For those handful of you who haven't Disney's annual gutting of your childhood in the form of a mess of a remake named Beauty and the Beast (2017) (Does anyone else find it surreal that we now have to identify these films as their own separare entities by year releases?), you would find that I absolutely despised the film, despite it not being as awfully made a film as many other sequels and reboots have been for franchises (Fan4Stic and Dumb and Dumber 2 come to mind). But the reason I hated this film more than any of the other reboots Disney has come out with or any other company for that matter, is because unlike their most tolerable remake (Cinderella (2015)), the film did not even attempt to make itself a different film from the Walt Disney Classic we all grew up with. It covered all of the basic areas the 1991 film did, without adding anything soluable or useful to the plot and instead relied more on already established things about the original film and tired and overused cliches (such as the death of a parent we never get to know or meet, or the abusive parents etc.). But the one thing I hated the most about this film was this undeserved sense of arrogance that this film permeates, that it was clearly doing something no film had ever attempted, save for the film of the same fucking name released twenty five years earlier.
Whether you found the film good or not, you cannot deny that this year's film represents a crossroad that the studio is going to cross this year. While all of the previous remakes had some things in common with the original, they didn't wholeheartedly rip off moments from the films and even added their own layers to already well made films and stories. Cinderella, for example, added depth to the character of the Wicked Stepmother, no longer making her out to be some generic hellspawn, but a layered three dimensional character. Beauty and the Beast had no shame directly stealing from the 1991 film in many ways and still retaining the arrogance that it was doing something different and was a deeper film than it really was. But the crossroads does not end at just directly stealing from a film. They also go towards whether or not Disney will make sequels or reboots to films that aren't held in as much high regard. So far, with the possible exceptions of Pete's Dragon and Maleficent (as many fans have mixed feelings regarding Sleeping Beauty), all of the Disney remakes have been based on their most well known and beloved films, rather than films they didn't exactly get right on the first try. And looking ahead doesn't bode too well for other remakes, as the future remakes being announced have been for all fan favorite films like Mulan, Mary Poppins, The Lion King, and Aladdin, but no love or respect for other lesser known Disney content, such as The Sword in the Stone or Treasure Planet, both films that could use serious retooling as reboots that could perhaps be better than the original films that were, at best, average Disney films.
In the following article, I will highlight five Disney films/properties that could seriously use a reboot or sequel that could add lots of depth and realism to films that, to be quite frank for some, lacked any sense of it.
But first, here are a few honorable mentions:
Treasure Planet (2002): Granted, I've never been the biggest fan of this 2002 box office disaster for the Disney Studios, but I will admit that this film has some of the best characters in any film released at that time. The science fiction retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" could easily reinvigorate people to a medium that is currently being dominated by Star Wars. Though Disney might not want to jeopardize their monopoly over Sci Fi (with Star Trek almost certainly going to get rebooted again, and both Avatar and Terminator struggling to be made or find audiences respectively), they could also revolutionize a film that is in serious need of fixing.
Hercules (1997): Disney may not view their 1997 telling of the Greek Myth as a good film to capitalize on, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe cannot last forever, and when that eventually dries up, there won't be much competition for a superhero movie for the DCCU (provided they get their collective shit together themselves). An action packed retelling of their film or even just telling a more faithful adaptation to the story of Hercules could perhaps generate the next age of superheroes for Disney, especially if told and executed correctly.
Mickey and the Beanstalk (1947): Going back to a simpler time, the second act of Fun and Fancy Free was originally supposed to be it's own full length animated feature, but was scrapped with the US entering World War II. A full length story of Jack and the Beanstalk could be an interesting take for Disney (this is an honorable mention, because this has been confirmed to be an upcoming Disney Animated Feature).
Without further ado, here are my five choices:
5. A Sequel to Fantasia
And no, I'm not talking about a "back patting" sequel to this legendary Disney Classic like Fantasia 2000 was. An authentic and genuine sequel to The Concert Feature would prove to me that Disney was not only able to make a competent sequel to one of their most cherished films, but that their animation was forever going to remain a top the food chain, with Pixar and Dreamworks forever eating off their tablescraps. Ditching all that didn't work in Fantasia 2000 (the pointless celebrity cameos and the time and budget slashing), and giving audiences a genuine look at their great animation through classical music (even if the animation is CGI). They have done excellent work with their musical shorts, such as The Little Match Girl, and even did some great work on some of their pieces for Fantasia 2000. There are still some very famous pieces of music they haven't touched, such as Ride of the Valkyries and Swan Lake that I think could make for excellent pieces if done correctly and not botched like Carnival of the Animals and Beethoven's Fifth were. Keep it genuine and the film should be another addition to Disney's cavalcade of classics.4. A More Serious Peter Pan
After the disaster of Pan at the box office (we'll get to that shit show in time), it has become abundantly clear that the only company that can do anything positive nowadays with the cast and stories of James Barrie is Disney. After all, the darkest part of their show Once Upon a Time is the cruelness and dark stories behind Peter Pan and his treatment of Lost Boys and those who grow up on him. My personal favorite take on Peter Pan is the 2003 film, mostly because of how dark it was willing to go with their designs for Neverland and their takes on Captain Hook and other key parts of the story. It wasn't overly cute fluff like the 1953 Disney Version. Seeing as how there were more Peter Pan and Wendy stories beside their run ins with Captain Hook, Disney can be at an advantage if they were to remake their film and make it a more action and much darker take on the story, to better diversify from their previous film. I would be more than excited to see a darker take on Peter Pan (being a fan of the books myself) and would be more than happy to see Disney stop being overly safe and try something new...3. The Sword in the Stone
Though this one has been teased for a long time, I will not take this request back until it is fully confirmed as an upcoming reboot. Disney's take on the Legends of King Arthur were, unique, to say the very least. Very few stories cover Arthur's youth or even learning about how to become a good king and focus on his wars and the Knights of the Round Table and it made their 1963 film a very unique take. If only The Sword in the Stone had been a more consistent film. Even if you want to turn this into the full Legend of King Arthur, you can still cover most of the original film while still bringing up things about the Arthur Legend we all would like to see on screen again. With there being a huge gap in terms of Fantasy Franchises on the big screen right now (see #1 for this fact as well), Disney could swoop in and claim the genre for themselves. 2. A More Adult The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Virtually every time Disney has tackled some sort of retelling of Victor Hugo's dark tragedy (with obvious exception of the DTV sequel) since the 1996 film's release to theaters, their versions have been darker, more adult, and more complex than even their highly acclaimed animated version. A deeper and darker retelling of their animated film (a film that has continued to sky rocket in acclaim and adoration), would be a welcome surprise to all of the reboots they've been attempting to show us. I personally doubt that Disney has the gumption or guts to release such an adult film in their library again, especially seeing the films they have selected and the subsequent results of their "reimaginings", though I think we could safely say that the remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame would be the best of them all, without a doubt in my mind...well...with one exception...1. The Chronicles of Pyrdain
The film that was supposed to put Disney Animation back on the map, ironically decimated the studio and almost caused the studio to be shut down. And yet, the book series was arguably the most acclaimed of all Fantasy Literature for Children before Harry Potter came along. It had great action, well written characters, great morals and stories and an overall charm to it that few other stories could relate to. Disney swung and missed badly in their first attempt to make this film work, but if they actually put effort into making as good characters as they did visual effects, they could perhaps jump start Fantasy Films into a place that they were just a decade ago. And the place I would start first is with The Chronicles of Pyrdain (AKA The Black Cauldron). It would forever put to bed this sickening feeling the company has towards this film and would allow Disney to avenge their past mistakes by making a film that could appeal to all audiences and be its own thing, whereas Disney's last Fantasy Franchise was forced into being the next "Lord of the Rings". 
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