A Piece of Childhood returns in 2016

By Cassie Coughlin |Staff Writer|

It seems 2016 will be the year Hollywood grants us with the gift of revisiting some of our childhood films.

The most stand out classics making their presence this year is “Tarzan,” “The Jungle Book,” “Finding Dory,” and “Alice Through the Looking Glass.”

Seeing a film that was so dear to our childhood hearts, remade or made into a sequel, might cause some to reminisce on simpler times. Although these remakes are similar, they are not the same as the classics.

“These remakes allow you to enjoy them differently, because the action is emphasized more and they seem more real life, rather than cartoon version,” said student Lydia Delgado.

These latest films are different than their older animated counterparts because they present real humans and computer-generated imagery-based looking animals playing the roles of our beloved characters.

For some, it might be strange to watch “The Jungle Book,” releasing April 15, and see the character Baloo not be a bubbly animated bear, but actually appear as a grizzly bear that could realistically hurt Mowgli with one wrong swing of his paw.

“It makes me feel deeply saddened for the new generation that doesn’t get to watch ‘The Jungle Book’ in cartoon, and instead they get this weird real life version with no singing or dancing, which is why ‘The Jungle Book’ was originally so appealing to kids,” said student and marketing major John Orta.

Not all films are remaking these classics into real life looking illustrations. “Finding Dory,” which is releasing June 17 and is the sequel to “Finding Nemo,” is sticking to its roots and staying animated.

In the “Finding Dory” trailer, the audience gets a glimpse into the familiar animated underwater world they saw in “Finding Nemo,” and even see some reoccurring characters from the first film, like Marvin and Nemo.

After viewing the trailers and seeing some of the iconic characters such as the apes from “Tarzan,” the black panther Bagheera from “The Jungle Book,” and the Mad Hatter from “Alice in Wonderland,” it’s hard not to compare the upcoming films to the classics.

Although some characters are still making a presence in the film remakes, not all story lines are staying the same.

“The Legend of Tarzan,” releasing July 1, will be centered around Tarzan’s journey as an adult and after he met Jane, rather than the Disney animated version which features Tarzan growing up and experiencing love for a human for the first time.

The trailers might take you back to the films you viewed as a child, but this nostalgia might not be enough to guarantee these remakes successful among their audience.

“Remakes and sequels are a hit or miss, especially when animated series turn into human type movies, either it’s spot on or going to be way off,” said student Tomas Solis. “When it is spot on it’s definitely an amazing entertainment movie, and if it’s not spot on it’s definitely a huge disappointment.”

This year will be the year we are reunited with some of our beloved characters and get the chance to see them in a way we never have before.