Home Alone: Chris Columbus thinks Disney’s reboot will be a waste of time

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Believe it or not, but it's been thirty years since Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) defended his home from Harry and Marv (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) after his family accidentally left him behind on their Christmas vacation. HOME ALONE was written and produced by John Hughes and also launched the career of director Chris Columbus, who went on to helm MRS. DOUBTFIRE, STEPMOM, as well as the first two HARRY POTTER movies.

HOME ALONE was a massive success upon its release and went on to spawn several sequels that couldn't hope to match the original, but it was announced last year that Disney was developing a new reboot of the franchise for the Disney+ streaming service. Chris Columbus isn't involved with the new HOME ALONE, but he had some choice words for the project, as well as Disney's live-action adaptations, while speaking with Insider.

No, nobody got in touch with me about it, and it's a waste of time as far as I'm concerned. What's the point? I'm a firm believer that you don't remake films that have had the longevity of "Home Alone." You're not going to create lightning in a bottle again. It's just not going to happen. So why do it? It's like doing a paint-by-numbers version of a Disney animated film — a live-action version of that. What's the point? It's been done. Do your own thing. Even if you fail miserably, at least you have come up with something original.

Columbus did note the irony in that assessment, as he admitted that he did pretty much the same thing with HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK. "I can even be accused of it myself, with 'Home Alone 2,'" said Columbus. "That movie is basically a remake of the first "Home Alone." Does it need to exist? Yes, because some of those stunts make me laugh really hard, but I just don't believe it should be done… Listen, have fun. I just feel, do something new. Life is short." To be fair, Disney's HOME ALONE reboot does seem to be going in a different direction, as it's reportedly set to star Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney as a wife and husband who, in an attempt to save their home from financial ruin, go to war with a kid (Archie Yates) who has stolen a priceless heirloom.