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In the last decade or so, Disney has been dipping into its own vault of movies, and making live-action movies out of its classic animated films. Are you surprised? Well, we’re not since Disney is the original studio who borrowed heavily from children’s fairy tales and brought dozens of beloved storybook characters from the pages to the silver screen, so why wouldn’t they take it one step further, and turn classic Disney animated tales into live-action?
That said, not all live-action versions are the same – some are reimaginations, while others are exact remakes. Likewise, some turned out well, while others are forgettable and some, best left forgotten.
With over 21 animated films turned live-action movies under its belt, with Moana, Bambi, and more incoming, here are our favourite Disney live-action remakes, ranked.
1. The Little Mermaid (2023)
Halle Bailey made a major splash as the mermaid princess Ariel. This adaptation is as close as it can get to the original animated movie, with minor changes to reflect modern society’s views and values. With much stronger character development, The Little Mermaid lets audiences get to know the characters we loved on a deeper level – did you know Prince Eric was adopted? Although it may not exalt the same legacy as the animated original, The Little Mermaid did what we thought was impossible: it made the iconic songs that shaped the film and us viewers, so much better.
2. The Jungle Book (2016)
Jon Favreau really set a new standard for CGI with The Jungle Book. Not only did the animal characters and the lush jungle look incredibly realistic, it is one of the rare remakes that actually improved on all its predecessors. The movie also had a star-studded cast alongside lead Neel Sethi. We’re talking Idris Elba, Bill Murray, Scarlet Johansson, Christopher Walken, Lupita Nyong’o, Ben Kingsley… and the list goes on.
3. Cinderella (2015)
Cinderella’s tale has been retold and reimagined numerous times. There’s what has now become a classic chick-flick led by then-princess of Disney Channel Hilary Duff in A Cinderella Story, and a pop-star version starring another Disney Channel princess Selena Gomez in 2008’s Another Cinderella Story. But Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella still remains as the most magical retelling of the tale. Starring Lily James, Branagh’s Cinderella is a beautiful homage that captured and recreated the same magic as the animated.
4. Pete’s Dragon (2016)
Pete’s Dragon is soulful, sweet and full of charm. The remake not only kept those elements in the deceivingly simple film, it also provided a visual overhaul that saw a young kid befriend and protect a fantasy creature before saying goodbye, and eventually growing up. We’re not crying, you are!
5. Cruella (2021)
Emma Stone is Cruella de Vil in this prequel to the 101 Dalmation movies. Cruella reimagines the puppy murderer into an eccentric and precocious young woman. The movie is fashion-focused and ala The Devil Wears Prada, with Emma Thompson as de Vil’s mentor and later on, competitor. It’s fun, it’s punk, it’s rebellious and gives us insight into who the fashion icon was before she, you know, started turning puppies into fur coats.
6. Christopher Robin (2018)
If you’re looking for some childhood magic then look no further than Christopher Robin. Starring Ewan McGregor as the now-grown titular character and Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin sees the family man living in London and receiving a surprise visit from his childhood pal who later helps him rediscover the joys of life. It’s a heartwarming family flick and while it may be too cookie-cutter for some, it’s still a beloved story that will heal a little bit of your inner child.
7. Maleficient (2014)
Before Cruella, there was Maleficient, the first movie in Disney’s live-action remakes that centres the story’s villain and not the protagonist. It’s not so much an adaptation of Sleeping Beauty – in fact we don’t see much of Aurora (Elle Fanning) at all. But just like Cruella, we learn more about the fairy who was betrayed and violated by her human lover, and how this physical and emotional damage set the story of Sleeping Beauty into motion. Maleficient is a bold new interpretation of the story and Angelina Jolie’s performance of the character truly made this movie what it is.
8. Aladdin (2019)
After The Little Mermaid and Cinderella, Aladdin is the third-best remake based on a Disney Princess movie and character. Director Guy Ritchie works closely with the source material and adds dazzling splendour with bright colours and colourful costumes. Naomi Scott’s Princess Jasmine’s original song ‘Speechless’ is memorable and Will Smith’s Genie, while incomparable to Robin William’s take on the character, is a good attempt. Our main gripe with Aladdin is that it did not update the cultural wrongs and misrepresentations found in the original animated movie. Nothing about Aladdin reflects the Middle Eastern culture the tale is inspired by. From set design to choreography, Aladdin looks more Indian than it does Middle Eastern.
9. Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is a trippy and darker take on Lewis Carroll’s tale. It is murky, violent and is set against an active war-backdrop where Alice (Mia Wasikowska), who has forgotten all about Wonderland, returns years later and leads a battle against the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and her evil army. Look, it is a Burton movie so don’t expect it to be all sunshine and rainbows – in fact, the darker spin on a classic Disney tale is a good touch.
It’s edgy and very not-Disney, and that’s why we like it. Plus, it’s got a pretty solid cast with Carter and Anne Hathaway’s White Queen as the movie’s top performers.
10. Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Beauty and the Beast is a bit of a mixed bag. Bill Condon’s remake leans heavily into the source material (which, we already love by the way), but provides no new interpretation. It’s the same story, but longer, as it includes forgettable scenes of Paris and a new song that we forgot even existed. It’s got a decent cast, with Emma Watson leading as Belle. Watson fits the look of Belle perfectly but her acting still bears traits of her stint as Hermione from Harry Potter. The only reason why Beauty and the Beast sits so comfortably in the middle of this ranking list is because of its beautiful visuals. The ballroom dance scene, in particular, is forever etched in our memories.
11. Peter Pan and Wendy (2023)
David Lowery’s Peter Pan and Wendy retains the magic present in the original animated movie and gave Wendy Darling (Ever Anderson) a more active role. Removing the problematic depiction of Native Americans in the original is also an added bonus here, adding to the charm of an otherwise lacking reimagination of the tale. It’s safe and it dazzles, but not all that glitters is gold.
12. Lady and the Tramp (2019)
Dogs are cute. Dogs falling in love is cute. And with a cast like Tessa Thompson, Sam Elliott, Justin Theroux and Janelle Monae, Charlie Bean’s Lady and the Tramp works well, and is easy to love. The CGI dogs are not creepy or weird at all, and if we were to summarise this movie into one word, it’ll be ‘cute’. Unfortunately, cute does not cut it when remaking a tale as delightful as the 1995 original.
13. The Lion King (2019)
The Lion King isn’t exactly live-action, is it? There are no human characters and all the animal characters are obviously CGI. The Lion King is an ambitious visual spectacle and re-creates the tale of a lion cub who avenges his father’s murder and eventually becomes king of the African savannah. It’s amazing how realistic the characters are, but the effect falls a bit flat when we feel like we’re watching Animal Planet. The realism here takes away a lot of the nuances, and makes it difficult for us to read the emotions, and connect to what is meant to be a strong, impactful story of revenge, love, and revolution.
14. Dumbo (2019)
Dumbo is yet another Disney live-action by Tim Burton, but you never would’ve guessed if you watched it, as it’s distinctly different – tonally, aesthetically, and everything in between – from Alice in Wonderland. With that flair evidently missing from Dumbo, the movie is just a bland remake. Our only praise for the movie is how moving the titular character is, especially when he soars into the sky.
15. Pinocchio (2022)
We have to admit, we’re quite disappointed in Robert Zemeckis. This man brought Back to the Future and Forrest Gump to the screens but can’t even make a real film about Pinocchio wanting to be a real boy. The characters hardly had any arcs and even though the movie pays adequate homage to the original, there were bits changed that just didn’t sit well with us. We wanted and expected a little bit more magic, but were left with something flat and witless.
16. Maleficient: Mistress of Evil (2019)
Mistress of Evil takes Sleeping Beauty to new territory. Here we meet Aurora’s future mother-in-law Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer) who frames Maleficient for an assassination attempt and tries to commit genocide against the fairies. The movie attempts to teach two new lessons: hold your parents dear and take a stand for change, but completely forgets to practice the lesson it taught in the first movie – practice forgiveness and withhold judgements.
17. Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016)
Alice in Wonderland was a fantastic visual piece and its sequel doubled down on it, only to end up a visual mess and headache-inducing. There was too much going on and Burton’s focus on edgy visuals took away focus from the story. Despite the rich source material available and a talented cast at hand, Alice Through The Looking Glass was devoid of humour, wasted the cast and did not have a strong narrative of character development to warrant a sequel.
18. 101 Dalmatians (1996)
The only good thing about 101 Dalmatians were puppies and Glenn Close’s performance as Cruella de Vill. But aside from that, 101 Dalmatians felt like a pointless remake of an already enjoyable animated film. Where other remakes that also didn’t add anything new to the story, there was an attempt to at least spice it up with magic – and unfortunately for 101 Dalmations, that’s just not their terrain.
19. 102 Dalmatians (2000)
Not sure why Disney went ahead with 102 Dalmatians when 101 Dalmatians wasn’t necessary in the first place. Again, we love Glenn Close as Cruella and the dalmatians are still as cute as ever, but you can’t teach an old dog new tricks and you never do the same trick twice. It gets boring and in this case, incredibly stagnant. Credit goes to Cruella for coming in with a clutch to save what would likely be a forgotten IP, thanks to the original live-action and this forgettable sequel.
20. The Jungle Book (1994)
It may be a surprise to find this remake of The Jungle Book so far down the list, but hey, times have changed. Favreau’s The Jungle Book was fun, adventurous and star-studded, and Stephen Sommers’ version strips the animal characters of their personalities and places such heavy focus on the experiences of British colonisers. There are some noteworthy supporting performances from Cary Elwes and Lena Headey, but aside from that, The Jungle King is filled with backward mentalities that are not representative of today’s values.
21. Mulan (2020)
Sorry, but how can you make a live-action Mulan and NOT have the music that made the film iconic and memorable? ‘Reflection’, ‘Be A Man’ and ‘A Girl Worth Fighting For’ – these songs were absolute bops that fans were looking forward to revisit, and they were robbed of the chance. General Shang – literally everyone’s man crush growing up – was also nowhere to be seen. The live-action Mulan took away the music, the romance and lest we forget, Mushu. That’s like Ariel without Flounder and Sebastian, Jasmine without Rajah and Cinderella without Jaq and Gus. Criminal. Mulan is a crime to the original animated movie and therefore, ever so worthy of being last on this list.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, for behind all this makeup, is a geek just like you. To simply put it, superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter and all things gore and creepy makes this girly girl swoon.
Natalie
Trinity Sun
