I'm tired of the word "reimagined" being used when talking about movie remakes, and not because I hate reimagined stories, but because I think they're using the term "reimagined" in a way that makes it sound a lot more creative than it is.
What you often see being called a "reimagining" is really just a reheated movie that a studio is bringing to the forefront and remaking in a way that rides on the magic of the old, even keeping things like character design and quirks, songs, and vibe, and then remaking it with modern tech and, too often, with modern sensibilities.
A "reimagining" is more along the lines of a story told in such a way that it imparts the same message and keeps the same themes, but takes totally different avenues to get there.
Let's take the world-famous Shakespearean play Hamlet. The story of an heir to a kingdom who was exiled and deprived of his rightful throne after his father, the King, was murdered. Hamlet's exile is more or less self-imposed, and his inability to act to reclaim his throne costs the kingdom dearly. Hamlet finally does act, but by that time, it's too late to truly do the right thing. The story ends with everyone dying, and a foreign flag flying over the kingdom of Denmark.
Now, let's take a look at what is arguably the best reimagining of Hamlet that both pays respect to the story while changing up the ending, but still keeping the themes alive.
That'd be Disney's The Lion King, a full-length animated musical drama released in 1994.
I probably don't need to recite all the beats of the movie to you because, for one, you've likely seen it yourself, and secondly, I already did in this article by describing Hamlet, but just for the sake of anyone who hasn't seen it The Lion King imparts the same tale but trades medieval Denmark for the African savannah, turns Hamlet from a human into a lion cub, and turns his paralzying indecision into a case of arrested development to avoid his guilt. In this story, Hamlet's stand-in, Simba, does finally decide to return and actually succeeds in reclaiming his throne and setting his people free, because this is a Disney movie, and explaining to a 7-year-old why everyone is dead isn't something anyone is ready for.
In fact, a lot of Disney movies that you know and love are reimaginings of old fairy tales, leading all the way up to 2016's Tangled, which was a reimagining of the story of Rapunzel. The real Grimm fairy tale is way darker, as they usually are, and was primarily focused on the very German idea that rules are there for a reason and they should be followed. Disney took the story and reimagined it so that the conclusion was the opposite: that you imprison yourself when you keep to your safe spaces.
In fact, I would say that Disney Americanised Rapunzel with more American ideals. It's a shame Disney would lose its ability to do that soon after.
Now, Disney is apparently remaking Tangled, and the cast has been announced.
Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim are Rapunzel and Flynn Rider in the live-action reimagining of Disney's Tangled. Coming only to theaters. pic.twitter.com/YKaK1BM5Sd
— Disney (@Disney) January 7, 2026
To be clear, I don't hate the casting choices, and given Disney's penchant for race-swapping characters, I'm surprised that they both look like they actually fit the part. That said, do I think it'll recapture the magic of the 2016 animated film?
I'm not putting any money on it.
Because what Disney is doing isn't reimagining it. They're rehashing it. They're creating a product that is nostalgic for itself, and as a result, it feels like a watered-down version of a really good drink. There were quirks to the animated film that made the tale, the characters, and the story charming. Moreover, it was a movie of its era, and there are likely some themes that won't fly in today's hyper-political atmosphere at Disney.
But even if it is good, it shouldn't be classified as a reimagining. I'd hardly consider a remake. It is, at the end of the day, a rehash. It's an attempt to squeeze money out of an IP by throwing it in front of Gen X and Millennial parents/grandparents and saying, "Remember this thing that made you feel good? We made it a bit differently. Come and show your kids so they'll get those feel-good vibes too, and we can sell it to them again down the line with their kids."
It doesn't work, and even if it does work, it just does okay. I haven't seen a remake yet that didn't just make me want to go back and watch the original.
