So, once again, we’ve been treated to the latest spin on the classic Cinderella story. This time its an Amazon original featuring Camila Cabello and lets just say that this is the woke version. Still, the most important elements of the old Disney classic remain intact. Now, Hollywood is no stranger to remakes. In fact, Disney is remaking their entire animated classics into live-action vehicles. Business wise, this is a smart move. Executives are tapping into something familiar yet introduce new elements to keep it fresh; however, there’s a point where too many remakes can kill a franchise. A strong example of this is the Terminator series, with Dark Fate failing to recoup back its production costs and reportedly lost Skydance Media, Paramount, and Fox over $100 million despite the return of the original Sarah Connor. However, some franchises just need to be put out there misery. Enter Cinderella, who had over 20 versions of the animated feature.
In fact, here’s list of just some of the movies made since the 1950s original: Cinderfella (1960) Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973), Ashpet: An American Cinderella (1990), Cindy – Cinderella ’80 (1984), Cinderella; Single Again (2000), Mr. Cinderella (2002), A Cinderella Story (2004), Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale (2010), Cinderella 3D (2012), Old Cinderella (2014), Cinderella the Cat (2017), Cinderella: The Enchanted Beginning (2018), and Cinderella and Secret Prince (2018). You know the crazy thing? This isn’t even the full list of Cinderella remakes! The issue I have with so many remakes is the same thing with The Terminator franchise, executives and producers have no problem pouring funds into these properties, yet hesitate to do so on new and original ideas. Again, Hollywood is a business first and foremost so I understand why they keep trying to milk these cash cows, but audiences have become tiresome of seeing a retread of these products. There’s only so many ways you can tell a Cinderella story. Ultimately, the premise is about a girl who finds true love thanks to talking animals and a fairy Godmother. The central premise is outdated for modern times. The 2015 live-action version proved this as the Cinderella remake felt out of touch with the current culture. However, the issue with the recent version featuring Camila Cabello is that despite its clear wokeness, it can’t escape the core premise of the film’s central idea. In turn, the 2021 version feels at war with itself, wanting to showcase female empowerment and strength, yet forcing itself to succumb to the original beats that made the 1950s film a classic. It’s time to stop investing in the Cinderella property.
Granted, I don’t know the exact numbers that each of the films made. Surely, the franchise is a lucrative one, which explains why there’s so many clones. However, these remakes continue to diminish the original property and re-enforce the narrative that Hollywood is out of original ideas. It would be great if Tinseltown put more stock into original features instead of milking dry an established property. Exactly how times can you tell a story within the Alien universe? Same thing with Halloween or the entire slate of the Disney live-action remakes. By not taking risks on new material, how can Hollywood cash in on potential franchises that could turn out be a lucrative business opportunity? Like I stated previously, I know that Hollywood is a business first and foremost, so I understand not wanting to blow $100 million on some unknown project. However, Avatar is currently the top grossing film of all-time. That’s a NEW and original film that a studio took a risk and invested in. Avengers: Endgame currently holds the No. 2 spot. Had Kevin Feige not taking a gamble by crafting the Marvel Cinematic Universe then the superhero craze wouldn’t exist today. The topic of why the Cinderella remakes need to stop is more than just a personal disdain for the same story told in a slightly different scope. It represents the core issues of constant remakes, reboots, and sequels. They’re just cash cows, nothing much more than that. There are times when a remake is actually better than the original. There are also plenty of movies with tons of potential that could get the reboot treatment (I’m looking at you In Time). I’m not here saying remakes need to be gone forever. I’m stating that its time to move on from trying to milk a dead cash cow. Cinderella is a strong example of that, thus the reasoning for its callout. Plus, none of the remakes have come close to match the quality of the original 1950s classic. Let’s hope that the latest Cinderella is the last film in this franchise. Of course, I’m not holding my breath on that one.Cinderella
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