Lately there has been a lot of talk about the impending Snow White remake. Does it need to be remade? Why make changes to satisfy a modern audience? Well, remaking classic movies and updating them to modern thinking has been going since the dawn of Hollywood.
A Star is Born was originally released in 1937, the same year the animated Snow White was released. A Star is Born has been remade three times since then, first with Judy Garland in 1954, then Barbra Streisand in 1976, and most recently Lady Gaga in 2018. All of them have won at least one Oscar.
Little Women was originally released in 1949. A new, modernized version was released in 1994, and most recently, an even more updated version came out in 2019.
The Ten Commandments first came out in 1923 during the Silent Film Era. It was remade in 1956 by the same director, Cecil B. DeMille. In 1998, an animated version called The Prince of Egypt, was released by Dreamworks animation. And then in 2014, Ridley Scott director Exodus, Gods and Kings, which was a completely different take on the original story.
One of the biggest classics of all time, King Kong, originally released in 1933, was remade by Peter Jackson in 2005. There were some significant changes made to the story. Fay Raye’s character was not just a starlet in distress but a talented performer and dancer.
The Invisible Man, one of original classic Universal Monster movies that was released in 1933, was recently remade in 2020. The updated version was from the point of view of the wife, who was much more integral to the plot than the original.
True Grit, a John Wayne classic from 1969, was remade in 2010 by the Cohen Brothers. The updated movie put Hailee Steinfeld on the map as the no-nonsense Mattie Ross, which earned her an Oscar nomination.
And lastly, the Disney classic The Parent Trap, which originally came out in 1961, was remade by Disney in 1998. This updated version saw the mother of the twins as an independent businesswoman happy in her life, rather than a lonely woman living with her mother who was only too happy to help the twins chase their father down.
These were all examples of movies that were remade and updated to reflect the audience of the time. These were all classic stories, all beloved by the audiences of their day, and all updated to movies that were again loved by new audiences. Several of the most recent movies on this were nominated for best picture and saw great success at the box office.
These are just a few examples but there are many more. I hope people will realize updating Snow White, which is now extremely dated, is not a terrible thing or a sign that Hollywood, or Disney, is doing something they’ve never done before. Updating a movie to reflect modern sensibilities is nothing new, and is no reason to panic. That’s all for now, and see you at the movies.
A Star is Born was originally released in 1937, the same year the animated Snow White was released. A Star is Born has been remade three times since then, first with Judy Garland in 1954, then Barbra Streisand in 1976, and most recently Lady Gaga in 2018. All of them have won at least one Oscar.
Little Women was originally released in 1949. A new, modernized version was released in 1994, and most recently, an even more updated version came out in 2019.
The Ten Commandments first came out in 1923 during the Silent Film Era. It was remade in 1956 by the same director, Cecil B. DeMille. In 1998, an animated version called The Prince of Egypt, was released by Dreamworks animation. And then in 2014, Ridley Scott director Exodus, Gods and Kings, which was a completely different take on the original story.
One of the biggest classics of all time, King Kong, originally released in 1933, was remade by Peter Jackson in 2005. There were some significant changes made to the story. Fay Raye’s character was not just a starlet in distress but a talented performer and dancer.
The Invisible Man, one of original classic Universal Monster movies that was released in 1933, was recently remade in 2020. The updated version was from the point of view of the wife, who was much more integral to the plot than the original.
True Grit, a John Wayne classic from 1969, was remade in 2010 by the Cohen Brothers. The updated movie put Hailee Steinfeld on the map as the no-nonsense Mattie Ross, which earned her an Oscar nomination.
And lastly, the Disney classic The Parent Trap, which originally came out in 1961, was remade by Disney in 1998. This updated version saw the mother of the twins as an independent businesswoman happy in her life, rather than a lonely woman living with her mother who was only too happy to help the twins chase their father down.
These were all examples of movies that were remade and updated to reflect the audience of the time. These were all classic stories, all beloved by the audiences of their day, and all updated to movies that were again loved by new audiences. Several of the most recent movies on this were nominated for best picture and saw great success at the box office.
These are just a few examples but there are many more. I hope people will realize updating Snow White, which is now extremely dated, is not a terrible thing or a sign that Hollywood, or Disney, is doing something they’ve never done before. Updating a movie to reflect modern sensibilities is nothing new, and is no reason to panic. That’s all for now, and see you at the movies.