There has been a steady pattern of Hollywood remakes, sequels, prequels, and recreations of classic films and television shows within the last few years. Some viewers hate them, others love them.
While some remakes could never surpass the originals, there are several cases where the new version of our favorite characters turns out better than how they were first imagined. Polling app Wishbone polled up to 255,000 voters and compared today's latest remakes vs. the classics to see which resonated more with audiences. Let's take a look at the big and small screen's winners and losers!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cartoon vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Live-Action Film
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was one of everyone's favorite Saturday morning cartoon in the late 1980's. The show and the loving characters catapulted into mainstream popularity in the US and beyond. For years following the cartoon series, fans young and old fell in love with the crime-fighting turtles, making it an instant classic. In 2014, Paramount Pictures released a science fiction action film titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles produced by Michael Bay. The movie featured stars such as Megan Fox, Will Arnett and Johnny Knoxville and was shown in 3D.
When put up against one another, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the film beat out the cartoon by a landslide with 67% of the vote vs. 33%. The film has its advantages over the cartoon --- being live action and 3D is exciting for fans as they see their favorite mini turtles come to life. The younger voters may not of had such of an emotional connection to the cartoon which may have had an influence on the results. Luckily for the live-action film fans, a sequel to the film titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows was released in June 2016. Directed by Michael bay and set in 3D and IMAX 3D, the film is set to be one of the summer's biggest blockbusters.
Alice in Wonderland: Disney Cartoon vs. Tim Burton's Live-Action Remake
Disney's Alice in Wonderland is definitely one of the studio's top classics. Released in 1951, the British-American animated classic stole the hearts of hundreds of fans, young and old with its unique characters and fantasy world. In 2010, director Tim Burton remade the original off a screenplay written by Linda Woolverton and added computer-generated imagery, high-end visual effects and A-list actors like Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway to the mix.
When comparing the two, viewers chose Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland over Disney's original film with 69% of the vote! Makes sense given the film generated over $1 billion in ticket sales and became the fifth highest-grossing film of all time. It did so well, that a sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass was just released in May 2016.
Full House vs. Fuller House
*Cue Full House Intro Music* Who doesn't love Full House?! The San Francisco-based TV sitcom debuted in September 1987 and lived on eight seasons and 192 episodes until airing its last episode in 1995. Viewers practically watched the cast grow up before their eyes, making hearts everywhere break slowly after the announcement of their series finale. In February 2016, a super, highly anticipated spin-off series titled Fuller House debuted as a Netflix original series in February 2016. The show centers around a handful of the original characters with special guest appearances popping up in various episodes.
When the two shows go head to head, Full House beats out Fuller House by taking 64% of the majority vote. Although die-hard fans were enthusiastically excited to hear of Fuller House's debut, it still does not beat out the ultimate 1980's classic, no matter how hard it tries!
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs vs. Snow White and The Huntsman
In 1937, Disney released the animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and it quickly became a household favorite. Snow White quickly rose to fame and became an official member of the Disney Princess line, as well as a regular guest at all Disney theme parks around the world. In 2012, Snow White and the Huntsman was released, a high fantasy action-adventure film based on the original German "Snow White" fairytale. The film featured a well-known cast including Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth. At the box office the film did relatively well earning $396.6 million worldwide.
When comparing the two renditions of the Snow White fairytale, the 2012 remake barley wins over the Disney classic taking 58% of the majority vote vs. 42%. It's a good thing the remake took the cake in this box office battle--in April 2016, a prequel and sequel to the Snow White and the Huntsman was released titled The Huntsman: Winter's War. However, the film includes all the first film's major characters--- all except Snow White herself! Not sure how that will go with Snow White fans... Talk about a plot twist!
Grease vs. Grease: Live
In 1978, Paramount Pictures released Grease, the musical romantic comedy film with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The film became the highest grossing film of the year, and even today in 2016, still remains the highest-grossing movie musical in the United States. In January 2016, Fox aired a live television special titled Grease: Live with a hot young case which included Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens.
When the two musicals go head-to-head, the original Grease won by an overwhelming 64% to 36%. No surprise here - the film was undoubtedly going to win over the live TV special. However, the live musical received positive reviews and a 91% rating based according to Rotten Tomatoes. A valiant effort! Still not enough to beat out the original Sandy and Danny Zuko.
Disney's 1950's Cinderella vs. Disney's 2015 Cinderella
In 1950 Disney released the animated musical fantasy film Cinderella and every little girl from then on wished to be her from that day forward. Cinderella came after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and quickly surpassed Snow White's stardom as a premiere Disney princess. In 2015, Disney released a remake of 1950 animated film in a live-action film featuring actors such as Cate Blanchett and Lily James with the lead role as Cinderella. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design at the 88th Academy Awards and overall positive reviews from critics.
When comparing the animated classic to the 2015 live film, the voters chose the remake giving it 64% of the vote vs. 36%. In these matchup, Disney went up against Disney. It was ultimately a win-win either way! But the costume design was to die-for in the film which made every girl's heart just want to melt. Maybe envisioning Cinderella as a real person hit home for all the princesses watching.
Classics 2 - Remakes 4
When reviewing the box office battles, the final result comes out to Remakes winning 4 over 2. In a preliminary Wishbone poll, 57% of over 130,000 voters said they enjoyed remakes so the results shouldn't be that much of a shock. I think we can all agree, all of these films are enjoyable, we just show the love to some more than others.