The Four Stages of Dealing with the Remake of Your Favorite Movie

2019 is shaping up to be quite the year for film remakes, with everything from classic horror to childhood favorites getting a second chance on the silver screen. If you’re like me, this might cause some mixed feelings. For example, I have fond memories of watching the Lion King on Friday nights with a bowl full of popcorn placed precariously on my lap — and what I saw of the 2019 version just didn’t gel with that mental image. It took some time for me to realize that a remake might not be so bad after all.

Let me take you through my journey from a naysayer to a fan. First, we need to take a quick trip back to 2017 when I first heard about the movie.

Source: Giphy

What do you mean they’re making a live action Lion King? Ugh! I bet they’re going to go for that hyper-realistic CGI look. Back in my day animated films had character. They had a distinctive style. What’s with all these studios going for hyper-realism? They’ll do anything to play the nostalgia card! Well, I’m not going to fall for it. If they really wanted to make a live action Lion King, they could just make another Hamlet!

Source: Giphy

What do you mean they’re making a live action Lion King? Ugh! I bet they’re going to go for that hyper-realistic CGI look. Back in my day animated films had character. They had a distinctive style. What’s with all these studios going for hyper-realism? They’ll do anything to play the nostalgia card! Well, I’m not going to fall for it. If they really wanted to make a live action Lion King, they could just make another Hamlet!

Source: Giphy

Alright, I guess I can find out more about the cast. Wait, James Earl Jones is reprising his role as Mufasa? Donald Glover as Simba? And hold on — Beyoncé as Nala?

That’s actually really cool! I mean, with a cast like that, it surely won’t be a bad movie, right? These are some really talented people after all. And with Jon Favreau directing, it’ll probably stay true to the original. He did a pretty good job with Jungle Book a few years back.

Source: Giphy

Okay, so this is happening, and it actually looks pretty good. The realistic CGI gives the movie a different feel, but it’s not a bad thing. There’s something magical about seeing a real ‘live’ lion talk. And from what I’ve seen in the trailers, it’s staying pretty close to the original. This is actually going to be fun.

Source: Tenor

Just two more weeks till the movie comes out! All the cast interviews are amazing, and I’m just waiting for the tickets to drop because I’ve cleared a weekend for this.

It’s going to be so interesting to see what they change and what they keep the same! I bet a whole new generation of kids are going to fall in love with this story, and I can’t wait!

From annoyance to excitement, the ride to accepting a remake is more of a roller coaster than a pleasure cruise. But once you get over that knee-jerk reaction, you have space in your heart to fall in love with your favorite movie all over again.