DISNEY’S LIVE-ACTION REMAKES IN 2019 The Power of Nostalgia
‘Aladdin,’ May 2019 The original“Aladdin” hit theaters in 1992, ultimately pulling in Oscars for best score and best song. Now, 27 years later, Disney has
Even if someone doesn’t consider themselves a movie buff, they’ve likely heard about Disney’s decision to harness —and capitalize on— the power of viewer nostalgia with live-action remakes of its beloved classics. Back in 1996, Disney tested this formula for the first time, releasing“101 Dalmatians”with Glenn Close starring as the brilliantly deranged Cruella stalking puppies for their fur. After breaking box office records on the first weekend, Disney decided to create a slow trickle of other live-action remakes using the same blueprint:“Alice inWonderland”in 2010,“Cinderella”in 2015,“The Jungle Book”in 2016, and “Beauty and the Beast”in 2017, among several others. By promising viewers the storyline they loved as a child, a star-studded cast, some vaguely cheeky references, 3D visuals, and added action, Disney has created a recipe for box office success. Here are three live-action remakes that have been or will be released in 2019. ‘Dumbo,’ March 2019 Unlike the animated classic released in 1941, this live-action version introduces a former circus star, played by Colin Farrell, and his two children as caretakers of the big-eared, flying mammal. Directed by Tim Burton,“Dumbo”doesn’t use real elephants on screen. Disney instead uses a mixture of CGI and live-action. Other major stars in the film include Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton, and Eva Green.
decided to retain many of the original’s musical and narrative elements. While fans of the first filmwill surely miss hearing the voice of the late RobinWilliams, the genie will still play a central role in the film’s story and will be brought to life byWill Smith. Actors Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott will play Aladdin and Jasmine, respectively. ‘The LionKing,’ July 2019 The original film became one of the biggest animated features at the time of its release in 1994, and all of the beloved characters will return in a live-action/CGI version. While James Earl Jones will return as the voice for Mufasa, the remake will also feature Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, John Oliver as Zazu, and Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, as well as a long list of other talented men and women.
Hopefully these three remakes will dredge up some of the same wonder and joy the original stories evoked.
CHRIS C.
I’ve written before about clients suffering from reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD, aka complex regional pain syndrome), a devastating condition that results from relatively minor injuries, causing profound pain and disability. Thirty years ago, much like carpal tunnel syndrome, RSD was considered a controversial diagnosis; doctors and the Ohio Bureau of Workers’Compensation (BWC) were split on whether the condition was legit. Some thought it was “all in your head”or just something doctors diagnosed when they couldn’t figure out “the real problem.”Such thinking also led to wholesale denial of treatment requests. Whereas spinal cord stimulators and morphine pain pumps are recognized as proper treatment today, they were considered experimental back in the day and routinely denied. The first client I recall breaking through the approval barrier is Chris C. (An alias has been used per request.) Chris was an attorney representing Ohio in multimillion-dollar utility cases. She became a client after suffering what seemed to be a fairly minor injury: She tripped getting into an elevator at work that stopped 2–3 inches above floor level, falling and bruising her knees. Though she remained at work, she rapidly developed significant pain in her knees that spread to other areas of her body. She worked at home
for a couple months and intermittently had arthroscopies with shaving of both patellas, epidural blocks, and bilateral lumbar sympathectomies (cutting a nerve to relieve pain). She became extremely sensitive to light and required enormous amounts of opioid pain medicine with little relief. Ultimately, a pain specialist and her orthopedist (one of the finest in the state) requested the BWC approve a pain pump. Initially denied, we won on appeal, and the pain pump was installed over 20 years ago. She’s required several replacements since then. While Chris could not return to any work despite her high level of education — we succeeded in having the Industrial Commission award her permanent total disability — she improved to the point of enjoying some quality of life again. She’s a member of several online support groups for people suffering from RSD, and she encourages all of them to seek medical attention and find help for their condition. She’s a great inspiration as she continues moving forward one day at a time.
2
www.monastlaw.com
Made with FlippingBook Annual report