6 Best Movie Reimaginings Of Classic Stories

Wicked-mania is about to return, with Wicked: For Good, an adaptation of the second act of the beloved stage musical Wicked, set to hit theatres. Wicked, loosely based on the novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire, is a reimagining of the events leading up to, and during, The Wizard of Oz, told from the perspective of Oz's Witches: Elphaba, the 'Wicked' Witch of the West, and Glinda the good.

Wicked is not the first film to find success in reimagining a classic story in a new and unique way. Let's look at some of the best movies reimagining classic stories.

1. The Lion King

Most people know that The Lion King is one of the most successful films of all time. What is not as immediately obvious to many viewers is that the film is actually a very loose adaptation of Shakespeare's famous stage tragedy, Hamlet. Simba represents Hamlet, Scar represents Hamlet's traitorous Uncle Claudius who stole his throne, and Timon and Pumbaa are often interpreted as a take on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Being a Disney film, the tragic elements are heavily toned down. Scar does not marry Simba's Mother, and unlike Hamlet, where every major character save for one dies, most of The Lion King's cast survives. The Shakespeare theme continued in the film's sequels.

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is a much less tragic take on Romeo and Juliet, while The Lion King 1 & 1 1/2, which presents events prior and during the first film from the perspective of Timon and Pumba, is believed to have been inspired by the parody play Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.

2. Clueless

Released in 1995, teen comedy film Clueless starred Alicia Silverstone as the popular, spoiled, and slightly vain, but ultimately good natured High School student Cher Horowitz. Feeling a buzz after successfully matchmaking two of her Teachers, Cher resolves to do more good deeds, and soon takes sweet, but 'Clueless' transfer student Tai under her wing. However, as Tai's popularity grows, Cher's life becomes more complicated.

Clueless, a hit upon it's release, is a loose adaptation of Jane Austen's novel, Emma, with Cher acting as a modern day take on the book's titular heroine. The film spawned a spin-off TV series that ran for three seasons, and a second sequel series, with Alicia Silverstone reprising her role, is said to be in development.

3. Oliver & Company

Released in 1988, Disney's Oliver & Company follows a stray ginger kitten alone in the streets of New York. The kitten is taken in by a pack of pick-pocketing dogs lead by the streetwise Dodger, and their human master, the affable but cash-strapped Fagin, who is in deep debt to frightening loan-shark Sykes. Left behind during a con gone wrong, the kitten is rescued and taken home by a wealthy but very lonely little girl, Jenny Foxworth. Jenny names the kitten Oliver, but Dodger, not realising Oliver is happy and comfortable with Jenny, hatches a rescue plan.

Oliver & Company subtly adapts the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, albeit moving the action to New York and reimagining most of the characters as animals. Reviews at the time were mixed, although critics praised the voice work, with the film boasting some big names, including Billy Joel as Dodger. Despite the mixed reviews, the film was a hit with audiences, becoming the first animated film to gross $100 million worldwide in initial release, and set the template for what was to come in the golden era known as the Disney Rennaissance.

4. Maleficent

Maleficent was once known to most fans as just the villain of Disney's animated fairytale classic Sleeping Beauty.. and a petty villain at that, cursing the newborn Princess Aurora simply because she wasn't invited to the party celebrating her birth. This changed with the release of the live-action film, Maleficent, released in 2014, which elaborates on the character's backstory and retells events from her point of view. In the film, Stefan, Aurora's Father, had been a childhood friend/sweetheart of Maleficent, a fairy living in the magical Moors bordering the human kingdom, but betrays her as an adult, cutting off her wings to secure a throne for himself.

Maleficent places the sleeping curse on baby Aurora as revenge on Stefan. When the three pixies tasked with raising Aurora prove incompetent, Maleficent takes it upon herself to watch over the child, initially to ensure her revenge comes to fruition, but begins regretting the curse when she grows attached to Aurora. The film received a sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and inspired the development of Cruella, a film exploring the backstory of Cruella DeVil.

5. 10 Things I Hate About You

Teen Comedy 10 Things I Hate About You begins with the story of two very different teenage sisters, the anti-social, self-styled outcast Kat Stratford, and her social butterfly younger sister, Bianca. The sisters' overpotective Father instates a rule that Bianca can only begin dating if Kat does, having been led to believe this will never happen. However, as part of a number of intersecting plotlines involving characters who wish to date Bianca, School bad boy Patrick Verona is hired to win over Kat. Predictably, the plan becomes complicated when Patrick develops genuine feelings.

10 Things I Hate About You is actually a modern-day reimagining of Shakespeare's The Taming of The Shrew, with numerous Easter Eggs and references to the play and other Shakespeare works scattered throughout the film. It is considered one of the greatest teen romantic comedies of all time, and often appears on lists of the best and most defining films of the 90s. A sequel is believed to be in early development.

6. Frozen

When it was released in 2013, Frozen became an instant smash hit for Disney. The tale of love saving two sisters resonated with audiences, and quickly spawned a franchise including animated shorts, a stage production, and a sequel, Frozen 2, released in 2019. A third film is currently in production, with a fourth in development.

The version of Frozen we eventually got was very different than Disney's original concept. Initially, the film was intended as a more traditional adaptation of Hans Christian-Andersen's classic story, The Snow Queen. Elsa, the 'Snow Queen', was the film's villain, and the film made it through s few early story drafts with this idea at the forefront. Then, a song changed everything.

That song was, of course, 'Let It Go'. When songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez first presented the song, it was more uplifting than expected, prompting the writers to view Elsa as a troubled, but sympathetic character. Head writer Jennifer Lee reworked the first act with this version of Elsa, was approved by studio heads, and the rest is history.

We can't wait to see more creative nee takes on classic tales.