Cinderella
Starting off strong, we have Cinderella. My relationship with Cinderella is a rollercoaster for sure. As a young kid, I LOVED Cinderella. I wanted to be her so bad, but as I grew older, I fell out of love with her. To me, she did not compare to the rest of the princesses. Not to be that gal, but I also do not believe in love at first sight, so I am, in fact, biased. Regardless, in 2015, the live-action was released, and girl, you better know I was still pumped for this. This movie was magical, and once again, Disney SLAYED this casting. Lily James is the definition of a girl boss who can do no wrong. I love her in anything I see, so she killed this. This movie represented the original well but was also able to add a modern twist, which I loved. One MASSIVE pet peeve about remakes is when they ruin the original, but the remake still had the magic of the old, timely original, which was one of my favorite things about the movie. Furthermore, I must mention the blue dress because it was so iconic that my jaw was on the floor.
Beauty and the Beast
Next up, we have a classic, Beauty and the Beast. Growing up, this was one of my favorite movies as a kid; from the soundtrack to the variety of characters, it was easily a top-five Disney for me. In 2017, the live-action version was released. Before this, it was released in the press that Emma Watson would play Bell, and when I tell you I was screaming, I was. There could not have been a more perfect pick. She fits this role into a tea. Just by looking at Emma Watson, she looked so studious, and her voice was perfect. The costumes and sets were also fantastic. The costumes were very realistic for the time, and the way they made Belle stand out in her outfits was the cherry on top of the sundae we call Beauty and the Beast. One aspect that could have been better about this movie is that the Beast lowkey needed to be cuter for Belle. Don’t hate me, but it is literally Emma Watson. I mean, did they look adorable together? Yes? Does Emma Watson deserve perfection and more? Yes! Now, moving on!
The Little Mermaid
And last but not least, my FAVORITE Disney remake of all time, The Little Mermaid. This movie still has a chokehold on me. I could write an entire ten-page essay on why everything in that movie just made sense. And for the people who say that Halle Bailey was not the perfect choice for Ariel respectfully need to admit they are wrong. Halle Bailey is actually Ariel like no one else could EVER touch her. The directors of the film discussed how in the audition singing part of your world, Halle Bailey SET THE BAR and no one else compared. That’s how all auditions should be. And this movie is the perfect definition of making changes to the plot to improve it. Uncharted waters is one of the best additions to a movie in cinematic history and is currently on my playlist. The role of Eric in general was so much better in the remake than the original. In the remake, Prince Eric has goals and dreams. I’m not gonna lie to you I had no idea Eric traveled the world until the remake. I just loved his character development and by the end of the movie, even I wanted to marry him. And speaking of amazing couples and marriage, I cannot get over the chemistry these two actors had. Like they need to realize they are in love with each other. The way Halle was able to make me FULL ON believe that she was in love with this man without saying a single word is so impressive and shows what an amazing actress she is. I also loved the choice of Melissa Mcarthy for Ursula. Once again that was an amazing choice, and she just fits the character so well! However, I have to say her makeup in the movie was atrocious. My only notes for the remake would be parts of the animation. What this remake did to flounder was messed up. He looked sad to me. Was the voice actor perfect? Yes, but he looked sad and not like a chubby flounder. 8-year-old needed to see a chubby flounder and I did not get that.