Disney’s live action remakes have been around since the 1990s, and after decades of production and remakes of its original and classic movies, Disney is slowing down the pace of new remakes following the release of “Snow White,” which premiered Mar. 21, 2025. The decision stems from the studio’s struggle with audience fatigue and changing priorities in entertainment overall.
Ever since the major success of 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland,” Disney has heavily invested in recreating its animated movies into live action. These productions have grossed billions of dollars worldwide with films such as “The Lion King” and “Aladdin” that both came out in 2019. Although other movies such as “Mulan” (2020) and “Peter Pan and Wendy” (2023) did not perform as well and even stirred up controversy.
The new “Snow White” remake, starring Rachel Zegler, has already created plenty of talk, but not all good. Debates regarding casting decisions, plot changes, and quotes from cast members have fueled the backlash.
Senior Mallory Sledge said, “If Disney is writing a new narrative, they should write new movies, not rewrite and change the ones I grew up watching and love.”
Financial uncertainty is another concern. Remakes require large investment, and with shifting audience trends and attention, not all movies have paid off. Competition from streaming platforms and other studios have all contributed too.
Disney also continues to develop new franchises like “Encanto” and continues to build out of the Marvel and Star Wars universes.
While Disney hasn’t officially stated the live action remakes are coming to an end, the slow down does have fans wondering what the next chapter of Disney looks like.
