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The recent release of “Moana 2” has made me realize something that really irks me about the film industry: Sequels. Specifically, sequels that no one even asked for. From what I’ve heard, “Moana 2” is good, so I’m not commenting on that, but its existence still bothers me a little. Now, I love “Moana.” I saw the first movie in theaters back in 2016 and I absolutely loved it. I find it’s one of the better more recent Disney movies, hands down. However, I always felt like the story ended with the first movie. I never even expected there to be a sequel because, to me, it felt like the story was wrapped up; there were no remaining questions. This isn’t something that I feel is only happening within Disney; it happens all across the film industry. I used to wonder, why? Why would studios just want to tell the same stories over and over again instead of giving new people and characters a voice? The answer came after reading “Viewpoint” by Jon M Chu, director of “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Wicked,” and “In the Heights.”
“Viewpoint” is a memoir about Jon Chu’s family, childhood, and what led him to become the phenomenal director that he is today. There’s one part in the book where he talks about sequels, because the first film he made after graduation was “Step Up 2.” Before making “Step Up 2” he’d been on track to make other films, but the studios had been unwilling to fund them because of the “risk” of a young director. Making sequels of successful films makes it easier for studios to guarantee that an audience will show up at the box office so they’ll make money. While this is understandable, it’s also disheartening as both an audience member and an aspiring filmmaker.
There are so many stories out there that need to be told. Yet, studios continue to churn out the same ones over and over again. I’m not against all sequels. For instance “The Incredibles” ended on a clear, very irritating cliffhanger, so that sequel made sense (I don’t know why the only movies I can think of at the moment are Disney movies). I’m just saying that Hollywood should also care about taking a chance on someone new who has something to say.
This is the same reason why remakes are made so often. For instance, the trailers for the live-action remakes of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “How to Train Your Dragon” were recently released. Making these films is a safer bet for studios because they already have an avid fan base who is pretty much guaranteed to show up at the box office. In my opinion, remakes are never as good as the original and I’ll never understand the desire to tamper with something that’s already amazing, but that certainly doesn’t stop them.
As someone hoping to get into the film industry, this ever-increasing trend makes me nervous. I always find it more fun when I’m making something that I’m passionate about, and if I was a part of the live-action Snow White, for instance, I don’t think I would be very passionate about it. I want to tell stories that move people and help them forget about the world and its problems. I certainly believe the original “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” achieved this, so rather than just trying to recreate that (and poorly, I might add), we should be making new stories that are just as groundbreaking and revolutionary as the originals.
So while I have so much hope for Hollywood (as any young student filmmaker does), I can’t help but be nervous about one day not being able to tell the stories that I want to tell. I’m scared that I’ll forever be trapped in this endless cycle of sequels and remakes.
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