down more power to them. That is what Christopher Robin looks like it will be about anyways.
And who am I kidding, I grew up with plenty of newer versions of Disney classics myself. I won't try to convince anyone that 102 Dalmatians is a masterpiece, but I won't lie about how much I used to watch it. And if there is a new batch of kids who only know Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, well they are different people than me. They don't need to be weighed down by my "refined" opinions.
Fandoms get guarded and territorial, but there is no way to police how another person views art. There is no way to tell what something will mean to somebody else. I know how important of a movie Tron Legacy is to people in my life. And that importance is just based on what it means to them.
So there is a new Winnie the Pooh movie. As someone who still has his childhood teddy bear in his bedroom, I really hope you like it.
