Live-action remakes have become increasingly popular in Hollywood, but the most exciting one does not come from Disney. The idea of remaking animated movies in animation is something that Disney did for decades before Alice in Wonderland‘s $1 billion box office performance in 2010 showed the studio the type of financial reward they could bring. This led to an increased effort to turn classic Disney animated movies into high-budget live-action blockbusters from 2014 onward. The studio has already burned through most classics, as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Cinderella, and more have been remade.
Disney’s upcoming live-action remake plans are not slowing down either. The studio is in the midst of developing new versions of Snow White, Lilo & Stitch, Hercules, and Bambi. Disney is even working on a Moana live-action remake less than a decade after the animated movie became so popular. The overall success that Disney’s live-action remakes have had means that the Mouse House is no longer the only major studio looking to turn its animated properties to live-action next. This means there are plenty of live-action remakes in development across Hollywood, but the most exciting one is not from Disney.
Disney Live-Action Remakes Ranked Worst To Best
Recently, Disney has cashed in on nostalgia and is making many live-action remakes of some of their animated classics. Letterboxd ranks the best here.
How To Train Your Dragon Is The Most Exciting Upcoming Live-Action Remake
Universal and DreamWorks are deep in the process of making a How To Train Your Dragon live-action remake. The project was announced in early 2023 with the original animated movies’ director, Dean DeBlois, confirmed to return to write and direct the reimagining. The new How To Train Your Dragon movie is set for release in 2025 and cast Mason Thames (Black Phone) and Nico Parker (The Last of Us) to play Hiccup and Astrid, respectively. While there are certainly challenges to remaking the popular animated movies based on the books by Cressida Cowell, excitement is sky-high.
How To Train Your Dragon‘s live-action remake is coming just six years after audiences last saw Hiccup and Toothless’ adventures conclude in animation. One of the movie’s biggest appeals is the chance to see Toothless and other dragons realized in live-action. Any trepidation about the remake not living up to the high bar set by the How To Train Your Dragon movies is also lessened thanks to Dean DeBlois returning. Having the creator behind the original animated movies back on board means fans can rest assured that the remake is being spearheaded by someone who loves the franchise. It’s easy to be excited thanks to this.
Why How To Train Your Dragon Is DreamWorks’ First Live-Action Remake From $16B Movie Lineup
DreamWorks is making its first live-action remake with How To Train Your Dragon, bypassing movies like Shrek or Kung Fu Panda, for a good reason.
Disney’s Live-Action Remakes Have Declined In Quality In Recent Years
The anticipation levels for the new How To Train Your Dragon come from the expected quality of the movie itself, but it being the most exciting upcoming live-action remake is also a result of Disney’s recent run. It is fair to say that the quality of the movies has declined in recent years, resulting in many of them being less successful due to a drop in interest or being more harshly reviewed by critics and audiences. 2019 is where things started to change, as Disney released five live-action remakes that year alone, tackling major hits like The Lion King and Aladdin to classics in Dumbo and Lady and the Tramp.
Over the last four years, Disney’s live-action remake strategy has given audiences Mulan, Cruella, Pinocchio, Peter Pan & Wendy, and The Little Mermaid. These films tackled iconic and popular stories, updating them in various ways to give audiences a new experience. However, Cruella received the best reviews of the bunch with its 75% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. The issues with Disney’s live-action remakes go back to 2019, though, as Lady and the Tramp was the only one to receive a Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. The recent run has understandably made it more difficult to get excited about what else is to come.
How To Train Your Dragon’s Remake Comes At The Perfect Time
Through the combination of bringing a new spin to a story audiences already know and adore and Disney’s stumble, How To Train Your Dragon‘s live-action remake is coming at the perfect time. Whereas Disney’s remakes are mostly focused on a similar type of story, DreamWorks’ animated franchise holds a fresh setting and world that can put the remake in a different category. The live-action How To Train Your Dragon can be a sprawling epic fantasy adventure, which is not a realm that Disney’s remakes have typically covered. That should help set it apart and feel fresh, whereas Disney’s remakes feel more like part of a corporate machine.
