tim burton – NZ Film Freak

Top 7: Live-Action Disney Remakes Coming Soon

Disney has been creating films since 1923, beginning with an Alice in Wonderland cartoon series. But it wasn’t until 1937 that the memorable Snow White and the Seven Dwarves animation was released. Ever since then, Disney Studios has had a fairytale film career with many major successes.

I’m sure everyone holds a Disney animation close to their hearts because of its influence on our childhoods. (Mine is Sleeping Beauty (1959), which I grew up watching on VHS throughout the nineties.) Even today, children are still growing up watching Disney films.

Disney is continuing with its successful films about princesses and magic, but more live-action remakes of the classics are in development rather than brand new animated tales.

It seems we can’t stop loving the old stories. Or, perhaps the old-fashioned animations don’t fascinate the iPad-savvy kids of today.

WHAT REMAKES ARE COMING NEXT?
With rumours of The Lion King being remade as a live-action, I didn’t realise how many more are in the pipeline until I looked into it.

Most recently, the trailer for the film Mowgli was released by Warner Brothers.
(Although, does anyone else feel like this is an identical remake of Disney’s live-action The Jungle Book? Read about the twin movie phenomenon here.)

See if your favourite Disney picture is being remade as a live-action below.
Which one are you most excited for?

Christopher Robin (2018)
Remake of: Disney’s Winnie the Pooh (1966)
Although not my cup of tea, I appreciate that Winnie the Pooh is close to the hearts of many, and after watching the trailer (please see below) I expect to cry all the way through it anyway. This live-action film is directed by Marc Forster and will be released this coming August. Christopher Robin is all grown up in this film, and will be played by Ewen McGregor.

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Sequel to: Mary Poppins (1964)
Emily Blunt will star as Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins Returns, which is to be released at Christmas time this year. That’s 54 years after the original live-action Mary Poppins film, which is the longest gap between live-action film sequels in history. It’ll also star the beloved Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep and Ben Whishaw. While not technically a remake, it is a live-action sequel of the beloved Mary Poppins.

Dumbo (2019)
Remake of: Dumbo (1941)
(Yeah, I’m put off by the above image too.) Dumbo, the live-action remake, will be released in March 2019 and directed by Tim Burton. Burton is a natural choice because he began his career on Disney’s Fox and the Hound (1981), co-produced James and the Giant Peach before directing Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Alice through the Looking Glass (2016). Dumbo will star Colin Farell, Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito.

Aladdin (2019)
Remake of: Aladdin (1992)
To be released in May 2019, this live-action remake will be directed by Guy Ritchie, co-written by John August (Big Fish) and will feature Will Smith as the genie (I miss Robin Williams!). However, there has been some controversy regarding casting, with complaints from fans of ‘white-washing’ after non-Arab, non-Middle Eastern actors were cast.

The Lion King (2019)
Remake of: The Lion King (1994)
To be released in July 2019, I’m sure this is one of the most anticipated live-action Disney films since the release of the animation in 1994. Directed by Jon Favreau (Elf) with Donald Glover cast as Simba, Beyonce as Narla, and Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan as Timon and Pumbaa respectively.

Mulan (2020)
Remake of: Mulan (1998)
I get told off frequently when I admit that I haven’t seen the original animated Mulan, but I hear it is a favourite for many. The storyline is different to all other Disney princess fairytales after all. Not much is known about the film yet but casting for Mulan appears to have been a bit of a drag as casting took place across five continents and 1000 people were auditioned for the iconic part. The director is New Zealand’s very own Niki Caro.

Cruella (TBC)
Spin off of: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
We know jack about Cruella de Vil so far, only that Cruella will be played by the amazing Emma Stone. Strange choice, but I have full confidence that Emma Stone will be brilliant.

There are even more live-action Disney films in early development including Pinocchio, another Snow White film called Rose Red, and a Cinderella-based film called Prince Charming.

There’s a Lady and the Tramp live-action/CGI version coming out in 2019. This is to be directed by Charlie Bean.

The Little Mermaid is being made into a live-action three times! The first one is to be released is a loosely-based indie version, which is to come out in 2019. Universal is working on a version with Richard Curtis as the writer and starring Chloe Moretz, and Disney is in extremely early talks about their film.

There’s also two Peter Pan films in the making: Peter Pan is to be directed by David Lowery, and fans are crossing their fingers hoping that Tom Hiddleston will be cast as Captain Hook. The second Pan film is Tinker Bell, featuring Reece Witherspoon (originally Elizabeth Banks) as Tink!

(Thanks to time.com for the tip offs!)

TIMELINE OF THE DISNEY CLASSICS:
Which is your childhood favourite?

1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
1940 – Pinocchio
1941 – Dumbo
1942 – Bambi
1950 – Cinderella
– Disney’s first ever live-action film Treasure Island
1951 – Alice in Wonderland
1953 – Peter Pan
1955 – Lady and the Tramp
1959 – Sleeping Beauty
1961 – One Hundred and One Dalmatians
1964 – Mary Poppins (live-action)
1966 – Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
– Walt Disney dies on December 15 of lung cancer
1967 – The Jungle Book
1970 – The Aristocats
1973 – Robin Hood
1981 – The Fox and the Hound
– First Disney home video released (Dumbo)
1989 – The Little Mermaid
1991 – Beauty and the Beast
1992 – Aladdin
1994 – The Lion King
1995 – Pocahontas, Toy Story
1996 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame, James and the Giant Peach, 101 Dalmations (live-action)
1997 – Hercules
– First Disney DVDs released
1998 – Mulan, A Bug’s Life
1999 – Tarzan, Toy Story 2
2000 – The Emperor’s New Groove, 102 Dalmatians (live-action)
2001 – Monsters, Inc.
2002 – Lilo & Stitch
2003 – Finding Nemo
2004 – The Incredibles
2006 – Cars
– Disney acquires Pixar studios
2007 – Ratatouille
2009 – Up, A Christmas Carol
2010 – Alice in Wonderland (live-action), Toy Story 3, Tangled
2012 – Wreck-It Ralph
2013 – Oz: The Great and Powerful (live-action), Monsters University, Frozen
2014 – Big Hero 6
2015 – Cinderella (live-action), Inside Out, Brave
2016 – The Jungle Book (live-action), Alice Through the Looking Glass (live-action), Finding Dory, The BFG (live-action), Moana
2017 – Beauty and the Beast (live-action)
2018 – The Incredibles 2
2019 – Toy Story 4, Frozen 2

Along with the classics are well-known stories with a twist: Saving Mr Banks is the heartwarming ‘behind the scenes’ story of Mary Poppins, while Maleficent is about the villain in Sleeping Beauty, and Into the Woods is a jumble of well-known fairytale characters in a musical.

Big Eyes

Director: Tim Burton
Writer: Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander
Released: December 2014
Featuring: Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz
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A Tim Burton film with Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams in it, and composed by Danny Elfman… I kind of knew how this was going to pan out before even pressing play.

It was going to be a bit creepy – because Burton. Quirky and fun – because Adams. Emotionally charged and dark – because Waltz. And choirs and strings – because Elfman.

Nevertheless! This was not a totally predictable Burton tale because it was based on real people and events.

Being set in an era I love, with mesmerising art and admirable, strong female characters, I enjoyed this film very much.

This is the story of Margaret (Adams) who is the artist responsible for the memorable paintings of the children with big eyes during the sixties and seventies.

She married a salesman Walter Keane (Waltz) after walking out on her previous husband. (Which was a big thing for women of that time.) Keane told her that people don’t buy ‘lady art’, so it would be in both of their best financial interests if Margaret’s art was passed off as his.

Over 10 years, that lie snowballed into something much larger, where Margaret was lying to her daughter, lying to herself and losing her identity in a dominated relationship.

Big Eyes follows Margaret’s struggle to pick herself up and stand up to her husband. She had his name, therefore he had her work and consequently, her identity. It wasn’t going to be an easy fight.

Tim Burton has won me back as a Burton fan, because it was different enough, while still keeping the Burton-esk feel. Not everyone had heavy eyeliner, striped fingerless gloves, and Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp were not cast!

Yet the pastel colours, crazy eyes and gorgeous costumes still brought back fond memories of Edward Scissorhands and Dark Shadows.

There were some great scenes, like when everyone’s eyes were like dinner plates in the supermarket. I was mesmerised by how believable Amy Adams is! She is an incredible actress for sure. I could completely understand how blinded she was in her marriage, just by her nervous gestures and mannerisms.

Christoph Waltz is so talented. He is portrayed as the conman who is vindictive and dark, yet so trustworthy and confident – like a used-car salesman. I think he is the best villainous actor in Hollywood.

I love films where the underdog gets justice and revenge…

A true story portrayed like that of a fairytale. We get in the head of a suppressed artist and woman, who expresses her feelings through the sad eyes of the children she paints. Wonderful film, with great 60s and 70s music and décor. Beautiful!

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

Edward Scissorhands

Director: Tim Burton
Writer: Caroline Thompson and Tim Burton
Released: 1990
Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder and Dianne Wiest
—

You’ll either love it or hate it. I happen to love it.

JD as ES Tim Burton’s quirky and off centre idea of normalcy is shown in Edward Scissorhands which is about a man who was created by an inventor who died before he could complete him – hence the scissors for hands. Edward finds himself embraced into suburbia which challenges the belief system of the small, gossipy population, before everything goes wrong and Edward finds himself in a more confused state than ever.

It does seem like a crazy storyline. A man with scissors for hands? Imagine trying to pitch that to a production company…

“Hey, I had this idea about a guy who was created by an inventor out of leather. But the inventor never finished him so he gave the Frankenstein-like character scissors to compensates for his lack of hands… He can’t pick anything up! And sometimes he accidentally hurts himself and others around him… Like a metaphor really… Yeah. So, we need twenty million dollars.”

Anyway! Burton did get it made, with the actors considered to play Edward Scissorhands including Tom Cruise and Michael Jackson. Thankfully, Burton decided to give the teen idol, Johnny Depp (Alice In Wonderland and Public Enemies), a chance to break his type-cast. Nobody could have played the awkward Edward character any better.

Speaking of casting, one of my favourite actresses, Dianne Wiest, (The Lost Boys and The Horse Whisperer) was the perfect choice to play Peg Boggs, the Avon lady and motherly figure to Edward. She is so sensitive and plays the part of a kind suburban house mum very well.

Caroline Thompson was the screenwriter and collaborated with Tim Burton to come up with the story originally. She has written the screenplays to the likes of The Secret Garden and Black Beauty. She is a genius! One of my idols, for sure.

Scissorsuburbs The sets look like a model set because of all of the pastel colours and cookie-cutter, two dimensional looking houses, especially in contrast with the black, gothic castle that Edward Scissorhands hides out in. It is actually a spectacular set which is an exaggeration of suburbia’s claustrophobia, uniformity and lack of individualism or creativity, which is what Edward Scissorhands inadvertently changes when he is introduced to the neighbourhood.

edward_scissorhands_kim_dancing_in_the_snow It is a comedic view on the insanity of normalcy. An entertaining watch – unlike anything you have ever seen before. It is a typical Burton film so if you’re not a fan of his work usually, you may not enjoy the weirdness of Edward Scissorhands. However, the love interest between Edward and Kim (Winona Ryder) as well as the snowy Christmas scenes makes it a great festive movie (despite the somewhat sad ending which Tom Cruise disliked).

A great movie! A fantastical change to the ordinary chick-flicks that flood the market. This is a magical, feel-good fable with a twist that will be appreciated by the whole family.

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10
I’m not overly convinced that either of these trailers give the best feel of what the movie is really like, but here they are…

Big Fish

Director: Tim Burton
Writer: John August (Screenplay), Daniel Wallace (Novel – Big Fish: A Novel of Mythical Proportions)
Released: 2003
Starring: Marion Cotillard, Helena Bonham-Carter, Billy Crudup, Albert Finney and Ewen McGregor
—

I have mentioned this movie in quite a few other posts, relating it to Forrest Gump and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button because of their similar stories about an average man on his adventure through life.

Big Fish is directed by Tim Burton, so already you have probably got an idea of what the feel of this film is. A little bit quirky with gothic undertones, but don’t be fooled, this is not a cookie-cutter Burton film (although it does include the incredible Helena Bonham-Carter), this is an amazing tale about Edward Bloom’s (Albert Finney/Ewan McGregor) life.

circus The protagonist is a storyteller although he is known to exaggerate and embellish the story of his life with fantastical metaphors and unbelievable occurrences. Just like Forrest Gump, Edward is a Southern man who finds himself on a road of various adventures, finds love and goes to war.

But Big Fish is a more light hearted and fantastical version where you’re not quite sure what to believe to be true. Edward Bloom’s stories take up most of the film, but it also tells the story of his son, William Bloom (Billy Crudup).

spectre1

He goes on a journey of his own, retracing his father’s footsteps to find out the real story behind all of Edward’s fabricated tales. The contrast between reality and fantasy makes the story more believable. The facts would have made uninteresting tales, whereas the elaborate stories are entertaining and unbelievable.

I love this piece of dialogue where William’s fiancé Josephine (Marion Cotillard) speaks to William Bloom about how he met is wife, Sandra (Jessica Lange/Alison Lohman). I love Bloom’s way of speaking!

Edward Bloom: Your mother-in-law was never supposed to marry me. She was engaged to somebody else.
Josephine: I never knew.
Edward Bloom: Will never told you? Probably just as well. He would have told it wrong, anyway. All the facts, none of the flavor.
Josephine: Oh. So this is a tall tale.
Edward Bloom: Well, it’s not a short one.

This clip should give you a good idea of the feel of the movie:

The music is fantastic in Big Fish. There is Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Pearl Jam as well as the compositions by the infamous Danny Elfman (who incidentally cannot read music!)

witch Fate, destiny, time, love and death. From real life giants and lion tamers to mermaids and witches, Big Fish is a fantasy/adventure/drama movie, but with a make-believe glaze over it.

It is a story of great imagination which you will want to watch over and over again and read further into the details. It’s entertaining but also pulls on the heart-strings.

Jodie’s rating: 9/10

Just noticed they have used the same piece of music from Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands… and another piece of music I recognise from Black Beauty in this trailer! All of these movies have the same composer though; Danny Elfman.

3D Films… Are they really necessary?

So more and more films are either being made and released as 3D, or re-made in 3D… Is this a necessary evil to keep the industry on its feet? Or are they just doing it because they can?

I’m guessing it is just another money-making scheme.

I honestly enjoy 2D films better than 3D with very few exceptions. VERY few exceptions. In fact, I will name them for you right now:

Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland and Coraline

I think both of these films benefit from 3D because they are animated, the genre is ‘fantasy’ and they are both set in ficticious lands. So the environment is more fantastical without pointless objects being thrown at you for no apparent reason.

Titanic – a step too far? I mean the fact that the sinking of the Titanic was an actual occurence where many died… So by making another, but in 3D, are the production companies simply taking advantage? Then again, thank God it’s not a sequal!!

Having said that, Titanic is a fantastic film that James Cameron did very well on. And it is essentially a love story that happened to be based during a tragic, historical happening…

I just don’t think 3D is needed for good films… (ie: Titanic) But, maybe that’s why. Bad films that would not sell originally, sell very well if they are in 3D. But, you’re paying more for it too. It’s like… $3 extra for watching a crap film that hurts your eyes while using glasses that dig into your face. It’s even worse if you wear prescription glasses.

It’s true. I am not a supporter of this fad. Man, I sure hope it is a fad. I can’t see it becoming a permanent way of watching films to be honest.

I don’t know anybody – who is not under 11 years-old – who actually prefers 3D so… Yeah… Film companies: make sure you keep the 3D films away from the PG rated films and over.

Cool thanks.

Jodie.

Alice In Wonderland (2010)

johnny_depp

Director: Tim Burton
Writer: Linda Woolverton (Based on Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol)
Released: March 2010
Starring: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Mia Wasikowska
—

What a trip!

Despite numerous films portraying Lewis Carroll’s tale of Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton’s gothic varnished tale of being lost in Wonderland hit the nail on the head. Burton’s magical story turned Disney’s musical cartoon into a 3D adventure of mystery and excitement for the whole family.

After Alice (Mia Wasikowska) abandons a surprise engagement party thrown for her, she accidently re-discovers Wonderland or ‘Underland’ as the residents call it. Burton made sure that Alice was down-to-earth and neutral enough for the audience to relate to in the unfamiliar land and out-of-this-world characters throughout the film.

Alice encounters our favourite characters from the Tweedles (Matt Lucas) to the classic Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) who were included in our unforgettable journey through Wonderland.

alice-in-wonderland-cat

Every character was brilliantly portrayed with the most memorable being Johnny Depp’s witty character, The Mad Hatter, whose maddening personality seemed to be the heart of Wonderland.

Depp’s performance was undoubtedly convincing with the audience’s emotions changing as the Hatter’s did. From being sympathetic toward Hatter’s loneliness and despair over the Red Queen’s (Helena Bonham Carter) destruction of the land, to the aggressive and spooky Scottish man he frequently became throughout the film.

The Red Queen’s head was enlarged which was very well done; it portrayed her big-headedness physically, which matched her selfish acts.

The fantastically convincing post-production effects and the use of green screens created a trippy and fantastical trip to and through the land. (Although one may wonder if it would have been a load easier and cheaper to do the entire thing animated).

Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen

The music composed by the incredible Danny Elfman was the cherry on top for this captivating movie. Elfman, who has composed for most of Burton’s films including Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish, stuck to his very traditional/stereotypical mix of choir, horror based music and melodic stringed instruments, which matched the visuals perfectly. Elfman has never failed intertwining contrasting ideas, such as the innocence of Alice and the strange jungle of Wonderland, into nothing less than a masterpiece.

Tim-Burtons-Alice-In-Wonderland

The overall storyline of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland was the perfect addition of Lewis Carroll’s story and Tim Burton’s signature techniques of story-telling. However, the secret world of Narnia and the evil Queen came to mind throughout the film, which didn’t give Alice in Wonderland a very unique or alternative storyline like Burton’s films usually have.

The White Queen, portrayed by Anne Hathaway, was obviously instructed to be the fairytale, almost stereotypical princess which unfortunately did not quite translate as it appeared fake and cringe-worthy. I felt like I was thrown out of the fantastical world with reality hitting like a slap to the face.

Anne Hathaway as The White Queen

The director, Tim Burton, can always be relied upon for the best dark, fantasy-themed movies, and he has lived up to his reputation once again. Burton mentioned that he had not been satisfied with a version of Alice In Wonderland since the book. I agree, and I think this film will most likely be the final version we will see.

Tim-Burtons-Alice-In-Wonderland-alice-in-wonderland-2010-13698617-1360-768 The cast were fantastic and the post production techniques are impressive and live up to today’s high film expectations, especially since the release of Avatar. Burton’s film, Alice in Wonderland, is a recommended view.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10