Snow White And The 7 Other Classics Greedy Disney Milked To Death

Snow White and 7 the Other Classics Greedy Disney Milked to Death

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today - in the aftermath of “Snow White” 2025 - we’re taking a closer look at it and the other classic properties that Disney has ruthlessly run through the mud in recent times.

Snow White

1937’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is where it all began for Disney and, really, for feature-length animated movies in general. So, in another world, it might’ve been exciting to revisit and reimagine something that’s so entrenched in Hollywood history. But that world is not this world. The live action remake made headlines, sure, but only because it seemingly managed to annoy everyone. Controversy dogged the project from announcement through to release, with rumors of feuds between the cast and reports of scaled back premieres as Disney aimed for damage limitation. Rachel Zegler’s turn as the title character did receive some praise from some reviewers, but the rest of it was relentlessly panned. It goes down as a cash grab poison apple which left audiences relating to one particular character far more than the rest. [BN Grumpy]

Pinocchio

If “Snow White” was where it all began, then the original “Pinocchio” was what proved that the magic wasn’t a one-off. The tale of a wooden boy searching for real meaning is easily one of Disney’s most popular films of all time. But then they went and did what they did in 2022. The Robert Zemeckis remake fell flat, to put it mildly. Critics and fans rallied against the soulless rehashing of what should’ve been a timeless tale. Disney threw Pinocchio into the modern world by trying to polish him up with some shiny CGI. But, in so doing they rubbed out all the charm. It came three years after Tim Burton’s remake of “Dumbo”, which reportedly lost the studio a ton of money. “Pinocchio” certainly couldn’t regain those losses. For many it couldn’t even justify its own existence.

The Lion King

When will Disney just leave their best work be? “The Lion King” was a huge driver of the studio’s renaissance over the 1990s. It was a movie that could make you sing, laugh, cry, sing some more and still, when it was over, you felt compelled to rewind it back to the start and watch it all again. In truth, perhaps Jon Favreau’s 2019 remake wasn’t quite so bad as many of Disney’s other misfirings. It definitely made a fortune at the box office, as fans flocked to see the new take. But, that doesn’t make the photorealistic animation any less… jarring. It doesn’t make the slow and methodical pace any less… tedious. From a commercial point of view, the huge takings of the 2019 version do justify the 2024 follow-up, “Mufassa”... but, but was anyone really asking for this particular origin story? Probably not but, where Disney’s concerned, relentless redos are apparently the circle of life.

Star Wars

When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, a heady mixture of fear and excitement amongst “Star Wars” fans soon bubbled up to make 2015’s “The Force Awakens” one of the most hotly anticipated movies ever. Could the House of Mouse be trusted to do the iconic saga justice? Many were doubtful but, on first showing, the signs were good. For the most part, “The Force Awakens” earned “Star Wars” new fans… and it didn’t royally anger those who’d been with it since the ‘70s. “Rogue One”, as well, was genuinely great. But, over time, the good feeling gradually faded. And, by the sequel trilogy’s close - with “The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019 - the now-muddled story left many dissatisfied. True, there’s nothing catastrophic about these movies, but the fatigue is real. Not that that will stop Disney from going at it again and again, and again.

Winnie-the-Pooh

Was there ever a happier, more whimsical, generally light and enjoyable bunch of Disney characters than Winnie-the-Pooh and friends? Yet, somehow, they managed to misguidedly turn all that fun and brightness on its head for 2018’s “Christopher Robin”. Now, here again is a movie that does have its plus points. For one, Ewan McGregor’s performance is effective and affecting. But, ultimately, all the story boils down to is a stereotypical swipe at how grumpy adults lose their joy and imagination in favor of working themselves to the bone. All the Winnie-the-Pooh-ness is just, kind of, lost. Of course, rather than think up new characters and stories, Disney opts to go to the well again with a supposedly fresh (but ultimately thin) alternative perspective. It’s a formula that we’ve come to know and expect. In this case, though, it simply missed the mark. And, in the concurrent era of Paddington, new Winnie lost out big time.

Alice in Wonderland

Wherever there’s a sequel to be made, you can bet your bottom dollar that Disney will make it. For better or, more usually, for worse. “Moana” was an awesome original with a forgettable follow up. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise has been steadily sailing into rougher and rougher seas for years now. But, with “Alice Through the Looking Glass”, Disney apparently plumbed new depths of pointlessness. This Mad Hatter backstory was exactly what no one needed. The look and feel of the film followed on from the first live action “Alice” - which in itself was only mildly well-received - while the incessant kookiness in “Looking Glass” seemingly meant that they could just skip over there being any kind of actual story, at all. No amount of bright colors and setpieces can excuse such blatant and lazy pillaging of a classic.

Captain America

Like it or loathe it, the MCU has had an incredible run. And Disney has been a large part of its success. But all good things do come to an end, and the tide had been steadily turning against the seemingly never-ending Marvel movies even before “Brave New World” in 2025. Nevertheless, “Brave New World” did become something of a dumping ground for everyone’s growing grievances. Anthony Mackie’s starring role worked well, Harrison Ford as a rampaging Red Hulk turned heads. But, other than that, this long awaited revamp for one of Marvel’s greatest ever characters was a whole heap of nothing much. Place a villain with incredible power here; add a clunky, crashy fight scene there; insert ambiguous easter eggs throughout… it’s tried and tested and tired. And the pressure’s only mounting on Disney to stop the slump.

Toy Story

You’d be hard pressed to find a better, more influential, more universally liked cinematic trilogy than the first three Toy Storys. With Andy passing on his toys at the end of “3”, the bittersweet move from childhood to adulthood caught many by surprise in how goddam emotional it all was. With “Toy Story 4”, Disney perhaps pushed its luck… but survived. While it could reasonably be described as the weakest instalment, “4” did still carry most of the magic. “Lightyear”, though, in 2022, missed the high bar of its predecessors. While, in the last decade or so we’ve learnt that apparently every mainstream, leading character needs an origin story, perhaps Buzz just didn’t. And, with “Toy Story 5” coming over the horizon, some fans are growing concerned. OK, so this is a classic that hasn’t yet been milked to death exactly… but is the time when it will’ve been fast approaching?

So, what do you think? Is Disney destroying legacies? Or are things actually not so bad as all that? Let us know in the comments!