I love you, I love you, I love you… is a phrase that works best when it’s not followed by the word “again.” This sentiment mirrors the current state of film production, where the thrill of the new has been somewhat lost, especially under the towering shadow of Disney‘s castle.
From Aladdin, The Little Mermaid to Cinderella and The Lion King, to name a few, Disney’s current mantra could be boiled down to: If it ain’t broke, remake it anyway. It’s hard to capture the essence of a classic when you’re just trying to recreate it beat-for-beat for the sake of cashing in on its nostalgia factor. I’m not saying that all remakes are inherently bad. Some of them have been quite successful and even brought new life to beloved stories. For example, talk about Beauty and the Beast and its $1.2 billion box office haul. But others like Lion King, as previously mentioned, have been little more than soulless cash grabs. Sure, it had all the bells and whistles of modern CGI, but did it really add anything new or meaningful to the original story?
While the House of Mouse seems content to ride the live-action remake train until the wheels fall off, one of its own subsidiaries is taking a different approach. Pixar, the studio behind some of the most innovative animated movies of all time, is saying “thanks, but no thanks” to the remake trend. When asked about the possibility of a live-action Ratatouille, the studio’s Chief Creative Officer, Pete Docter, made it clear that he’s not interested. He even went so far as to say that it “bothers” him in a chat with Time.
“No, and this might bite me in the butt for saying it, but it sort of bothers me. I like making movies that are original and unique to themselves. To remake it, it’s not very interesting to me personally.”
Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. But many fans were more than happy with this particular act of backstabbing.
There’s something to be said for the thrill of discovering a brand-new world, with characters and stories we’ve never seen before, and due to this, Docter’s stance is refreshing, to say the least. But perhaps the studio’s outlook isn’t that surprising. Pixar has a pretty good track record when it comes to original content. From Toy Story to Inside Out, Up to Soul, they’ve consistently delivered heartwarming, thought-provoking, and downright hilarious films that have captured the hearts of audiences around the world. So if Pete Docter says that live-action remakes aren’t his cup of tea, I’m inclined to trust his judgment.
Aren’t sequels somewhat the same old wine in a new bottle? In defense of Docter and Pixar’s approach to sequels (First, Toy Story 4, and now even a 5 is coming!), there’s a significant difference between expanding an existing, beloved universe and rehashing a story solely for the sake of visual novelty and nostalgia exploitation. Who among us hasn’t wanted to see more adventures with Woody and Buzz, or find out what happened to Nemo after he was reunited with his dad? So, to those wondering, Docter isn’t a hypocrite for shunning live-action remakes while embracing sequels.
I will admit, though – there’s a risk of diminishing returns in making sequels, of each new installment feeling less and less essential. And in recent years, Pixar’s sequel-heavy output has started to draw some criticism. Docter seems aware of this criticism, and he’s promised that Pixar will try to balance its output with more original films in the future. But he also acknowledges the challenges of doing so.