I’m not saying that Disney isn’t the GOAT, because it is. But this is a cycle in Hollywood that tends to repeat itself far too often. The Disney vault used to be a sacred place full of old VHS classics, re-released for viewing pleasure. But The Jungle Book changed the game.
The Jon Favreau-directed masterpiece hit the industry like 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” back in ’02. There was an extremely negative connotation surrounding Fif, just like fans’ apprehension about an 99% CGI Disney remake. But it just bangs, fam. You can’t deny the potency of the product. “In Da Club” went platinum and The Jungle Book is sitting very close to a billi internationally. Numbers don’t lie.
When big financial wins impact the zeitgeist that way, the rap game and the film biz are pretty synonymous. There’s a very if it aint broke, don’t fix it type of attitude that most of us know doesn’t really apply to art like that. And so everybody comes out of the wood work trying to recapture the magic, right? But what’s most interesting is the pressure on the artist themselves to recreate the feeling they just gave us, so we can feel it all over again. We’re very much indulgent like that as a culture – on a peak of Roman civilization type vibe.
So, here comes Disney with the live action remakes.
Lion King, Mulan, Aladdin – the announcements came back to back with a level of bravado that is unmatched in the marketplace. While other studios are just praying for a win, Disney stands triumphant in a way that only a rapper on the throne can. It was very “Oh, you liked that? Well watch what we do now, son” *mic drop.*
And that’s why I’m scared. The optics on this move don’t exactly look the best, am I right? I think I’d feel a little more secure that my childhood wasn’t about to be cast into the fiery depths of garbage CGI movies if there was a more cautious approach. Favreau is connected to at least one of the upcoming projects (The Lion King) and Guy Ritchie was just confirmed for Aladdin. So honestly, ready or not, here they come. You can’t hide.
And even though I have this sense of fear, there’s also an excitement there, too. I mean, what if you could feel that Disney magic again in 2018, 2019 or 2020? After all, “In Da Club” was not the end of 50 by far. These next three Disney live action installments could be “21 Questions,” “P.I.M.P,” and “Disco Inferno.” But in my opinion, the best part of Disney taking the leap is that at least we’ll all get the chance to find out.
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