Fact is, if you were a kid when you first engaged with this story, you didn't necessarily fully "get it". There were likely messages or references going on that either passed right by you or you didn't fully understand, but they were there, because they were created by adults. Now that you're an adult, you see the themes or the references. It's you who has changed, not the material, not really. And new kids now will watch these same stories and also might not get all of the levels of what's going on.
Also, the creators of whatever new version or sequel grew up with these stories, too, and are putting their spin on them now. They lived with these stories and lived with those themes, same as you. Stories evolve because we grow up.