Are We Stuck in an Endless Cycle of Live Action Remakes? | Let's Discuss with Film Probe

Are We Stuck in an Endless Cycle of Live Action Remakes? 

The short answer is yes but let’s discuss the topic of live action remakes and the timeline of adapting films made for animation into a live action reimagining. 

This post will explore how Film Probe feels about live action remakes and how it impacts me as a film consumer, critic and lover but also the wider consumer of cinema. 

I have always felt incredibly strongly about this topic and I have always swayed against live action remakes from the simple fact that they erase history. Remaking a film more often than not erases the original for a huge amount of people, for instance, why would someone watch Snow White 1937 when they can watch the 2025 version instead? It becomes a replacement not a reimagining or a homage… a replacement. For someone like me, who lives, breathes and consumes cinema on a daily basis, cinema history is incredibly important to me. Understanding the legacy of films, the commitment to create them and the passion behind them is something which should never be ignored or forgotten.  

When we look at the cinematic landscape, we can see the impact live action remakes have had on the industry. The film industry has become reliant on this medium, recycling old stories into a “new” version of itself. For over a decade we’ve had live action remakes dominating the box office and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down any time soon. 

Most recently cinemas were graced with ‘How to Train your Dragon’ (2025), the live action remake and when I say remake, it was practically a shot for shot remake. Usually this style of film is something I would never endorse or give my money to but Universal have been incredibly savvy and brought out this film to further promote their newest theme park, Epic Universe. I’m visiting Epic Universe later this year and out of pure excitement I went to see the film and I did genuinely love it… because it was a shot for shot remake of the original. The original ‘How to Train your Dragon’ was a huge risk back in 2010, with a budget of $165 million the studios had committed a lot of time and money into the project and it paid off massively with that film earning nearly $500 million at the box office. Currently, speaking on Saturday 14th June the live action box office gross is $82.5M. That’s the best opening ever in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, and it’s the fourth highest opening weekend of 2025, so far, behind A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch and Captain America: Brave New World. 

The animated ‘How to Train your Dragon’ is timeless and represents the studios commitment to telling new stories, new characters and creating a beloved franchise. The live action does erase the original, it acts as a replacement for audiences and I do not agree with that but I will justify my review by saying I was emotionally attached to the original film and the live action surprised me but the original will always be on top. 

When money is easy to grab, films like ‘How to Train your Dragon’ cannot be left alone. Studios will see the potential, see the money and call it an easy project. Disney are the leaders of this movement, relying on loyal fans of their films to mindlessly rewatch their sea of live action remakes and sadly, they will. 

As a 90’s kid, I’ve seen my fair share of live action films as a child. Disney’s 101 Dalmatians (1996) and 102 Dalmatians (2000) were some of my family's favourite watches. Did these watches erase my love of the original animation as a child? No, it genuinely didn't but I was introduced to Disney’s animated films very early in my life and they hold an incredible sense of nostalgia for me. 

Disney's first attempt at a live action remake was Jungle Book in 1994, later followed by 101 Dalmatians in 1996. Both films were largely rewritten but were still received relatively well, 101 Dalmatians made more than $300 million at the box office which sparked a second film which didn’t quite cash in the same numbers. 

Next, Disney decided to give audiences something a little unconventional. Working with dazzling filmmaker Tim Burton to bring to life Alice Carol’s famous novel Alice in Wonderland (1951). The live action remake was released in 2010 and it was a commercial success, grossing over $1 billion at the box office but Burton’s style didn’t speak to critics. Although it did make money so as you can assume this made Disney crave the success of live actions all the more. Their risky projects were paying off and audiences were continuing to show admiration by going to the cinema. You can imagine what comes next, Maleficent (2014), Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), then we get Beauty and the Beast (2017). 

Beauty and the Beast (2017) was a significant success both with fans and in numbers, grossing over $1.2 billion at the box office. This featured Emma Watson in the title role of Belle and saw a shift in live action remakes, it showed audiences what Disney can do. They can bring nostalgia, they can pay homage to their original films and they can bring films into modern times. 

Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991. It was a special film for me, I was called Belle as a child so you can imagine my disdain when they announced the live action remake. I was seething, practically foaming at the mouth but did the film surprise me? Yes. Did I find it beautiful seeing young girls dressed as Bella in the cinema, yes. Disney has the power to retell their most precious stories for a new generation. On the one hand, live actions erase the original but it also keeps the story alive, it breathes new life into it. Not everyone will introduce their children to the original film so maybe live actions further the appreciation, further the love of the stories, make the fan base even bigger. 

The success of Beauty and the Beast (2017) of course was followed by Aladdin (2019), Lady and the Tramp (2019), The Lion King (2019), Mulan (2020), Pinocchio (2022) and The Little Mermaid (2023). Over saturating the market, forcing live actions onto audiences. Disney’s film history is somewhat tainted from their over consumption of live action remakes, people roll their eyes and yawn when you utter the word Disney. That is truly sad, these films were unnecessary, they marketed far too hard and far too strongly on something which wasn’t guaranteed to be a success. 

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (2017) was a success for a lot of reasons; the story, the casting and the execution but I also like to believe it was the timing. Films don’t just magically do well at the box office, you must take in a variety of factors. Who was the president at the time? Did we see an incline in economic growth? The world impacts people's actions and their need for nostalgia and stories. As the world changes, the need for stories changes, the cry for originality and creativity changes. 

Today, the world is struggling politically, financially, socially - audiences crave originality and fresh stories but instead we are continuing to be met with the same narratives we’ve seen time and time again. Sometimes it will pay off but mostly it will infuriate audiences. Recently we’ve seen Snow White (2025), Lilo and Stitch (2025) and soon Moana (2026), when will it end? 

In a world that is forever changing, in an industry where the cinematic landscape is adapting and favouring money over storytelling - it is natural to try and adapt. Studios will always make live action remakes of their intellectual properties because it’s easy for them. Live action remakes can erase the heritage of cinema but if made right, it can also be passionate and respectful retelling of the original. Is it always a money grab? Yes. Is it always badly made? No. 

Also, it is important to be aware that a large majority of general consumers of cinema do not care. They simply don’t care if a film is a live action remake, that doesn’t resonate with them. Most people my age won’t be introducing their kids to the ‘original’, I will be a dinosaur showing my children the original films over the live action remakes but I will. In order to keep the history alive, to the general consumer of cinema these things don’t impact them but to someone in the industry, like me, it can be frustrating. I want to try and adapt with the times but it is difficult to usher in a new way of filmmaking. It is unnatural to move with technology. We cannot allow the industry to erase history or heritage, we cannot quietly allow studios to over shine animation or disrespect it. I want studios to see audiences aren’t asking for these films but the money means more to them. 

As much as I try to fight it, it isn’t going to stop. 

Live action remakes aren’t stopping any time soon and I will continue to watch them from a creative point of view. I want to know what the industry is making, I want to discuss it and I want to hopefully be surprised and impressed by it. ‘How to Train your Dragon’ (2025) surprised me, ‘Lilo & Stitch’ (2025) surprised me. Does that mean these films are timeless classics that are worthy replacements of their original films? No way, not a hope in hell but does it encourage a new wave of fans, yes. 

I also haven’t touched on the impact of technology and particularly the increase in AI… which is very likely to further cause challenges for animators. Which scares me greatly but I feel like that is a conversation for another day, which I would love to discuss further. 

I think my general consensus when it comes to live action remakes is; it’s sad. It’s sad to see the industry relying on laziness, studios churning out retellings of classic stories because it’s convenient, reliable and easy to make money. As an actor, writer and general film lover it is difficult to see the increase in live action remakes. It scares me for the future of cinema, it makes me nervous that original storytellers are disappearing but in reality - that will never happen. Creativity is still alive, I watch short films and independent films on a daily basis, the creativity is never going away. The problem is studios being obsessed with numbers, which they always have been but now more than ever. Studio heads are lazy, wanting to make a quick buck, that is the problem with the industry. As a consumer the easy answer is to stop consuming, stop watching the films and stop giving the studios money; easy right? Well, for someone like me who reviews films for a living, it isn’t that easy. Sure, I could write a terrible review but I also want to keep my integrity as a critic. I am honest with my reviews, I explain my personal attachment to a feature which will most definitely impact my overall enjoyment but I do try to open a conversation and learn from the bigger audience too. I like to be told how someone else interpreted a feature, how it spoke to a bigger audience than just myself. By watching films and reviewing them I often learn so much more about the impact of a feature and I love starting that conversation.  

As a film lover, the only thing we can do is be honest. If you watch a live action movie and you hate it, share your thoughts with the world. If you watched a live action movie and loved it, share your thoughts. Cinema is subjective at the end of the day and each of us are entitled to our own opinions but the number one way I will honour the original films is to watch them, review them and introduce them to the people around me. As long as WE keep those films alive, the history will never disappear. 

Thank you for reading this extensive commentary on live action remakes, this was a little passion project I wanted to share. Live action remakes are an ever growing, ever adapting market within cinema and it’s a hard topic to swallow. 

What are your thoughts on live action remakes? Do you refuse to watch them or have you been pleasantly surprised by them? Let’s start a conversation and discuss the future and legacy of live action remakes.