“Some Disney purists may be asking why, considering so many of these films were great to begin with” Drew Mackie prompts, referring to Disney’s recent revival as a live-action enterprise. “The answer is simple… these are films people are willing to shell out to watch” (People).
Over the past few years, Disney has started to rebrand itself as a live-action enterprise, focusing on transformation of classics. The Jungle Book (2016), for example, features extensive computer-generated imagery to recreate the favorite animated jungle world into a “real” jungle. The new movie has a dark side, rated PG for “sequences of scary action and peril.” So while this new, live-action side to Disney might not be for everyone, there is one thing Disney is doing right: that is, making millions.
The Jungle Book (2016) made nearly $88 million at the box office in its first three days… that’s one of the highest grossing April debuts since 2011 (Romper). Cinderella (2015), too, took home a big win after transforming the favorite animated fairytale, earning more than $543 million. But as if at incomparable levels, beloved Alive in Wonderland (2010) earned itself to be the sixth movie in cinema history to make over $1 billion in the global box office (First Showing).
Disney’s efforts to rebrand have seen great successes. So what’s next in Disney’s newly successful live-action dynasty, then? Rumors have it that Disney will recreate Mary Poppins, saying the film will take place 20 years after the time of the favorite animated classic. Another much anticipated film, Beauty and the Beast, is set to hit theaters in March 2017, with Emma Watson starring as beautiful Belle. There is even talk of The Little Mermaid, a Tim Burton-directed Dumbo, Mulan, Pinocchio, Winnie the Pooh, and more (People).
Stay tuned and see what other classics will have a massively successful, tremendously admired rebound. In the meantime, how can you steer away from retrofitting your products to fit our complex, ever-changing, modern society?
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/shrinknp_400_400/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAUBAAAAJGMwNmMxMTBmLTgwODItNGY2NS05MDViLTY3YWY2ZDkxNTc1NQ.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Elizabeth is a Junior Executive Intern at SJG. She earned her BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison this past May. Outside the office, she enjoys bike riding, listening to music, and hanging with friends and family.[/author_info] [/author]