Pete Docter Says Pixar Will Not Be Making Live-Action Remakes “It Sort of Bothers Me”
Beginning with 2015’s Cinderella, Disney has consistently mined its animated canon to create live-action remakes.
The strategy was spearheaded by former Walt Disney Movie President Sean Baily, and initially, it proved to be a gold mine for the studio.
‘Beauty and the Beast’. Photo: Disney
Films, including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, all managed to gross over $1 billion at the box office, providing Disney with yet another pipeline of hits.
Photo: Disney
Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the shine began to wear off Disney’s live-action remakes. Films such as Mulan (which was released on Disney+ Premier Acces and in theaters simultaneously), Cruella, and The Little Mermaid failed to reach the same levels of success as earlier releases.
Will Pixar Produce Live-Action Remakes?
In a recent interview with TIME, Pixar CCO Pete Docter was asked if the studio would consider making live-action remakes of some of its most popular films.
Pixar Logo
“No, and this might bite me in the butt for saying it, but it sort of bothers me. I like making movies that are original and unique to themselves,” he said. “To remake it, it’s not very interesting to me personally.”
Docter would go on to explain that the success of Pixar’s films has been, in large part, due to the medium in which the stories are told.
Photo: Disney
“It would be tough. So much of what we create only works because of the rules of the [animated] world,” he explained. “So if you have a human walk into a house that floats, your mind goes, ‘Wait a second. Hold on. Houses are super heavy. How are balloons lifting the house?’ But if you have a cartoon guy and he stands there in the house, you go, ‘Okay, I’ll buy it.’ The worlds that we’ve built just don’t translate very easily.”
Docter’s Instincts Are Correct
While it is possible that some of Pixar’s movies (The Incredibles?) would translate to live-action, Docter’s overall assessment of the situation is correct.
Photo: Pixar
Pixar has become synonymous with quality animation and does not seem to currently be in a position to stretch itself thinner.
Photo: Disney/Pixar
Additionally, the live-action remake phase seems to be drawing toward an end.
Disney Seems to Be Moving Away From Remakes
In February, Sean Bailey left Disney and was replaced by Searchlight head David Greenbaum.
While Bailey focused on remakes and franchises, Greenbaum’s calling card has been original, director-driven films.
Photo: Variety
Since Bailey’s exit from the company, we have gotten confirmation that live-action remakes of The Sword in the Stone and Bambi appear to have been canceled.
Photo: Hollywood Insider
Although Disney still has a few projects in the works, including Lilo & Stitch and Snow White, the writing seems to be on the wall.
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