Stop live-action remakes — they aren’t the best way to honor animated classics

'Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs' (1937) versus 'Snow White' live-action (2025)

If Walt Disney could see that the 'Snow White' live-action adaptation was truly a flop, he would be turning in his grave. The 1937 animated film, based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, was both a critical and commercial success, helping to establish the company as the entertainment giant it is today.

During the production of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' many thought that making a full-length cartoon was pointless, overly ambitious, and, at that point, so expensive that they began to call it 'Disney’s folly.' However, in contrast to all the pessimism, it turned out to be, as everyone already knows, a global hit. 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' was the first animated feature film to use cell animation, along with sound and color. In short, Walt Disney’s project was a bold move that proved groundbreaking. Thanks to this masterpiece, we can now say, as animation fans love to repeat, 'Animation is cinema.

By the way, 2024 was a fantastic year for animation, and 2025 seems to be heading in the same direction. So why do studios keep insisting on releasing live-action remakes of animated classics? Sure, we all know remakes are often just cash grabs — especially in the post-pandemic era, when studios are desperate to bring moviegoers back and, of course, make money. The live-action 'Alice in Wonderland,' for example, did really well at the box office before the pandemic. We’ve all seen that. But that doesn’t always work, and this live-action trend feels tired. In my opinion, some classics are better left untouched.

Pixar’s Inside Out 2, the highest-grossing movie of 2024, helped revive Disney after a series of failures and questionable decisions. Remember that the live-action Alice in Wonderland had nearly the same budget as Inside Out 2, but the latter proved more profitable, grossing $1.69 billion compared to $1.02 billion for the 2010 remake. Four out of the ten highest-grossing films of 2024 were animated. More recently, the Chinese animated feature Ne Zha 2 reached $2.08 billion, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of all time worldwide. Of course, animated movies still need to be good — with compelling storytelling, well-developed characters, and emotional depth. It's not just about massive marketing. Just remember what happened to Wish.

After Snow White’s poor performance, Disney’s live-action adaptation of Tangled has been put on pause. Could this be a sign that it’s time to stop making these remakes? I think so — but many of them are still set to be released soon. They’re not the best way to honor animated classics. Instead, studios should invest in animated remakes, sequels, documentaries (why not?), or even compelling original stories.

‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ was nominated for Best Musical Score at the Academy Awards in 1938. There wasn’t a category for Best Animated Feature yet, but the movie certainly would have won if there had been one. The last time Disney won Best Animated Feature was in 2022 with Encanto. Despite being a big hit and an amazing movie, Pixar’s Inside Out 2 was far from being a front-runner for the Oscars. For me, these facts suggest that the company needs to change some strategies as soon as possible.