Onto my second point of concern regarding the HTTYD live-action remake (and live-action remakes as a whole). These remakes are made to bank off and profit directly from the original. Many of them depend on the audience fondly remembering the original story and use that nostalgia to blind the viewer and prevent them from looking critically at this new adaptation.
The worst offender when it comes to this is easily the 2019 Lion King. That movie is incredibly subpar... taken on its own. It is stiff, emotionless, and soulless. It performs the musical number "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" in BROAD DAYLIGHT. Taken on its own, it is a poor film. But people flocked to see it. People even genuinely enjoyed it. It is the highest-grossing animated feature of all time (despite marketing itself as a live-action remake). Why? Because people love The Lion King. I love The Lion King. It is a beautiful film with striking story beats, a phenomenal score, and gorgeous visuals. It has stood the test of time and is still an absolute joy to watch today. Everyone who grew up with this movie knows the story, so when they went to the incredibly mediocre 2019 "live-action" remake, their brains filled in for the lack of truly striking visuals, the reduction in the quality of the score, and ESPECIALLY for the loss of character expression and emotion.
I will say that there are times when I have actually enjoyed a remake. They can be good. But this is almost always for stories that are decently told. It is never for stories that are amazing. The remake of Disney's Jungle Book was fun. But, to be fair, I don't think the original animated feature is incredible. The remake of Cinderella was also good. Again... the original animated feature was ok. Not great. So what these remakes did was add depth and nuance. Needed character arcs. Meanwhile, the remakes of Aladdin, Beauty and The Beast, and The Lion King have been abysmal to sit through. Especially the latter two. They are stiffly remade, shot for shot, with any added elements being a detriment to the story. Why are these elements added? To try and justify a remake and give fans something "better". And yet these new additions always fall flat. Why? Because the original story was extremely well made. The narrative was tightly crafted. We did not need a love interest for the Genie. We did not need to go to Paris and learn that Belle's mother died in the plague. We did not need to take the song "Be Prepared" and turn it into a ridiculously self-serious whispering monologue. My gosh. Every remake of something that is already great, something that has no need to be remade, is inoffensively tame at BEST and a disgrace to the original and the audience who loves it at worst.
These remakes don't need to be good to make money. And that makes me deeply sad. It is like a vile parasite that feeds on the nostalgia of fans. Don't you miss that feeling of being young, sitting in the theater, and hearing "This Is Berk"? I do! But do I want my childhood treasure to be downgraded and lazily adapted to a different medium... a medium that will not fit it as well? I really don't. It tarnishes the legacy HTTYD has.
In the commentary segments available in the bonus features of HTTYD, Jay talks about how he feels he worked on something timeless. And he did. HTTYD stands up today, and it will stand as a great film ten years from now. It does not need this remake. These remakes are inherently starting from a place of creative compromise, and it is a shame that vast amounts of time and talent will be spent to tell a story we've already seen told better.
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