Live action Disney: Bringing out the child in you

As a kid, my favorite day of the week was Friday. My whole family would gather around the television and watch an animated movie, usually starring a princess singing her heart out to small woodland creatures. These movies often left me wishing I too had four birds to help me get up every morning. The best part about these nights, however, was that my parents seemed to enjoy it just as much as I did, despite the age difference. As a teenager, I now watch these movies with my younger sister and see her feel just as enchanted with the stories as I was.

Recently, Disney came out with the live action remake of a celebrated classic, “Beauty and the Beast,” starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. The film graced the big screens on March 17, bringing the music, dresses and talking teapot back into our lives as adults. When “Beauty and the Beast” first released in 1991, I wasn’t even born! I remember seeing it over a decade later when I was seven, enchanted by the idea of a candlestick that can sing. I celebrated my 19th birthday by watching the story again, still enchanted by the singing candlestick. Although Watson put her own spin on Belle, the main storyline that we enjoyed as kids stayed the same. Disney decided not to use animation for this film to give us a new take on the characters and target the now-adult audience that grew up watching the original.

“Beauty and the Beast” is only one of many recent films that have brought us back to the shining happiness of being a child. After the success of “Maleficent,” “Cinderella,” “Alice in Wonderland” and now “Beauty and the Beast,” Disney has announced that they also plan to remake “Mulan” and “101 Dalmatians” along with more than 10 others. I believe these movies will fill theaters with people of all ages, from the young children who are seeing the story for the first time to people like me who can’t wait to feel the nostalgia. These films played a large role in shaping us as children, from the lessons we learned from the characters to the desire of being a princess with her own library. The stories manage to resonate with generations of young children who keep them close to their hearts even into adulthood. It truly is the magic of Disney.