Disney remakes: Peter Pan & Wendy and 4 movies with a twist

A live-action Peter Pan & Wendy story is soon to be released by Disney. The studio has been developing the project for a long time, starting in 2016, and it is going to be one of Disney’s most significant projects this year. Peter Pan & Wendy will be a take on the 1953 Peter Pan film, and the source material of the film will be based on J. M. Barrie's 1911 novel Peter and Wendy.

Peter Pan is one of the most beloved characters in Disney. Both in literature and film, Peter Pan had a huge impact. Over time, there have been countless adaptations of Peter Pan, like Finding Neverland and Hook. The character has even appeared in the first Shrek film, another popular movie. So, fans are ecstatic about the re-emergence of Peter Pan in the form of a live-action adaptation.

These days, Disney is trying to make live-action movies out of their popular animated originals. These movies try to be more inclusive than previous Disney movies and work to adapt the works according to the evolving times.

Disney remakes: Peter Pan & Wendy, Maleficent, Mulan, and 2 other movies that come with a twist

1) Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)

Peter Pan & Wendy will soon appear on the streaming platform Disney+. Many are excited to see what this version of Peter Pan brings. So far, a trailer has been launched, and there are plenty of differences to be seen from the original source material.

For starters, J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan declared that girls are “too smart” to become one of the lost in Neverland. However, in the trailer, fans can see several girls in his friend group. Disney plans to adapt the story according to modern times and sensibilities. This is an initiative that can be seen in many of the company's castings nowadays.

For example, Disney’s casting choice of Halle Bailey as the first black mermaid was appreciated by many audiences. It will also work on the racial stereotypes involved in the source material and eliminate them.

According to Yara Shahidi, who plays Tinkerbell in Peter Pan & Wendy, the movie subtly works to correct the racial stereotypes present in the original movie.

She said that she believes the remakes are being made to prove that they are worth being remade in the current times. She added that David Lowery make the film in a way that it "subtly corrects" the stereotypes that are shown in fairy tales.

The story follows Wendy who wants to avoid boarding school and teams up with Peter Pan. They travel to Neverland, where they encounter the evil Captain Hook and have the adventure of a lifetime.

The cast will have Jude Law as Captain Hook and Alan Tudyk, Molly Parker, and Jim Gaffigan will also make appearances.

2) Maleficent (2014)

Disney’s Maleficent was so popular that many claimed it was even higher than the original Sleeping Beauty. The movie not only does a fantastic job portraying the side of the supposed villain and humanizing her but also improves on many aspects of the original story. It flips the coin in the plot, makes King Stefan the main villain, and manages to bring out a feminist perspective as well.

The plot follows a Maleficent in her forest kingdom who trusts a human boy (King Stefan) and forms a friendship with him. However, he betrays her and steals her wings in an ambition to become king. Maleficent, in her rage, patiently waits and curses King Stefan's newborn child Aurora to fall asleep forever the moment she turns 16. The story follows how Maleficent develops a bond with the child and defeats King Stefan in the battle against her forest kingdom.

Angelina Jolie has done a stellar job bringing the intricacies of Maleficent to life. Everything from costumes to cinematography is nothing short of perfection. Disney also plays on what “true love’s kiss” means, and it is Maleficent’s kiss to Aurora that breaks the curse. This is a significant change from the original, where the prince’s kiss breaks Aurora’s sleep.

3) Mulan (2020)

Mulan is the only Disney princess who was not born into royalty or married a prince. Naturally, her rags-to-riches story with feminist interpretation holds great value to the viewers.

Mulan's story follows a young woman who disguises herself as a man to save her ailing father from serving in the army. The story is about bravery, courage, and adventure and manages to touch the hearts of many audience members. The story, however, does improve on its 1998 animated original.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Disney thought that Mulan falling in love with her general might get interpreted in the wrong way. So, the character of Shang, Mulan’s commander in the original movie, is divided into two characters. Chen Honghui, a fellow soldier who she falls in love with, and Commander Tung, who becomes her mentor.

The original montage of wiping out makeup and cutting her hair is also gone. Although many audiences loved the sequence, the new Disney remake decided for Mulan to embrace herself as she is instead of forcefully denying her femininity.

In the original version, Mulan wanted to be more masculine, but in this version, she accepts and embraces herself the way she is and finds strength within her real image.

4) The Lion King (2019)

The original Lion King was one of the most iconic movies by Disney. So, naturally, Disney, amidst its live-action remake trend, decided to remake The Lion King for a new audience.

The movie's plot is almost the same as before. Simba, a young lion cub, flees his kingdom after his father is murdered by Scar, his father’s younger brother. Years later, a chance encounter with Nala, a lioness, causes him to think about his decision and return to take what he should have inherited.

The movie, much like many Disney remakes, tries to humanize the villain. Instead of making Scar a ruthless villain with greedy ambitions, it gets revealed that he is in love with his brother’s queen. Nala also gets more of a front role as she becomes more than just a catalyst for Simba to inherit the throne. She becomes a fierce warrior and a more proactive character.

5) Aladdin (2019)

Although the casting choices had many controversies around it, the strengths of this movie surpass all of them. The biggest change was in Jasmine’s character, which had been adapted beautifully with time.

The movie follows Aladdin, a thief, who makes Princess Jasmine fall in love with him using a magic lamp and its genie. Meanwhile, Jafar, the grand vizier, plots to usurp the king for good. Now Aladdin and the princess must find a way to stop Jafar and his evil plot before it's too late.

Jasmine's character has been adapted to perfection. Instead of her original purpose, which was to get married for love, she was given much more ambition, like becoming the first female sultan of Agrabah.

She is also seen as much more cunning than her original counterpart, as she sees through Aladdin’s guise very quickly. The princess is witty and smart, and her smart quips make her one of the most likable characters in the movie.

Alongside Jasmine, Zafar is also given a back story. It is revealed that his power-hungry behavior comes from his deep-seated past, where he grew up as an impoverished individual. The motivations behind his actions are far more evident in this movie.

Although old movies are classics, they need to improve and evolve with age to remain timeless evergreen movies. All of these movies, apart from Maleficent, are available to stream online, and the viewers can enjoy them on the Disney+ streaming platform. Maleficent appears to be available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Edited by Madhur Dave