Can we stop with the live-action remakes, please?

Ever since the live-action version of The Jungle Book came out back in 2015, it feels like Disney has been trying so hard to make live-action versions happen that it hasn't quite realized that it just... isn't working.

I don't think I know a single person who has ever been besides themselves in excitement over a Disney live-action movie. Sure, I have friends who love musicals and know the classic fairy tales' songs from all the original and animated Disney classics. But who's out there actively asking the gods of Disney to please keep making every single movie we grew up with into a live-action version?! Nobody is.

Disney's live-action remake of Snow White featuring Gal Gadot has just joined the "Didn't Quite Make It" club that adaptations the studio has been trying to force-feed us for the last almost-decade have been forced to form, with an abysmal $43 million domestic box office. Keep in mind, the movie cost a completely unnecessary $240 million to make. Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, Dumbo... Absolutely none of those did half as well as Disney expected to, and yet, Disney is dishing out remakes like we're out there pan-handling for it. It seems Disney still has yet to learn its lesson as a live-action of the widely beloved classic Lilo & Stitch is set to come out this May. This is literally the definition of insanity.

Dear Disney, we want original stories. This isn't just annoying - it points out to a much bigger problem that isn't just Disney-centric.

Live-action remakes: has the Hollywood creativity well run dry?

Gone are the days where creativity dominated the movie and TV industry. As a whole, more and more remakes, spin-offs, and unnecessary sequels keep being pumped out to the public, only for the vast majority to flop or not do nearly as well as the executives thought they would. There's even a live-action Moana in the making. Why? Why do we need a live-action version of a more recent classic whose sequel wasn't even in the same realm as exciting as the first movie, and when the graphics are so fantastic and textured that we really, truly do not need to see a real person acting as Moana or Maui? Can we stop this madness, please? But it's not just Disney - we're getting a brand-new retelling of the Jurassic Park franchise, a new Harry Potter series, and a 28 Years Later coming out later this year.

Where are the new, daring, out-of-the-box ideas? Could we possibly retire older story tellers, those who have gotten the chance and the platform to tell their multitude of stories already, and recruit younger, new-to-the-industry professionals with refreshing ideas, curious what-ifs, and fearless when it comes to obstacles the industry has to face in order to bring something new to life? Where are those new stories that occupy space in my brain long after the movie or show has ended? Though I get plenty of those moments with my ever-expanding TBR list on my Kindle, it'd be so nice to feel that with an original movie or show again.

Am I alone in this? I fear that by the time my single-digit-aged kids reach age 18, the world's creativity well will be not only dry, but covered with a wooden plank that's been nailed to its mouth. Where are the risks? Like, real risks - not the "will generation XYZ show up to theaters to watch a spin-off or much delayed sequel to this movie that came out in the 90s" kind of risks. The "whose toes am I stepping on today" kind of creativity. The "how far can I push this limit in this genre" kind of tug. I feel like that's been the missing ingredient in Hollywood for the last chunk of recent content.

I'm not asking for old ideas to stop being recreated, reinvented, retold. I'm asking for a break - bring out the daring creativity for a bit. The classics will always be there, the incredible tales studios are missing out on due to fear of being different won't.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.