Hollywood has repeatedly recreated films and shows in the form of sequels, such as Inside Out 2 and Moana 2, and reboots of shows like Gossip Girl, Full House and Bel-Air.
They are inescapable — each time we open Netflix or walk into a movie theatre, reboots have prime real estate. Hollywood studios constantly pull from past successes and attempt to recreate that glory.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the nostalgia of reboots and sequels. A sense of familiarity comes with them and there is an understanding of the story and the characters’ upcoming adventures. Audiences have a preexisting attachment to the piece, a sense of loyalty to the characters and an openness to seeing the story from a new perspective.
Inside Out 2 does a great job of attaching past character development and approaching it through a new conflict. It ties past character arcs while still appeasing a new audience. Unfortunately, that example is the exception and not the rule. Nine times out of 10, sequels are a Hollywood cash grab.
They do not add substantial value to the story world, instead tarnishing the original by contradicting character development and story arcs. There are examples riddled throughout romantic, coming-of-age and comedy films.
Some examples include To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Grown Ups 2, where even though some roles are reprised, they present similar problems to the first without bringing along the character development.
Hollywood expects past audiences to crave a sense of childhood or nostalgia and pitch reboots/sequels to make money. A prime example is Disney’s remake of princess movies. Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid are live action versions of the original animated classics that did not need to be made. None of these remakes added anything special or distinguishable from the original. They in some cases destroyed the magic and whimsical nature of the worlds, such as the live action remake of Winx Club. There was a loss of light and enchantment to the show compared to the animated version. Those stories already exist in animation form so why invest in creating new and unique films that will appease today’s audiences? I believe executives do not want to risk investing money, time and effort for it to fail. Remakes and sequels guarantee that past audiences will watch.
Even though they do not enjoy the film, the backlash is worth the money they spend to form that opinion.
Without an initial audience, it is difficult to spark interest and create buzz around a film. Hollywood executives are aware and prefer bad reviews over the non-existent numbers. I am not the biggest fan of reboots because there are so many creative people ready to bring new stories to life. Constantly being stuck in past glories will prevent beautiful storytelling. I do not mind sequels, but not every film or TV show needs one.
Once or twice is understandable, but some films are created to be one story. Adding onto it destroys past storytelling. I feel there is never a shortage of ideas and creativity within Hollywood. Rather, there is an abundance of greed.
