From its beginnings, Disney dedicated a large part of his productions to the fantasy genre. Not only because it is closest to the children’s audience but closest to the sensitivity of the studio. Also many of the great stories that made the company famous come from the realm of fantasy and classic traditional stories. The result is a collection of films that highlight the importance of fairy tales and at the same time recreate an exciting and sensitive view of her arguments.
Over the decades, Disney has evolved in design and point of view. What remains intact is his devotion to fantasy stories of all kinds, especially those that celebrate goodness and willpower. From the great animations that made the company famous to the current ones the action sources occasional controversy and debate. The truth is that the study grew in ambition, but also in the way it deepened its view of values and ideals. Currently, amid the inevitable debates about its permanence and legacy, your view remains one. Building a world where fantasy has its place.
To celebrate the above, we’re leaving you with five recommendations of fantastic content you can watch on Disney+ right now. From reinventing a classic for a new audience to reinventing a story loved by generations. The selection tells the history of the company, its concerns, and great narrative insights. The most notable plot development point that is currently surprising.
Beauty and the Beast
Director Bill Condon took the 1991 animated classic and turned it into a live-action fantasy film of immense quality and heart. The character of Bella (Emma Watson) also received the necessary update.
Although in her flesh and blood version, she remains a girl searching for a greater meaning in her life, now her aspirations are closer to her intellectual world. So this young woman, full of questions and curiosity, wants to travel the world to find his place in it.
On the other hand, the Beast (Dan Stevens) suffers a punishment that could be eternal due to his arrogance and vanity. Once the prince of a wealthy kingdom, he is a creature who spends his days within the confines of a castle frozen in time. So Bella’s arrival doesn’t just change his view of the world and destiny. At the same time, it moves his heart and shows him that magic can be a form of redemption.
A box office and critical success, the musical is now part of the favorite fantasy content of a large portion of Disney+ subscribers. A success that clearly shows that the development of the studio is taking new paths to honor to your favorite stories.
The Little Mermaid
The Love by Rob Marshall was preceded by controversy. The changes that have changed significantly the tone and pace of the story, right down to the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel. The production encountered various challenges and inconveniences. Much more so when the 1989 anime it’s from It’s one of Disney+’s favorites. Not only because it is considered a success that revived the studio. At the same time, it is one of the cutest adaptations ever on the big screen of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale.
But the premiere of the film dispelled public doubts. With some changes that modernized Ariel’s relationship with her father Triton (Javier Bard), the film thrilled fans and the general public alike. At the same time, it showed all the possibilities of telling a well-known and beloved story, from a new point of view and aimed at a new audience.
Marshall’s work is both a tribute to the film from which it comes and a sign of the future with new princesses, owners of their own lives. An upbeat ad that makes it clear that Disney is able to respect its universe while growing in unprecedented directions.
Willow, in the land of magic
In 1988, Ron Howard made a low-key classic that has become one of the most popular fantasy films in cinema over the years. Especially for managing to mix magic, predestination, and the quest for redemption in the same script. All this on the way He traveled through a magical and unknown land in the company of a charming group of characters.
It is likely, that Willow, in the land of magic, won’t be particularly original. Not even a story that surprises at its most exciting points. But what can be denied is that he is charming, in his ability to use humor and sensitivity to tell a familiar story. In addition to princesses and magical kingdoms, the plot explores friendship and love from new perspectives.
Proof of its constancy, it is a single-season series that Disney+ premiered in 2022. It not only reintroduces characters but adds several to the mythology of the plot. A vision of a rich world that still has something to tell.
“Enchanted” saga
In 2007, Giselle (Amy Adams) traveled from the kingdom of Andalasia to New York in search of true love. And he found it. The great hero of the story was the very unbelieving divorce lawyer Robert Phillip (Patrick Dempsey). Simultaneously, the man who bestowed Giselle with the kiss of true love. Directed by Kevin Lima, the film became a box office success as well as a favorite of an entire generation in search of new princesses.
In 2022, Giselle’s journey continued. This time, as a mother of two children and a loving wife, she had to face not an evil mother-in-law, but a disappointment in love. And even though the movie Disillusioned: Giselle Returns by Adam Shankman didn’t have the same impact as the original, it managed to move audiences. And he made it clear that the princess who fought dragons would now have to fight to find her place in the world. Which of course he achieved with a touch of magic and love.
Cinderella
The well-known story was taken up by the British director Kenneth Branagh Cinderella y He made it a great fantasy film that dazzled.
Starring actress Lily James in a role tailored for her, the story of the girl with the smallest leg in the kingdom turns into a beautiful love story. Also in reflections on love — romantic and, on the other hand, paternal — which can be moved by its sincere naivety.
And although the ending is familiar to everyone, Branagh was able to turn it into a light and colorful spectacle that moved the audience. A gift for nostalgics and for the current audience, fantasy lovers.
