Opinion by ElliePeter

Remaking a classic movie can either make or break a Hollywood director’s career. Several aspects make the audience turn away from the movie, or alternatively, walk towards it. 

In the past few decades, movie remakes have become a major part of the film industry. As society has evolved, movies try to adapt to these new expectations. “The Little Mermaid,” originally released in 1989 and remade in 2023, faced backlash for trying to adhere to inclusivity. 

The original Ariel was an animated mermaid with pale skin and red hair. In the remake, Halle Bailey, who is African-American, rocked flowing red locs, an ode to the original but still true to herself. Her casting stirred up a row of controversy, because of, you guessed it: her skin color. Remakes of original movies find themselves sinking in controversy because of the changes to original characters’ physical appearances and attempts to modernize the movie. 

The question being asked is not if Halle Bailey was qualified to play Ariel, which she did beautifully, but if the remake of the Disney classic was truly necessary. The original scored a ranking of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, beating the 2023 remake score of 67%. 

Live action Disney movies usually follow the same pattern of downfall. The die-hard fans clearly favor the original animated movies compared to the new versions. 

The original 1991 “Beauty and the Beast” scored a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes compared to the remake in 2017, which scored a 71%. A review from a Rotten Tomatoes reviewer said it best: “‘Beauty and the Beast’ will come as a colossal disappointment, bringing back into focus an elephant-sized question that nostalgia doesn’t want us to answer: what exactly is the point of these live-action re-imaginings?”

The most recent remake of “Mean Girls” gathered tons of media backlash. The main complaint was the fact that it was a musical, which was not advertised as well as it should have been, as well as the cheap looking outfits that The Plastics would never be seen wearing. If a remake is deemed truly necessary, at least keep characters true to themselves. Elf makeup is great, but Regina George would never wear drugstore makeup. 

Some remakes have paid homage to their original predecessors and still managed to do better than the original. “Dune,” for example, was originally released in 1984 and is considered too cramped and rushed, albeit visually beautiful. Based off of the 1965 novel by the same name, the movie crammed a 631 page book into a two hour and 17 minute movie. 

The remake, with part one released in 2021 and part two about to be released, has a star studded cast with a much better timeline. The remake has been received with praise for keeping the original story line with more depth and development. 

The line between a money- grabbing remake and a real passion for a movie is a tough one to walk. 

No matter what, Hollywood can’t please everyone, but they’ll definitely try. 

Hopefully in future remakes of classic movies, they will keep the original plots in mind, as well as the original audience.