In the recent push to retain the former glory of familiar IPs, live-action remakes of beloved animated films have been all the rage. And now one starlet has thrown her hat into the ring as a contender.
Anya Taylor-Joy has ascended to the Hollywood A-list in just a few short years. Following her harrowing debut in Robert Eggers’ The Witch, the actor has proven her worth in many varied roles. From Last Night In Soho, to Dune Part 2, and more recently, Furiosa, there is nothing she can’t do. And that includes portraying the icy queen in Frozen. In a conversation with Vogue Hong Kong (via Deadline), Taylor-Joy admitted her desire to wield the frosty powers of winter as Elsa.
“I think Frozen is going to be great. Shooting ice cubes out of your hands can be a lot of fun. And, you’ll be the favorite at every kid’s birthday party. All my siblings have kids now, so I would love for them to be able to say, ‘My aunt is Elsa.’ That would be great!”
Frozen appeals to all generations because of its well- developed characters, mature themes, and killer vocals. The musical making it to live-action is a no-brainer, as is Taylor-Joy vying for a role. There is no doubt that Taylor-Joy has the talent — as well as aesthetics — to gain her attention for the role. It is the rare performer that can pull off white hair. Just ask the cast of House of the Dragon. But as perfect as this casting is, there is a small fly in the ointment.
Has Disney already exhausted audiences with remakes?
Frozen may be one of the best choices for Disney to bring to live-action, but the studio has already lost goodwill with viewers. There has been a near exhaustive list of animated films recreated with a live cast — or computer animated, like in The Lion King‘s (baffling) case. And none of these films have successfully captured the feeling of the originals. Snow White has already been hit with controversy, while The Little Mermaid came and went with little impact on the pop culture zeitgeist. Many fans feel it is time to put this trend to rest.
The main consensus indicates that however people are tired of rehashing old stories, Frozen just may be the outlier. Taylor-Joy’s potential casting is almost too perfect to go to waste. And viewers know that she has more than enough experience playing witchy characters from eras gone by. The only question that remains is if she’s a good enough singer to measure up to the original. …Or should Anya Taylor-Joy just let it go?