Yes, I’m doing this. I’m adding to the long list of articles and columns railing against Hollywood’s obsession with remakes and reboots. But unlike those other articles, I don’t think remakes, reboots and adaptations should end completely. In fact, there may be a place for them in the movie scene. But they need to be done right. You may ask, how does one do a good remake, reboot or adaptation? The most important factor is not staying exactly true to the original but keeping the original’s spirit while adding a new twist. Let’s use a spectrum ranging from “Teen Titans Go!” to “Beauty and the Beast” to illustrate this.
Loosely based on 2003’s “Teen Titans,” originally an action-comedy-drama show, “Teen Titans Go!” is a Cartoon Network animated show about the comedic high jinks of the super powered squad known as the Teen Titans. While the new show may have enough jokes and wackiness to entertain children, many older children and adults who grew up with the original feel disrespected by the remake’s handling of the main characters. Despite having the same characters, setting and voice actors, “Teen Titans Go!” bears only superficial resemblance to the original.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the live-action remake of “Beauty and the Beast.” While some changes were made to the animated classic, the live-action version was largely true to the original with the same plot and way of telling the story. And that’s the problem. It covered the exact same material as the original, the live-action remake had no reason to exist, and you can get nearly the same experience watching the original as the live-action version.
With that said, I’d like to make some suggestions in place of the current remake offerings:
A “Teen Titans Go!”-style “Guardians of the Galaxy” cartoon. “Teen Titans Go!” re-imagines the famous Teen Titans as a group of goofballs who get into wacky and immature high jinks. However, while the original “Teen Titans” used comedy quite often, the characters were never the knuckleheads the new version makes them out to be, leading to mischaracterization, as characters’ personalities either change dramatically or blend into each other as the plot demands. So instead of trying and failing to take serious and competent heroes in a comedic direction, use characters who are already comedic goofballs: the protagonists of Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.” In the right hands, a Guardians of the Galaxy cartoon could show the wacky antics of these unique characters as they bounce off each other and learn to get along, all while fighting evil across the universe. Throw in some fast action and colorful animation to keep the kids’ attention, and you have gold.
“The Lion King” from the perspective of Scar. Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” live-action movie was visually stunning, but narratively, the live-action remake hit many of the same notes as the original with few substantial additions. To avoid the “Lion King” live-action remake falling into the same trap, re-imagine it from the perspective of the fearsome villain Scar. While the original “The Lion King” is regarded as a family classic with a few dark moments, a Scar-centered movie can lean fully into the darkness, examining the psychology behind Scar’s motivations and resentment. If you have any doubts left, Disney already re-imagined “The Lion King” from the perspective of comedic sidekicks Timon and Pumbaa in “The Lion King 1½,” so this wouldn’t be new ground.
The verdict on Illumination Animation’s 2018 production “The Grinch” has been mixed, with some saying the adaptation isn’t necessary due to the lack of meaningful changes and the fact that the classic Dr. Seuss tale was already adapted in 2000’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Instead of retreading old ground, let’s do a Christmas classic with almost no adaptations: “Frosty the Snowman.” First brought to life in a 1969 animated special, Frosty hasn’t been touched since a 2005 direct-to-video sequel, and there has yet to be a major studio adaptation or remake. With only the original and its sequels to go off of, the possibilities are nearly endless, and I think audiences would be glad to see an old classic given new life.
These are just some ideas, of course, and there are loads more than this. But if any Hollywood producer is reading this and decides to do one of these ideas, give me a call!
Jason Zappulla is a UF history junior. His column appears on Mondays.
