Type of Submission
Podium Presentation
Proposal
Since the success of Tim Burton’s live-action reimagining of Alice in Wonderland in 2010, Disney has been churning out remake after remake of their classic animated films, the most recent being The Little Mermaid in 2023 and with many more planned to come in the next several years. Film critics and fans alike have criticized these films for failing to live up to the quality of the originals in terms of direction, visuals, and performances. While these critiques are well-founded, none of the aspects of the Disney live-action remakes were as disappointing as the music. It was the iconic musical numbers, from soaring character ballads to foreboding villain songs to high-energy dances, that made Walt Disney Animation Studios a staple in households across the world and beloved by all ages. However, the music in the live-action remakes ranges from mediocre copies of the iconic tunes to bizarre additions to the soundtrack that clash with the style of the original score. This presentation will be a side-by-side comparison of classic Disney films with their respective remakes to show that aspects like the vocal performances, orchestrations, and overall direction were executed far better in the originals.
Works Cited:
Kurtti, Jeff, dir. The Jungle Book: The Making of a Musical Masterpiece. 1997; Burbank CA: Walt Disney Home Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHegmY7g760&list=P LjVm DBB9hUgtuk6ocjvMr32Km5AyzKVLu&index=7.
Coyle, Rebecca, and Jon Fitzgerald. “Disney Does Broadway: Musical Storytelling in The Little Mermaid and The Lion King,” in Drawn to Sound: Animation Film Music and Sonicity, edited by Rebecca Coyle, 223-248. London, UK: Equinox Publishing LTD, 2010.
Hischak, Thomas S. Musicals in Film: A Guide to the Genre. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2017.
Sideways. “Why the Music in the Live Action Disney Remakes is Worse than You Thought,” February 29, 2020. Video, 30:11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaO3M-zZR8E&l ist=PL jVmDBB9hUgtuk6ocjvMr32Km5AyzKVLu.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Publication Date
2024
A Tale Not So Old as Time: Why the Music of the Disney Live-Action Remakes Pales in Comparison to the Originals
Since the success of Tim Burton’s live-action reimagining of Alice in Wonderland in 2010, Disney has been churning out remake after remake of their classic animated films, the most recent being The Little Mermaid in 2023 and with many more planned to come in the next several years. Film critics and fans alike have criticized these films for failing to live up to the quality of the originals in terms of direction, visuals, and performances. While these critiques are well-founded, none of the aspects of the Disney live-action remakes were as disappointing as the music. It was the iconic musical numbers, from soaring character ballads to foreboding villain songs to high-energy dances, that made Walt Disney Animation Studios a staple in households across the world and beloved by all ages. However, the music in the live-action remakes ranges from mediocre copies of the iconic tunes to bizarre additions to the soundtrack that clash with the style of the original score. This presentation will be a side-by-side comparison of classic Disney films with their respective remakes to show that aspects like the vocal performances, orchestrations, and overall direction were executed far better in the originals.
Works Cited:
Kurtti, Jeff, dir. The Jungle Book: The Making of a Musical Masterpiece. 1997; Burbank CA: Walt Disney Home Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHegmY7g760&list=P LjVm DBB9hUgtuk6ocjvMr32Km5AyzKVLu&index=7.
Coyle, Rebecca, and Jon Fitzgerald. “Disney Does Broadway: Musical Storytelling in The Little Mermaid and The Lion King,” in Drawn to Sound: Animation Film Music and Sonicity, edited by Rebecca Coyle, 223-248. London, UK: Equinox Publishing LTD, 2010.
Hischak, Thomas S. Musicals in Film: A Guide to the Genre. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2017.
Sideways. “Why the Music in the Live Action Disney Remakes is Worse than You Thought,” February 29, 2020. Video, 30:11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaO3M-zZR8E&l ist=PL jVmDBB9hUgtuk6ocjvMr32Km5AyzKVLu.
