It looks like another planned Disney live-action remake may be pausing production following a major disaster for the company!
Disney is no stranger to bombs in its history. It comes with the territory in Hollywood. Every studio has its share of box office flops, and Disney has experienced more than a few in the last several years, like Wish and The Marvels.
Snow White, on the other hand, is something else. The live-action adaptation of the first Disney animated feature film hasn't just flopped; it's an absolute epic disaster in every way for the company.
To start with the finances, the film, which cost a reported $270 million (and might even be bigger than that) has grossed only $69 million domestically and $150 million worldwide. Throw in marketing costs and Disney is looking at a loss of $115 million.
That's compounded by poor critical reviews of the film, with many praising star Rachel Zegler but attacking the poor script, Gal Gadot miscast as the Evil Queen, and the nightmarish CGI of the dwarves. The chances of this breaking even (eve
This comes after the movie was pushed back due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes (which added to the budget) and controversy over political comments made by its star over the source material, the original movie and various real-life issues.
Add that to the backlash against these live-action remakes, and maybe it's no shock that another planned one is being put on hold.
Don't plan on seeing Tangled
An exclusive story at The Hollywood Reporter states that Disney has now "pausing" production on a live-action version of Tangled. The 2010 film was a smash hit adapting the Rapunzel legend with Mandy Moore in the title role, Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider, and featuring the wicked Mother Gothel.
The movie was set to be directed by Michael Gracey, and the script was written by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. There had been no casting yet, but rumors Disney hoped to cast Agatha All Along star Kathryn Hahn as Gothel.
The pause is obviously due to Snow White's failure. After all, when your biggest live-action remake to date suffers such a dismal performance, a studio will be wary green-lighting another like it. Disney still has the live-action Lilo & Stitch coming this summer, and they are filming Moana with Dwayne Johnson reprising his role as Maui.
But this pause, combined with Snow White's collapse, may finally be the death knell for the live-action adaptations…and that's a good thing.
Why the live-action adaptations have run their course
So much has been written about the merits of these live-action adaptations. Many fans feel they're unnecessary and add nothing to the original animated movies. In many ways, it actually takes away that magic as real-life can't match animation.
The "best" example is 2019's The Lion King, as the photorealistic animals looked terrible with those songs. Sure, Mufasa was a surprise success, but also a sign of Disney going to this well too often.
Snow White is a good example, as the attempts to deepen the story don't work. We lack the magic and charm the original had, not to mention alterations like the Queen's fate and Dopey…talking?!
Disney's attempts to "modernize" these stories don't work the way they hoped, and while these past movies have been hits with audiences, they pale in comparison to the original animated features. They're just a huge uneeded waste of time and effort. Now, Snow White is proof audiences are getting tired of them.
There's also how the budgets for these have become outrageously high to the point a movie needs a billion dollars to break even. Tangled would require massive CGI for Rapunzel's hair, which wouldn't be as lovely as in animation. It's also hard seeing the actors match the wonderful animated cast.
With Disney already reeling after some flops, pulling back on such huge projects is the only logical idea. It's time to let the animated classics stand as they are and stop mining them. Not to mention, they've already hit every major animated movie in their catalog anyhow. Do we need a live-action Rescuers?
Now if Lilo or Moana are hits, then Disney may reconsider this idea. But if the legacy of Snow White's failure is that it's finally ending this terrible live-action remake trend, that may be the best thing the movie does for Disney fans.
Snow White now playing in theaters.