As we all know, Walt Disney Pictures are currently on a mission to turn all of their classic animated movies into live-action versions. This month sees the release of Beauty and the Beast with Emma Watson starring as the iconic princess Belle in the Mouse House’s re-imagining of their 1990s classic. The film follows last year’s Oscar-winning The Jungle Book, and previous efforts Cinderella and Maleficent, the Angelina Jolie-led live-action version of Sleeping Beauty. These films are clearly successful, but what animated some of the classic live-action films from the past few decades? Which ones would benefit from an animated version?
Can you name this movie? VUE ENTERTAINMENT
Well, this was clearly a question embedded in the minds of our friends over at Vue Cinemas, who took to the streets to ask the British public which films they think should be turned from live-action to animation. The results are very interesting.
Eduardo Leal, Senior Film Content Manager at Vue Entertainment said:
“When looking at live action remakes of classic animations as a trend, we cannot dissociate this phenomenon from Disney’s central role in shaping the entire industry for the past 20 years. After re-defining animation with Pixar, Disney has been focusing its entire studio strategy on tentpole franchises that lend themselves to what Disney does best since its modest start in the 1920’s – expanding the value of its family entertainment brands into other media (e.g. books, consumer products, theme parks).”
“Even though the company has been active in acquiring other brand portfolios (Marvel, LucasFilm, Pixar), remaking their own classic animations into live action (e.g. Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, Sleeping Beauty/Maleficent, Cinderella) is a natural way of updating these franchises to a new generation whilst taking full advantage of the recent advances in make-up and CGI. As with most Disney film releases, these live-action remakes represent large investments in ‘safe’ household brands that children and parents instantly recognise”
“It’s no surprise that the major animation studios have started to increase their output. Pixar has gone from one release to occasionally two a year, and DreamWorks at one point increased its output to three releases a year. This growth in production is fuelled by success, meaning the number of animated films released is only likely to increase in future. This is because they represent good business for studios, with sequels built around computer generated ecosystems that are cost effective to reproduce, resulting in box office success.”
Take a look at the images below, all created by award winning illustrator Amrit Birdi, and see if you can guess which films are featured. Perhaps you’d like to use our comments area at the bottom of the post to name the movies that made the top ten, and to share your thoughts on all of the films featured?
Can you name them all? Tell us in the comments below.
Great Scott! This film is on most people’s favourite movies of all time. Can you name it?
This film is out of this world, but can you name it?
Life is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re gonna get.
Who you gonna call? What eighties classic made the list…
Can you name this 1970s musical classic? Tell me about it.
Is it safe to go back into the water?
We’ve spared no expense with this entry, but can you tell us what it is?
This multiple Oscar-winner also made the top ten, but can you name it?
It’s a Pirates life for the next entry.
Keep up with the Jones’s for the final entry on our list.
