Disney should have continued the trend Maleficent set and focused their live-action remakes on the villains

I honestly feel like Disney were this close to making something truly special, and then totally fucked it up in favor of taking the easy way out.Now, before I continue, I should specify that when I say Disney "fucked up" I am strictly and exclusively talking about the quality of the movies and NOT on stuff like profits, box office, brand integrity, etc. Yes, Disney's live action remakes have been massive successes so far (except for Mulan, but that was probably going to break a billion in theaters as well despite how terrible it is), but most fans and critics agree that they're pale imitations of the animated originals that don't do much to either stand apart from them or improve upon them.And it didn't have to be this way. Disney had the perfect template to not only cash in on its big animated properties, but do it in a way that can tell new stories. Namely - do what "Maleficent" did and retell the story from the villain's point of view.Now, I'm not the biggest fan of "Maleficent", but I don't dislike it either. Plus it clearly was beloved enough to receive a sequel many years after it came out, so Disney must also believe there's a substantial audience for it today. Still, despite its flaws it's hard not to see how it took a fairly basic story and put some really, really interesting twists on it by going all "Wicked" on it. I think the result was an interesting enough take to still be worth watching today, alongside the animated original - which certainly can't be said for the other live-action remakes.The thing is, Disney have some of the best villains in cinematic history, and they can 100% carry an entire movie. Can you imagine Lion King, but from Scar's point of view? A progressive with egalitarian views who doesn't agree that the lions should be at the top literally eating everyone else and exiling species they don't like, and who has to oppose a strict monarch that believes in tradition and in looking out for the interest of "his people" above all others. Or Beauty and the Beast from the perspective of Gaston - about a narcissistic asshole who has to learn humility and accept those who are different from himself. Hell, can you imagine a live action Aladdin remake from the perspective of Jafar, a vizier who has to work overtime to keep his kingdom together in the face of an incompetent sultan, an airhead princes who thinks it's okay to sic tigers at foreign princes and a street thief whose sole goal is to get in said princess' pants. Oh wait, you don't need to imagine it because it exists and it's fucking amazing.Obviously not all Disney movies have strong enough villains to carry a live-action remake. Films like Lilo & Stitch or Lady & the Tramp pretty much need to be focused on their titular duos, because, well, a little kid bonding with an alien weapon is an infinitely more compelling story than some other aliens trying to recapture said weapon. But for so many of them, including many of the ones they've already remade, a perspective switch would be a much needed change of pace.Do you agree? And what Disney villains would you give a live action remake to? via /r/movies https://ift.tt/3hwYYHL