Why Disney’s live-action remakes will never be as good as the originals

The live-action remakes miss the magic of traditional animation

Disney continues to roll out live-action adaptations of their animated classics with Dumbo failing to fly, The Lion King rising hopefully over the horizon and Lilo & Stitch glimpsed out in the deep space of the future like a distant planet. “Live-action” isn’t exactly the best way to describe these movies — every single character in The Lion King will be digitally animated — but it’s clear that the term refers to the batch of copyright extending remakes the House of Mouse is pumping out.

These remakes have had a mixed reception. This is as much down to our nostalgia for the classic as it is the film-makers execution but, without reviewing every single one of these flicks — that is without having to sit through them again — and reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of each film, here is why the originals will always have the advantage.

CARTOONS

First things first; animation and cartoons aren’t the same things. The latter is just one stylistic technique used in creating the former. Illustrations — moving or otherwise — doesn’t necessarily denote a cartoon either. There are certain elements of cartoons and cartooning that makes it unique and more than moving illustrations. They’re confusing.

Perhaps it’s this confusion that means people don’t take cartoons very seriously or dismiss…