All the Disney Live-action Musical Movies
There is no shortage of reasons to not like Disney's live action remakes. They're not good. They're part of a larger negative trend in Hollywood. Their moral posturing in relation to the originals usually backfires. The very idea of such repetition was anathema to Walt Disney. Their existence means we live in a world where you have to specify which Lion King you're talking about, and there are people who don't immediately know which one you mean when you say: "the good one."
But another objection, with repercussions beyond the broken hearts of lapsed Disneyites, is the oxygen they take away from fresh adaptations. Many of the fairy tales Disney has produced through animation and then live-action are centuries to millennia-old, passing through myriad interpretations. The cartoon features by Walt Disney and his successors are among the most well-known; in some cases, they are seen as definitive. They're certainly my preferred version in most cases. And if I were being fair to the remakes (and lord, is that hard), they are also valid efforts at adapting these stories. But they are alternate takes on the Disney version, a self-imposed limitation. These fairy tales can be brought to the screen in other ways. More films can and have been made from them, but with how much of a worldwide conglomerate Disney has become, what chance does any fresh approach have in getting a comparable degree of exposure?
To do our part in improving that exposure, here are just a few of the live action adaptations of classic fairy tales that make for fine alternative viewing to Disney's retreads, from around the world and across the history of cinema:
For Beauty and the Beast:La Belle et la Bête (1946, France)
Variants on the idea of a beauty in a love affair with a beastly figure are universal and timeless, but in the realm of popular written fairy tales, the French version written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont is the best known. It is the version Disney adapted for their 1991 musical smash, and the version renowned poet Jean Cocteau made into La Belle et la B ête . Before Disney's, this was considered the definitive interpretation of "Beauty and the Beast" on film. Cocteau has been named part of the "avant-garde," and his film work can be more concerned with poetic expression and imagery than plot. La Belle et la B ête offers long corridors lit by disembodied hands, busts with glowing eyes flanking a fireplace, moving shadows, smoke pouring from the hands of the beast after a fresh kill, and extended sequences of slow motion, trick photography, and music employed to create an ambiance of enchantment. And yet the narrative is still easily accessible, and much more faithful to Beaumont's writing than Disney. La Belle et la B ête has influenced everyone from Ridley Scott in Legend to Francis Ford Coppola in Bram Stoker's Dracula , and its smoke-and-mirrors fantasy of "childlike sympathy" (produced amidst great shortages after World War II) is the equal to any overproduced digital fairyland of today.
Panna A Netvor (1978, Czech)
Beaumont's "Beauty and the Beast" was written in her native French, but fairy tales travel well across cultures. A good number of fantasy films were made in Czechoslovakia in the 1970s, among them director Juraj Herz's interpretation of Beaumont in Panna A Netvor . In the realm of make-up, the film deserves kudos for branching out from the feline approach usually taken for the beast (Netvor); Herz gave him a fierce hawk's head. He also cursed Netvor with a demonic inner voice driving him on to kill the beauty (Julie) and himself. This is a blacker fairy tale than Beaumont's or Cocteau's. Netvor's castle is a rotted and shadow-cloaked ruin in the forest haunted by cherubs, Julie's bed therein becomes a coffin, and human blood stains the beast's hands (or wings). Against these gothic flourishes, Julie explores her beast's past through her dreams, shot in delicate rose gold tones. It isn't the most energetically paced film, but if you like a shot of horror in your fantasy, Panna A Netvor balances both elements beautifully.
For Cinderella:Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973, Czech/Germany)
"Cinderella" is another widespread tale, and many variants do without the fairy godmother and glass slippers made famous by Charles Perrault's telling. The Czech writer Božena Němcová delivered magic to Cinderella through a gift of three hazelnuts. During the fairy tale wave of the 1970s in Czechoslovakia, director Václav Vorlíček adapted Němcová in Three Wishes for Cinderella (Tři oříšky pro Popelku in Czech) as a co-production with East Germany. Along with the hazelnuts, this film mixes up the tradition by playing Cinderella as a trickster. She appears to her prince in various guises, vexing and intriguing him in turns, and when she makes her veiled entrance to the ball, she sets a riddle of her identity for him to puzzle out as a condition of winning her hand. This cat-and-mouse game directed by the mouse takes up more of the film than any conflict with the stepmother, and Libuše Šafránková brings a sly charm to her performance as Cinderella. Another boon for this production is the gorgeous wintertime setting; every exterior is blanketed in pristine snow. This may account for the film's status as a Christmas classic in many European countries; a one-time lapse in yuletide broadcasting in Norway allegedly led to protests!
The Slipper and the Rose (1976, UK)
The Slipper and the Rose shares the same Charles Perrault source material as Disney, and its many songs were written by Walt's favorite songwriting team of Richard and Robert Sherman. Given that, you might expect overt nods and stylistic debts to the 1950 animated film. But The Slipper and the Rose is very much its own production. The Shermans (who also co-wrote the screenplay) delivered an ambitious score more akin to 1950s Broadway than the music of Walt's pictures, and all the fairy godmother's magic is underplayed to charming effect. In giving the prince a name (Edward) and an internal conflict (should marriage be out of love or duty?) the film even anticipates the expansions made in Kenneth Branagh's 2015 Disney remake. Edward's struggles are given greater attention here, arguably more than Cinderella herself. Its 143-minute run time can sometimes beg the question of whether every song was necessary. But the interpretation of the romance is worth it, and the lush widescreen photography offers an immediate visual magic to complement the fairy godmother's subtle spells.
For Aladdin:The Thief of Bagdad (1940, UK)
I'm cheating a bit with this one; The Thief of Bagdad isn't a straightforward adaptation of any tale from One Thousand and One Nights , instead serving more as a pastiche. Still, elements from "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp" feature prominently: the hero Abu is an incorrigible ne'er-do-well at the tale's start, the evil vizier Jaffar possesses the same sorcerer's power as "Aladdin's" villain, and there is a wish-granting genie sprung from a lamp. Disney actually bought the remake rights to The Thief of Bagdad in the early 90s and used elements of it in developing their own Aladdin . But Thief is also one of the unsung gems of early fantasy cinema in its own right. Producer Alexander Korda's exacting but mercurial demands ran through six directors on the project, and yet it's narratively and visually cohesive. It innovated the blue screen process for special effects. Driving it all on is the stirring music of Miklós Rózsa. If you come by this film through the Criterion Channel, put on the commentary track; you'll be treated to Thief of Bagdad superfan Francis Ford Coppola belting out the film's catchy recurring song, "I Want To Be A Sailor."
Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp (1957, India)
"Aladdin" has proven a popular subject for film in India. A cursory search turns up seventeen movies that draw from the tale in one way or another, many of them produced simultaneously in multiple languages. One such production was Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp from 1957, made in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil. It's among the more faithful adaptations to the original story, including such oft-discarded elements as the magic ring and Aladdin's mother. It was also early to adopt the idea of setting the genie free, though he isn't given much of a personality. The special effects of Alladin might not represent the breakthrough that Thief of Bagdad's were, and its fantasy elements may be less spectacular. But there's an endearing quality to the theatrical sets and miniatures featured throughout the film, and splashy musical numbers keep things lively.
For The Jungle Book:Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book (1942, USA)
No, this isn't a fairy tale. And while Disney has technically remade their version of The Jungle Book twice, Stephen Sommers' 1994 film is so divorced from the animated original that it could qualify as a fresh adaptation. It's a shame the film hasn't been added to Disney+. But before even Walt got his hands on the story, it made its way onto film through Alexander Korda's independent 1942 production, directed by his brother Zoltan Korda (among the many directors on Thief of Bagdad). Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book was something of a Thief reunion, reteaming the Kordas with their star Sabu and composer Miklós Rózsa. Sabu always brought great charisma to his roles, and he makes for a fine Mowgli. This version is a little disappointing in its rather limited exploration of Mowgli's connections to the animals in the jungle. That element is present, and well done enough that it begs for more. Instead, a significant chunk of the plot is given over to a treasure hunt by unscrupulous villagers. But this in itself is a fun (if dark) tale of greed. The brothers Korda apparently fought over how best to adapt Kipling to the screen, but in spite of the family tension and some missed opportunities, the film is a fine Technicolor adventure.
For Mulan:Mulan: Rise of a Warrior (2009, China)
Among the arguments made for Disney's live-action remake of Mulan while it was in production was that it would boast a greater level of "cultural accuracy" and a "more grounded, realistic" world. The film ended up receiving some fierce criticism for its handling of cultural matters inside and outside China, and its (relatively) realistic approach was redundant. Mulan: Rise of a Warrior had already claimed that cinematic territory. There's less punchy color in Jingle Ma's 2009 film than Disney's 2020 effort, but plenty of striking design and impressive battle choreography. It's also a much more sprawling narrative, following Mulan through a protracted military campaign that wins her a great reputation and power but claims heartbreak and a bittersweet ending as the price. It's not for kids, and it's not for special effects aficionados either; the film largely keeps things practical and straightforward.
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William Fischer (50 Articles Published)
William Fischer is a writer, artist, and filmmaker from Nebraska, currently studying animation in Ireland while writing for Collider. His art and short stories have appeared in "Intergalactic Medicine Show," "Bards and Sages Quarterly," and "Another Realm" e-zine. Outside the arts, William enjoys cooking, baking, and fencing (Olympic saber and rapier).
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All the Disney Live-action Musical Movies
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