Disney did it again! The weekend box office numbers are now in and the live action Cinderella remake made $70.1 million during its debut weekend to take the top spot. It outperformed competitors handily with Liam Neeson's movie Run All Night taking second place movie at just over $11 million. It's not surprising that Disney had such success with their live action remake of the classic fairy tale story. The studio experienced a similar victory when they released Angelina Jolie's Maleficent to a $69.4 million opening weekend last May. It just goes to show that live action fairy tales are here to stay, and Disney is no doubt going to ride that train until it stops making them money.
The studio had also previously tackled Alice in Wonderland, and is now working on producing a live action Beauty and the Beast remake starring Emma Watson. They're showing no signs of slowing down on the fairy tale adaptations, but I'm not even mad. As long as the studio continues to provide the story and the cast necessary to make it worthwhile, they don't have to stop. In fact, I think Disney should seriously consider remaking these classic stories next.
The Princess and the Frog
The groundbreaking 2009 film featured the first black princess and it was really inspiring to see them finally be represented. But aside from that it has a great story set during an interesting time period in the 1920s that would be just as beautiful in real life as it was in the cartoon version.
Mulan
Mulan was one of the most bad-ass Disney characters ever. The plot of the movie featured a female character who for once was not focused on finding love, but was instead trying to help her family and save her country. Such a strong female role model would be perfectly suited for a live action film.
Frozen
Duh. I know they're doing a sequel and everything, but I can never get enough Frozen. This needs to be turned into a live action movie ASAP, and Anna Kendrick needs to be Olaf. 'K thanks bye.
The Little Mermaid
It's been rumored that Sofia Coppola is set to direct a live action adaptation of this fairy tale, but she's going to be doing the darker Hans Christian Andersen version. Disney could make their own version focusing on the lighter Disney film we all know and love. Those songs deserve to be immortalized in every medium possible, and I would love to see a live action version of the underwater tale.
Thumbelina
Another classic Hans Christian Andersen tale worth undertaking. This one already has an animated movie out there, but not a Disney version. It's been 21 years since the first one came out, so if studio could obtain the rights it would be interesting to see the Disney take on the underrated story.
Anastasia
OK, it's not necessarily a fairy tale, but it's one of the few animated films that stands up with the Disney classics (even though it's not a Disney film). I'd love to see the story brought to life under Disney's vision.
More Villain-Oriented Movies
I loved seeing the Sleeping Beauty film get a new spin for Maleficent. It's a creative way to give an old classic an original story. Disney could explore what made Ursula, Scar, Cruella De Vil, or the like turn out the way they did, and crowds would be pouring in to see the fresh angle on their childhood favorite films.
Images: Disney (6); Warner Bros.; 20th Century Fox
