DVDizzy Forum

JeanGreyForever wrote:I guess they don't have enough faith in the film for a theatrical release. A shame, because it would do really well in China and Japan.

Q: There has also been a recent trend of remaking classic animated movies into live-action films – even Lilo & Stitch has been mooted for the remake treatment. What’s your take on that?

Dean DeBlois: I find it off-putting, to be honest. In one sense, I think it’s easy because all of the hard work of finding the story and honing it has been done – so now you get to take a movie that’s been a success and just make it in a different medium. But more than that, I feel that the live-action adaptations negate the animated ones in some way; as if to say that they are better than the original. You know, “let us improve upon your flawed medium.” So as somebody who loves animation, I think it loses the charm.

Maybe it appeals to a wider audience – and they certainly do well. So I am probably in the minority. But especially for a film like Lilo & Stitch, which was such a singular, quirky vision – we were basically a group of people trying to make Chris Sanders’ idea for a storybook come to life. And it’s so personal; it’s not an age-old fairytale or a known legend. It’s such a specific story. So to remake it, particularly with a new group of people that weren’t part of that original team… Yeah, that seems like an odd one to me.

“What are your thoughts on the rising trend of ‘live-action’ remakes of animated films?” the question read, with Debruge adding, “Because I know there is a project in the works for a ‘Lilo & Stitch’ remake, so this is directly going to relate to things that you had a hand in.”

“I’m not interested in them. I haven’t seen many of them. They’re made by capable filmmakers and I don’t want to disparage any of the talent or the hard work that went into them, I just think that it’s lazy on the part of the studio. I think it’s easy to go back to something successful that a really talented team put a lot of years of hard work into and then redo it… but to me that is a missed opportunity to put something original into the world.”

He expressed regret that studios, Disney in particular, would dedicate so much money to budgets “required to do a live-action remake of an animated movie… I would rather see something original… [It] bugs me knowing how well-to-do the studio is, how capable they are of taking risks, to then watch them not take the risks.”

Calling back to Debruge’s question about a possible “Lilo & Stitch” remake, he was even less enthused. “’Lilo & Stitch’ has such a quirky, singular voice. It’s Chris’ sensibility and a story that is very personal to him,” he observed. “(Chris’ voice) is so specific that the idea of another team coming in to remake it as a live-action movie, without Chris or any of us involved, is kind of crazy. Stitch is ubiquitous in merchandising and makes a lot of money. He has to be up there among the bestselling characters in consumer products, so I can see why they want to go back into it… I just don’t like it.

“[Remakes] seem to suggest that the animated version is a lesser form than the expensive glossy live-action movie. Even if it’s not actually live-action,” he finished, alluding to the ongoing argument as to whether films like the entirely CG animated 2019 “The Lion King” remake can be considered live-action.

Sotiris wrote:

Dean DeBlois:And it’s so personal; it’s not an age-old fairytale or a known legend. It’s such a specific story. So to remake it, particularly with a new group of people that weren’t part of that original team… Yeah, that seems like an odd one to me.

Source: https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/how-to ... interview/

Sotiris wrote:Jon M. Chu in Talks to Direct Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' Movie
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat- ... -exclusive

D82 wrote:Is the movie going to be titled just Stitch, or why is it referred to as such twice in the article?

D82 wrote:Also, Disney is hiring many people who worked on Crazy Rich Asians, right? First Awkwafina and screenwriter Adele Lim for Raya and now the director of that movie for the Willow TV series and this.

D82 wrote:He has also directed a musical (In the Heights), so I wonder if he'll keep the Elvis songs in the remake.

Sotiris wrote:The writer must have used only Stitch for brevity's sake. I checked the other trades and they all refer to it as Lilo & Stitch.

Sotiris wrote:Crazy Rich Asians was a financial and critical success, so they figure if they hire the talent from that movie they'll get a high-quality commercial product while keeping up with their promises for increased diversity in front and behind the camera. It's a win-win.

Sotiris wrote:Honestly, I don't care that much if they keep the Elvis songs or not. I just hope they retain Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride and He Mele No Lilo.