Disney Studios is one of the biggest movie studios in the world. From 2D animated movies to live-action superheroes, Disney knows how to make a blockbuster. That is why this studio holds 7 of the 10 highest box office earners in animated and superhero movies, respectively.

In fact, we firmly believe that Disney is one of the studios behind the greatest animated movies of all time. That is why Disney’s live-action remakes, or rather, their failures, are such an oddity. So, you know we had to ask the question: why do Disney’s live-action remakes keep failing?

Played-out Material

This may seem like an obvious reason, but not to the decision-makers in Disney Studios, apparently. One of the main reasons people simply aren’t thrilled with yet another live-action remake is that the material is played-out. Audiences enjoyed Aladdin, but it had nothing new to say. The simple fact is that none of these live-actions are saying anything new, compared to original animated movies like K-Pop Demon Hunters. So, it is an obvious answer to the question of why do Disney’s live-action remakes keep failing.

Whether you look at the universally panned Mulan live-action remake, or the billionth attempt to make a live-action Snow White, the results are the same. The audience is disappointed, the magic is lacking, and the studio tries to blame the actors or the director. With Snow White, it was Olivier Award winner Rachel Zegler; with Mulan, it was the COVID-19 pandemic. We will see what the excuse is for the Moana live-action remake, as it earned less than 20% of its production budget on opening weekend.

Live-Action Detracts from the Magic

One of the reasons Disney movies are so popular is the sheer magic that animation provides. There is a reason you can find only about 5 non-animated movies among Disney’s top 20 of all time. Viewers, regardless of age, race, gender, and background, count on Disney to deliver that magic that transports you to another world. This is also the answer to the question: why do Disney’s live-action remakes keep failing?

Whether you look at the older movie hits, like 101 Dalmatians and Peter Pan, or the newer hits like Frozen and Moana (2016), this studio knows how to make something special. But when you take that animated magic and try to put it in a live-action setting, based mostly on green screens, then the magic disappears. These movies rely on CGI so much, you have to wonder why they even bother making them live-action in the first place. The most egregious examples are the dwarves for Snow White and the expressionless lions in The Lion King.

Unnecessary Story Changes

We can’t give an answer to the question of why do Disney’s live-action remakes keep failing without addressing the story changes. It seems that Disney is hell-bent on sanitizing even its most popular works, like 101 Dalmatians and Mulan. They created Cruella, completely rewriting Cruella’s character, to make her a sympathetic villain. In Mulan, they eliminated Mushu’s character and Li Shang as a love interest.

In the live-action Lilo & Stitch, they had Nani leave Lilo to pursue her education. This change seems especially ridiculous considering that the Ohana concept is the central piece of the story. The only live-action retelling of a story that changed the narrative successfully was Maleficent. The Angelina Jolie-led retelling of the original animated Sleeping Beauty gave us all a refreshingly new perspective. But Maleficent seems to be the exception.